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STEM Tuesday– CSI – Forensic Science and Anthropology- Interview with Author Chana Stiefel

By on November 26, 2019   /   CSI - Forensic Science and Anthropology, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview & Book Giveaway, a repeating feature for the fourth Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Chana Stiefel, author of FINGERPRINTS: Dead People DO Tell Tales.

Mary Kay Carson: How’d you come to write this book?

Chana Stiefel: Enslow Publishers was doing a series on True Forensic Crime Stories and the editor contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in writing a book about fingerprints. I was instantly intrigued–mainly because I was a fan of the TV show CSI, I’d never written about forensic science before, and was excited to take out my magnifying glass and dig into the research. That’s one of the best parts of being a science writer: You often get to research and write about topics you know very little about–until you feel like a mini expert.

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MKC: Did your exhaustive research lead to some interesting finds?

Chana: Oh my goodness, yes! Fingerprints are so fascinating. Did you know that…

  • No two people on the planet (not even identical twins) share the same fingerprints. This has made fingerprints a great tool for solving crimes since the early 1900s.
  • Fingerprints develop as a baby grows in its mother’s womb—by the 19th week of development! The variety of patterns of fingerprints is determined both by genes and the movements of the fetus’s fingers inside its mother. Tiny movements affect the growth of dividing skin cells on each finger.
  • Fingerprints may have evolved to increase friction (for instance, helping early humans grip tools).
  • As we grow and age, our fingerprints stay the same! That’s why a fingerprint might help solve a crime years after it’s committed.

I could go on and on! Ever since writing this book, I have never looked at fingerprints the same way. So think before you spray Windex on that mirror or countertop! 🙂

Chana Stiefel is the author of more than 25 books for kids about exploding volcanoes, stinky castles, and other fun stuff. Recent non-fiction titles include ANIMAL ZOMBIES…& OTHER REAL-LIFE MONSTERS (National Geographic Kids, 2018), which was selected as a Top Ten YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant YA Readers in 2019. Chana’s next picture book, LET LIBERTY RISE (Scholastic, 2021), illustrated by Chuck Groenink, is the true story of how children helped build the Statue of Liberty. Chana loves visiting schools and libraries and sharing her passion for reading and writing with children. To learn more, please visit chanastiefel.com and follow @chanastiefel on FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MKC: Do you choose to specifically write STEM books?

Chana: I’ve always been passionate about science and nature and I love to share my interests with kids. After college, I earned a Master’s in Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting at NYU School of Journalism. (That’s where I met the awesome Mary Kay Carson and many other talented science writers.) While there, I got an internship down the block at Scholastic’s SuperScience Blue, an elementary science magazine (also a Mary Kay hangout) and later became an editor of Scholastic’s Science World, a biweekly science magazine for middle schoolers. Since then, I’ve written several STEM books on tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as well as books on wild weather and cool scientists. Last year, my book Animal Zombies and Other Bloodsucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters was published by National Geographic Kids.

MKC: Who did you write this book for?

Chana: This book is geared toward middle school and up. I hope to spark kids’ interest in forensics by making the science as interesting and relevant as possible. For example, many schools are using fingerprinting to have students securely sign in. Theme parks have also used fingerprinting to ensure that season passes are only used by the purchaser. I also wanted to include plenty of information so that readers could debate the merits of fingerprint science. It’s not foolproof. Many innocent people have been wrongly convicted based on fingerprint evidence. Also, some people feel that creating a national fingerprint database invades privacy. (ie, Who has access to your fingerprints? At what point does a process that increases security invade privacy? Are you willing to give up some privacy in order to stay safe?) Finally, I included various jobs related to fingerprint science that might intrigue readers, including crime scene technicians, fingerprint examiners, and so on. In general, my goal is to open kids’ eyes to the wonders of the natural world and help them see how science plays a role in our daily lives. Sometimes the coolest facts are on the tips of your fingers!

Win a FREE copy of FINGERPRINTS: Dead People DO Tell Tales!

Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. The randomly-chosen winner will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (within the U.S. only) to receive the book.

Good luck!

Your host is Mary Kay Carson, author of The Tornado Scientist, Alexander Graham Bell for Kids, Mission to Pluto, Weird Animals, and other nonfiction books for kids. @marykaycarson

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Interview with MG Author Victoria Piontek

By on November 25, 2019   /   Author Interviews  

Writing can be very solitary; just a writer and their computer or notebook. But as writers of children’s books, we’re lucky to have a wonderful camaraderie between creators who support and help each other. The year my first novel, THE BOY, THE BOAT, AND THE BEAST, came out, I found heaps of support and help through my debut group, the Electric Eighteens, and the Spooky Middle Grade authors. I love to see how other authors are navigating their writing, so I thought today I’d interview one of the authors who shared and supported me during my debut year in both of these wonderful groups, Victoria Piontek. Victoria is the author of THE SPIRIT OF CATTAIL COUNTY (Scholastic, 2018), which A SNICKER OF MAGIC author Natalie Lloyd described as, “Wrapped in prose as mysterious and lovely as a southern breeze lies a story about loss that haunts, and the ghosts that help us heal. This story is a treasure.”

Victoria Piontek

Victoria Piontek

Samantha: What do you love about writing books, and on the flip side is there anything you don’t like?

Victoria: What I love most about writing is working with words and revising them to say just the right thing in the right way. I also really love watching a project take shape through revision and the way it gets a little more whole with each pass. The thing I don’t like about writing is getting started again after a break. Blank pages and flashing cursors are terrifying!

Samantha: What made you want to be a writer?

Victoria: My sister and I discovered a battered set of C.S. Lewis’s CHRONICLES OF NARNIA in our family barn. We spent the summer reading the books, and by the time I finished the series, I knew that I wanted to be a writer.

Samantha: What were the biggest challenges you had to overcome in your journey so far?

Victoria: Self-doubt. Even though I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer, I believed I wouldn’t be able to become one because I’m dyslexic. As a kid, even though I loved school and learning, I didn’t perform well in an academic environment, and I thought that meant I couldn’t be an author. I had to work really hard (and still do) to overcome some of the technical aspects of writing and to believe in myself.

Samantha: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from your debut year?

Victoria: To enjoy and celebrate every milestone no matter how small because the debut year goes by surprisingly fast.

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Samantha: Do you feel as though your debut year or your book has changed you in any way?

Victoria: THE SPIRIT OF CATTAIL COUNTY is, in many ways, a love letter to my family, especially my mom. It didn’t change me as much as reinforce how important family is to me and how grateful I am to have grown up in my family even though we were not picture perfect. As a family, we were a little messy and quirky, but my mom taught us to celebrate that difference, and I think that has helped me with my writing. I love writing characters who are good-hearted but imperfect.

Samantha: How has your writing process changed?

Victoria: My process has changed in two ways since I first started writing. I now outline before I start drafting. It’s a loose outline, but I’ve learned that if I don’t know what is supposed to come next, I get stuck and flounder. When I have a roadmap, I can work quicker. I also fast draft without editing or revising as I go. I’ve discovered it’s the best way to make progress because it allows me to get more words on the page and stops me from getting caught up in self-criticism. Nothing kills creativity like self-doubt.

Samantha: What draws you to middle-grade novels, and are there challenges or special considerations you have to think about when writing for this category?

Victoria: Middle grade is my favorite category to read and to write because it has all the qualities I love in a novel—heart, humor, and hope. I think when writing for this category, the most important thing to keep in mind is to not write down to readers. Kids are very discerning creatures. Adults have a tendency to forget that.

Samantha: What types of stories are you most interested in telling, and why?

Victoria: I love telling friendship and family stories because I feel like those connections are at the heart of who we are and why.

Samantha: What’s next for you?

Victoria: I’m working on a new novel about friendship and family.

Samantha: I look forward to reading it!

Find out more about Victoria Piontek on her website, VictoriaPiontek.com

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Middle Grade Birthday Book List!

By on November 22, 2019   /   Articles, Book Lists, Fiction, Fun!  

Well, today is my birthday . . . so to celebrate, I thought I’d make a list of some great middle grade books about birthdays. Enjoy!

 

Moon Shadow by Erin Downing

Thirteen-year-old Lucia Frank discovers that she can become the girl she’s always wanted to be with the help of a little “moon magic” in this charming novel about the value of friendship, family, and finding yourself.

Lucia Frank has never had time for her mom’s “new age” nonsense. She doesn’t believe in any of that stuff. All she wants is to figure out how to get her best friend, Will, back and cope with her parents looming divorce. But then something strange happens on the night of her thirteenth birthday.

When the eclipsed moon slips into the shadow of the earth, Lucia’s Shadow slips out. Now hidden in a moonstone, the Shadow waits for Lucia to sleep so it can come out to play.

Lucia’s Shadow seems unlike her in almost every way: daring, outspoken, and unwilling to let anyone push her around. But it actually isn’t the anti-Lucia…in fact, her Shadow is very much like the person Lucia wishes she could be. At first, Lucia is eager to undo whatever magic happened on her birthday so life can get back to normal. But when she realizes her Shadow is doing and saying things she has only dreamed about, she wonders if maybe things aren’t all bad.

With a little help from her Shadow, she’s turning into the kind of girl she’s always wanted to be.

 

The Squatchicorns by Ellen Potter and illustrated by Felicita Sala

When a tribe of Sasquatches flee from a mysterious curse, they take refuge in Hugo’s home, Widdershins Cavern. These new Sasquatches look a bit . . . odd. For example, they all have unicorn horns on their heads! Always open to meeting new creatures, Hugo befriends one of these strange squidges, Nobb. Nobb offers to escort Hugo though the North Woods so that Hugo can attend Boone’s birthday party. Having never been inside a Human house, Hugo finds the experience confusing and somewhat disastrous. Just when it looks like Hugo may have ruined Boone’s birthday, they set out on a mission to solve the troubling curse in Nobb’s cavern.

 

Dork Diaries 13: Tales from a Not-So-Happy Birthday by Rachel Renée Russe

Nikki and her BFF’s Chloe and Zoey have been planning a birthday party of epic proportions! There’s just one problem—Nikki’s mom says no way to the budget they need to make it happen. Nikki’s ready to call the whole thing off, but some surprising twists might take that decision out of her hands, and help comes from the person Nikki would least expect. One way or another, this will be a birthday that Nikki will never forget!Anna has been best friends with Sadie for as long as she can remember. So Anna is utterly perplexed when, on Anna’s birthday, Sadie unceremoniously stakes claim to Anna’s new pony necklace, then suddenly stops speaking to Anna altogether. Did Anna do something wrong? With a little help from her wiener dog, Banana, as well as some sage advice from her family, Anna makes some important discoveries about what it means to stand up for herself, and how to be a true friend.

 

 

 

Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split by Anica Mrose Rissi, illustrated by Meg Park

Anna has been best friends with Sadie for as long as she can remember. So Anna is utterly perplexed when, on Anna’s birthday, Sadie unceremoniously stakes claim to Anna’s new pony necklace, then suddenly stops speaking to Anna altogether. Did Anna do something wrong? With a little help from her wiener dog, Banana, as well as some sage advice from her family, Anna makes some important discoveries about what it means to stand up for herself, and how to be a true friend.

 

 

 

Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon

Harriet Hamsterbone is not your typical princess. She may be quite stunning in the rodent realm (you’ll have to trust her on this one), but she is not so great at trailing around the palace looking ethereal or sighing a lot. She finds the royal life rather . . . dull. One day, though, Harriet’s parents tell her of the curse that a rat placed on her at birth, dooming her to prick her finger on a hamster wheel when she’s twelve and fall into a deep sleep. For Harriet, this is most wonderful news: It means she’s invincible until she’s twelve! After all, no good curse goes to waste. And so begins a grand life of adventure with her trusty riding quail, Mumfrey…until her twelfth birthday arrives and the curse manifests in a most unexpected way.

 

 

 

 

Waste Of Space by Stuart Gibbs

Tensions are running high when multi-billionaire Lars Sjoburg is poisoned and everyone is looking to Dash Gibson to solve the case.

Moon Base Alpha was supposed to be an exciting place to live, but Dashiell Gibson didn’t expect for it to be this exciting. He’s already had to solve a murder and locate a missing moon base commander. Now, he just wants to have a calm, quiet thirteenth birthday. But, of course, trillionaire (and total pain) Lars Sjoburg ruins it—by being poisoned.

Now there’s another potential killer loose on Moon Base Alpha, and Dash is forced to identify the most likely suspects. Suddenly Dash finds himself with a target on his back. Whoever poisoned Lars will stop at nothing to keep his—or her—identity a secret.

 

Katie’s Lucky Birthday by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Tammy Lyon

Katie is happy to be the person of the day when she celebrates her birthday at school. But when she realizes that her friend Pedro’s birthday is in August, she wants to find a way to share her birthday with him. Come celebrate with the lucky birthday girl, Katie Woo!

 

 

 

 

 

Patrick Griffin’s First Birthday on Ith by Ned Rust

Breathtaking suspense and surprising twists come together in Patrick Griffin’s First Birthday on Ith, the second book of the page-turning Patrick Griffin and the Three Worlds trilogy by Ned Rust.

After learning Earth is about to be destroyed, 12-year-old Patrick Griffin is on a mission. Under the protection of a powerful griffin, Patrick and his friend Oma travel through abandoned cities on the planet Ith, hiding from the enemy while they work out a plan to overthrow the alternate world’s sinister government.

Back on Earth, the gigantic jackalope Mr. BunBun and nine adorable numbats race to warn humans about impending doom. But time is running out. The evil Rex Abraham is back on Ith and will stop at nothing to continue his domination of the Three Worlds.

 

 

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