A Piece of the Mountain:The Story of Blaise Pascal

by Joyce McPherson

A biography of one of the most important scientists and mathematicians of the 1600's. Not only was he a brilliant scientist, but he was converted to Christianity as an adult and became a devoted apologist for the Christian faith. Of special interest to home schooling families, this book recounts the recognition by Pascal's father of his remarkable talents and the provisions he made for his son's education - one of the earliest and most successful examples of home schooling!For Christians, the account of Pascal's conversion is particularly moving as well as Pascal's immediate response to share the Gospel with his father, his sister and even with the nobleman who was his financial patron.This book is written on a 5th-6th grade reading level, but younger children will enjoy having it read out loud to them.

Genres: Biography, Science, History, Christian, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Renaissance

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Joyce McPherson is the author of the Camp Hawthorne series as well as biographies and abridged Shakespeare plays for young people. She is also the mother of nine children who give her good advice for her stories. In her spare time she enjoys reading history, working with young people, and directing Shakespeare plays.

Reviews

[Carol Bakker · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a marvel Blaise Pascal was! He reminds me of Benjamin Franklin in the scope of his inventions and imagination; Pascal's faith and practice, however, was markedly different from Franklin's. When his father took over young Pascal's education, he gave the world an enormous gift.

Pascal's life motto was Talentum Deo Soli (My talent for God alone.)

I'm certain that if I read this in the late 1990's (and was on Goodreads!) I would have given it five stars. I don't like saying this, but the book reads to me like propaganda. (I'm in the same camp, theologically speaking, as the author.)

I seldom comment on a book cover unless it particularly draws me in or particularly repels me. I'll let you guess which response it is. (Yikes!)

The best thing, I think, about reading this book is that it motivates me to read Pascal's Pensées, which has been sitting on my shelf for thirty years.

[Kendra Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10yo son with the engineering mind loved this one.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to e and h and thought it was interesting. It was definitely well-written for children in mind. It really focused on his faith, which was encouraging.

[Jake Moran · Rating 4 out of 5]

good intro to Pascal

Good story, left me eager to read a more comprehensive biography about a very remarkable man. Good for teenagers and young adults.

[Dawn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of two Joyce McPherson books was on a recommended reading list; the other was sent to me by mistake. Both books, A Piece of the Mountain and The Ocean of Truth (her bio of Isaac Newton), are treasures. These two men, Pascal and Newton, are two of my personal heroes. They led lives of such virtue and integrity, and clearly possessed two of the greatest minds in history. Their impact on science, math, literature, and even government, are astounding. More importantly, both made lasting contributions to the Christian faith as great intellectuals who found Christianity compelling and rational. Both were, as this book concludes, "brilliant mind(s)which found ultimate truth in God alone."

[AmyC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm wishing I would have written a review of this when it was fresh on my mind. I do remember that my 12 year old and I both enjoyed the narrative telling of Blaise Pascal's conversion to Christianity, and it's a story worth recommending to other homeschooling families. While the story can certainly be read alone by an elementary student, I think it's best shared as a family read-aloud. I seem to recall gaps in the story where lack of details led to some confusing transitions. Since we read it together, we were able to piece together bits of information that helped us with the story line. Some of Pascals's quotes also brought about some thoughtful conversations regarding faith and religion. So glad I read this with my son.

[Rebecca]

My son and I read this as part of our homeschool. We enjoyed learning about Pascal the Christian along with Pascal the scientist. I have read about him before, and never learned anything about his faith, only information about his scientific and mathematical discoveries. Today’s scientific community tries to downplay any faith found In historic scientists, sometimes even claiming the person only pretended to have faith, or went along with the majority, to avoid persecution. I do not think this could be claimed of Pascal, who devoted much of his life to the translation of the Bible into French and wrote his Pensees, which are thoughts on faith. An interesting and valuable read.

[Rebecca]

A biography of Blaise Pascal (1600s) written for 5-6th grade level by a homeschool mom. The story is interesting, although not as tightly tied together as I hoped. It focuses more on Pascal's faith than a secular biography would. The chapters that include his science and math investigations leave me wanting more but are probably appropriate for the younger student. Many quotes and some conversation is translated by the author directly from Pascal's original French.

[Ozan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent fiction, written faithfully to the truth.

[Eric C 1965 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reading for upper grade school, middle school ages. Short but well researched.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read and reviewed for CM Curriculum project

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Read about this amazing mind who also loved and served God.

[Steve Hemmeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography for young readers that explores how a scientist works through faith issues in an age of reason. Highly recommended

[Carlo Mayer]

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