Overview
Why did Gandhi hate iodine (I, 53)? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium (Cd, 48)? How did radium (Ra, 88) nearly ruin Marie Curie's reputation? And why did tellurium (Te, 52) lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history? The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, greed, betrayal, and obsession. The fascinating tales in The Disappearing Spoon follow elements on the table as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, conflict, the arts, medicine, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. Adapted for a middle grade audience, the young readers edition of THE DISAPPEARING SPOON offers the material in a simple, easy-to-follow format, with approximately 20 line drawings and sidebars throughout. Students, teachers, and burgeoning science buffs will love learning about the history behind the chemistry.
Full Product Details
Author: Sam Kean
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Imprint: Little, Brown Young Readers
Dimensions:
Width: 15.00cm
, Height: 2.00cm
, Length: 20.80cm
Weight: 0.240kg
ISBN: 9780316388276
ISBN 10: 0316388270
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 17 October 2019
Recommended Age: From 10 years
Audience:
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
,
Educational: Primary & Secondary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Available To Order
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Reviews
Praise for the adult edition ofThe Disappearing Spoon: ""Kean...unpacks the periodic table's bag of tricks with such aplomb and fascination that material normally as heavy as lead transmutes into gold.""--Entertainment Weekly ""[Kean turns] The Disappearing Spoon into a nonstop parade of lively science stories...ebullient.""--New York Times ""Kean's palpable enthusiasm and the thrill of knowledge and invention the book imparts can infect even the most right-brained reader.""--Miami Herald ""Kean's writing sparks like small shocks...he gives science a whiz-bang verve so that every page becomes one you cannot wait to turn just to see what he's going reveal next.""--The Boston Globe ""Nearly 150 years of wide-ranging science...and Kean makes it all interesting. Entertaining and enlightening.""--Kirkus Reviews ""With a constant flow of fun facts bubbling to the surface, Kean writes with wit, flair, and authority in a debut that will delight even general readers.""--Publishers Weekly
Author Information
Sam Kean is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinist's Thumb. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and New Scientist, and has been featured on NPR's ""Radiolab"" and ""All Things Considered.""
