The 2018 Royal Society’s Young People’s Book Prize shortlist was revealed June 18.

UK publishers submitted their best science books for under-14s to the 2018 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize and an adult judging panel has narrowed them down to the six best. The Prize celebrates books that communicate science to young people in an accessible, creative way and has been running for over 25 years.

The overall winner of the prize will be selected entirely by young reader judging panels drawn from over 300 schools, science centres, reading clubs, community groups, scouts and brownies.

The winner will be announced in November 2018.

Chair of the 2018 judges is Professor Yadvinder Malhi FRS. Joining Professor Yadvinder Malhi FRS on the judging panel are Dr. Martin How, Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Bristol; teacher Alison Price, Head of Science at St. Faiths in Cambridge; Nicola Davies, zoologist and author; and Jo Marchant, science journalist and author. Their shortlist is:

• Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum (Publisher Walker Studio)

Discover the incredible story of the search for life on Mars, told from the unique perspective of Curiosity, the Mars Rover sent to explore the red planet. Markus Motum’s stylish illustrations and diagrams reveal how a robot travelled 350,000,000 miles to explore a planet where no human has ever been.

• Exploring Space by Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Stephen Biesty (Publisher Walker Books)

The extraordinary story of space exploration, from Galileo’s telescope to the launch of the International Space Station – and beyond! Martin Jenkins’ accessible and wide-ranging narrative covers early astronomy, the history of flight, the Space Race, the day-to-day of astronauts in the International Space Station and the possibility of extraterrestrial life, and considers where future missions might take us. Stephen Biesty’s magnificent cross-section illustrations lay bare the intricate workings of space probes and shuttles, the Mars Curiosity Rover, spacesuits and Soyuz rockets. Back matter includes a comprehensive timeline and glossary of terms. With hours’ worth of detail to pore over, this is the perfect gift for all space enthusiasts, young or old

• Lonely Planet Kids’ Dinosaur Atlas by Anne Rooney, illustrated by James Gilleard (Publisher Lonely Planet Kids)

It’s time to explore lost prehistoric lands and the huge variety of dinosaurs that roamed them with Lonely Planet Kids’ Dinosaur Atlas. Kids can unfold maps and lift the flaps to reveal amazing illustrations and facts about how dinosaurs lived and where they were discovered. They’ll also learn about famous paleontologists and measure themselves against life-size bones, teeth and claws.

From giant sauropods and horned dinosaurs, to duckbills and ferocious theropods, kids will discover how the dinosaurs evolved, what they looked like and how they hunted. Plus, we’ve included the latest finds and theories.

Created in consultation with Dr David Button, a dinosaur expert at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and featuring iconic illustrations by James Gilleard

• Optical Illusions by Gianni A. Sarcone and Marie-Jo Waeber (Publisher QED Publishing)

The brain is an amazing thing, but it doesn’t always get things right when it comes to sight! This book is packed full of mind-boggling puzzles and diagrams that showcase the science at work behind those illusions that make us laugh, gasp and wonder HOW!?

• Scientist Academy by Steve Martin, illustrated by Essi Kimpimäki (Publisher Ivy Kids)

Do you love experimenting, testing, making and discovering?

If the answer is yes, sign up for the Scientist Academy. As well as learning all about famous scientists, you’ll record your own heartbeat, calculate your age on Mars, create a chemical reaction and much more. Packed full of activities, puzzles, games and stickers, this is the perfect handbook for budding biologists, curious chemists and fans of physics.

So, grab your goggles, put on your lab coat, and get ready to investigate!

• Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky (Publisher Hachette Children’s Group)

A gloriously illustrated celebration of trailblazing women. Women in Science highlights the contributions of 50 notable women to the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, from both the ancient and modern worlds. The book also contains fascinating infographics and an illustrated scientific glossary.

The extraordinary women profiled include well-known figures like the physicist and chemist Marie Curie, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

Women in Science celebrates the achievements of the intrepid women who have paved the way for the next generation of female engineers, biologists, mathematicians, doctors, astronauts, physicists and beyond…