Ordinary Genius

The Story of Albert Einstein

From the Series Trailblazer Biographies

  • Interest Level: Grade 5 - Grade 9
  • Reading Level: Grade 6

What do you think of when you hear the name Albert Einstein? Perhaps you picture an old man with rumpled clothing, a halo of wild white hair, and an impish grin. You might know that he developed two of the most important and complex theories in science, the theories of relativity. You probably think of the word genius. Albert Einstein may have been a genius—but he was also much more than that. Einstein was a man who hated violence and took a stand for peace in the world. He was a man who was proud to be Jewish and worked to ensure a better life for his people. And he was a man who never took himself—or his fame—too seriously, and only wanted to be treated like an ordinary person and live an ordinary life.

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978-1-57505-067-6
$9.99
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Interest Level Grade 5 - Grade 9
Reading Level Grade 6
Genre Social Studies
Copyright 1995
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint First Avenue Editions ™
Language English
Number of Pages 96
Publication Date 1995-01-01
Reading Counts! Level 4.8
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF007090, JNF051140, JNF025140
Dewey 530'.092
Graphics 1-color illustrations
Dimensions 6.875 x 9
Lexile 880
Guided Reading Level U
ATOS Reading Level 6.4
Accelerated Reader® Quiz 14867
Accelerated Reader® Points 2.0
Features Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Endnote, Index, Reviewed, Source notes, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, and Websites

Author: Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

Stephanie Sammartino McPherson wrote her first children's story in college. She enjoyed the process so much that she's never stopped writing. A former teacher and freelance newspaper writer, she has written more than thirty books and numerous magazine stories. Her recent books include Hothouse Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Importance of Carbon Neutrality, winner of the Green Earth Book Award for young adult nonfiction, and Breakthrough: Katalin Karikó and the mRNA Vaccine. Stephanie and her husband, Richard, live in Virginia.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Trailblazer Biographies

Struggling to overcome adversity to accomplish their goals, the men and women featured in these inspiring biographies blazed a trail through history. Fulfills sixth grade social sciences, social studies, and history curriculum needs. View available downloads →

Awards

  • PLA Top Titles for Adult New Readers, Winner, 1995
  • Sequoyah Book Award, Winner, 1995
  • NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, Winner, 1995

Reviews

Author's Note

“The reader learns about Albert Einstein’s beliefs and private life. His unprecedented contributions to science were addressed with unusual clarity.”
Authors note

Booklist

“The descriptions of young Albert’s difficulties in school, which will enthrall young readers, embody what the author does particularly well throughout this book – depict Einstein as a person both like and unlike others. McPherson provides readers with a strong impression of an independent mind at work – so strong, in fact, that children may wish they could have met the genius. That’s high praise for a biography.”
Booklist