Teach Science to Kids With These Fun Chapter Book Series

Six Science Series That Kids Will Love

Chapter books are a great way to teach and reinforce understanding of concepts in the sciences. And they're a great way to get some learning into a nightly bedtime reading routine. These books can supplement either a public school or homeschool science curriculum. They cover a large number of scientific concepts.

The following is a list of chapter books that teach scientific concepts through fun and entertaining stories. These books are aimed at elementary and middle school-aged students. Your local library may carry many of these titles.

1. The Magic School Bus Chapter Books
2. Stephen and Lucy Hawking Books
3. Andrew Lost Series
4. Frank Einstein Series
5. One-Minute Mysteries
6. Uncle Albert Series

(The Magic School Bus series and Andrew Lost are suitable for all elementary ages. The other books are appropriate for later grades in elementary school and for middle school kids.)

1. The Magic School Bus Chapter Books

The Magic School Bus book series has many great books that use fun stories to teach science. There is a series of chapter books appropriate for all elementary school grades. The books cover germs, magnetism, space, bats, bones, sharks, and more. In addition to a fun story, the books teach a lot of science. The books are aimed at the 7–10 years old age group and are close to one hundred pages in length. Each book is narrated by one of the kids in Ms. Frizzle's classroom.

"Hi, I'm Arnold. I'm one of the kids in Ms. Frizzle's class. I knew we were in deep when Ms. Frizzle announced our unit on ocean life, and I was right. On our field trip, we ended up underwater and face-to-face with all kinds of sharks, from great whites to goblin sharks."

Check your local library for books in this series. I bought several of them used at library book sales. They aren't available in Kindle format.

2. Stephen and Lucy Hawking Books

Physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy wrote some adventure stories for children. They are based around a character named George. The books are probably best for 3rd grade to 8th-grade readers. But younger kids who enjoy science may also enjoy them. Kids will be exposed to scientific concepts about physics, space, and the universe in these books. These books are long. My older child enjoyed them, but they were too long to hold the attention of my younger child. The first book in the series has 336 pages. They are available for Kindle and on Audible.

• George's Secret Key to the Universe
• George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt
• George and the Unbreakable Code
• George and the Big Bang
• George and the Blue Moon

"In their bestselling book for young readers, noted physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy, provide a grand and funny adventure that explains fascinating information about our universe, including Dr. Hawking's latest ideas about black holes."

3. Andrew Lost Series

Andrew Lost by J. C. Greenburg is a series of chapter books appropriate for all elementary school ages. The books follow the adventures of a young scientist named Andrew, his cousin Judy and his robot Thudd. The books are a fun (and a bit gross) introduction to many basic concepts in science.

Andrew's adventures take him to the ocean, the ice age, the garbage, and many other places. The books should be read in order, starting with #1 On the Dog. Each book has a list of fun facts at the end. The books are aimed at 6- to 9-year-olds and are close to one hundred pages. There are 18 books in the series.

"When Andrew’s latest invention, the Atom Sucker, goes haywire, Andrew and Judy are shrunk down to microscopic level! Andrew and Judy find themselves lost on their neighbor’s dog, where they encounter everything from colossal fleas to crab-like eyelash mites. Now they have to find their way back to the Atom Sucker and get unshrunk before it’s too late!"

4. Frank Einstein Series

The Frank Einstein series is a set of six books by Jon Scieszka that mix science facts with crazy characters and wacky humor, making them very enjoyable to my younger child, who thought the Magic School Bus books were too educational for her liking.

They are aimed at third to seventh graders (8 to 12-year-olds). Each book is almost two hundred pages in length. Frank Einstein loves creating household contraptions that are part science and part imagination. Available for Kindle and Audible.

• Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
• Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger
• Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo
• Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt
• Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo
• Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper

". . . features real science facts with adventure and humor, making these books ideal for STEM education. This first installment examines the science of 'matter.'"

5. One-Minute Mysteries

65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science and 65 More Short Mysteries You Solve With Science aren't actually chapter books. They have 65 short stories with a science mystery. While they are for grades four and up, younger kids may enjoy them too. I read them to my older daughter when she was in second grade, and she loved trying to solve the mysteries. Each mystery takes about one minute to read. There is also a book with math mysteries by the same authors. Available as Kindle books.

"Each one-minute mystery (solutions included) exercises critical thinking skills while covering earth, space, life, physical, chemical, and general science."

6. Uncle Albert Series

Unfortunately, there are only three books in this series written by Russell Stannard. And they aren't available digitally. One of the books, The Time and Space of Uncle Albert, is available on Audible. These books are best for ages ten and up. Because they are focused on physics concepts, they can be a little challenging, but they are also a lot of fun.

• The Time and Space of Uncle Albert
• Black Holes and Uncle Albert
• Uncle Albert and Quantum Quest

"In this action-packed adventure story, discover why you can't break the ultimate speed barrier and find out how to become older than your mother, how to put on weight without getting fat, and how to live forever without even knowing it."

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This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2012 LT Wright

Comments

Jennifer Missen from Colorado on March 13, 2012:

Thank you. I didn't know about the Hawking books. My kids are crazy about space and science. They will definitely recognize Stephen Hawking. Anything to keep them wanting to read instead of making it a chore is wonderful. Thanks again for the information.