Book Review: Alan Turing and the Power of Curiosity by Karla Valenti

Alan Turing and the Power of Curiosity by Karla Valenti is a picturebook that combines fact and fiction. One sunny day in June 1912, a new super science hero was born. He hadn't figured out he was a super science hero; though everyone else around him was pretty sure about this early on. His name was Alan Turing. Super Evil Nemesis decides to call on his minion Ms. Deception to confound and confuse Alan—but because Alan likes working on puzzles, he's not easy to defeat. The minion in this book will speak in code (which will read like nonsense). As the story progresses, Alan will crack the code on Ms. D's enigma machine and be able to decipher her speech, which is how he befriends her. At the end of the book, we will provide a decryption key that allows the children to decipher what the minion is saying in earlier pages. This is the (mostly) true story of how Alan Turing had a superpower that helped him become a successful scientist. But, of course, the super power is really something we all have inside of us.

Alan Turing and the Power of Curiosity is a book that shares interesting information on the life and accomplishments of Alan Turning. His work in codes and artificial intelligence has had a great impart on the world. I thought the fictional and fun story about the nemesis trying to stop learning and curiosity is likely to capture and hold the attention of those that might have lost interest in a straight narrative.I thought the illustrations were very well done- and the hidden objects and code on the pages add an extra layer of interest. I also enjoyed that the book offers readers a chance to learn and use codes. I enjoyed the read and found it both interesting and engaging- and I think most readers will agree.