Alexander Graham Bell: Inventor of the Telephone by Carin T. Ford

Summary:
Carin T. Ford descibes the life of Alexander Graham Bell in this simply written biography. Bell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1847. He had two brothers, whom he worked with closely throughout his early years. Bell's father also worked closely with them, and together they worked with people who were deaf and had speech problems. Bell's mother, and his wife, were both deaf. After his family moved to Canada, Bell began to work closely with experimenting with the transmittal of sound through wires and lines. His experiments caught the eye of two investors, Gardiner Hubbard and Thomas Sanders and these two individuals financially backed Bell and his assistant Thomas Watson. In 1876, Bell made the first call on a telephone, and was also awarded the patent for his design. He later married Mabel Hubbard and they had two daughters. Bell was also credited with being a founding member of the National Geographic Society and inventing the metal detector.

Interest Level:

Children Ages 8-12

Electric Guitar Man: The Genius of Les Paul by Edwin Brit Wyckoff

Summary:
This short book titled, Electric Guitar Man: The Genius of Les Paul, is written by Edwin Brit Wyckoff and follows Les Paul's life from early childhood on throughout his last years. Les Paul was born in Wisconsin in 1915 and at age 8 began to play the harmonica. His mother thought he was a genius and encouraged him to pursue his musical interests. Paul took apart his mother's player piano to study how it worked, and at age 11 got his first guitar. He made a neck holster for his harmonica, and at the age of 13 became a one man band. Not too long after, Paul took a phonograph and used two radios as speakers, and used this system to create an amplifier for his guitar. This led to his invention of the first electric instrument, patented in 1962. He called this first electric guitar "The Log" and later teamed up with Gibson to develop the more modern looking electric guitars.

Interest Level:
Children Ages 9-12

Wright Brothers: Inventors of the Airplane by Wendie C. Old

Wendie C. Old writes all about the adventures of the Wright Brothers and their road to the invention of the first airplane, and the first flight recorded. The Wright brother faced the same problems and obstacles that many other inventors did: throughout their development of the airplane, they had funding issues and had major competitors racing to complete and patent similar inventions to what the Wright Brothers had been working on. Their first version of the airplane was the glider that they developed in the early 1900's. In 1902, Orville Wright flew a glider named the Flyer for the first recorded flight in history. He flew for 12 seconds on December 17th. In 1908, the Wright brothers began carrying other passengers on board these large gliders, and experienced the first fatal airplane crash. In 1911, Vin Fiz, the Wright Brother's motor powered airplane, was the first to cross the United States. In 1914, the Wright Brothers were awarded the patent on the airplane technology that they had worked on for so long.

Interest Level:
Children Ages 10-12

Thomas Edison: The Great Inventor by Caryn Jenner

Summary:
Thomas Edison: The Great Inventor, is a fascinating short book written by Caryn Jenner. The book details the life, experiments, and inventions of Thomas Edison. Edison was born in Ohio in 1847 and moved to Michigan shortly after. His mother played a major role in his education and in his self confidence. He was always a smart and curious individual. His first major invention was the phonograph in 1877. He used a needle to record, and then play back sound. His next major invention was the new electrical system that he used to create long lasting for-home-use light bulbs. Edison had improved on a prior version of the light bulb, in order to provide cost efficient and long lasting electricity within a home setting. In 1989 the General Edison Electric company developed under Edison's watch and in 1988, Edison invented the first motion picture camera called the Kineticscope.

Interest Level:
Children Ages 8-12

Philo T. Farnsworth: Visionary Inventor of Television by Tim O'Shei

Summary:
Tim O'Shei writes an informational and age appropriate biography of Philo T. Farnsworth in this selection. He writes about the difficulties Farnsworth faced as he worked laboriously on his invention. Farnsworth had a rough childhood, with his father passing away when Farnsworth was only 17 years old. Farnsworth developed the technology for creating the television, but had a tough time developing the product because of other competitors in the market and finding the right funding. In 1935, after a tough battle, Farnsworth learned from the U. S. Patent Office that he was credited with the invention of the television. His later years were spent with his wife Pem, and in the 1960's Farnsworth also began working with Nuclear Fusion.



Interest Level:
Children Ages 9-12

Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

By: Ji-li Jiang


Summary: Ji-li lives in China during the Cultural Revolution.  One of the new Communist commands is that everyone must get rid of anything that represents the "four olds," old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.  At first, Ji-li embraces the eradication of the four olds, excited to be a part of the change coming to her country.  But, soon she learns that removing the four olds means her family must get rid of their photographs, her grandparent's old clothes, and other meaningful belonging that represent the "old" China.  Ji-li also learns that her grandfather was a landlord, an unforgivable occupation among communists.  As Ji-li sees her family and neighbors suffer more and more under the communist regime, she begins to question what good this revolution has really brought to her country.

Interest Level: 4th-8th Grades 


Jiang, Ji-li. (1997).  Red scarf girl: A memoir of the Cultural Revolution.  New York: Harpercollins.