Scientists With Fascinating Careers   Books for Upper Elementary through Middle School Get excited about careers in science with these books!

J333.959
Swinburne, Stephen R.
Once A Wolf: How Wildlife Biologists Fought to Bring Back the Gray Wolf
Details the work of biologists in their efforts to reintroduce the animals into Yelllowstone National Park.
1999

J333.959 Turner, Pamela S. Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes

J363.25
Jackson, Donna M.
The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead
A murder case solved through the painstaking work of the “bone detectives” serves as a springboard for examining the techniques used by forensic anthropologists.
1996

J363.28
Jackson, Donna M.
The Wildlife Detectives: How Forensic Scientists Fight Crimes Against Nature
Follow scientists at the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Lab in Ashland, Oregon, as they analyze clues to catch and convict people responsible for crimes against animals.
2000

J551.46
Earle, Sylvia, A.
Dive!: My Adventures in the Deep Frontier
The author relates her adventures studying and exploring the world’s oceans, including tracking whales and living in an underwater laboratory.
1999

J567.912 Relf, Pat A Dinosaur Named Sue: The Story of the Colossal Fosil, the World's Most Complete T. rex.

J576.839
Jackson, Ellen
Looking for Life in the Universe: The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Jill Tarter, Director of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, uses 21st century technology to investigate whether there is life on other planets.
2002

576.839
Skurzynski, Gloria
Are We Alone?: Scientists Search for Life in Space
Modern scientists are making efforts to find, identify and communicate with life on other planets.
2004

J578.77 Conlan, Kathy Under the Ice

J591.594
Sayre, April Pulley
Secrets of Sound: Studying the Calls and Songs of Whales, Elephants, and Birds
Three acoustic biologists are profiled. Each has a unique area of study: whales, the rain forest, and migrating birds. The interests that began their study come from science, music and engineering.
2002

J595.44
Montgomery, Sy
The Tarantula Scientist This is science at its best: friends and colleagues working in the field and in the lab, through experimentation and observation, all to understand the way spiders live.
2004

J597.34
Mallory, Kenneth
Swimming With Hammerhead Sharks
Mallory recalls his experiences with Pete Klimley, whose research on sharks has taught the world much about these animals, as they worked in the waters of Costa Rica helping film an IMAX movie.
2001

J598.418 Osborn, Elinor Project UltraSwan

J599.78
Montgomery, Sy
Search for the Golden Moon Bear: Science and Adventure in the Asian Tropics The quest for the golden moon bear takes us on an exhilarating journey and chronicles the detective work and science behind tracking an unknown creature in a remote part of the world.
2004

J599.885
Goodall, Jane
The Chimpanzees I love: Saving Their World and Ours
Goodall recounts her early research in Gombe National Park. With clear and careful prose she describes her findings about chimp communication and communities.
2001

J635.951
Collard, Sneed B., III
The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America’s Lost Grasslands Have you ever wondered what Laura Ingalls saw when she lived on the prairie? Scientists are trying to recapture our prairie and it is a fascinating story.
2005

These books all have lively text (well written and interesting to read), and striking color photographs that are designed to appeal to the middle grade reader. The solid documentation, suggestions for further reading, web sites and careful indexing will also appeal to parents and teachers.