This smart new series began last June with Summer Science.

The second book, AUTUMN SCIENCE, explores the current season through the daily life of Acadia Greene. She’s an inquiring, science loving girl who explores different topics with family and friends. She questions and learns in five chapters:

• THE FROG POND
• WHY LEAVES CHANGE COLOR
• DRINKING DINOSAUR PEE
• WHAT TIME IS IT?
• THE GERM WAR

A story begins each chapter and follows with an experiment or a set of observations. You’ll also find visuals and a page of new science words. Wrapping up the chapter is a Things I Still Wonder page of questions Acadia still has about the world—thought provoking possibilities for readers to take on. A handy set of links are provided on the final pages to help you explore further.

The hard back is the perfect size (about 6 by 8 inches) to tuck away in the backpack or hold onto as you do your own neighborhood explorations. Most importantly, it’s books like Acadia Files that keeps kids, especially girls, talking and exploring science.

We can look forward to Winter and Spring, a new set of Acadia Files coming out next year. An all out fun way to learn about science and the scientific method.

Publisher Description:

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.”