Central Kansas Library System

"Reeling from her parents' deaths, Lucy Claremont discovers an artifact in their London flat, leading her to a seaside estate. Aided by her childhood friend Dashel, a forensic astronomer, they start to unravel a history of heartbreak, sacrifice, and love begun 200 years prior-one that may heal them both"--Lucy Clairmont's family treasured the magic of the past, and her childhood fascination with stories of the high seas led her to become a marine...

"Ever since Williamina Fleming was little she was curious, and her childhood fascination with light inspired her life’s work. Mina became an astronomer in a time when women were discouraged from even looking through telescopes. Yet Mina believed that the universe, with its billions of stars, was a riddle—and she wanted to help solve it. Mina ultimately helped to create a map of the universe that paved the way for astronomers. Newbery...

"Parents and teachers ask me for the names of books for their primary school children. I'm honored to recommend Annie Jump Cannon, Astronomer by Carole Gerber, an excellent book about a true astronomical pioneer." -Paul Kohlmiller, editor, San Jose Astronomical Association newsletter This brilliantly illustrated children's book depicts the achievements of a woman who developed an important system of classifying stars. To this day, Annie Jump Cannon...

A biography of the Afro-American farmer and self-taught mathematician, astronomer, and surveyor for the new capital city of the United States in 1791, who also calculated a successful almanac notable for its preciseness.

"Once upon a time there lived a girl who swept floors and washed dishes, and was little more than a servant to her family. Until, one day, an invitation arrived. It was an invitation to a new country and a new beginning--a place where Caroline's dreams, her fascination with the night sky, and her extraordinary talent would open up a world of beauty and renown, and make her the belle of the scientific ball. From humble beginnings and in spite of many...

A biography of the 16th-century mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who dared to question the scientific theories set up by Aristotle and the Church.

"The Italian scientist Galileo Galilei is remembered today as a genius who,in the early seventeenth century, produced revolutionary developments and innovations in astronomy and physics that contributed greatly to the human understanding of how the world works. However, during his lifetime Galileo suffered persecution because his ideas were offensive to the religious leaders of his times. This book tells the story of Galileo's life, as well as the...

"As a child, Maria Mitchell longed to see beyond her little island of Nantucket. With help from her father, she discovered that, if you knew how to read them, the stars could tell you where you were -- and where you needed to go. Maria spent hours on the roof of her house scanning the sky -- finding constellations, nebulae, meteors, double stars. When the King of Denmark offered a prize to the first person to find a new comet, she did just that. In...

How big is the universe? In the early twentieth century, scientists took sides. One held that the entire universe was contained in the Milky Way galaxy; their champion was the strong-willed astronomer Harlow Shapley. Another camp believed that the universe was so vast that the Milky Way was just one galaxy among billions--the view that would prevail, proven by the equally headstrong Edwin Hubble. Almost forgotten is the Harvard Observatory Computer--a...

Throughout his life Banneker was troubled that all blacks were not free. And so, in 1791, he wrote to Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who had signed the Declaration of Independence. Banneker attacked the institution of slavery and dared to call Jefferson a hypocrite for owning slaves. Jefferson responded. This is the story of Benjamin Banneker-his science, his politics, his morals, and his extraordinary correspondence with Thomas Jefferson. Illustrated...