Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dluska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood

by Linda Elovitz Marshall (Author) Anna And Elena Balbusso (Illustrator)

Sisters in Science: Marie Curie, Bronia Dluska, and the Atomic Power of Sisterhood
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Discover the fascinating true story of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie and her sister Bronia, two trailblazing women who worked together and made a legendary impact on chemistry and health care as we know it. Marie Curie has long been a well-known name around the world. Though Marie made extraordinary scientific advances discovering new elements with her husband, Pierre, many students do not know about the powerful bond that propelled her into science: her sisterhood with Bronia! A force in academia and health care herself, Bronia made significant contributions to the scientific world, along with her loving support of sister Marie. Sisters in Science is a compelling biography of two sisters who created their own paths while keeping the atomic bonds of sisterhood strong.
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Kirkus

Genius doesn’t come out of nowhere, as this loving paean to strong sisterhood exemplifies.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5—Marie Curie is basically a household name, but even adults may have no concept of her background, her family life, or roots. What a gift to read this book and learn more about her similarly talented sister and the rest of her passionate family. Young readers will gain a complete and fully rich picture of Curie and her sister Bronia, who also loved science and studied medicine. Marshall highlights the importance of education to the young women and the importance of family bonds as she writes of the sisters' devotion to each other and their parents: Bronia holds Marie to their oath to enroll in the Sorbonne and continue studying; she, in the name of working together to find solutions, stays with their ailing father so Marie can stay in Paris. It's a little dry, but the novelty of the information more than makes up for staid storytelling. VERDICT This is best suited for older elementary children, particularly those with an interest in science.—Cat McCarrey

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

The bond between physicist Marie Curie (1867-1934) and sister Bronia Dluska (1865-1939) forms the backbone of this fascinating double biography. After their mother and a sister die, the siblings determine to help the world, attending a secret university for young Polish women and making a pact to take turns studying at the Sorbonne, paying each other's way. Further examples of their partnership and family focus offer a through line, while cause-and-effect narration details Curie's scientific contributions leading up to and beyond her Nobel Prizes. Mixed-media illustrations with stippled textures by sisters the Balbussos incorporate fitting symbols: molecular structures fill the air as Curie studies in Paris, and a final picture presents the sisters arm-in-arm looking at a skyline involving a double helix. A simple closing passage from Elovitz Marshall aptly celebrates the companions as an example of "the power of SCIENCE--and the power of SISTERS." A timeline, resources, and author's note conclude. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"The bond between physicist Marie Curie (1867-1934) and sister Bronia Dluska (1865-1939) forms the backbone of this fascinating double biography." —Publishers Weekly

"'...the power of SCIENCE—and the power of SISTERS!' is wholeheartedly celebrated, and further honored with whimsically patterned, richly textured mixed-media illustrations by—fittingly—twin-sister artists."—The Horn Book

"The story is well-organized and elegantly told, but the resplendent illustrations are true works of art." —Booklist
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593377581
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication date
February 14, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
BIO000000 - Biography & Autobiography | General
Library of Congress categories
Family
Sisters
Poland
Women physicians
Curie, Marie
Women chemists
Dluska, Bronia

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