Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Have you ever felt like the odd one out? Were you the one who played alone instead of playing with the other kids? Did you, in turn, discover the photoelectric effect, theories of relativity and E=mc2? No...? Well Albert Einstein did!

"Odd Boy Out" by Don Brown is an excellent narrative biography about the young Albert Einstein. I read a few biographies about him but I liked this one the most. I thought the story was creative and the illustrations we very neat. I also enjoyed the silly humour throughout. I feel like since the story is about Einstein as a child students can relate to some of the experiences he had. We usually only see Einstein as what he has done but this book gives children an understanding of how he got there. He wasn't a old man with crazy hair his whole life! He was once a student as well who went though many challenges.

Naturally, after reading this book I wanted to know more. Here are some interesting facts I found about Albert Einstein (some of these are from the book):

• He was born a very fat baby with a large head. His parents thought since his head was so deformed he would be mentally challenged.
• He was very late in developing his speech. When he did speak he spoke very slowly and often practiced his sentences under his breath before saying them aloud. 
• Before Einstein married and had two sons he had an illegitimate child with a fellow student. He did not have a relationship with this child and her fate remains unknown. 
• Einstein was a ladies man! After much infidelity while with his first wife, he remarried and continued his cheating ways.
• After Einstein's death the doctor who preformed his autopsy stole his brain and stored it in a jar, where it remained for 43 years! The doctor sent samples of the brain to a few scientists with permission from Einstein's son. One of the scientist, Michael Paterniti, took the brain on a cross-country trip to California (in the trunk of his Buick) to meet Einstein's granddaughter. He later wrote a book about the adventure called "Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain". (I fully plan on reading this book, I think it would be hilarious) 

Overall I think the book "Odd Boy Out" is great for students. It can be placed in their hands for independent research or used in a classroom for discussion. Children (and adults like me) love to hear the interesting quirky facts surrounding famous people. It really helps you relate to them and realize that they are real people too!

"The important thing is not to stop questioning.
Curiosity has its own reason for existing" - Albert Einstein 

*I obtained some information from THIS website.