The Sketcher and the Photographer · ages 9-14

Half of a Pair

The idea: some chains only work as part of a pair.

Read it

Who is in this book

Margit A prediction drawn from the letters alone, firm where sure and faint where not
Kemi A measurement from the real thing, sharp where it held still and blurred where it moved
Beto a child of the Green Takes things apart
Danya a child of the Green Asks "how do we know?"

Every recurring character has a short tune, so you can tell who is on stage before a word is said. The tunes play only when you tap, and the Reading Access sound switch turns them off.

The Honest Page

Which parts of this story are true, stretched or made up?

True

Many proteins work as pairs of two identical chains, and some only work when paired. Source
Two chains of 150 links make 300 links in the pair.
Prediction tools can now also predict how chains fit together, if they are told which chains to put together. Source

Stretched

Margit's flat patch is a tidy clue. What we simplified: Real meeting places are harder to spot from one chain alone; the story makes the clue easy to see.

Made up

Margit, Kemi and their protein are made up.

Tell it back

Tell the story in your own words: who was there, what went wrong, and what they found out. Then the sixth pair goes on your belt.

Ring the hammer for someone

Pick this book for someone younger. The link carries only the book, and it will wait for them on the Green.

Across the Table → For the grown-up: the story in three lines, one question to ask, and one thing to do together.