Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner's Call to Science

by Jeannine Atkins (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

From the acclaimed author of Finding Wonders and Grasping Mysteries comes a gorgeously written biography in verse about the pioneering Jewish woman physicist whose scientific prowess changed the course of World War II.

At the turn of the 20th century, Lise Meitner dreamed of becoming a scientist. In her time, girls were not supposed to want careers, much less ones in science. But Lise was smart--and determined. She earned a PhD in physics, then became the first woman physics professor at the University of Berlin. The work was thrilling, but Nazi Germany was a dangerous place for a Jewish woman. When the risks grew too great, Lise escaped to Sweden, where she continued the experiments that she and her laboratory partner had worked on for years. Her efforts led to the discovery of nuclear fission and altered the course of history.

Only Lise's partner, a man, received the Nobel Prize for their findings, but this moving and accessible biography shows how Lise's legacy endures.

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Kirkus

An admirable tribute to a life that holds some timely lessons.

ALA/Booklist

Atkins approaches her newest biographical novel in verse with the same clarity of purpose and ability to express the vision, the courage, and the achievements of a woman aspiring to move science forward . . . A respectful and very accessible introduction to Meitner.

Review quotes

 
Jeannine Atkins
Jeannine Atkins is the author of several books for young readers about courageous women, including Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science, Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math, Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis, and Borrowed Names: Poems about Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, Marie Curie, and Their Daughters. Jeannine teaches writing for children and young adults at Simmons University. She lives in western Massachusetts. Visit her at JeannineAtkins.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781665902502
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
January 18, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV036000 - Juvenile Fiction | Science & Technology
JUV057000 - Juvenile Fiction | Stories in Verse (see also Poetry)
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
Library of Congress categories
Novels in verse
Germany
Women scientists
Austria
Sweden
Biographical fiction
Physicists
Meitner, Lise
Nuclear fission
Women physicists
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physicists

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