With a Little Luck

by Dennis Brindell Fradin

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Gr 6 Up–This anthology documents the lives and work of scientists whose intelligence, mixed with a bit of luck, led to groundbreaking discoveries: anesthesia, vulcanized rubber, penicillin, Pluto, bacteria, nuclear fission, and more. There is a good balance of text and images, and particularly notable is the author's gift of brevity. Grayscale reproductions of relevant photographs and sketches appear throughout. Fradin's writing is engaging. He concludes with Alex Wolszczan's 1990 discovery of millisecond pulsars to make his point: Discoveries are still being made. Readers are invited to welcome serendipity and be vigilant to follow up and explore where it may lead.–Jodi Kearns, University of Akron, OH
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From BookList, February 1, 2006, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
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*Starred Review*
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Gr. 6-9. When Newton saw that apple fall, he was ready to make his monumental discovery. Yes, luck and accident played a role, but so did his focus on details. The same is true of the 11 thrilling breakthroughs described this collective biography. Each inventor-discoverer is concentrating on a problem when the unexpected leads to revelation: Alexander Fleming understood the importance of what happened after mold that grew in his messy lab landed on a dish of bacteria. The daily detail is almost as exciting as the sudden breakthrough. Whether Fradin is writing about the discovery of penicillin, Neptune, pulsars, or the Dead Sea Scrolls, he smoothly combines personal stories (including some about young people) with fascinating science, technology, and history. His style is open and chatty, and the book design is very attractive: thick paper, spacious type, occasional quotes in the margin, and black-and-white photos and prints. Some of the bibliographic notes for the biographies mention Fradin's contact with contemporary inventors. Caught by the thrilling science and the personal adventure, many readers will go on to find out more.
HazelRochman.
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