If you are looking for a book that’s part scavenger hunt and introduction into lesser known and more prominent contributions in science and technology by Black Americans, then you should check out The Steam Chasers series by Dr. Doresa A. Jennings.
The Steam Chasers: We Made That is the first book of 3 in The Steam Chasers series centered on six middle school students attending the Global Academy, a STEAM school. Shar, Terrence, Ebony, Akiya, Marcus, and Chase team up after being challenged to uncover what and how Black Americans have contributed to the American experience. Shar is the chemistry whiz, Terrence has a knack for mechanical design and model building and works through his dyslexia to be a top student, Ebony loves the stars (astronomy and astrophysics), Akiya is a living encyclopedia, while Marcus is the youngest licensed drone pilot and loves emerging technology, and Chase rounds out the team as a computer science expert. The STEAM Chasers embark on an adventure around town to uncover 10 different ways in which Black Americans invented or contributed to inventions that are part of modern day living for everyone.
The Steam Chasers is ideal for children aged 9-12. This book is more of an introductory exploration to STEM coupled with a fictional story that mixes fun with the real implications of being Black in America and turning a tough situation into something innovative. There is a situation in the story in which the STEAM Chasers are looking for clues to the next step in their scavenger hunt and the police stop the group of 11-year olds because an anonymous person thought they looked suspicious walking through the neighborhood. Chase and Marcus had been given “the talk”, a conversation that many Black American parents have with their children about what to do when encountered by the police and were able to help deescalate the situation and advocate to have their parents involved. This was a sobering point in the book that touches on the fear and frustration of being black and being stopped or questioned by the police while doing ordinary things.
While dealing with the emotional fallout of the experience, the STEAM Chasers continued their academic work, leveraging that experience to design their own technology product that would be useful in future situations to alert appropriate parties (parents and law enforcement) and deescalate situations in real-time. What began as an unfortunate first experience with law enforcement, turned into a learning opportunity for the adults involved (the community, teachers, parents, and law enforcement) and as a result the community came together to send the STEAM Chasers to have their next adventure in space!
Content warnings: stereotyping, threat of violence.
Find The Steam Chasers: We Made That on Amazon at The STEAM Chasers: We Made That.
Book 2, The Steam Chasers: The Blackness of Space, is at The STEAM Chasers: The Blackness of Space.
Book 3, The Steam Chasers The Boundless Blackprint, is at Amazon.com: The STEAM Chasers: The Boundless Blackprint.
For reviews of other children’s books featuring diversity in science, technology and engineering, see STEM Area: Science, STEM Area: Technology and STEM Area: Engineering.
For reviews of other children’s books featuring gender diversity, racial diversity and neurodiversity in STEM, see Diversity Type: Gender, Diversity Type: Race and Diversity Type: Neurodiversity.
For reviews of other books that are great for the 9-12 age range, see Age Group: 9-12.
Also see our full STEM listings of books and other resources that feature diversity in STEM.
