Science Fair Season by Judy Dutton

Taylor is 14 years old - and has built a Farnsworth fusor. Garrett has figured out how to make a solar-powered generator to heat his entire house. BB contracted leprosy and now studies the science behind the disease. These are just three of the teenaged scientists profiled in Science Fair Season. Far beyond the world of paper-mache volcanoes, these teens are making discoveries that attract international attention - and millions of dollars in prize money and patents. All of this competition comes to a head at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair: the Super Bowl of science competitions. Join Judy Dutton as she goes behind the scenes and shares all of the stories, dramas, and discoveries during science fair season.

I thought I would like it, and I ended up loving it. It's got a ton of crossover potential (adult/teen, fiction readers/nonfiction readers, science fans/non-science fans). The science parts were accessible for people like me who have very little science backgrounds; I don't need to know the ins and outs of what the kids were doing, just that they were doing it. I think my favourite stories were of Kelydra , the Erin Brockovich-esque scientist who didn't just try to show how dangerous chemicals were but also came up with a better way to fix them, and Kayla, who used music and repetition to help teach concepts to children with Autism. All of the stories and students were just so great, though, that at one point I summed it up with 'I just want everybody to win everything.'

I read a review copy at NetGalley. It was provided courtesy of Hyperion.

See more at Judy Dutton's website.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Elephants on Acid by Alex Boese
Letterati by Paul McCarthy
American Bee by James Maguire
How We Do It by Judy Dutton