Girl with a Pearl Earring

Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999) by Tracy Chevalier. Engaging story of Griet, a girl who becomes a maid in Vermeer's household in 17th century Holland. Told from Griet's point of view, this short novel imagines how things might have gone to eventually produce the painting, "Girl with a Pearl Earring." Educational and entertaining. Grade: B+

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Einstein: His Life and Universe (2007) by Walter Isaacson. Anyone with an interest in Albert Einstein, the great physicist and humanist, will enjoy this thoroughly researched biography. Some may find it a little heavy on the physics and math, but I found the explanations of Einstein's "thought experiments" to be clear, and easy to skim where they got too deep. It's very illuminating to read about Einstein the man alongside Einstein the scientist. Grade: A-