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Ask Slashdot: Science Books For Middle School Enrichment?
new submitter heybiff writes "It is the time of year where students are scrambling for extra credit assignments to boost grades. As a middle school science teacher, I want to accommodate them, while still keeping science involved; and book reports are a popular activity in my school. Unfortunately, I have only been able to come up with a short list of science related books that a 11-14 year old would or could read in their free time: Ender's Game, Hitchhiker's Guide. What books would you recommend as a good read for an extra credit book report, that would still involve a strong science twist or inspire a student's interest in science? The book must be in print, science related, fiction or non-fiction, and not be overtly objectionable or outright banned. I look forward to the submissions." "Outright banned" actually seems a rich vein on which to draw; note that not even Ender's Game is safe.
As a younger geek, I loved reading Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! It would be a good intro to his other more-scientific works too.
Any of Asimov's robot books (most asimov really) make for excellent sci-fi intro books.
These books, and other sci-fi books, would be fine for extra credit in a literature class, but they are inappropriate for extra credit in a science class. Science is about facts, not fiction. But Asimov is appropriate. When I was a teenager I read dozens of his non-fiction books. I remember sitting in the back of my 10th grade biology class reading Asimov's The Wellsprings of Life. That was the moment that biology "clicked" and I understood the genetic code, how "codons" worked, and it all made sense. I looked up at the teacher droning on, and wondered why they didn't just have everyone read this book.