Member Reviews

'Copycat Science: Comic Strip experiments for a funny kind of scientist' with text and illustrations by Mike Barfield is a series of mini biographies of scientists and experiments that can be done at home.

The book is broken up in to different science categories like Forces and Physics and Human Biology. There are 49 scientists featured across the 9 categories. After the scientist bio, there are experiments that the reader can do at home that mirror the kind of discoveries the scientists made.

This was a fun read because it was informative and features a lot of fun things that the reader can try. Many of the experiments are ones I've done and they are simple and easy to do with household objects. The art is fun and the last few pages feature and biography of the author and how he got in to science.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Quarto Publishing Group - QEB Publishing, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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The comic book/graphic novel style of this engaging book is the perfect format for young readers and budding scientists. It love the way it introduces you to the work of a variety of scientists and then guides you through at-home experiments that relate to that scientist's work. This book would make a great gift for any science-loving child, and I'll confess that this adults learned quite a lot, too!

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I really liked this book and I loved how easy it was to be able to get involved with some of the experiments too!

It was a fun and educational book that gave an introduction to the fabulous scientists mentioned, and then allows you to carry out an experiment that shows what they had discovered, but in the safety or your home and with very little expense

A fun book, well laid out and plenty of content – 5 stars!!

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I can't wait to share this book with my grandchildren.. Love the graphic novel style and I am sure that style is very appealing to the young reader. Great information on some notable scientists and experiments to try as well. Great illustrations too.

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Thank you for sharing an early reader copy #netgalley

Opening this book, I had a big smile upon my face. It was made in the format that I love to read: comic strip! From the world famous Charles Darwin, to Maria Sybilla Merian (well, I've never heard of her), and other famous and not so much heard of names in the science, this one captured my attention quickly.

And more for the curious minds, there's experiments aplenty to try, mostly during this confinement time.

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Great for Homeschooling or Kids Interested in Science

This is a super fun book on scientists and science done in comic book format. It is broadly divided into different types of science, from biology to physics to math. Within each section, a two-page spread typically shows information about a key scientist on the left with an experiment or project or two on the right. How fun to learn about all these scientists, most from very long ago, in such an engaging format. Some are familiar names while others are more obscure. The experiments or projects, of course, are not precisely what these scientists did, but they are inspired by their work. Projects range from growing beans to making paper airplanes to making a water compass. When I was young, I had a keen interest in science, and a book like this would have been so much fun. As homeschooling is popular these days, and even necessary at times, this book would be a perfect adjunct to learning. Most projects are simple, though some require special components. If you have a child interested in science or you want inspiration for your homeschooling science experiments, this delightful comic-book-style book all about the basics of science and scientists who pioneered the fields may be precisely what you or your child are looking for.

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This is a fantastic science book for kids, told in comic strip format. They meet each scientist, learn about their lives and their discoveries, and then do their own simple home experiment based on the scientist's experiments. it's divided by basic topics like air, electricity and STEM, with a wide range of experiments. This would be great for homeschoolers or science-loving kids (or those you want to encourage to love science). I may get a copy for our homeschool library, which is saying a lot as I'm currently donating boxes of books trying to downsize our overflowing bookshelves. Well recommended.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

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Strictly speaking, this is a graphic novel. It's arranged in panels and uses both images and text to relay information. It is quite text heavy though. The panels are small and somewhat crowded. Format aside, it's a great idea. While the science experiments are pretty standard, I love have the historical context for them along side. The directions for the experiments are clear and easy to follow.

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4.5 Stars!! I got this book to read & review so I could do something fun and educational with my 9 year old nephew. The entertaining drawings kept him interested and the fun experiments had him not even realizing that he was learning! I even learned a tad and a bit from this book. Fun ideas for parents to do with the kiddo’s & it’s educational for everyone.
*I received this book at no charge from the publisher and I voluntarily left a review.*

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Copycat Science is a perfect example of why comics are great for science concepts. The short biography of each featured scientist is followed immediately by an experiment that kids can do (some with parental supervision) based on the concepts the scientist was known for. Highly suggested for nonfiction collections and graphic novel collections.

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Thank you so much to QEB Publishing and NetGalley for this copy of Copycat Science by Mike Barfield in exchange for an honest review. It publishes September 1, 2020.

First off, I just have to say: What a cool book! With so many people homeschooling and scrambling to find material for their children, I can say that this would definitely be worth getting a copy of! This was such a fun book full of great picture and experiments that would really draw a child’s attention!

This would also make an excellent gift!

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my kids LOVED this book. Definitely recommend for any homeschooling or virtual schooling family for a supplemental reading shelf.

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Wow! This is a fantastic book for kids and even some adults. I loved reading about the famous people and then to have a hands on project you could do with the kids to drive it home and have some fun. I could see some of my family and friends doing this with their kids. Right now with the pandemic we are in and so many at home with restless kids this book would defintely help. This is a great learning and bonding thing you can do with kids. I love the illustrations as well as the writing. It is simple to understand and illustrated like a fun comic or graphic novel. I enjoyed this very much. Educational for sure and also fun and made me feel happy looking through it.

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This could well be a winner of junior science book awards come the end of the year. I didn't exactly think the premise would work – a comic to meet old dead people and join in with experiments of your own – but it does and then some. The spread of people involved is wide, covering some people I'd not heard of, even, and the experiments seem suitably easy and satisfying. (Note, when it says experiment on yourself it is more or less optical illusions, it's not throwing yourself off Leaning Towers to test gravity, or counting your ribs by sight. This does seem a safe and level-headed book.) Less level-headed perhaps is the cartoonish introduction to many of the scientists, where anyone and everything chips in – even the egg we use to prove acid rain can exist has a say on these pages. But I still don't think this is overly cartoonish – it's just one more way to show kids so much about the world of science and science history. This is going to provide hours of fun, if used properly and fully, with a guiding hand to resource the household items the tests need and get things sorted correctly, and the entire gamut of the science curriculum covered. And ultimately it is still rather good fun to read. I don't think I can recommend this higher, for to repeat – I found it surprisingly good, and wish it every success.

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'Copycat Science' is a really neat introduction for kids about notable scientists and concepts. After each scientist is introduced, there is a related simple experiment. A variety of sciences and projects are presented to help children understand different concepts. The items needed for the experiments are common and can be found around the house. Overall, this would be great for elementary school aged children.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

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