Science lover Libby works with classmates to run the science booth at the school festival in this companion to Derting and Johannes' Cece books, illustrated by Vashti Harrison. Libby is a black girl who loves experimenting, especially in the kitchen. At school, chemistry is right up her alley. When Mr. Darwin recruits students to run the science booth at the school fair, Libby works with Rosa and Finn to devise experiments that will be exciting enough to compete with the bouncy house. On the day of the festival, they decorate their booth artfully and set up their giant bubbles, slime ingredients, and rocketry supplies, but for a while they are overlooked. The trio manages to attract attention to their experiments, and soon they have a small crowd. Their booth doesn't win the prize, but their class celebrates anyway with a fun and tasty chemistry experiment. Instructions for all of the science activities are included as notebook-page insets within the story spreads. The diverse characters (Rosa is brown skinned with puffy, red hair, and Finn looks Asian) are accessible and fun. Murray's bright, cartoon illustrations, patterned after Harrison's aesthetic, generate excitement around their adventures. While the one-note story falls a bit flat at the end, science lovers will be happy to continue collecting these titles, and the incorporation of well-loved activities like cooking and making slime just may convert science skeptics into science lovers too. Sure to inspire real-life experimentation. (science facts) (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Joining the ranks of strong girls in STEM comes Libby, a spirited Black girl with a passion for chemistry. When her teacher announces their class will be running the science booth at the school fair--and that the most successful booth will win an ice cream party--Libby can't wait to get involved. She and two other classmates volunteer and come up with three fun experiments for people to try at the booth: making giant bubbles, mixing fluffy slime, and launching a baking-soda-and-vinegar bottle rocket. Brightly colored artwork bubbles with Libby's enthusiasm, even when things at the booth don't quite go as planned. Materials lists and instructions for each experiment, plus two others, appear in the main text, giving readers an opportunity to experience the science fun themselves. While the kids have supervision and safety goggles on in the illustrations, there's no mention of these precautions in the instructions themselves. Nevertheless, this book is a natural fit for classroom science units and home use--just be prepared for a fun but messy learning experience.