Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery, with her husband Pierre, of the elements polonium and radium. She worked during a time when it was difficult for female scientists to be recognized for their work or even get funded for research. Her life, highlights of her work, and more can be found in the Build It Yourself title: The Science and Technology of Marie Curie by Julie Knutson

Marie Curie helps young scientists grasp the concepts behind such terms as scientific theory, radioactivity, electromagnetic spectrum, and other words that bring the woman and her time period to life. Chock full of facts, but never dry, Marie Curie also has experiments young readers can perform that go along with each chapter. For instance, there’s a test I was inspired to try right away called, “Get Elemental With Your Breakfast Cereal,” that’s designed to show how cereal is fortified with iron. It involves cereal (I used Cheerios), a magnet, and a piece of white paper. Simple but fun and fascinating.

I recommend Marie Curie for readers aged 9 to 14.

The author provided me with a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.