I'd also recommend Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feinman to any science-loving middle-school kid. Or high school kid or adult, for that matter.
Shh! I kinda wanna hear me talking right now!
Glory ,'The Killer In Me'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Hil R. - Nov 15, 2008 9:51:53 am PST #7913 of 28414
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
sj - Nov 15, 2008 12:47:31 pm PST #7914 of 28414
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Thanks, Barb and Hil! Those are wonderful suggestions. The older nephew is a wonderfully bright math and science geek. Which I love to encourage, but they are very much not my subjects. The younger one loves stories of all kind and craft projects which are so much easier for me.
Typo Boy - Nov 15, 2008 1:32:02 pm PST #7915 of 28414
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Noumenon, can't answer your question, but good to see your electrons.
meara - Nov 15, 2008 1:55:19 pm PST #7916 of 28414
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman
Oh, TOTALLY!!! I loooved this book. He's so interesting, both in his personal and scientific lives.
Hil R. - Nov 15, 2008 2:03:07 pm PST #7917 of 28414
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
It also amuses me to no end that he treats the dean's wife's horror at him asking for both lemon and milk in his tea as some silly social convention. Very good reason not to do that -- milk + lemon = cheese.
Noumenon - Nov 16, 2008 4:40:28 am PST #7918 of 28414
No other candidate is asking the hard questions, like "Did geophysicists assassinate Jim Henson?" or "Why is there hydrogen in America's water supply?" --defective yeti
This may be a stupid question, but is there an easy way to tell if a science book geared toward adults is appropriate for a 7th grader?
Is it harder than Isaac Asimov? Tons of seventh graders have tried Asimov and liked it, right?
I also read Ender's Game at about that time and although the violent scenes were kind of an attack on my innocence, I liked it a lot.
sj - Nov 16, 2008 5:52:35 am PST #7919 of 28414
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Thanks Noumenon, but he doesn't like fiction at all at the moment.
Ginger - Nov 16, 2008 6:33:28 am PST #7920 of 28414
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
There's always the wonderful Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.
In the same vein, any suggestions for first-grade girls who like to read?
Barb - Nov 16, 2008 6:34:57 am PST #7921 of 28414
“Not dead yet!”
At that age, Abby was devouring the Junie B. Jones books, Ginger. And Magic Treehouse.
Amy - Nov 16, 2008 6:50:05 am PST #7922 of 28414
Because books.
Also the Ramona Quimby books, I think. She could also try Little House in the Big Woods.