Science Fair Season

Science Fair Season is narrative nonfiction that follows a group of high school students as they work toward the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the large annual competition that draws young researchers from dozens of countries. Rather than presenting science fairs as a list of impressive projects, Judy Dutton tracks particular students through months of preparation, the local and regional contests that act as stepping stones, and the pressure that builds as finals approach. The projects range widely, from engineering and medical research to more unusual experiments, and the book is most interested in why these kids push so hard.

The style is journalistic and scene-driven. Dutton moves between the students' home lives and the competition floor, so the reader gets a sense of each young person's circumstances as much as their results. The people profiled come from very different backgrounds, and the contrast does a good deal of quiet work. The reading experience is brisk and warm rather than technical; you will not need a science background to follow what is at stake for each competitor.

Expect a book about people more than about science. The experiments are described at the level needed to understand why a student cares, not in enough detail to replicate them. If you want a guide to running a good project, this is not that. If you want an insider's view of a competitive world most adults never see, it delivers.