Posts Tagged science

STEM Tuesday– Deep Space and Beyond– Interview with Author Alexandra Siy

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 Alexandra Siy, author of this month’s featured deep space book, Voyager’s Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space. The book is a “soundtrack” that takes readers on an epic journey into interstellar space thanks to NASA’s Voyager program and its twin robotic space probes.

The author’s enthusiasm for Voyager’s accomplishments shines through her words: “Planets dance around the Sun. Moons and rings dance around the planets. And the Voyagers danced around them all, taking pictures, collecting data, and transforming how humans see and understand the solar system.”  Voyager’s Greatest Hits received a starred review from School Library Journal, calling it “An engaging and captivating STEM title.” The book was also chosen for NSTA’s Best STEM Books 2018.

Alexandra Siy is a science writer and photographer for kids who thinks that science is fun, artsy, and cool. She’s written many books that combine science and art through imagery that reveals both microscopic and far away worlds.  She also visits schools and libraries nationwide, sharing her passion for science, books, and photography.

Mary Kay Carson: What inspired you to write Voyager’s Greatest Hits?

Alexandra Siy: Back in 2005, I was following the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity for my book CARS ON MARS. One day, while trolling the NASA website I read about a record album flying through space. What?!

Launched back in 1977 on the Voyager Planetary Mission, the “Golden Record” instantly captured my imagination. What was on it? How do you play it? Why was it made? Did scientists really think there are aliens out there who might someday find it? Where is it right now? One question lead to another—and suddenly I was researching the heliosphere, plasma waves, gravity assist, the interstellar medium, and termination shock. At that point, the Voyagers were far beyond the outer planets, but they were still on a mission. Now called the Voyager Interstellar Mission, the twin spacecraft were speeding toward interstellar space, and I wanted to hop onboard. But the only way to go was to write a book.

Voyager’s Greatest Hits was inspired by the Golden Record. It was fun weaving the titles of pop musical recordings from the past forty years into the narrative’s chapter titles and subtitles. A book is the voice of the person writing it, and Voyager’s Greatest Hits became my personal journey to the cosmos. “I’ve been flying with the Voyagers ever since,” I wrote in my author’s note. “And now, so are you.”

MKC: Could you share a favorite research moment or finding?

Alexandra: Although I interviewed several scientists while researching Voyager’s Greatest Hits, my favorite moment was not my interview. It occurred on December 3, 2013 (which was my birthday). I discovered the interview online over a year later. Voyager Project Scientist, Ed Stone, who I’d come to know only through research, was on the Colbert Report talking about “humankind’s greatest—and certainly most extensive—journey of exploration.” When Stephen Colbert floated across the stage in a spacesuit and presented Ed with NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal, Ed was genuinely surprised. His passion for science, exploration, and discovery was as engaging as his great big smile. Check it out the Colbert interview and the fun award presentation.

MKC: Why do you write STEM books?

Alexandra: I have a lot of questions. I want to know things. I majored in biology in college because I literally wanted to know what life is—the reason for it, and how and why it exists. This question of life, which is the ultimate existential question, bothered me a lot. When I realized I would not be finding the answer in upper level bio courses, I signed up for classes in Shakespeare and Writing Poetry. I minored in writing and eventually discovered that nonfiction writing is “thinking on the page,” as Philip Lopate described it in his 2013 title, To Show and to Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction. When I write, I come to understand.

Writing STEM books is a holistic approach to understanding. I like to say I write STEAM books because I incorporate art into all of my titles. Primary source scientific imagery is also artistic expression, and I love fusing science and art in books for young readers.

MKC: Any book recommendations for fans of Voyager’s Greatest Hits?

Alexandra: A Wrinkle in Time, the novel by Madeleine L’Engle. In her 1963 Newberry Medal acceptance speech L’Engle concluded: “A book too, can be a star, ‘explosive material, capable of stirring up fresh life endlessly,’ a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” Mary Kay Carson’s outstanding Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt. And for the 2019, 50th Anniversary of the first lunar landing check out Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh.

Win a FREE copy of Voyager’s Greatest Hits!

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 this week is Mary Kay Carson, fellow space geek and author of Mission to Pluto and other nonfiction books for kids. @marykaycarson

 

STEM Tuesday — Deep Space and Beyond — Writing Craft & Resources

Interesting Intros

If you are like me, by the time you’ve read the first page or two, you’ve already decided if you’ll finish a book. The beginning, the intro, the hook, those are crucial to a reading experience.

blank page, book, textbook, university, wisdom, writingSo crucial, in fact, that when a nonfiction author writes a book proposal (an overview, outline, comparable books, audience information, author platform, etc.) the writing sample that accompanies the proposal almost always includes the introduction. Editors don’t ask to see the chapter that will require the utmost skill in handling technical information – in the space books featured this month that could include trajectories, subsystems, eight letter acronyms, and numbers too large for the human brain to grasp. They don’t ask to see the conclusion chapter – the one that is likely to require the greatest artistic ability to tie up the loose ends of in-depth concepts, inspire the reader, and launch them into further inquiry. No, editors want to see the introduction. The one that requires both art and craft, wound together skillfully enough to hook a young reader.

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So, how do successful writers begin? Let’s take a look at the choices made by Mary Kay Carson, Elizabeth Rusch, and Catherine Thimmesh in Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt, Impact: Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World, and Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon.

Setting the Mood

The first spread of Mission to Pluto is filled with a photo, a room packed with adults waving American flags and cheering. Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgThe text is all about setting the scene. Author Mary Kay Carson could have chosen just about any detail:

  • the phones clicking pictures
  • the type of stick the flags were attached to
  • the hair styles of the individuals

But instead she picked details that accentuated her subject matter:

  • a nine-sided mission patch
  • a robotic spacecraft
  • a dwarf planet

She selected characters such as Bill Nye, the Science Guy, whose inclusion emphasized the magnitude of the occasion. And, she chose a quote (“Now we’re finally going to find out what really…”) that focused a spotlight on the mood in the room – a mood of anticipation. Thanks to the author’s skill, the text oozes that mood and lures me into flipping that page.

Building Anticipation

When you open Impact, you’ll be gazing deep into the starry sky. Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgLike Carson, Rusch puts us right into a scene. From the text, we get concrete information like the date and location (a Russian city) but we get much more. People are “bundled up tightly;” they “crunched their way through the snow.” When I read “At 9:20 a.m.” – not “That morning” or “Sometime that day” – my readering radar goes off because that specificity is a clue that something is about to happen.

In the next bit, the words: “a strange bright point” followed by mysterious smoky trails tell us just enough to imply impending action. Not yet willing to give away the action, Rusch then artfully turns our attention to a class of fourth graders. Who’s the intended audience of this book? Fourth graders. Brilliant. Only then, when the scene is set, the anticipation built, and the relatable characters introduced, only then does the author unleash the action.  “Duck and cover!” Eager to know what happens to these kids, we flip the page.

Using the Unexpected

Team Moon begins with a full-page, labeled image of the flight path of Apollo 11. Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgBecause the path is not nearly as straight forward as I had anticipated, my finger immediately starts tracing the white and then the blue lines and purple arrows. That image is coupled with a simple intro “The Dream . . . ” and a teaser “And the Challenge . . .” which has me charging forward to learn more.

The next page is not at all what I had expected, either. There is no traditional introductory sentence, no watered down overview of the lesson we are about to receive, no generalizations what-so-ever. Instead there is an unexpected photograph (black and white, a crowd of men huddled around a tv set), lots of specific verbs (dominate, transmit, clicked), and language that gushes with enthusiasm (flat-out miracle, wonder of wonders, flush with anticipation).

Applying These Lessons

Close reading of these introductions has me reflecting on my own writing. Could I make use of more specific verbs? How can I build the anticipation? Which of the many characters in a science story will be the best hook for my target audience? I’m grateful for mentor texts such as these.

By Heather L. Montgomery

Heather L. Montgomery writes for kids who are WILD about animals. She reads and writes while high in a tree, standing in a stream, or perched on a mountaintop boulder. www.HeatherLMontgomery.com


 

O.O.L.F.

The Out Of Left Field files this month focus on nonfiction kidlit resources. Readers and teachers, if you have any interesting resources to share, please leave them in a comment below.

https://www.nonfictionminute.org/ The Nonfiction minute offers a searchable archive of 400-word essays written and read by nonfiction kidlit authors. Each is accompanied by lesson suggestions.

https://www.melissa-stewart.com/sciclubhouse/teachhome/teach_home.html Nonfiction author Melissa Stewart offers fabulous nonfiction reading resources, nonfiction writing resources, revision timelines and more. Don’t miss her blog!

https://www.geekwrapped.com/science-books-for-kids 100 great science books for kids!

“More Deadly than War:” Interview with author Kenneth C. Davis

I am delighted to share my conversation with middle-grade and bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis. Kenneth is well known for his book of Don’t Know Much About® History and other books in the Don’t Know Much About® series, but on this occasion, we focused on his most recent book, More Deadly than the War, which was published in May 2018.

I wanted to talk with Kenneth about his book because it commemorates the 100 years of one of the most devastating historic events that have affected the entire population of the planet. More Deadly than the War turned out to be a fascinating story that is about much more than just how a deadly disease killed millions of people.

What is More Deadly than War about?

The book is about the Spanish flu, the worst disease outbreak in modern history, which happened 100 years ago. The stories and voices of the people caught in this chaotic period in history tell us about what it was like to live in a time much like a zombie apocalypse scenario. This worldwide epidemic coincided with the last year of World War I, and the consequences of this coincidence were so dramatic that the entire world almost stood still. Corpses were piling up in hospitals. Doctors had never seen anything like it and didn’t know what to do. Business and life in general slowed down to a crawl. People were terrified and blaming each other. I found most terrifying that it can happen again.

If the Spanish flu had so much influence on world history, why most people don’t know much about it?

 One hundred million people around the world didn’t make it. There were 675,000 Americans who did not survive the Spanish flu. To put it in perspective, more Americans died from the flu in about one year than all the U.S. soldiers who died fighting in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined. One of the reasons this story was forgotten is because many people thought that it was so terrible, so awful and tragic that they didn’t want to think about it, or talk about it, or write about it. They just wanted to forget it.

You were not deterred to tell this story. What inspired you to write this book?

 In a way, writing this book was a lucky accident. My editor had a bad cold, and mentioned that her grandmother had died of the Spanish flu and that she knew very little about this worldwide epidemic. I began researching and found an amazing story that connected science – the flu – and history – World War I – in more ways than I had anticipated.

This was a detective story because I had so many questions I wanted to answer about it. Where did this flu come from? How did it affect so many people? How did it affect the war? How did the war influence the spread of the flu? I discovered that all these things were completely interconnected and for me it was very important to show those connections. When you look back in history, you find that disease has been incredibly important in every phase of civilization, but we tend to push it to the side. “That’s science, that’s not history,” some people say.

Without giving anything away, tell us, of all the things you learned when you were doing research for this book, what surprised you the most?

 It surprised me to learn the tremendous consequences the Spanish flu had on the war, and the influence the war had on the Spanish flu. As a historian, I understood the causes of World War I, how dreadful the fighting was, and why America eventually got involved. But, I really didn’t understand the enormous effect that this pandemic also had on the war and that the two of them went together.

What else will readers discover in More Deadly than War?

Readers will discover how a real, end-of-the-world scenario can happen when two major powerful events come together; in this case a serious, easily spread disease and a merciless war. These catastrophic events transformed the world and taught us important lessons. The real reason we study history is to make sense of the world and to learn from it both the mistakes we made and what we got right.

For instance, in 1918 there was a lot of propaganda, the ultimate form of fake news. In World War I, Germany was the enemy to the U.S. Propaganda made Americans think that the Germans were causing the flu pandemic by poisoning the water or medications, which was not true. So, the idea that fear, ignorance and propaganda can influence what we think and how we behave, is an important part of this story.

Kenneth C. Davis. Photo by Nina Subin

Let’s learn about you a little bit. How did you become an author?

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading both fiction and nonfiction books. I have always been very interested in biographies and history because they are about what real people did.

In middle school, I was stronger in English and history, not surprisingly, than I was in math or science, and I always enjoyed writing. Even though I loved to read and write, I never had the idea that I could be a writer. Fortunately, I was put in a position later on where I realized that I could do what I loved, to do research and to write and to talk about it, and actually make a living from it.

Becoming a writer was more of a lucky accident than evolution of my part. I was half way through college where I was a liberal arts and English major. I thought that I was in a track to become a teacher because I have always enjoyed being in front of a classroom speaking to a group of people, sharing information. But, then, I took some time off from college to work in a bookstore. Someone I was working with read some of the articles I had written for the college newspaper and she said, “You should be writing books, not selling them.”

That woman was so smart I married her. True story. My wife and I have worked together very closely for more than 40 years. She is a journalist and editor, a publisher in her own right, and our careers have been built completely around the book business and our love of books and the impact that they can have on people. And that is such an important idea. It’s wonderful to read books for pleasure or to escape to another world, but books also can shape who we are as people, our attitudes, and our lives. They also can change the world. I think that the highest calling for a writer is to fulfill a mission to bring people very important messages, and I hope that in my own way my books have done that.

Well, More Deadly than War has certainly opened my eyes about how a deadly combination disease and war can be, and I hope this amazing story can help us all prevent such a thing from happening again. Thank you very much for your time!

 

Thank you!

Follow Kenneth on Twitter and YouTube