Finding Wonders

By Jeannine Atkins

Three girls defy their eras to uncover nature's secrets and reshape science.

3.8/5 Goodreads · 936 ratings

208 pages· 21,201 words· Est. 2.5 hour read

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

In a poetic journey through time, meet Maria Merian, Mary Anning, and Maria Mitchell—three young women who defy societal norms to pursue their scientific passions. Maria Merian challenges misconceptions about caterpillars, Mary Anning unearths fossils that redefine history, and Maria Mitchell discovers a new comet. Each girl, driven by curiosity and determination, transforms the world's understanding of nature. Will their discoveries be recognized, or will they remain hidden in the shadows of their time? This novel celebrates the thrill of discovery and the courage to seek truth against all odds.

From the publisher

A gorgeously written novel in verse about three girls in three different time periods who grew up to become groundbreaking scientists. Maria Merian was sure that caterpillars were not wicked things born from mud, as most people of her time believed. Through careful observation she discovered the truth about metamorphosis and documented her findings in gorgeous paintings of the life cycles of insects. More than a century later, Mary Anning helped her father collect stone sea creatures from the cliffs in southwest England. To him they were merely a source of income, but to Mary they held a stronger fascination. Intrepid and patient, she eventually discovered fossils that would change people’s vision of the past. Across the ocean, Maria Mitchell helped her mapmaker father in the whaling village of Nantucket. At night they explored the starry sky through his telescope. Maria longed to discover a new comet–and after years of studying the night sky, she finally did. Told in vibrant, evocative poems, this stunning novel celebrates the joy of discovery and finding wonder in the world around us.