Author Cara Bartek has a goal “…to empower girls in the STEM fields during that tricky age range of 9-13 when many young women begin to lose interest in science.”

What better way than to write books that will hopefully capture the attention of the target audience. The first efforts in the series are out with COSMIC CONUNDRUM and QUANTUM QUAGMIRE

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The stories center around Serafina Sterling, a girl who loves science. In book one she heads off to a junior astronaut training program and immediately gets on the bad side of Ida, an over the top obnoxious classmate. Sera’s project does not go over well and she’s forced to face her fate along with new friends.

Rather than a continuation of this story line in book 2, the plot has her back home attempting to use science to keep her best friend’s parents from a divorce. It’s a unique strategy to understand the break up of a marriage many young readers will enjoy.

Both books are short (120 and 138 pages) and not only are regular science topics  explored (references to Isaac Newton, the scientific procedure, and entomology to name a few), but they also explore friendships and the art of getting along—I’d call it the science of human emotions.

A bonus is in the back of each volume. Something you can make in the first book and the steps to complete a classic physic’s experiment known as Double Slit in book 2. An entertaining and fun way to learn about science with readily available materials.

Serafina can get a bit preachy and telling at times with her adult like voice, but the fun stories will win you over and just maybe convince a whole new generation of girls to take on science.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Cara and I love science! More importantly, I love helping kids develop a passion and understanding for science. This world is a big, scary, and confusing place sometimes and it gets even bigger and scarier as we grow up. The good news is we can rely on some seriously important things to help us through like our faith and family and friends and EDUCATION! Education is important! It helps open the door to opportunities and worlds that we may not otherwise experience. It actually makes the world a bigger place! But we have to feed our education, and we do that by scratching our curiosity. Curiosity is the key that helps our brain and our hearts grow. I created the Serafina Loves Science series to help peak YOUR curiosity. I want to show you that science is not only interesting but it is also relatable. I hope to make your world bigger and brighter and way more interesting through science!

(For more visit Cara’s web site)

Also take a look at Serafina’s Scientific Blog where she answers many kid related science questions.

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