Eli Mason Catches Sunlight Twice

What happens to sunlight after the sun goes down? Eli Mason is fifteen, and he has a real job with NASA. When his first paychecks arrive, he digs out his old BIG PROBLEMS notebook and finds idea number solar energy.

Solar panels are amazing, but Eli spots three flaws. They make no power at night. Families need batteries to save daytime power. And much of the sunlight that hits a panel turns into wasted heat.

So Eli asks his parents for something permission to spend every dollar he earned from NASA on a panel that catches sunlight twice. With his parents' safety rules, a ten-month calendar, and his dog Luna (one bark for yes, two for no), Eli gets to work.

He tests see-through solar film, wax that stores heat, fluffy graphite, and a thin tile that turns a difference in temperature into electricity. Panels leak. Wax melts through the corners.

A lamp glows for twenty minutes, then goes dark. Eli writes down every failure in his PANEL LOG, finds a fix, and tries again. When Panel #47 finally works, a patent, a big offer, and a lesson from Dad about fair deals are waiting.

Full of real science explained simply, honest about what inventions can and can't do, and warm with family humor, Eli The Boy Who Catches Sunlight Twice! shows young readers that every flaw is the start of a new idea.

It includes Science Words, a safe Try It Yourself! experiment, and a preface from the author. Perfect for readers ages 7 to 10 who love science, inventing, and stories about kids who never give up.