Nothing stopped Sophie by Cheryl Bardoe - ADVISABLE

Nothing Stopped Sophie : The Story of unshakable mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe illustrated by Barbara McClintock PICTURE BOOK, NON FICTION Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Hatchette, 2018 $18.  316278203

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3),  EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Sophie Germain understood math so well she thought about it all the time, her parents had to take away her candles and warm pajamas to keep her in bed at night. Her favorite thing to do was study math, but she lived during the French Revolution and women mathematicians were not taken seriously at all. Sophie studied math by correspondence (under an assumed male name) and when the Academy of Sciences offered a medal with a cash prize to anyone who could figure out a very difficult mathematical task - how to predict patterns of vibration - Sophie, then age 32, took on the challenge. 

A remarkable story about a courageous and intelligent woman; Sophie Germain is an inspiration. The true story, fully illustrated in pen and ink and watercolor, is well told, beautifully written and will make great read aloud. Can't wait to read this to the "Girls who Code" class and to hand it to my math teachers. So happy to see another picture book biography. 

Lisa Librarian