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STEM Tuesday — Happy 8th Anniversary!!

By on September 30, 2025   /   Giveaways, STEM Tuesday  

 

 

Can you believe it? STEM Tuesday is 8 years old! We have created more than 84 amazing Fun, Fact-Filled, Free STEM/STEAM activities for your classroom, homeschool, or family. Check them out!

Our goal, when we started this blog was to provide  engaging, exciting, and inspiring STEM/STEAM activities and literacy connections to all of our readers. Over the past three years, we have taken a deep dive into so many unique and interesting topics.

From conservation, to Health, to Field Work, and even Exploration and Technology. We have featured graphic novels, Women’s History month, sharks, and activity books. And who can forget the posts on epic achievements and fantastic failures?

Such important concepts in all of STEM/STEAM.

If you have used STEM Tuesday’s posts in your classroom or homeschool, let us know by commenting below. We’d like to hear what kind of  STEM/STEAM activities and literacy connections your student’s are enjoying. If there is topic that we haven’t covered yet and you’d like to see, please also let us know. You can email us at stemmuf@gmail.com

We, the entire STEM Tuesday team, thank you for reading our posts and using our resources in your classroom or homeschool. After all, it’s all about inspiring kids (of all ages) to engage with STEM and STEAM!

As a way to share our excitement of this anniversary, we are giving YOU a prize.

Leave a comment below to be entered to win a 3-pack of STEM books for your classroom  !

 

Brain Games book Book cover of "The Secret Science of Sports" Footprints Across the Planet

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Interview with Katie Hafner, author of THE LOST WOMEN OF SCIENCE

By on September 29, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

From the popular Lost Women of Science podcast, this empowering collection recognizes ten trailblazing female scientists whose lives and works have been lost to history…until now. Here, author Katie Hafner discusses the book’s background, (fantastic!) visuals, and upcoming plans for the series!

Book cover of THE LOST WOMEN OF SCIENCE

THE LOST WOMEN OF SCIENCE started as a podcast (and an incredible, award-winning one at that). What challenges were there turning the podcast into a book, and how did you solve them?

Our mission is to encourage women and girls to be inspired by what female scientists have achieved and to follow in their footsteps and choose science as a career. Our podcasts are more or less aimed at an adult audience, so producing a book based on the podcast seemed like a great way to fulfill our mission. We had done all the research, so it was a matter of retelling those stories in a way that would inspire younger readers. It also meant adding lots of pictures, diagrams and experiments to keep their attention and show how much fun science is. The challenge was getting the tone of the writing and the illustrations just right. We found a great illustrator, Karyn Lee, to design the book.

I love the inclusion of visual materials in the book, from pictures to historical records to timelines to illustrations. How did you and the Lost Women of Science team decide what to include for each subject?

That was not very difficult because each scientist profiled in the book does a different kind of science, so there were lots of materials to pick from, both archival and contemporary. We wanted to include photographs of our scientists, where possible, as well as illustrations that explained the science. For example, for Eunice Newton Foote, who is known now as the Mother of Climate Science, we include an experiment she did, demonstrating that the more carbon dioxide in the air, the hotter that air gets when exposed to the sun. Remember, Eunice was doing this in the mid-1800s in her home laboratory. So, there’s a neat drawing by our illustrator Karyn Lee showing thermometers in glass jars.

The Lost Women of Science Initiative is an educational nonprofit (The Lost Women of Science Initiative), which aims to “inspire girls and young women to pursue education and careers in STEM,” along with education about these remarkable scientists. Was that part of the vision from the start of the project, and how have you seen it flourish?

Yes, that is our vision and that is where the book fits in. We’ve also gone to schools to do presentations about the Lost Women of Science and we are working on creating a resource center that gathers all the materials that we have collected in our research – diaries, photos, scientific papers, letters – in one digital archive so that everyone can have access to them.

You’ve written a variety of mediums throughout your career: articles, podcasts, memoir, fiction, and nonfiction like THE LOST WOMEN OF SCIENCE. Is there a particular style you prefer working in, and do any of these other genres inform how you approach a book like this one?

I’m a journalist through and through, so no matter what I’m working on, I do quite a bit of research and fact-checking. So that’s my guiding principle.

Then there’s the storytelling part. Children and adults alike need to be hooked on a good story. If you tell that story in words that young people can understand, and explain the science in simple English, you’ll find your audience. So that was in the back of my mind when we were working on the text. I’ve been writing about technology and science for years and what you always have to remember is that your readers are often starting out from a very low knowledge base when it comes to a particular subject, so you cannot assume anything. My experience as a journalist helped with that.

The book is listed as a new series, which is exciting to see! What is next for you and the Lost Women of Science team?

The series will consist of three volumes altogether. We’re already hard at work on the second, which will be out in early 2027. Like the first one, this will include women we’ve profiled on the podcast. The book will present their stories, along with lots of illustrations and experiments for kids in middle school. A quick preview: the second book will include a Victorian astronomer who chased eclipses around the world at the turn of the twentieth century, an intrepid paleontologist from California who founded two museums and has many fossils named after her, and the first Black female doctor in America.

About Katie Hafner:

Photo of Katie Hafner.

Katie Hafner is the host and co-executive producer of Lost Women of Science. Katie was a longtime reporter for The New York Times, where she continues to be a contributor, writing obituaries and advance obituaries. Katie is uniquely positioned to tell the stories of lost women of science. Not only does she bring a skilled hand to complex narratives, but she has been writing about women in STEM formore than 30 years. She is the author of seven books of nonfiction, and her first novel, The Boys, was published in 2022 by Spiegel & Grau. She is at work on her second novel. Katie is also the host and executive producer of Our Mothers Ourselves, an interview podcast that celebrates extraordinary mothers.

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Interview with Horror Author Ally Russell

By on September 24, 2025   /   Author Interviews, Diversity  

Something strange is in the air today and we couldn’t be more excited! Author Ally Russell is here to chat about her new book, MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE. With spooky twists and a hero who’s not afraid to face the unknown, this mystery is sure to give readers plenty of chills and thrills. 

Lisa: Welcome to the Mixed Up Files! Please tell us about your new book.

Ally: MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE is the story of a 13-year-old girl who was abandoned in a cemetery and raised in a funeral home by her adoptive aunt. Mystery can smell ghosts, and she suffers from sleep paralysis! At Garcia Graves & Funeral Home, Mystery and her Tia Lucy handle the funeral arrangements for Lady Ellis, the town’s wealthy matriarch. However, when a priceless family heirloom goes missing, Tia Lucy is accused of graverobbing. It’s up to Mystery and her best friend Garrett to track down the real culprit, but in order to do so, they have to battle a vampiric ghost.

Lisa: How did you come up with the idea?

Ally: The idea of Mystery James began with a problem I was having in one of my old apartments. Sometimes I would catch a whiff of what I can only explain as a tangy, electrical smell. I’m certain it was coming from a USB charger, but one day, my very creepy brain whispered…what if it’s a ghost? That thought gave me goosebumps, and the thought turned into scribbles about a kid who could smell ghosts. From there, Mystery’s world of Ellis Town was born.

Lisa: Did you base any characters on people you know? If yes, spill the beans!

Ally: Ha! I’m sure there are bits and pieces of real folks in each of the characters, but the one that sticks out the most is the character Eliza Ellis. Eliza, is based on one of my dear childhood friends, Kimberlee. Kim is warm, kind, protective, and welcoming. Some of my best childhood memories—from laughter to scares—include Kim (who is also a fellow spooky girl). I wanted Mystery to have a good friend like that. I would also like to mention that Kim’s mom once told me that I reminded her of Wednesday Addams. It was the highest compliment to my 11-year-old brain, and I suppose it was inspo for Mystery.

Lisa: How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell?

Ally: I wish I could experience more creepy moment, but alas…I’m a scaredy cat. But I think that’s why I write stories about girls who are brave. I wasn’t a brave kid. I don’t think I’m a brave adult. So, my books tend to feature girls who battle things I find frightening—from cryptids to spirits.

Lisa: What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Do those books influence your writing?

Ally: I was a big fan of the usual suspects: Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Dark Thirty. I also remember enjoying Paul Zindel’s horror books, like Rats. My absolute favorite was Tales for the Midnight Hour by JB Stamper.

I don’t remember many of the finer details about these books, but I do remember how they made me feel. They scared me, but I also felt safe while reading them because if they ever became too much, I could simply close the book. I think these books influence my approach to horror for upper middle grade. I want to give young readers the thrills and chills they’re asking for, but I also want them to feel safe—like a roller coaster ride.

Lisa: Do you have a favorite chapter? If yes, why?

Ally: Oh, that’s a tough question. I had a really great time building this world. I love every scene inside the cemetery, especially when Mystery meets Baron for the first time. I love every interaction between Mystery and Eliza. But I guess chapter eight is one of my favorites. At Lady Ellis’s funeral we get to see a bigger cast of characters, and the Winstons are some of my favorite supporting characters. Shh…I just finished revisions for the second book in the Mystery James duology, and I snuck in a scene with the Winstons.

Lisa: What was the hardest part about writing this book?

Ally: Avoiding the traditional “rules” of the supernatural. Baron is a vampiric ghost, and it was tempting to ground him in either the physical or the spiritual world, but I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction, and I can make up my own rules about the supernatural.

Lisa: Why did you choose to write children’s books?

Ally: Because in most cases, a love of reading and books begins in childhood, and horror was the genre that turned me into a reader. Right now, we live in a scary world, and I want to write children’s horror books that are fun and engaging so that young people don’t develop an aversion to reading, art, and critical thinking.

Lisa: What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Ally: I used to think I was a pantser. I thought the right words would just come to me as I sat there with a blank screen, but it never happened. Then in 2020, I finally learned that I am a plotter. All books begin with a detailed synopsis. Of course, some things will change as I write, but the synopsis acts like a road map and keeps me on track and motivated to write. I can always tell when the synopsis isn’t working because the writing becomes a bit of a slog.

Lisa: What advice would you give 12-year-old Ally?

Ally: I would tell her to save every idea. I would tell her to always make writing a priority, even when she’s tired from all the stressful and nonsensical adult stuff that she has to do. And I would tell her to always make time for reading.

Lisa: Thank you so much for stopping by The Mixed Up Files, I loved chatting with you. To all our readers, be sure to add MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE to your Goodreads list and pick up a copy at your favorite indie or check out at your local library.  

Author Bio:

Ally is the author of It Came from the Trees and the Mystery James series. She grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children’s publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh—ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She’s afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights.

For more information about Ally, please visit her website and follow her on Bluesky or Instagram.

Happy Reading! 

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