SilverMoon Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) . Edited September 23, 2023 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Ds enjoyed "The Case of the Poisonous Socks: Tales in Chemistry" by William Brock. However we also did Disappearing Spoon, so perhaps this one will not work either. It is adult non fiction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 (edited) . Edited September 5, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Disappearing Spoon is sort of dry in places, but not really inappropriate. I mean it goes into chemical warfare a bit, but there is nothing really horrific that I remember to say a 7th grader couldn't handle it. I don't remember any sex/drugs/rock and roll happening. More that if your kid isn't into the concept of chemistry and the elements, it is not a super fun read. The Violinist's Thumb has some sexy stuff as it is more about Biology. The word Love is actually in the title. None of that in Spoon. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Uncle Tungsten? The three on my Chemistry NF list were Disappearing Spoon, Napoleon's Buttons, and Uncle Tungsten. Based on a quick thumb through, I think the last two will be more enjoyable for my 8th grader. But I haven't actually pre-read any of them yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Yeah, Thumb is genetics. Thanks. :001_smile: I'll put Spoon back on our considering list. I wasn't just running off DS/11th's review; a couple parents said the same thing. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Not exactly along the same line of a reader, but my boys loved The Elements by Theodore Gray. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 For non-high school chemistry (especially the 5th grader), I love Uncle Paul and the Wonder Book of Chemistry. https://archive.org/details/wonderbookofchem00fabr(the translation is rough at times. I read it aloud to my kids vs. giving it to them to read.) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I'm currently reading The Disappearing Spoon, and can't think of anything inappropriate other than talk of war and such. I'm only about halfway through. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benzino Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Wow. reading disappearing spoon in grade seven. Took me about a month to get through that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks is fabulous. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Spoon did mention something about Marie Curie's affair with some other chemist. But pretty much just like that - that she had an affair. Nothing inappropriate for a 7th grader, unless you don't want them knowing that famous people have done things maybe they shouldn't have, but history is full of examples of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks! Uncle Tungsten looks great. I loaded the Wonder Book into my Kindle library for reading on the pool bleachers, and I forgot the Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments was in there too. 😛 Edited September 5, 2023 by SilverMoon 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I read Disappearing Spoon as did my 11 year old last year. My 9-year-old started it and didn't care for it. I really enjoyed it. There was one spot where there was a mild sex analogy, but I didn't find it offensive. I wouldn't have even thought twice about it except that I knew my son was only chapters behind me – makes one notice different things. :) I wanted to like Periodic Kingdom but it was very evolution-heavy and super dry. It was a read aloud and it was boring us all to tears. It was such a good trope, but poorly executed - written more by a scientist than a writer, I guess. I started Napoleon's Buttons after Disappearing Spoon, but I didn't think it was as well written, so I didn't continue past the first chapter. Ambleside Online has recently redone their science book list for the middle school years and would be a good place to look for interesting science reading. There are several biographies listed that I have on order. :) Some of the books on my list for my rising 7th grader are Galileo and the Magic Numbers, by Sidney Rosen The Weather Book by Sloane The Wonder Book of Chemistry, by Jean Henri Fabre Ordinary Genius, by Stephanie McPherson 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Quote Edited September 23, 2023 by SilverMoon 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystie Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thanks for the AO tip! The bolded is usually an indication that DS/7th will like it. LOL He just came home from Boy Scout summer camp... where the guys nicknamed him Bill Nye. That's great! Yes, my review evidences my roots as an English Major. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjlcc Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 A Mind in the Light has chemistry recommendations for Year 8. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staceyshoe Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 The Disappearing Spoon does have mature references. The most memorable was some sexual obsessiveness on the part of Carl Linnaeus, but I recall it coming up a few times in the book. Much of the mature content is said in an underhanded, dry tone which many kids won't pick up on. I've been searching for a similar book, and I've seen recommendations for Napoleon's Buttons and Caveman Chemistry but haven't read either. Theodore Gray's Elements book is fantastic but isn't a narrative. I'm anxious to check out some of the other options mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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