1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Krull, Kathleen. 2007. MARIE CURIE. New York, NY: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780142412657
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Kathleen Krull does another stand-up job in the Giants of Science biography series with her take on the life and work of Marie Curie. In a world of science dominated by men Krull takes young readers through Marie’s early days struggling to find lab space and components to work with to the trying times where she sat by and watched her work read aloud at symposium by others. “Marie’s report ‘Rays emitted by Uranium and Thorium Compounds’ was read aloud by one of her professors. She couldn’t read it aloud because she wasn’t a member, no women were allowed.” Additionally her life with her beloved Pierre, good times and bad are also part of the tale. Through the loss of the great minds of science to radiation poisoning, Krull even brings young readers into the work of Marie Curie’s daughter who carried the torch of scientific greatness after the renowned woman’s death. In a touching and all too human tale of brilliance mixed with personal trials and tragedies, Krull makes this biography shine with huge moments that changed the world and small moments that changed only the lives of the Curie family. It is indeed a great telling and one that will grab young readers and keep them enthralled.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Krull has often been recognized for her outstanding work in non-fiction for young readers and this biography is no different. Taking pains to stay true to the sources she uses quotes from those involved and cites a nice array of works in her bibliography that are specifically chosen for further reading by her younger readers. Indexed to allow readers to seek out key information about the scientific great, the biography is written in a chronological manner that allows the reader to see the life and work of Madame Curie develop over the years. The language used is age-appropriate and very accessible to young readers. The tone is informative without being dry, enticing without being melodramatic. Overall, the piece is a definite home-run. In addition Boris Kulikov’s illustrations give readers a glimpse into what the life and times of Marie Curie may have looked like. They are not so over-bearing, though as to detract from the story. The book is organized in a way that quotes are embedded into the voicing of the work. It allows the true primary-source material to speak directly to the young readers and Krull flows from her narrative into the quotes and out again with ease. A well-organized and well-designed book, it would be a great addition to any school or home library.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
GOODREADS REVIEW: “As with her previous star-studded biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and Sigmund Freud, all three chosen as ALA Notable Books, Kathleen Krull offers readers a fascinating portrait of this mythic giant of science who abhorred publicity. And she also places Curie’s ground-breaking discovery of two elements within the framework of science at that time.”
KIRKUS REVIEWS: “Krull presents another top-notch scientific biography in the outstanding Giants of Science series. Readers have come to expect chatty, direct narratives that develop distinct characters and place those individuals squarely in the context of both their times and their disciplines, and this account of the noted physicist’s life delivers the goods.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Science teachers could incorporate this and other Giants of Science biographies into units on inventors as well as on a study of the periodic table of elements and the identity of properties of matter.
*Other Marie Curie biographies
Wishinsky, Frieda. MANYA'S DREAM : A STORY OF MARIE CURIE. ISBN 1894379535
Cobb, Vicki. MARIE CURIE. ISBN 9780756638313
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