Rick Brant's Science Projects (Applewood Books) Paperback – December 2, 2005

This book is much fun for its explanations of how a “boy” (or a girl!!) could have learned a bit of experimental science building various gadgets from motors to radio receivers. The illustrations are wonderful, and “John Blaine’s” writing is much fun. And would have been in 1960 when I was just a few years too old for the book. I suspect it’s best for the 10-16 age group.My one “quibble” and there’s no way around it is this: it may be very difficult for a student to obtain the discrete components required to build the amplifier and single-transistor radio these days. Now that Radio Shack is essentially gone, I don’t know where a hobbyist could turn to find a loopstick antenna, a variable capacitor, capacitors and resistors, and hardest of all, a single transistor.That’s sad.My thanks to Applewood Books and Spindrift Island publishing for bringing out this reprint. I hope they do more of the Rick Brant series.

Great to teach kids and adults alike.

Back in the 60s, Rick Brant and his pal Scotty had all sorts of real-world adventures in which science and science experiments played an enormous part. This was one of my favorite series, right up there with Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, but it was well written and full of great information as well as adventure. The books went out of print back when I wore out my poodle skirt, but are in the process of being reprinted by American Web Books, so there is still hope. This volume features details that boys will love on archery, skin-diving, codes, tricks and games and other projects that (according to the jacket flap), "Any boy with a paper route or some other source of small income could [afford] to do them all." Not like Mr. Wizard who whips out an electron microscope from under HIS kitchen sink. Every project (which is actually more like the Dangerous Book for Boys than a science project guide) has illustrations that emphasize the fun of fundamental science. The spirit is one of "messing around with science" not for cut-throat science fair competition but for the joy of tinkering. The final chapter which IS all about science fair, will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up with its innocent descriptions of how boys can enter a science fair in their neighborhood. Contrast this with Marissa Moss' Amelia's Science Fair Disaster and you'll see we've come a long long way in five decades. It transported me back to the hushed mahogany tables and marble floor of the Jenkintown Public Library in my (much) younger days when girls could aspire to being nurses and teachers and mothers and boys could aspire to being doctors, professors and scientists.