Awards

• Junior Library Guild Selection

Overview

A thorough and accessible biography of Dr. Katalin Karikó, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, whose hard work pioneering mRNA research led to the COVID-19 vaccines. Her monumental contribution to global health care has rightfully placed Karikó as one of the most important scientists in history. She has won awards, given speeches, and appeared in magazines and television programs. But she wasn’t always famous—in fact, it took decades for anyone to recognize the importance of her research into RNA and the potential of mRNA to help cells fight off disease. Beginning with her birth in a small village in rural Hungary, Breakthrough tells the story of how a young girl interested in the wildlife around her became an internationally celebrated hero. Exuberant, devoted to her family, and hard-working, Karikó persevered in the face of challenges and obstacles that would have discouraged many of her peers. Her achievements remind us that if we believe in ourselves, no matter the setbacks we encounter, we can succeed.

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9798765607947

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Reviews

"""The work shines most when elucidating the long path to scientific discovery, including the many failed experiments and minor discoveries that necessarily precede breakthroughs. A stimulating and accessible foray into recent scientific history."" --Kirkus Reviews -- (9/5/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

"""Complex scientific information is conveyed clearly, so that important ideas can be understood. . .This biography is timely as Karikó (along with Weissman) recently won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Accessible writing and thorough research make this a great science resource for middle and high school students."" --School Library Journal -- (11/21/2023 12:00:00 AM) ""[A] timely tribute to a dedicated visionary and modern-day hero who never gave up.""-- Booklist -- (11/10/2023 12:00:00 AM) ""The work shines most when elucidating the long path to scientific discovery, including the many failed experiments and minor discoveries that necessarily precede breakthroughs. A stimulating and accessible foray into recent scientific history."" --Kirkus Reviews -- (9/5/2023 12:00:00 AM)"

"""[A] timely tribute to a dedicated visionary and modern-day hero who never gave up.""— Booklist ""The work shines most when elucidating the long path to scientific discovery, including the many failed experiments and minor discoveries that necessarily precede breakthroughs. A stimulating and accessible foray into recent scientific history."" —Kirkus Reviews ""Complex scientific information is conveyed clearly, so that important ideas can be understood. . .This biography is timely as Karikó (along with Weissman) recently won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Accessible writing and thorough research make this a great science resource for middle and high school students."" —School Library Journal"

Author Information

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.

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