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Children's Nonfiction Science & Technology

Alexander Graham Bell

An Inventive Life

by (author) Elizabeth MacLeod

Publisher
Kids Can Press
Initial publish date
Apr 1999
Category
Science & Technology
Recommended Age
6 to 8
Recommended Grade
1 to 3
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781554530021
    Publish Date
    Aug 2007
    List Price
    $5.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554530014
    Publish Date
    Aug 2007
    List Price
    $14.95
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781550744583
    Publish Date
    Apr 1999
    List Price
    $7.95
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781550744569
    Publish Date
    Apr 1999
    List Price
    $16.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Out of print

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.

Description

“One would think that I had never done anything worthwhile but the telephone,” complained Alexander Graham Bell. No wonder he was annoyed; Bell invented the phone when he was just 29 and went on to lead a long and inventive life.

This biography in the Snapshots: Images of People and Places in History series chronicles the life and many remarkable achievements of Alexander Graham Bell, including his work with the hearing impaired and experiments with flight, iceberg locators and, of course, the telephone.

About the author

Liz is one nosy author, which is why she loves writing non-fiction. She’s very curious about why people do what they do, and likes sharing with kids the amazing facts and secrets that she uncovers.As a kid in Thornhill, Ontario, the idea of being a writer never crossed Liz’s mind—she figured most authors were already dead and they definitely weren’t Canadian. Besides, it was science that interested Liz.But writing was already part of Liz’s life. After dinner on school nights, Liz and her two brothers would trudge up to their rooms, close their doors and start to do their homework—or so their parents thought. A few minutes later, a piece of paper would come sliding under Liz’s door. One of her brothers had drawn a picture, usually of some weird creature.Liz really couldn’t draw (still can’t!), so the only way she could respond was to write a short story, often about a mad scientist or space alien. She would slip the story under her brother’s door and—well, not a lot of homework got done.At university, Liz studied sciences—there was hardly any writing involved at all. But after university, she was hired as an editor at OWL magazine, where she could combine writing and her love of science. But it wasn’t long before Liz had a goal: to write a book. Her first one was about lions and since then she’s written more than fifty others.Royal Murder: The Deadly Intrigue of Ten Sovereigns (2008) is one of her favourite books because royalty has always fascinated Liz. She loved going behind the scenes with monarchs from Cleopatra to Dracula to find out just what they would do to hold onto power or protect their families.Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History’s Mysteries (2013) was the winner of numerous awards, including the Crime Writers of Canada 2014 Arthur Ellis Award in the Juvenile/YA category. Liz’s latest book with Annick Press, Galloping Through History: Incredible True Horse Stories (Spring 2015), combines, once again, her outstanding storytelling skills with her passion for history. This time her love of animals also shines through as she recounts the stories of six horses that changed the way humans live, travel, fight, work, and play.Liz lives in Toronto with her husband, Paul, and their cat Cosimo. While she writes, he is usually sprawled across her desk—often right on the book she needs for research!

Elizabeth MacLeod's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Red Cedar Book Award
  • Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award
  • Short-listed, Information Book Award, Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada
  • Commended, Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, Children's Book Council
  • Unknown, Best Books for Children , Science Books & Films
  • Commended, Our Choice - Starred Selection, Canadian Children's Book Centre
  • Short-listed, Silver Birch Award, Ontario Library Association

Editorial Reviews

Alexander Graham Bell: An Inventive Life is packed with pertinent information, it is easy to read, and it includes an excellent chronology of Bell's life and times as well as great photographs, working notes, and sketches.

Books in Canada

In what has ... become a rush to publish biographies of Bell, this emerges as the least formal, most approachable of the pack.

ForeWord

In what has ... become a rush to publish biographies of Bell, this emerges as the least formal, most approachable of the pack.

Kirkus Reviews

Using photographs and copies of Bell's notes and letters, as well as text, all advantageously positioned, MacLeod ably conveys the prodigious curiosity and inventiveness that propelled an extraordinary life.

The Globe and Mail

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