Maker Lab: 28 Super Cool Projects

Written in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution, this book features more than two dozen hands-on experiments divided into four sections built around food, common household items, water, and the outdoors. Rated by difficulty level, the activities are clearly explained in both step-by-step instructions and accompanying color photographs. They include cooking marshmallows and baked Alaska, using tape and colored paper to make a double helix DNA model, creating a miniature ecosystem with a potted plant placed inside half of a plastic bottle; and making homemade bath fizzies using cream of tartar and baking soda. Fifteen-year-old Jack Andraka, who invented an early cancer detection test, contributes a foreword to this accessible and wide-ranging exploration of multiple aspects of the sciences. Ages 8–12. (July)