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STEM Tuesday– Diversity in STEM– Book List

By on March 1, 2022   /   Diversity in STEM, STEM Tuesday  

These books introduce scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and inventors who are largely overlooked. And too often, because of their race or gender, even their residency status, they don’t even get credit for their work.

ANTHOLOGIES

Scientists Who Changed History by DK

Using a fun set-up beginning with a quotation and list of milestones and including intriguing spot and profile illustrations, an insert about a competitor or subsequent scientist, and a big, bold sidebar of accomplishments, this book examines 86 scientists from the astronomer and mathematician Thales of Milatues (624-546 B.C.E) to computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee (present). Broken into seven time periods, each section also includes a “directory” and brief bios of 13 other scientists from that time. A wonderful examination through time and across the globe of both well-known and forgotten scientists.

Stolen Science: Thirteen Stories of Scientists and Inventors almost Written Out of History by Ella Schwartz

This book presents biographies of scientists and inventors whose stories have been forgotten or outright ignored by history. Too often, due to their race, gender, even residency status, credit for their discoveries were given to other people. Sidebars offer deep dives into the science and technology.

The Secret Lives of Scientists, Engineers, and Doctors. Volume 1&2 by Faisal Hossain

Brief introductions to current STEM professionals, many written in first person, about the inspiration or experiences that spurred them into their research and careers. Includes a note of where they are working or researching.

Inspiring African-American Inventors: 9 Extraordinary Lives by Jeff C.Young

Spanning from 1848 to 2008, each of the biographies contains a “Lifeline” with key moments, discoveries, and for some posthumous awards. Portraits, invention diagrams, and period ads help round out an honest evaluation of their lives, creativity, and societal struggles. A list of “report links,” detailed chapter notes, and further reading make this a great place to begin research.

Brilliant African-American Scientists:9 Exceptional Lives by Jeff C. Young

Following a similar format, this book examines scientists from the 18th to 20th centuries who influenced astronomy, space telescopes, blood & plasma storage, biology, physics, developing computer science, and chemotherapy. It is also a straightforward presentation that could encourage further research.

What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Set within the framework of a fictional story of two twins, eleven fold-out flaps contain brief facts about inventors, their creations, and their influence on today’s society. Additionally, the book takes a more in-depth look at the life and discoveries of Lewis Howard Latimer, James E. West, Frederick McKinley Jones, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian, and Garrett Morgan. Sources and further information round out this fun exploration of important history.

A Native American Thought of It: Amazing Inventions and Innovations by Rocky Landon

Opening with a map of Traditional Native American territories, this informative, photo-illustrated book examines the shelters, modes of hunting & fishing, preparing food & clothing, medicine, transportation, communication, and games created by the various tribes many of which have continued or inspired current actions or inventions. It includes a brief look at Native Americans today, native languages, and further readings.

1001 Inventions and Awesome Facts from Muslim Civilization: Official Children’s Companion to the 1001 Inventions Exhibition (National Geographic Kids)

A cursory, but extensive, examination, from the 7th century into the 20th century, of the astrological, mathematical scientific and medical discoveries, as well as the musical, farming, games, and school creations that have been made by Muslim scientists and individuals. A fun map of highlights functions as a great “table of contents” and the section formats are highly visual and snippet oriented. A wonderful collection of facts and individuals.

INDIVIDUAL BIOGRAPHIES

Benjamin Banneker by Heather Lehr Wagner

Born in 1731, Banneker was a free Black man who worked his own farm. A curious child, he studied nature and wildlife and was fascinated by mechanics. He built a clock after taking a pocket watch apart. Later, he helped survey land that would become District of Columbia. This biography does not sidestep issues of race and forced labor.

Who was George Washington Carver? by Jim Gigliotti

Carver was born to enslaved parents near the end of the Civil War. He was curious and hungry for education, which he achieved despite racism and Jim Crow laws. He taught at Tuskegee College, where he developed products that used peanuts (glue, dye, plastic) – but not peanut butter!

Daniel Hale Williams: Surgeon Who Opened Hearts and Minds written and illustrated by Mike Venezia

Williams, known for ground-breaking heart surgery, began his medical career as a doctor’s assistant – a tough job in the later 1800s. After graduating from medical college, he discovered no hospital would accept a black doctor. When local hospitals refused to take his patients, he started his own hospital, a non-segregated institution that also provided training for black nurses and doctors.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

William Kamkwamba opens with life in Malawi: a mix of magic and science. His curiosity led him to fixing radios, a library, and eventually books about generating energy. As draught brings famine and death to the area, he builds a windmill to pump water for crops and produce electricity. A fun and inspiring read for kids (and adults).

Al-Khwarizmi : the inventor of algebra by Corona Brezina

This book shows Al-Khwarizmi the scholar: an astronomer, mathematician, geographer. His purpose was to help people solve math dilemmas in their everyday lives. In addition to developing algebra, he helped chart the course of planets, mapped the earth, and introduced the system of numbers we use today.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

– “Asian American scientists in STEM classrooms: increasing inclusion and visibility” – https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/asian-american-scientists-stem-classrooms-increasing-inclusion-and-visibility/

– “The Secret Lives of Scientists and Engineers” – https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/secret-life-of-scientists-and-engineers-diversity-in-stem/

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STEM Tuesday book list prepared by:

Sue Heavenrich writes about science for children and their families, from space to backyard ecology. Bees, flies, squirrel behavior—things she observes in her neighborhood and around her home—inspire her writing. Visit her at www.sueheavenrich.com

Maria Marshall is a children’s author, blogger, and poet passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at www.mariacmarshall.com

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AGENT SPOTLIGHT: Sarah N. Fisk of the Tobias Literary Agency

By on February 28, 2022   /   Articles, Editor / Agent Spotlight  

Today I’m delighted to introduce Sarah N. Fisk of the Tobias Literary Agency to our Mixed-Up Files readers. Sarah is a former mechanical engineer who made the switch to publishing in 2011. They have worked in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant, author’s assistant, publicist, and art director.

Sarah, who is also an author, is a former Pitch Wars mentor, board member, and Agent Liaison. They host the podcast Queries, Qualms, & Quirks and have a passion for spreadsheets. Sarah is one of the founding members of Disability in Publishing. They were a Pitch Wars mentor since 2012 and an intern at Fuse Literary before joining the Tobias Literary Agency in 2021.

 

Dorian: Welcome, Sarah, and thanks for being with us.

Sarah: Hi! Thank you so much for having me.

 

Dorian: Can you tell us a little bit about the Tobias Literary Agency and your current role there?

Sarah: The Tobias Literary Agency is a full-service literary agency headquartered in New York City with satellite offices in Boston, Nashville, and Fort Worth. We represent established and debut authors. Our client roster includes Pulitzer Prize winners, New York Times and USA Today bestsellers, renowned scientists, historians, Emmy-nominated journalists, celebrities, and Pushcart nominees. We take pride in supporting our clients’ long-lasting careers.

I am an assistant literary agent at Tobias, which basically means that I’m brand new! I started in October and opened to my own queries in January. I’m currently being closely mentored by multiple agents in the agency, as my wishlist spans both the Childrens and the Adult department. So even though I’m now signing my own clients, I have experienced agents checking everything I do and making sure I’m doing things correctly and responsibly.

 

Dorian: Sounds great. In addition to being an agent, you’re also an author. Can you tell us a bit about your work?

Sarah: Sure! Keeping Her Secret is a YA romance where two girls who shared their first kiss together meet up a couple years later at summer camp and, rather than facing their feelings for each other, they start a prank war. I also write adult romance under the name Aria Kane if you like things a little more spicy!

 

Dorian: What was your path like to becoming a writer and then an agent?

Sarah: Ha! It’s been a long road. I started taking writing seriously in 2008. I do this with everything, but I took a lot of time to deliberately learn as much about both writing and publishing as I could. I wrote a book that never saw the light of day, another book I queried that didn’t go anywhere, then started querying my debut novel in 2013. In 2014 I signed with my agent and got my first publishing contract and the book came out in 2015. 

Kind of on a parallel path, I became an editorial intern for a small press in 2011 or 2012 and was invited to be a Pitch Wars mentor in the first year. I worked in various publishing roles over the years and stayed with Pitch Wars until last year. In 2019, I started thinking about making the switch into agenting and did my signature long period of research and determining it was the right move for me. Especially with agenting, once you start taking on clients, everything you do deeply affects the writers you work with and I take that very seriously. I started applying for roles that seemed to be a good fit for me and got my first agent role (internship) in 2021.

 

Dorian: What books inspired you as a child?

Sarah: My parents weren’t readers, so we didn’t have books around the house, so all my books were supplied by school and public libraries. My grandmother taught me to read at a very early age and I was reading at a 5th grade level by Kindergarten. When I was at her house, she would drive me into the city (it felt like HOURS but now I know it was about a 40 minute drive) each week to check out the max number of books the library would allow. She also had many of the Hardy Boys books at home so I read through all of those in one summer. 

I was definitely one of those kids who sat in the back of the class and read, but most teachers didn’t mind because my grades were stellar.

Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote something that resonates so much with me:

“I was made for the library, not the classroom. The classroom was a jail of other people’s interests. The library is open, unending, free.”

I remember when I was in college, I kept thinking about this book I had read as a child, but I couldn’t remember much about it. I knew that the main character flew through space on a butterfly made of light. I told my friend, who was an avid reader, but he didn’t know what it was. That Christmas, he gave me a used copy of Heartlight by T.A. Barron! He had done research to figure out what the book was. That was so special to me.

 

The thing that really clenched it for me was when we read The Giver in 5th grade. It was truly an epiphany for me that books could be about a world so different from our own, but say so much about ours – and that a person not that all different from me could write that!

 

 

 

Dorian: I love that Ta-Nehisi Coates quote. What are some of your favorite more recent middle-grade books?

Sarah: Some of the ones I’ve read recently and really enjoyed are Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston, Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva, Starfish by Lisa Fipps, and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorian: Are there certain themes or subjects that resonate with you more than others?

Sarah: Yeah! I just put out a #mswl tweet about wanting to see more stories about older sisters who have too much responsibility placed on their shoulders at too young an age. Overall, I’m really drawn to complicated family relationships, especially sibling relationships. I love books that challenge societal norms and books that feature disabled or neurodiverse characters. As someone who grew up in the midwest and small towns in the south, I’d love to see more books set there as well.

 

Dorian: Besides your job, what is something that kept you busy or entertained during the pandemic?

Sarah: I started doing uv resin, usually jewelry or keychains. It’s fun and I decided early on I wanted it to be a hobby I don’t monetize because I have enough of those! I post pieces I make on Instagram if anyone’s interested.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dorian: What tips do you have for querying writers?

Sarah: The main thing is read other successful query letters and even back cover copy to find out how others have enticed readers with their story. So many query letters don’t actually tell me what the book is about, or they kind of do but there seems to be no conflict or stakes. Those two elements are very important in a query letter, and they need to be specific. “The world will never be the same again” is not specific enough to make a reader care.

 

Dorian: Can you provide our readers with links to your social media and podcasts?

Sarah: Yes! You can find out more about me as an agent at www.sarahnfisk.com, but you can go to www.sarahnicolas.com for all my other stuff as well. I’m on twitter @sarah_nicolas and on instagram as @presidentsarah. I also have a lot of stuff on my YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/sarahnicolasya.

 

Dorian: Thank you so much for joining us here at THE MIXED-UP FILES.

Sarah: Thank you for having me!

 

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Interview with Beth McMullen, Author of Secret of The Storm

By on February 24, 2022   /   Articles, Author Interviews, For Librarians, MUF Contributor Books, New Releases  

Full confession: Beth McMullen is not only one of my best friends; she is also one of my favorite authors. I was already a massive fan of her two middle-grade series MRS. SMITH’S SPY SCHOOL FOR GIRLS and LOLA BENKO, TREASURE HUNTER, so I had great expectations when I cracked open SECRET OF THE STORM. And, of course, Beth did not disappoint. Without a doubt, it was my favorite read of the year. I laughed, cried, and gasped with delight—all while falling in love with the characters—especially Joe. The story was fast-paced and action-packed, with a couple of fun twists and turns, at the end. I truly hope this book finds its way into the hands of every middle-grade reader. It’s the perfect escape in an otherwise imperfect world—something I think we can all use right about now.  

But enough of my gushing . . . Time to put Beth on the hot seat. 

Lisa: Tell us about Secret of The Storm.  (Available March 1st) 

Beth: This sounds lame but I love this book! It’s my seventh middle grade book and my third series and I think it is my favorite. I’m a total cat person, not gonna lie, so being able to mix action/adventure, fantasy, new friendships, the circuitous process of grieving, family drama, wild librarians, and bad weather with CATS…well, I could not have been more into it.

Lisa: How did you come up with the idea?

Beth: My black cat looks exactly like Toothless, the dragon from How to Train Your Dragon. I mean, whoever animated that character DEFINITELY had cats. The mannerisms, the movements, the attitude – it is all cat. So of course I started thinking, what if my cat really is a dragon? What happens if that happens?

Lisa: If your cats could talk, what would they say to you?

Beth: Feed me.

Lisa: What is your most cringe-worthy moment in middle school?

Beth: Just one?!? Hard to pick. My brother was five years older than me but that was not enough time for my 8th grade math teacher, Mr. Parker, to forget about him (math teacher was not a fan LOL). As soon as Mr. Parker saw my last name on the class list, he got this insane grin on his face and I basically tried to disappear into my desk. He spent the rest of the year torturing and humiliating me at every turn. Not a fun year.

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

Beth: I put bits and pieces of people I know into characters but it’s never the whole package. I take language I overhear or stories my own kids tell me about school and friends and things. Writing Secret of the Storm, I started with the concept of cats and dragons so created characters that would fit the story. Many authors start with character and build a story that way, but I rarely do.

Lisa: How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell? For example, did you secretly own a dragon in middle school?

Beth: I wish! That would have made me so much cooler than I was. My first reaction to this question is ‘no’ but in truth my books tend to have themes related to being on the outside looking in or how things are never as they seem. During much of my childhood, I felt both of those things acutely and they show up in my writing, often unintentionally.

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

Beth: I was an avid reader. Still am! Some of my favorite titles: The Westing Game, anything by Judy Blume, Bridge to Terebithia, A Wrinkle in Time, The Outsiders, anything by Paula Danzinger, and, last but not least, Danielle Steel and Stephen King. They were in the house so I read them.

Lisa: What advice would you give twelve-year-old Beth?

Beth: So much energy wasted on worrying about things that did not matter. I’d tell myself to work on just letting things go.

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

Beth: Total punster! I’ve worked very hard to accept that this is just the way I am. Outlines and me, we just don’t get along.

Lisa: Last, but most important-What is your Wordle starter word?

Beth: I start with a different word every day! I’m not sure this is a good strategy but since I started playing, I see five letter words EVERYWHERE.

More About Beth: 

Beth McMullen is the author of the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls (Aladdin/S&S) series as well as the forthcoming Lola Benko, Treasure Hunter (Aladdin/S&S) series, in stores and everywhere August 25th. Yay Lola! Her third middle grade series, Cats & Dragons, arrives in March 2021.  Beth lives in Northern California with her husband, kids, cats and a very tolerant parakeet named Zeus.

You can reach her on FaceBook/Instagram @BethMcMullenBooks and on Twitter at @bvam.  Visit BethMcMullenBooks.com to email or for more information.

ORDER NOW!

 

 

 

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