Recently, some members of Year 7 volunteered to read and review non-fiction books on science donated to school libraries by the Royal Society Young People’s [Science] Book Prize 2023.

The six books were selected by a panel including a neuroscientist, Big Bang researcher, and BAFTA-winning TV presenter. We enjoyed reviewing these books as they were interesting and informative about different aspects of the scientific world. The books we had to choose between were:

• A Bug’s World by Dr Erica McAlister, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
• Am I Made of Stardust? by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, illustrated by Chelen Écija
• Bodies, Brains and Bogies by Paul Ian Cross, PhD, illustrated by Steve Brown
• Live like a Hunter Gatherer by Naomi Walmsley, illustrated by Mia Underwood
• Deadly and Dangerous Animals by Ben Rothery, illustrated by Ben Rothery
• Step Inside Science: Germs by Sarah Hull, illustrated by Teresa Bellón

We had to rate them for certain categories, and write reviews about each book. The categories included ease of reading, the content, if it interested you, and whether it made you want to read more science books. Last week, we came together to decide on the book that we thought should win the overall prize.

Overall, the book that came out on top was Am I Made Of Stardust? by Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. It was a difficult decision to choose this book over the other five because they were all really good and our scores were tied with three of them. This book had a great cover, lots of good facts and illustrations, and it was a very enjoyable read and we all agreed it was our favourite. Maggie Aderin-Pocock can inspire anyone to read about science!

We have now submitted our votes on behalf of Ipswich School to the Royal Society, along with results from 700 other schools across the UK. The overall winning book, and author, will be announced at an award ceremony in March 2024.

All the books are available in the school library. We agreed that it was an amazing thing to do and that it was a fun way to look at and learn about new books, and also to inspire us to read more non-fiction and science books.

Alice D, Nikita W and Sophie L,
with Alessandra A-N and Abigail L, Year 7