The Mysterious Lights and Other Cases (Einstein Anderson, Science Detective #6) [Paperback]

Seymour Simon (Author), S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

Einstein Anderson is a whiz at science and readers are invited to have fun matching wits with this science detective as he investigates ten mindboggling mysteries of science--from the mysterious green swimmer to the speeding sleigh.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Einstein Anderson, the twelve-year-old whiz kid who uses science to solve even the most mind-boggling of mysteries, returns with more baffling brainteasers! This book is packed with ten intriguing puzzlers that can be solved using basic science skills. Budding detectives can match wits with Einstein-and may the best scientist win! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Seymour Simon is a well-respected writer of more than 200 nonfiction books for young people. Mr. Simon has received four lifetime achievement awards, and in his honor, June 29th was named "Seymour Simon Day" in Houston, Texas. His HarperCollins titles include Destination: Mars, Crocodiles & Alligators, Wild Babies, Sharks, Wolves, Snakes, Big Cats, and Whales. Mr. Simon lives with his wife in Great Neck, New York.

In any discussion of outstanding authors of science hooks for children, the name Seymour Simon is one of the first mentioned. Teachers and librarians know they can depend on his books to present scientific information clearly andaccurately; children know that, whatever the subject, they can count on Seymour Simon to make science fun.

As the author of over 150 highly acclaimed science books (more than half of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association), Seymour Simon has introduced thousands of children to a staggering array of fascinating science subjects, including anatomy; storms and lightning; earthquakes and volcanoes; light, mirrors, and optical illusions; paper airplanes; stargazing, planets, and space; oceanography and water; and animals of all kinds. Also an accomplished writer of fiction, Mr. Simon is the creator of the popular Einstein Anderson series. His books capture the imagination and interest of children and encourage them to wonder, to learn-and to discover.

Mr. Simon credits his children; his grandchildren, Joel and Benjamin, and Chloe and Jeremy; and his twenty-three years as a science teacher for developing his direct, conversational writing style and his keen eye for subjects that will appeal to children. "Writing as if you're teaching and having actual contact with kids is important, " he says. "I try to write the way I talk. I'm always thinking about the effect my sentences will have on kids if they are read aloud." Mr. Simon also believes that a book about nature or science has to be more than just an answer book."

Although Seymour Simon left teaching more than ten years ago in order to devote himself to writing full-time, he still visits schools and talks to students as often as he can, because it is this all-important contact with children and their sense of scientific wonder that has made him one of their favorite writers. I haven't really given up teaching," says Mr. Simon, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing."

Seymour Simon has been honored with the 1994 New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the 1996 Hope S. Dean Memorial Award; the Eva L. Gordon Award, presented by the American Nature Study Society, for his contribution to children's science literature; and the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Nonfiction for the body of his work. He writes and photographs from a house on a hill in the Hudson Valley of New York State, which he shares with his wife, Joyce.

Product Details

• Paperback: 87 pages
• Publisher: Camelot; Reprint edition (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380726602
• ISBN-13: 978-0380726608
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,054,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Seymour Simon, whom the NY Times called "the dean of [children's science] writers," is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books (many of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association). His free, educational children's app, SCIENCE FUN TO GO, debuted in the Top 10 of all free children's apps in the Amazon App store, and features in app purchase of original Seymour Simon eBooks, as well as a multitude of free content.

Seymour Simon uses his website, SeymourSimon.com, to provide free downloads of a wealth of materials for educators, homeschoolers and parents to use with his books, including 4-page Teacher Guides for all 26 of his Collins/Smithsonian photo essay books. The site provides multiple resources for kids writing book reports or wanting to explore the online Science Dictionary, and also features the Seymour Science blog highlighting current science news. Educators and families are encouraged to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter from SeymourSimon.com to stay abreast of the latest materials that Seymour Simon is introducing to enrich the reading experience.

He taught science and creative writing in elementary and secondary schools and was chair of the science department at a junior high school in the New York City public school system before leaving to become a full-time writer. "I haven't really given up teaching," he says, "and I suppose I never will, not as long as I keep writing and talking to kids around the country and the world."

Seymour Simon is also a creator and the author of a series of 3D books and a series of Glow-in-the-Dark Books for Scholastic Book Clubs, a series of leveled SEEMORE READERS for Chronicle Books, and the EINSTEIN ANDERSON, SCIENCE DETECTIVE series of fiction books. His books encourage children to enjoy the world around them through learning and discovery, and by making science fun. He has introduced tens of millions of children to a staggering array of subjects; one prominent science education specialist described Simon's books as "extraordinary examples of expository prose."

Seymour Simon has been honored with many awards for his work, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Lifetime Achievement Award for his lasting contribution to children's science literature; the New York State Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature; the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Boston Public Library for his contribution to children's science literature; The Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for Non-fiction; the Jeremiah Ludington Award for his outstanding contribution to children's nonfiction; the Empire State Award for excellence in literature for young people; and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Forum on Children's Science Books.

In a recent interview Simon was asked if he ever thinks of retiring. "I seem to be working faster and harder than ever. I absolutely don't feel any urge to sit back and look at what I've done. The only things that I'm thinking about are things I'd like to do in the future. I'm planning and doing and continuing to write. It's what I love to do. I remember a story about an anthropologist going to talk to a tribe and he asked them what was their word for "work." Their response was they have no word for work. Everybody does the things that they do in their life. I love that response. I don't differentiate between work and play. Everything I do is something that I enjoy doing - the writing, the research and everything else."

Seymour Simon writes and photographs nature from his hilltop home in Columbia County in upstate New York. You can follow his daily nature walks and see his photographs from the field on Twitter (@seymoursimon) or on his Facebook group page. He also regularly hosts Q&As and sponsors book giveaways on GoodReads.