Science is Lit- Awesome Electricity and Mad Magnets

Some science books that are designed to support curriculum topics are dry and formulaic, but this is something quite special. It’s the second book from the Science Is Lit series by Big Manny, a TikTok science star. He’s built his name online by making science fun and accessible to young watchers by performing experiments and demonstrations – like you see mentioned in this book.

The first book was about chemistry whereas this one is physics and covers a range of topics including forces, light, sound, electricity and magnets. Each topic is introduced and explained first in detail then instructions on how to do a number of different experiments follow. Each experiment is given a difficulty rating- easy are designed to be done alone, medium with adult supervision and hard with adult help.

What I love about the experiments section is that is outlines it like a real experiment- with aims, hypothesis, equipment list, method, results, conclusion, and evaluation sections. Some of these sections are left blank or with spaces for the reader to complete. With these sections in mind though- the books may not lend themselves to being used in libraries but could be used in the classroom as a template or freely written in at home.

The experiments themselves require commonly found household items making them easily achievable. They include experiments like creating a lever with elastic bands, playing with shadows using a torch and separating salt and pepper using static electricity.

For anyone concerned about the safety aspect of these experiments- fear not, there is a good section in the introduction about how to be safe when conducting these experiments. There is also a glossary section for anyone who finds a word they are unfamiliar with, and the book ends with a quiz covering all the topics featured.

As mentioned above, this book may lend itself more to home-use than library or school use but it’s by no means not going to be useful in all three settings. The language used is very colloquial so it will appeal to the intended audience. It is narrated by an illustrated version of Manny himself who guides you through the book and it’s pitched perfectly for upper primary. It would be perfect for those young readers who are drawn to science but it would also have uses for sharing with those who are more reluctant scientists too.