Thursday, May 7, 2015

Mesmerized by Mara Rockliff - ESSENTIAL



Rockliff, Mara  Mesmerized  Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno  Candlewick, 2015.  $17.99  PICTURE BOOK  Content: G.   

When Ben Franklin was sent to France in order to persuade them to help America during the Revolutionary War, he found Paris baffled by a medical phenomenon headed by Dr. Mesmer.  Mesmer was waving an iron wand and curing people of diseases and the King and Queen of France wanted Ben Franklin to investigate what was really going on.  Using the scientific method, Ben Franklin was able to explain the power of suggestion and that people believed in the placebo effect.   

This is an interesting side story about Benjamin Franklin and his scientific mind during the same time period as the independence of America.  The book emphasizes the scientific method and explains the placebo effect and it would be a great addition in the science classroom.  The illustrations are great and the story is very interesting.   

EL, MS-ESSENTIAL, HS-ADVISABLE.  Reviewer, C. Peterson.

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