My child / young family member / student is interested in physics, which books should they read?

This will of course depend on their age, reading level, prior interest and experience. But as a rough guide…

Primary:

There are already lots of lists of these, so instead of repeating what others have done, I will signpost you to them!

To start with, the Ogden Trust put together this guide to help celebrate Women in Science, which includes some of my book recommendations.

The Royal Society’s children’s book prize is brilliant, they have a shortlist of six and an overall winner every year and you can access their full back catalogue:

Young People's Book Prize

And here’s another list, of 100 new science books for children, many of which I’ve ordered for my school:

The 100 Best New Science Books for Kids | GeekWrapped

I would however suggest just going into a bookshop with the child and browsing the science section together — that way you can get an idea of what seems to interest them most, and you can see for yourself the level of the books and whether you think they’re any good.

I would add that I provide children with a dictionary and post it notes, so they can write down new words that they come across. Then ask them which words they have learnt, what they mean, how they would use them in a sentence, and when they might use them later this week!

KS3:

• Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky tells the stories of 50 women, most of whom I had never heard of until I read this book. I have seen primary school children, teenagers and adults all captivated by it. Some of the stories do not have happy endings — something worth discussing with students.
• The Astronaut’s Handbook by Louie Stowell is excellent for primary and also KS3 pupils who are interested in what it takes to be an astronaut.
• Storm in a Teacup by Helen Czerski is on my to-read list but based on reviews it sounds to me like a good popular science book for keen pupils in KS3 and above (or super keen beans in primary).
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson provides an excellent introductory overview of science for a non-specialist or for someone who is interested in science in general.
• The Scientific Secrets of Dr Who by Simon Guerrier and Marek Kukula has gone down well among children and young people I know aged 10+, who are fans of the show.
• The Man who Counted by Malba Talhan [a pseudonym] is beautifully written and it has been well-received by primary children and sixth formers alike.
• We need to talk about Kelvin by Marcus Chown is on my to-read list, it looks fab — starting with everyday phenomena and looking at the underlying physics behind them.

GCSE:

• An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield is lovely — beautifully written and moving as well as informative. I have given it to many a non-physicist friend as a birthday gift, I think it would be a valuable and interesting read for GCSE pupils — and KS3 keen beans.
• I read John Gribbin’s In Search of Schrodinger’s Cat when I was in Y10, and that set me on the path to studying physics at university. I had to keep re-reading bits but I relished the challenge and it made me see physics differently — as something full of gaps and questions and on the cusp of potential revolution. Our knowledge and understanding of this field has developed quite a bit since this book was first published — highlighting how quickly science can change!
• How to Teach Quantum Mechanics to your Dog by Chad Orzel is a more up-to-date book on this subject, which I have lent to several pupils as well as non-physicist friends, and which they enjoyed. It left them with plenty of questions — a way to encourage GCSE pupils to continue to A level, ahem…
• Some books by Richard Feynman — I was gutted to learn recently that he held and acted on some deeply sexist attitudes (more info here — content not appropriate for children). As a teenager I read and was inspired by The Pleasure of Finding Things Out and What do You Care What Other People Think. One book to avoid is Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman — I’ve never read it, but by all accounts it contains some disturbing anecdotes about his treatment of women. I am open with students that some scientists had / have views that I find unacceptable, and that just because someone is a famous scientist it doesn’t mean that they are right about everything!
• Inferior and Superior by Angela Saini are in my view must-reads for all science teachers (but I’d recommend it to teachers of any subject) and GCSE / A level students. In a nutshell, Inferior is about sexism in science and Superior is about racism in science. They provide valuable historical context, dispel numerous myths and also remind us that science is inevitably informed by the biases of scientists and the society they live and work in.
• The Universe in your Hand by Christophe Galfard is a book that my partner (not a physicist!) absolutely loved. So I think it might be a nice one for GCSE pupils who are thinking about physics, but aren’t sure.
• The Big Bang by Simon Singh is an excellent choice for pupils interested in space, cosmology — the universe!
• For teenagers who love physics and art (like me!) Art + Science Now by Stephen Wilson is a must-have. I was so happy when I found it in a book shop and have spent many happy hours immersed in its pages.
• On a similar note, I have Physics and Dance by Emily Coates and Sarah Demers on my to-read list. A physicist and a dancer each share their experience of the world — sounds fascinating!
• Chemistry and I have a complicated relationship. My GCSE chemistry experience has mostly been erased from my mind — all I remember is endless textbook work and learning things off by heart without having any idea what they meant. Needless to say, I did not study chemistry at A level. When I became a teacher and I had to teach some GCSE chemistry, Theodore Gray’s books Elements and Molecules were an immense help. Suddenly things started to make sense. For the first time I discovered that there was a relationship between the number of atoms in an electron’s outer shell, and that element’s position in the periodic table. I realised that I had used the word ‘valence’ for years without having the faintest idea what it meant. As a physicist, I think I missed out by not understanding more chemistry. Elements also exists in app form, and I have used it with children in primary school as well as KS3.
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly was the inspiration behind the film with the same name. The film went down very well indeed among my Y5 and Y6 pupils, and I think the book would be an excellent read for keen KS3, or for GCSE and A level pupils.
• Nano Comes to Life by Sonia Contera — I haven’t read this yet as I’m waiting for the paperback! What particularly appeals to me about it is the insight into how multidisciplinary collaborations (in this case between physicists and biologists) can lead to huge technological advances.
• Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik is absolutely fascinating. It takes (what some might consider to be boring) objects and materials that we are surrounded — paperclips and teapots for instance — and manages to make them exciting and fascinating. I learnt a great deal.
• I love the Moon. The Sky at Night: Book of the Moon by Maggie Aderin-Pocock is filled with human stories, and I expect it will be of interest to anyone else who loves the Moon.

A level:

• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli could also be a good read for GCSE pupils, to give them a taste of what’s to come. But I think A level students may be in a better position to appreciate it. Maybe read it at GCSE and then again at A level!
• There is a series of Manga Guide to… books covering many science and maths topics, which I have found some pupils love. I think the Manga Guide to Electricity by Kazuhiro Fujitaki is one of the most accessible books I’ve found about electricity. However I would recommend having a conversation with students about some of the sexist tropes that are frustratingly included — I would recommend reading Inferior by Angela Saini alongside it.
• What if? by Randall Munroe, creator of xkcd, is funny and thought-provoking. It may be of interest to keen GCSE pupils or even younger, but they may find it tricky to follow some of the maths.
• I find the history of science and physics fascinating, and it is important for pupils to know it so they can appreciate why physics looks the way it does today — and so they understand that it is dynamic and there is still plenty to do! Great Scientists by William H Cropper is a book I bought in a discount book shop, and I think it’s fab. Puts the equations and theories into context, brings the names behind the laws to life.
• Blazing the Trail: Essays by Leading Women in Science — by Emma Ideal and Rhiannon Meharchand is on my to-read list, it sounds like an insightful and powerful book.
• Some books by Richard Feynman (see previous caveat), in particular Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces. For students aiming to study physics at university, see if you can get hold of the Feynman Lectures on Physics. I bought my set on ebay when I was at university, but my school library did have them and I used to enjoy reading snippets when I was in sixth form.
• Lise Meitner: A life in Physics by Ruth Lewin Sime is an incredible book. Meitner is one of my heroes, and this book takes you on a journey from her perspective, revealing what it is like to be at the cutting-edge of physics and the realities of how science can work. It is written by someone who clearly has a strong point of view on some of the issues — but then science does not exist in a silo, and it is important to remember that social and historical context can influence how findings are interpreted, theories developed and credit given.
• I LOVE Faust in Copenhagen by Gino Segre. I read it when I was in the sixth form and I found it a compelling and fascinating account of the history of how quantum mechanics developed. I bought a set for my A level pupils when I was a secondary physics teacher. Especially great if you teach the AQA Turning Points unit.
• Equally, Proving Einstein Right : The Daring Expeditions that Changed How We Look at the Universe by Cathie Pelletier and S. James Gates Jr. (on my to-read list) highlights how challenging it can sometimes be to test predictions!
• I recommend that A level physics students also read about maths, as it is arguably the language of physics! The Art of the Infinite : The Pleasures of Mathematics by Robert and Ellen Kaplan is one of my favourite books ever — in particular, the illustrations and simple explanations of certain mathematical concepts really helped me understand the maths in a way I never had before.
• From Here to Infinity by Ian Stewart is on my to-read list, and he’s written plenty more books — I used to start some of my lessons with snippets from Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities.
• Whilst on the subject of maths, e: the Story of a Number by Eli Maor is another book that I love, and which I read in the sixth form. It covers not only the history of e, but also quite a bit about calculus, which was eye-opening to me. I really enjoyed the stories of the people behind the maths — something that I never learnt at school, but would have loved to.
• Text books: A level pupils need the textbook that goes with their exam board. I would also recommend that they have access to Advanced Physics by Steve Adams and Jonathan Allday (but it’s expensive so I would expect the school to invest in some copies) and A level Physics by Roger Muncaster, which is an older text that goes beyond the current specifications, has more maths and derivations, and is helpful to anyone wanting to study physics at university.
• This is a bit of a wild card, but at the end of Y11 I treated myself to a copy of The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose (I’d received a book voucher from my school as a reward for good GCSE results — at that point this was probably the most expensive book I’d ever bought!). It’s a beast of a book and I haven’t read the whole thing, but it’s one I still dip into — and in the summer before Y12 I came upon the chapter about complex numbers and taught myself about how to manipulate them. It has exercises at different levels and I just found it great fun to play around with.

I will try to update this list once a year — if you come across any brilliant books you think I should add, please let me know!