Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science

by Jeannine Atkins

Overview

A gorgeously written novel in verse about three girls in three different time periods who grew up to become groundbreaking scientists.

Maria Merian was sure that caterpillars were not wicked things born from mud, as most people of her time believed. Through careful observation she discovered the truth about metamorphosis and documented her findings in gorgeous paintings of the life cycles of insects.

More than a century later, Mary Anning helped her father collect stone sea creatures from the cliffs in southwest England. To him they were merely a source of income, but to Mary they held a stronger fascination. Intrepid and patient, she eventually discovered fossils that would change people’s vision of the past.

Across the ocean, Maria Mitchell helped her mapmaker father in the whaling village of Nantucket. At night they explored the starry sky through his telescope. Maria longed to discover a new comet—and after years of studying the night sky, she finally did.

Told in vibrant, evocative poems, this stunning novel celebrates the joy of discovery and finding wonder in the world around us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481465656
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Jeannine Atkins is the author of several books for young readers about courageous women, including Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis; Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science; and the highly praised Borrowed Names: Poems About Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C. J. Walker, Marie Curie, and Their Daughters. Jeannine teaches children’s literature at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst and writing at Simmons College. She lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her at JeannineAtkins.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2016
Writing in free verse, Atkins (Borrowed Names) reaches back into the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to the girlhoods of Maria Merian, naturalist and scientific illustrator; Mary Anning, fossil hunter; and astronomer Maria Mitchell, all curious girls whose childhood passions led to groundbreaking work. Each grew up in a deeply bonded family and had a strongly supportive father; each fought quietly and determinedly against the obstacles of being a girl with unusual interests. In a closing note, Atkins explains that while she carefully documented the women’s adult achievements, writing in verse gave her the liberty to fictionalize details of their younger years. The result is a sensory depiction of daily life in earlier centuries—“the cottage smells of laundry soap and herbal tonics”—and a credible development of three sympathetic characters. Evocative similes abound (“a silkworm silently spins/ a silk cocoon around itself,/ like a dancer twirling/ or a baker frosting a tall cake”), building an increasing ambiance of “finding wonder” in the world. In addition to the author’s note, a selected bibliography and Atkins’s thoughts on other science biographies are provided. Ages 10–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

* “Vividly imagines the lives of three girls who grew up to become famous for their achievements in science. . . . Atkins has a knack for turning a phrase. . . . Science is woven through the narratives, but within the fabric of the characters’ daily lives and family struggles. . . . each of these three perceptive portrayals is original and memorable.

starred review Booklist

* “Distinguished for both content and elegance. . . . Readers are lured in by strong openings and vivid storytelling. . . . With each chaptered poem a gem in its own right, this collection will appeal to poetry lovers as well as awakening scientists.

starred review BCCB

Atkins guides readers through the themes that connect the women’s scientific quests, from a boundary-pushing desire for knowledge . . . to the satisfaction they find in their work.

Horn Book

06/01/2016
Gr 4–8—A collection of fictionalized stories in verse about three real women whose innovations influenced modern science. Maria Merian (1647–1717) was captivated by the metamorphosis of the caterpillar. Despite common superstitions about shape-shifting magic, Merian secretly collected and observed first silkworms, then caterpillars, to document the science beneath the mystery. She grew up to create incredible paintings of insects, including butterflies and other wonders of the natural world. Mary Anning (1799–1847) shared her father's curiosity about fossils entombed in the rocks of their New England home. Her findings were painstakingly excavated by chiseling away each layer of rock. Maria Mitchell (1818–89), who tirelessly watched the heavens for both consistency and change, discovered a new comet and became one of the first women to be accepted into the American Academy of Arts and Science. Atkins skillfully conveys the importance of these women's scientific contributions to the world, while also imagining the complexities of their lives as daughters, wives, and sisters during times when female scientists were marginalized or ignored. The verse is effective—evocative and beautiful. VERDICT Highly recommended for fans of poetry about the natural world and the lives of real people.—Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
The verse biographies of three pioneering women who made their marks on science.Atkins here introduces young readers to three women who bucked convention and distinguished themselves in scientific disciplines at times in history when females were expected to engage in domestic pursuits. German-born Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), who defied the then-accepted notion of spontaneous generation and discovered how caterpillars become butterflies, is still considered one of the foremost entomologists of her day; Brit Mary Anning (1799-1847) discovered the first ichthyosaur and was the first person known to make a living selling fossils; and Maria Mitchell (1818-89) discovered a comet in 1847 and went on to become the first woman in the United States to work as an astronomer. Though they were born in different centuries and lands, Atkins adroitly employs spare yet lyric poems to imagine the similar development of these path-breaking white women, whom she imagines taking the leads of their fathers in cultivating their curiosity and having the courage to believe that: "Discoveries are made / by those willing to say, Once we were wrong, / and ask question after question." Atkins takes the license verse grants to "fill in what disappeared" from what remains of her subjects' childhoods, creating captivating fictionalized portraits. Inspirational and informative, Atkins shows how pursuing one's passion for science, math, or any field considered nontraditional is worth the risk. (author's note, bibliographic essay, bibliography) (Verse historical fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews