Review, Giveaway & Classroom Resources: Max Einstein – The Genius Experiment

March 1, 2019

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The Genius Experiment is bursting at the spine with scientific trivia in the form of facts, theories and outside-the-box thinking. Einstein’s relativity and Newton’s motion are thematic to the story. At the back of the book there is a section that explains these further, in child-friendly language. There is even a recipe for slime! Throughout the book are sketches of Max’s notebook drawings, which depict her ideas and innovations. I would recommend this book for Year 5 and 6 readers. I expect it to be especially inspirational to young girls who enjoy science. It is refreshing to see a young female scientist as the main character, whose adventures could just inspire the next generation of budding scientists…

BooksforTopics Reading for Pleasure Recommendations

With British Science Week just around the corner, today we feature ‘Max Einstein – The Genius Experiment’, the story of a teenage girl who uses science to solve problems. Read on for a review, a set of classroom resources and a giveaway to win one of 5 copies of the book!

Book Title: Max Einstein – The Genius Experiment (available here)

Author: James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

Illustrator: Beverly Johnson

Publisher: Young Arrow / Penguin

Publication Date: October 2018

Suitable For: Upper KS2

Reviewed By: Natasha Kendrick, Year 6 Teacher

Review

Introducing Max Einstein – child genius and number one fan of Albert Einstein.

A thirteen year-old girl, living on the streets of New York, Max knows nothing of her past. Max doesn’t have many friends but thankfully, conversations with her namesake, the famous physicist, mean she is never alone. Conscious of her prodigious abilities but also her social standing, Max intentionally underperforms at college to blend in with the crowd. Outside of college Max devises crafty inventions to help the plight of her homeless companions.

A turn of events sees Max recruited by the Change Makers Institute and sent to Jerusalem. Here Max finds herself in competition with other bright-minded teenagers to win the ultimate prize of solving the world’s greatest problems – using science. Unbeknown to Max, evil is pursuing her in the form of a mysterious doctor….

The Genius Experiment is bursting at the spine with scientific trivia in the form of facts, theories and outside-the-box thinking. Einstein’s relativity and Newton’s motion are thematic to the story. At the back of the book there is a section that explains these further, in child-friendly language. There is even a recipe for slime! Throughout the book are sketches of Max’s notebook drawings, which depict her ideas and innovations.

I would recommend this book for Year 5 and 6 readers. I expect it to be especially inspirational to young girls who enjoy science. It is refreshing to see a young female scientist as the main character, whose adventures could just inspire the next generation of budding scientists. Watch this space for the sequel!

Curriculum Links: Science, inventors

You can order Max Einstein – The Genius Experiment online or from your local bookshop or library.

Resources

You can download a set of classroom resources to use alongside book here. The resource pack includes teaching notes, discussion questions, cross-curricular activities and a set of hands-on scientific experiments (perfect for Science Week and beyond!).