1194 3 DECEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6572 science.org SCIENCE
inexpensive objects such as screws, string,
cork, toothpicks, and rubber bands.
The projects are grouped by topic and
include sections on robotics and anima-
tronics; harnessing energy; and aeronau-
tics and nautical engineering. There are
also quite a few historical spotlights that
highlight people such as Sir George Cayley,
Christian Ristow, and Stephanie Kwolek
who helped to advance specific branches of
science or engineering. While some of the
projects should be good to go once built,
others, such as the soaring airplane, of-
fer creators the opportunity to tinker with
the finished glider in order to optimize
how it flies.
This is a fabulous book for at-home
rainy-day projects, but it is also one that
could aid educators in the classroom,
where projects could be used to help teach
concepts in science and engineering.
Cardboard Box Engineering: Cool, Inventive Projects
for Tinkerers, Makers and Future Scientists,
Jonathan Adolph, Storey Publishing, 2020, 176 pp.
Sky Gazing
Reviewed by Keith T. Smith^12
Astronomy is a science that anyone can do—
just step outside and look up at the night sky.
This engaging book provides an accessible
introduction to stargazing, aimed at children
aged 9 to 14. It provides a wealth of informa-
tion on the Sun, the Moon, and the planets
in our Solar System and briefer coverage of
stars, comets, and meteors.
The book is superbly illustrated with a
colorful mix of photographs, diagrams,
hand-drawn pictures, and a few comic
strips. There are numerous practical activi-
ties to try, such as making a sundial from a
stick or a pinhole camera from a shoe box.
Throughout the book, author Meg Thacher
emphasizes objects that can be seen with the
naked eye, occasionally supplemented with
a basic pair of binoculars—no telescope is
necessary. Light pollution and the weather
can limit any budding observer, but Thacher
offers practical tips on how to avoid or min-
imize their impact. Sky charts show the con-
stellations and how to find targets in both
the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
The descriptions are up to date with recent
research and spacecraft results, although the
focus is on NASA missions over those of other
space agencies.
There are some niggles. Textual labels are
sometimes incongruously small for the large
diagrams they are attached to, and there are
as many as six different fonts on the same
page, which I found distracting. Some of the
activities might not hold a child’s attention,
such as recording a twice-daily log of lo-
cal weather conditions. I also spotted a few
minor factual errors, but those were mostly
oversimplifications, which are forgivable in a
children’s book. These are small issues that
should not distract from an otherwise excel-
lent introduction to astronomy.Sky Gazing: A Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets,
Stars, Eclipses, and Constellations, Meg Thacher,
Storey Publishing, 2020, 132 pp.YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE BOOKChemistry for
Breakfast
Reviewed by Marc S. Lavine^11From a young age, my kids learned not to
ask me a science question unless they had
time for a detailed answer. It always seemed
better to me to give broad context to their
inquiries, so they would ultimately have a
better understanding of the way the world
works. In the opening chapter of her book,
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim similarly cautions
readers against seeking simple scientific
answers. “This might sound arduous at
first, but I promise that scientific thinking
doesn’t make the world drier,” she writes.
“[I]n fact, it makes it more colorful and lit-
erally full of wonder.”
As the daughter of a chemist and a
trained chemist herself, it is not surprising
that Nguyen-Kim has chosen chemistry as
the lens through which to frame many of the
episodes in her daily life that are described
in the book. Whether discussing nonstick
pans or the formulation of toothpaste, she
concisely describes the underlying science
so that readers can appreciate the importantrole played by fluorine in both contexts.
One recurring subtheme is the importance
of learning to distinguish between marketing
hype and science. The notion that something
“natural” is better than something “artificial,”
for example, is based on a false premise that
often misleads consumers.
Nguyen-Kim brings an irreverence to her
writing that makes each chapter easy to read.
Even her discussions of the challenges of be-
ing an academic scientist, which might seem
discouraging in a book trying to promote sci-
ence, make sense in the broader storytelling.
Her goal is not to convince readers to become
scientists. Rather, she seeks to show how it is
important to know enough science to be able
to navigate the world as a critical thinker.
One can appreciate the beauty and smell of
a rose, but one can appreciate it even more
by understanding the biology and chemistry
that underlie these characteristics.Chemistry for Breakfast: The Amazing Science of
Everyday Life, Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Translated by Sarah
Pybus , Illustrated by Claire Lenkova, Greystone Books,
2021, 240 pp.Ms. Adventure
Reviewed by Caroline Ash^13Volcanologist Jess Phoenix thought she was
writing a book about volcanoes, but Ms. Ad-
venture might just as easily fall into the cat-
egory of medical textbook. Phoenix, we learn,
has survived a kidney infection on the flanks
of a Hawaiian lava flow and a gashed thigh
from falling into a Peruvian sewer and has
undergone shoulder surgery in Mexico. Yet
she has gamely plunged into one misadven-
ture after another in the name of science.
Phoenix’s circuitous route to a career in
science started early, when she had to take
medical leave from Smith College while un-
happily studying English and history. This
break proved fortuitous; during her time
away, she took classes in geology and discov-
ered her true passion. This book records her
conversion to geology and her conviction that
science should be accessible to all.
Phoenix’s accounts are replete with mem-
ories and often headlined by accidents. She
recalls the fun and trepidations of field-
work as a young student—explaining in
detail how to defecate in Death Valley un-
detected—and a 3-month stint volunteer-
ing at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
Here, she helped survey the enormity of
Mauna Loa. The pinnacle of this adventure
is a descent down the 1984 vent—a feat
accomplished, for once, without mishap.
From Mauna Loa, Phoenix teeters along fis-
sures in the nearby erupting Kı ̄lauea beforeINSIGHTS | BOOKS
ILLUSTRATION: HANNAH BAILEY