  | Rock star : how Ursula Marvin mapped moon rocks and meteorites Author: Wallace, Sandra Neil | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
A biography of Ursula Marvin, who spent 50 years breaking barriers in science and becoming a pioneer among women reshaping American science.
| Illustrator: | Carpenter, Nancy |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (08/15/25)
Booklist (10/01/25)
The Hornbook (00/11/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 08/11/2025 Geologist Ursula Marvin (1921-2018) appears as an icon of determination in this extended account of the subject’s expedition to Antarctica. After touching on Marvin’s upbringing and the gender discrimination she experiences in college, comprehensive narration highlights early professional accomplishments before turning to her journey to the South Pole: "No woman had searched for meteorites at the bottom of the world. Ursula wanted to be the first." Wallace next offers an avalanche of details, including the name of the figure’s snowmobile (Blue Ice) and the total of meteorites she locates in the first week (159). On the cusp of a find, Marvin breaks her leg, but passion keeps her spirits buoyed. Thick brushstrokes add texture to Carpenter’s minimalist scenes, which capture the physically trying aspects?of the journey. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Includes extensive back matter. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) - Copyright 2025
Booklist - 10/01/2025 Hailing her subject’s rise to scientific prominence as destiny (“She was meant to explore,” goes a recurrent line), Wallace salutes the spirit and achievements of planetary geologist Marvin, who brushed past overt gender barriers not only to earn her academic credentials but also to venture repeatedly into the depths of Antarctica in search of meteorites. Using Xrays (a first, the author claims) to analyze the mineral composition of meteorites and moon rocks, Marvin became such an authority in that field before dying in 2018 at the age of 96 that an Antarctic ridge, an asteroid, and a crater on the moon have been named after her. Carpenter depicts her smiling and selfassured, first as an outdoorsy Vermont child, then in a college class (the only woman), later studying lunar rocks fetched by Apollo astronauts, driving a snowmobile through the Transantarctic Mountains, and at last reaching for tantalizing chunks of glittering rocks and minerals floating in space. The back matter includes photos, a timeline, and a generous set of sources and resources, along with general facts about the fifth-largest continent. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
