The Extraordinary Life of Katherine Johnson

by Devika Jina

A child who loved numbers overcame the odds stacked against her through her hard work and diligence to become the mathematician who sent the very first humans to the moon. Extraordinary Lives
A bold new series of biographies for young readers focusing on the lives of inspirational historical and modern figures. From real-life narratives to timelines and facts, each book is a fully illustrated journey of discovery. Explore the childhood, the achievements, and the qualities of each figure – the very things that helped them have such an incredible impact on the world.

Extraordinary Lives
From real-life narratives to timelines and facts, each fully illustrated book focuses on the life of an inspirational historical or modern figure. Explore the childhood, the achievements, and the qualities of each figure – the very things that helped them have such an incredible impact on the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Science, History

128 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in absolute awe of Katherine Johnson. From her mathematical genius to her quiet confidence and humility. I did slightly struggle with space science, but you can judge for yourself how I’ve phrased this that it’s to be taken with a pinch of salt because my knowledge and understanding of science is terrible, but I can see a lot of children, who are interested in Maths and Science, would find this both educational and inspiring. Even if they’re not interested in science, we have a clear black woman role model in Katherine Johnson whose mathematics calculations took men into space and on to the moon. There’s a lot to learn here.

This is my second book from the Extraordinary Lives series and I cannot recommend this enough.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creative look at the life of an extraordinary American woman. The creative layout and simple term definitions are valuable for any reader.

[julia ☾ (sirius' version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★☆☆ - 3 stars
idk it‘s nice (read it for school)

[Reece Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a biography about the life of Katherine Johnson, a mathematician whose work with NASA helped shape American space exploration. I learned that she calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepherd's Freedom 7 mission during 1961 and she also recalculated John Glenn's Friendship Flight 7 by hand because Glenn was not comfortable relying on a machine for his fate. The book captures how Katherine was able to overcome racial and gender barriers. The pages and illustrations of this book are purple with white lettering, which I find really unique. There are lots of maps and large quotes that I found very helpful when reading. I really enjoyed this book because I love the movie "Hidden Figures" which is about Katherine but, I was able to learn even more from this book.
I believe this book is best suited for grades 4 or 5 because of the language and vocabulary used as well as the historical context of segregation and the great space race. In the classroom, I would use this book to introduce students to basic geometry and physics concepts and have them create their own rockets/paper planes to conduct a science experiment to see which factors have the greatest effect on them.

[Hannah Lightning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful non-fiction book, which informs children of the extraordinary life of Katherine Johnson- one of the most important people in the history of space travel. Indeed, her mathematical calculations help to put the first humans onto the moon.
I particularly like the way the book explains that against all the odds (Katherine was a black female born in 1918), she not only graduated but, was one of the first women to work for NASA. The book informs the reader how curious and determined Katherine was at school, which I believe will inspire any child reader.
The layout of the book is fun, with many pictures, and small blurbs of extra information. The chapters are also very short and written in a tone young children can understand.
Altogether, a great book to have around the classroom to inspire young children. Also, great for them to extract facts for a space topic, or an unknown heroine they may not have heard of before, but who without her trajectories, Neil Armstrong could never have walked on the moon.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always feel vaguely guilty when I don't love the books I get via Inter-Library Loan. If they're going to go to the effort of sending a book across the country for me, I should at least do them the courtesy of appreciating it. And I don't hate this one--it's a decent juvenile biography of Katherine Johnson... it just left me feeling uninterested and uninspired. She was a fascinating and gifted person, so the problem is clearly the author rather than the subject. I wouldn't mind having E read this one for school for next year--it's not particularly objectionable--but I am not impressed enough to either buy it or request it again in a couple months.

[Ms. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Johnson was a computer. Not a laptop or PC or anything like that--she was one of the many women who did mathematical calculations for NASA during the space race. Despite the prejudice she faced as a woman of color, her ability to solve complex problems helped her land astronauts on the moon. Her love of learning and math made her one of the most important figures of the 20th century.

Perfect for anyone who likes math, space, or women being awesome.

[Edna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my 12 YO son. This was a quick read completed in a single sitting. It is well below his reading level but he wanted to read it before he added it to a box of books to give away.

The book does a moderately good job of discussing her life but both my son and I felt there was too much time talking about the Space race and astronauts. It pulled away time from this amazing woman.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For ages 7-11-ish. Clear, concise, nice layout.

[Sarah's Reading Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book got kids about a great and important person! 💕 Such an inspiring book!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read inspired by watching the film Hidden Figures. An inspiring book for young readers.

[Jerilyn Blackwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little non fiction about Katherine Johnson!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science never interested me but I do like her story

[Lacey Losh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even for an adult, this is a great read. I love the art and the way the facts of Katherine's life are presented.

[Holly Bugos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cliff notes version of Katherine Johnson’s life. Perfect for 4-6 grade research.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introductory biography of Katherine Johnson and the amazing things she did.

[Emma Pinard · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good book.