A little bit scientific method, a little bit international diplomacy in the early days of the US. A story about how Franklin essentially proves the placebo effect, told in a lively fashion that I believe Franklin would approve of.

While the American Revolution was happening in what would be the United States, Benjamin Franklin went to France to ask the king and queen for help fighting England. While there, he observed Dr. Mesmer, and used the scientific method to figure out what was really happening - hypnosis, or the placebo effect?

Optical illusion endpapers, beautiful ribbony text, a variety of fonts, and gorgeous illustrations add up to something sumptuous yet not overwhelming. Back matter includes more information on the scientific method, Ben Franklin, and Franz Mesmer. ( )

This is a fun story about Ben Franklin, creating a hypothesis, scientific method, and what a placebo effect is. I would give this book to 3rd through 6th graders. I could see this book being used in the classroom to help explain why the scientific method is important. This was a great and fun book to read! ( )

This was a good book to read and I thought it was interesting. It talked about how Benjamin Franklin went to Paris during the American Revolution to ask for help with the war and while he was there, he helped the king of France discover whether someone truly had magical powers or not. He used the scientific method and blindfolds to help discover that people were imagining they were feeling better, not that it was a magical power by Dr. Mesmer. I think this would be a good book for upper primary students because there are some French words in the text and words that may be harder to understand, such as hypothesize. This would be a good book to share before discussing the scientific method and using it in a classroom.

This review also posted at The Children's Book and Media Review

When the American Revolution was going strong, Benjamin Franklin went to France to charm Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette into sending help to the Americans fighting the war. When he arrived, the Parisians were obsessed with the idea of science and a man named Dr. Mesmer. Dr. Mesmer was flamboyant and mysterious, making impossible things happened and curing people of their diseases. Some people wondered if all the people were being fooled. Ben used the scientific method to discover what the secrets were behind Dr. Mesmer’s act and managed to get help from the French government to assist in winning the war.

This educational book is brilliantly illustrated and cleverly explained. There are explanations of the history of the time, the steps of the scientific method, and a section after the story to explain more about the events described in the book. This book is an excellent introduction to a key part of American history and how the scientific method can be used to disprove things scientifically. Teachers will love having this resource to show their students these concepts with the beautiful illustrations, and young science lovers will enjoy this true story about how Benjamin Franklin used science to help save America and stop people from being fooled. ( )