“Dear Reader, This true story doesn’t have a happy ending.” This arresting opening introduces the life of Rosalind Franklin: a smart, curious girl who grew up to study science and became an expert in X-ray crystallography—the use of X-rays to study atoms and molecules. Working in a lab at Cambridge University, she tried to focus on her work while surrounded by the egos and conflicting personalities of the men around her. In 1952, she took an image she labeled Photo 51, writing a careful analysis in her end-of-year report. Shortly after, tired of the tension and disregard, she left the lab. Ten years later, three male scientists, including one who worked in Rosalind’s lab, won the Nobel Prize for discovering the double-helix structure of DNA. Their research, on which Rosalind had never been consulted, relied on her image and analysis. Sadly, Rosalind had died four years before. Author Tanya Lee Stone’s opening and closing directly address readers to underscore that Rosalind Franklin made a unique contribution to science and deserves to be written back into history. This picture book account closes with more about Rosalind Franklin and the “Matilda Effect,” when the work of women goes uncredited. The soft images capture scenes of Rosalind’s life and work.

A CBC-NSTA Editors' Outstanding Science Trade Book for 2025 * An inspiring picture book biography about Rosalind Franklin, the groundbreaking chemist who helped discover the structure of DNA, by the award-winning, bestselling author of Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?



★ "[A] compelling introduction to an extraordinary scientist." --Booklist, starred review



Rosalind Franklin was a Jewish scientist with a remarkable talent as a chemist. Although there were few women working in this field in the 1950s, Franklin, using crystallography, captured an image that held the secret to unlocking the structure of DNA: the double helix. Her Photo 51 was used by her male colleagues without her knowledge, and they went on to win the Nobel Prize, while Franklin never found out how instrumental her work was to the discovery of the double helix. This incredible story uncovers the life and work of an extraordinary scientist, rightfully celebrating her landmark contributions to history.



★ "Poignant ... Enlightening .... students with an appreciation for learning about lesser-known historical figures and an interest in science will find inspiration in Franklin's resilience. Remember Rosalind? She's unforgettable." --School Library Journal, starred review



★ "As she weaves science and history, Tanya Lee Stone unravels dual mysteries centering on the double helix: how the 'secret of life...makes you--YOU' and how a 'twist of fate' triggered Rosalind Franklin's posthumous recognition." --Horn Book, starred review



"[An] inspiring picture book biography introducing Rosalind Franklin's groundbreaking life to young readers." --A Mighty Girl



CCBC Choice 2025

Booklist Editors' Choice 2024

School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Elementary 2024

NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book

2025 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Booklist

Finalist for the Vermont Book Award

Chicago Public Library Best Books 2024