Tag: stem

Screen Queens

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

ValleyStart is a tech competition, aimed at helping high schoolers showcase their coding/design/creative skills. The goal for all contestants is to land an internship at one of the most prestigious companies in Silicon Valley. Lucy, Maddie, and Delia are paired up by the competition administrators to be a team – and when they arrive, they realize they are the only all-female team. Screen Queens is an incisive examination of what it means to be a teenage girl with hopes of making it in the male-dominated field of technology. It touches on sexism and female friendships and achieving the high goals one sets for oneself. I have nothing but positive things to say about this novel – go pick it up.

Favorite Passage:

“‘I had drinks with him.’
‘So?’
‘I smiled and laughed. I flirted.’
‘And?’
‘I led him on. I -‘
‘Did nothing to invite him to put his hands on you — and not remove them when you said to.'”
— Twenty

What I Loved Most:

This is one of those books where you’re super mad while reading it, but it’s the good kind of mad. It’s a great depiction of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Screen Queens doesn’t pull any punches in its exploration of abuse of power by men, particularly to more vulnerable, younger women. I’m here for any story about women in STEM fields, and I think Screen Queens does a great job of helping teenagers learn about this crucial social justice issue in a way that is age appropriate.

Read this book if you like:

Feminism, girls in STEM, subtle diversity

Book Details:

  • Author: Lori Goldstein
  • Publisher: Razorbill
  • Date of Publication: June 11, 2019
  • Age Recommendation: 10th – 12th grade
  • Check out Screen Queens on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Ada Twist has so many questions. Why does her mom’s coffee smell stronger than her dad’s coffee? How many birds live in her backyard, and what kind of birds are they? And most urgently, how is she going to rescue her friend’s uncle, who is floating away due to his helium-filled pants?

Ada is a scientist, and there is so much she wants to learn. She is constantly doing experiments to figure out how the world around her works. STEM is all the rage right now, and it’s never too early to expose your kids to these concepts! For those who aren’t familiar, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. There’s a movement to begin educating children in these areas from a young age, as major job growth is expected in these industries in the future. By teaching children to value and utilize STEM skills from the time they’re little, we are preparing them for success in later job searches. Ada uses her scientific knowledge to get Uncle Ned back on the ground, but she does it in a way that teaches the STEM information on the down-low. Kids won’t even realize they are learning when they read this book.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the publisher, Amulet Books. It will be published next week – April 16, 2019! This is the second book in the Questioners series, but you can read it as a stand-alone book. I had never read the first book (Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters), but I’ll definitely be finding a copy of it and looking forward to future titles in this series!

Favorite Passage:

She shook her head to try to think. She tapped her chin again and scribbled notes. The hum of the crowd faded. There were so many questions to answer. So much to figure out. To Ada, the whole world felt like a big cartoon bubble filled with question marks. 
– Chapter 11

What I Loved Most:

There are a few points in the book where Ada is trying to explain information to someone, but she is too worked up for her words to come out the way that she wants them too. We see her getting frustrated when she can’t communicate well, and then see her try some different techniques to communicate better. In addition to all of the great STEM information in Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants, kids may learn a few new tips for how to get their feelings and ideas across.

Read this book if you like:

Smart kids, jokes about smelly feet, chapter books, empowering children to use science in their everyday lives

Book Details: