Skip to main content

Review: Force of Nature

Image
By
Written by Ann E. Burg
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 278 pages.

This lovely novel in verse follows the life of Rachel Carson during her childhood, her youth, as a student in college, and as she grows into her dream career as a scientist. Rachel loves writing, being in nature, and is an incredibly curious child! As she explores her world, Rachel’s mother is a great guide who is happy that her daughter loves many of the same things that she does. The flip side is that her mother places a lot of her hopes and dreams on Rachel’s success and this is sometimes a heavy burden for her to carry. 

Rachel struggles to find her place in a world where only men are viewed as scientists. Women who want to be involved in science are only considered for teaching positions. This is frustrating to Rachel, and she refuses to accept the status quo. Throughout this informative novel, Rachel continues to foster her love of writing, reading, nature, and science, while persistently trying to solve the problem of how she can be accepted in the world of science.  

A unique finishing touch to this novel are the illustrations by Sophie Blackall. Known for her award-winning work in more than 50 children’s books, the illustrations in this book were inspired by Rachel Carson’s science journals.

I loved this book and would recommend it for anyone interested in science and nature, as well as those who want to feel inspired by a young woman who is relentless in her pursuit to accomplish her goals. 

Labels:

Comments

Ann E, Burg said…
Thank you for this lovely review. Writing about Rachel reminded me how beautiful the world is and how important it is for us to take care of her! Again thank you your kind words! Have a wonderful summer!💕
July 8, 2024 at 9:12 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

By
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall By Jasmine Warga New York: Harper, 2024. Fiction. 211 pages. A painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum and sixth-grader Rami Ahmed is worried he's the main suspect. His mother works at the museum as the lead custodian and Rami spends a lot of time hanging out at the museum while she works. On the day the painting went missing, the only people there were the security guard Ed, the cleaning crew, and Rami. Then, a mysterious girl appears in the museum. She floats around from room to room and only Rami can see her -- and she looks exactly like the girl from the missing painting. To prove his innocence and help figure out who the floating girl is, Rami partners up with an aspiring sleuth at school named Veda and the two dive into unexpected situations as they try to solve the mystery. This is a cozy mystery that is focused mostly on characters and ambiance and only a little on the mystery itself. Don't read this book if yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more