Explore science of the seasons through adventure! The Acadia Files: Autumn Science [Review and Giveaway]

ISBN: 978088448646
Hardcover $13.95
Grades 4-7, 88 pages

My thoughts: This is such a fun book. It involves "Acadia," a delightfully precocious child, who throughout her day finds things to explore and learn about. Written in a style that will engage the listener to whom the book is read aloud, or the reader who reads and discovers for themselves. This is a fun and entertaining story of how Acadia questions aspects of a changing season and discovers answers.

Reading these five chapters about Acadia's venture into the realm of seasonal science is fun and the author makes scientific discovery likeable and understandable. I particularly liked the chapter on water and the cycle that is never ending. The author, or Acadia and her parents, put a new perspective on it which is a bit funny when you think about water from this framework.

The illustrations are at the end of each chapter and focus on the information discussed (the story) and the scientific explanation. The conclusion is like that of a scientific journal as handwritten by Acadia. She also has questions for which there are no answers given as a means for further contemplation.

I heartily recommend this series. The Acadia Files: Book One, Summer Science has previously been published and Book Three, Winter Science, will be published later.

About the book: The Acadia Files: Book Two, Autumn Science presents five stories of fall, each one followed by Acadia’s science notebook pages with her simple explanations and lively, whimsical drawings of natural phenomena. The Acadia Files is a fun introduction to the wonders of science, using real-world scenarios to make scientific inquiry relatable and understandable. Parents and educators can use The Acadia Files to let kids discover for themselves what it’s like to be curious about the world and to satisfy that curiosity with scientific thinking.

Acadia Greene wants answers. What happened to the frogs she used to see at her favorite local pond? Why do leaves change color in the fall, and why don’t evergreen needles do the same? What is the water cycle, and what is transpiration? How do time zones work, and why does the sun set at different times in different places within a single zone? How do germs infect us? Acadia doesn’t mean to do science, but she has questions and her parents refuse to simply give her the answers. “Conduct an experiment,” they tell her. “Use the scientific method.” So Acadia makes hypotheses, designs experiments, analyzes data, and draws conclusions. Acadia does science.

The author, Katie Coppens writes a recurring column for NSTA's middle school magazine Science Scope on science and literacy called "The Integrated Classroom.”

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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own alone and are freely given. Winner's copy is provided by and mailed/shipped directly to the winner by MMPublicity or publisher.