Skip to main content

You Need to Read: Frankenstein's Monster

The monster created by scientist Victor Frankenstein in author Mary Shelley's classic work may just be fiction, however I'm of the opinion that if he really was  A-L-I-V-E, he'd want to understand more of how Frankenstein created him. Thus, finally being able to achieve his wish of having a bride and companion just like him:

To help Frankenstein's monster gain a solid foundation in scientific history so that he too can become a genetic engineer - 

Written by Freya Hardy
Illustrated by Sara Mulvanny
London: Ivy Kids, an imprint of Quarto Group, 2019. Informational. 80 pages. 

The Book of Big Science Ideas starts out each "big idea" by offering a succinct explanation, then continues by introducing influential thinkers within each discussed topic. Topics include such established scientific fields as: electricity, the periodic table of elements, and the solar system. It then moves forward to briefly introduce current experimental ideas such as artificial intelligence and sustaining life on Mars. An included timeline of big scientific ideas and a glossary of scientific terms are helpful tools for the budding scientists of tomorrow. 

When Frankenstein's monster is ready to blaze new trails and needs inspiration for his own monstrous creations, bride or otherwise - 


Written by Christiane Dorion 
Illustrated by Gosia Herba
Minneapolis, MN: Wide Eyed Editions, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2021. Informational. 75 pages.

Written from the perspective of each "animal inventor," Invented by Animals provides an interesting look at how our animal friends have inspired present day technologies, as well as what future technologies are currently being developed. Animals such as the blue morpho butterfly whose light manipulation techniques could someday be used to help humans add color to textiles without use of harmful chemicals. 

To power his monstrous bride, Frankenstein's monster will need to understand how electricity works - 

Written by Jacqui Bailey
Illustrated by Ed Myer
New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2021. Informational. 32 pages. 

An introductory look at basic electricity questions, such as: how batteries function, how to make static electricity, and how circuits function. Included with each topic is a basic experiment to reinforce the reader's learning. 

When Frankenstein's monster wants to revisit his origin story - 

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Margaret Novak, and Maite Schmitt
Kennebunkport, ME: Whalen Book Works, 2021. Fiction. 111 pages. 

A simplified version with illustrations of Mary Shelley's classic horror story about a scientist who discovers the secret to building life and the monster he creates.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...

Review: Kareem Between

  Kareem Between By Shifa Saltagi Safadi New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2024. Fiction. 324 pages.  Kareem loves football and as he gets ready to start seventh grade he dreams of someday becoming the first Syrian American NFL player. Seventh grade is not off to a great start for Kareem, after football tryouts don't go as he had planned, his best friend moves away, and his mom returns to Syria to help bring his sick grandfather to the US for treatment. So when Austin, the quarterback and coach's son, offers to talk to his dad and get Kareem on the football team in the spring, if he will cheat and do his homework for him, Kareem agrees. Kareem really wants to fit in at school and he is desperate to find a friend, but deep down he knows that doing Austin's homework isn't the right thing to do. And to make things harder, Kareem's mom asks him to be a friend to Fadi, a Syrian Christian refugee. He knows he should stand up for Fadi and help him adjust to the new school,...

Review: A World Without Summer

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out Written by Nicholas Day Illustrated by Yas Imamura New York: Random House Studio, 2025. Informational. 294 pages. In 1815 on a small island in Indonesia, Mount Tambora erupted. The blast was the largest in human history, and one of the deadliest. Though it couldn't be understood at the time, the deadly blast half a world away would lead to catastrophic famine in Europe, prompt westward expansion in America, and inspire the novel Frankenstein  by Mary Shelley. The global climate disaster following the explosion also led to inventions like modern meteorology and the early invention of the bicycle. The people living at the time couldn't have seen how everything was connected, but this fast paced narrative assures that readers will. As he did in 2024's Sibert winner The Mona Lisa Vanishes, Nicholas Day does an impressive job of weaving together different historical events into one single, compell...