Curie And the Science of Radioactivity

by Ian Graham

This dramatic story tells of a studious Polish girl, Marya Sklodovska, who moved to Paris to study science. She soon changed her name to Marie and married fellow scientist Pierre Curie. Together they discovered the scientific principles that underlie radioactivity. In the process of their work, they discovered the then unknown element, radium. In 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie won the Nobel Prize for physics.

The Explosion Zone books combine vivid color illustrations and lively text to tell the stories of important scientists and inventors. Narratives are supplemented with easy-to-understand explanations of the scientific principles that underlie each phase of the invention or discovery being discussed. Imaginatively illustrated two-page spreads include sidebars called Here's the Science, explaining the principles of physics or chemistry that relate to the story. A glossary at the back of each book presents short definitions of scientific and technological terms.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, History

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2005

About the author

After working as an in-house journalist and editor in consumer electronics magazines, Ian Graham became a freelance writer. He has written more than 230 illustrated non-fiction books for children and teens, and contributed chapters to books including Dorling Kindersley’s Know it All and Big Ideas that Changed the World. He has a degree in applied physics and a postgraduate diploma in journalism.

Reviews

[Wilde Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a brief biography of a famous female scientist.

I thought this book was very good. It explained scientific theories in a straight forward manner and gave a good overview of the woman’s life and career. It was good to see that she was recognised for her achievements during her lifetime.

[Sally Bruesewitz]

This is a biography about Marie Curie. She was an important female scientist at a time and in a field were there weren't any other renowned women working. This book has good illustrations and is easy to read. AR rates the book at 6.0.