Isaac the Alchemist: Secrets of Isaac Newton, Reveal'd

Actually the book is a good one

Among many biographies of Newton this book is quite interesting. My daughter in grade 4 let ked it very much.

I loved this book but my 8-year-old only liked it. Issac Newton is one of those people you think you already know a lot about - physicist, astronomer, mathematician, but I was amazed how much I did not know about him and how much no one knows about him really. Losure’s research for this book is incredible and she often quotes primary sources in the text which sometimes makes the text a bit hard to understand for a younger child. My daughter said a few times, “Wait, what?” So although the chapters are short, in the 4-8 page range, and perfect for younger readers, the text may be a bit more of a challenge.The book is also filled with amazing illustrations from the time or from one of Issac’s notebooks or books. These amazing illustrations are plentiful and one of my favorite aspects of the book.I loved so much about this book but my favorite part was how Losure concluded: Isaac Newton “was not the first of the age of reason,” Keynes realized, astounded. “He was the last of the magicians.” And yet this magician, this last sorcerer - this greatest of all alechemists - was the same man who banished magic from the scientific world. An alchemist is someone who transforms one thing into another. And this, Issac had done.This actually made me tearful! I read this to my husband who decided to read the book himself after that! He loved it too! Maybe Losure can affect an important transformation of her own; perhaps the time has come for a nonfiction book to win the Newbery Medal!

Written for a young person not for an adult.

Hook someone you love who loves science. Was a gift and he likes it !

Overall a good book. But the first half reads more like a collection of disjointed notes. It doesn't flow well or tell much of a story.But by the end it is a good book.

I've read several biographies of Isaac Newton and thought that I knew most things worth knowing about him, but this book has lot's of fascinating details concerning the great man. This is a really nice introduction to him, and is an enjoyable read.