Project Penicillin

The Race to Develop a Life-Saving Antibiotic

Illustrated by Weston Wei
Paperback
$12.99 US
On sale Mar 24, 2026 | 96 Pages | 9798217134168

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Experience the greatest breakthroughs in science with the DK Discoveries series.

On the battlefields of World War I, soldiers are dying from infected wounds. A young doctor witnessing the devastation vows to find a cure. In his messy laboratory a decade later, he makes an accidental discovery—a miracle mold that kills bacteria. But try as he might, he cannot turn his amazing find into a useful medicine.

This is the story of that chance discovery and the brilliant scientists who took Alexander Fleming’s miracle mold and worked tirelessly to turn it into a treatment that doctors could use. As another war broke out in Europe, they found themselves in a race against time to grow enough penicillin and create the first antibiotic. Their teamwork and determination led to a class of drugs that saved countless lives and paved the way for modern surgery and other life-saving treatments.
Isabel Thomas has written more than 150 books about science for young readers and has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize, the Association of Science Education Book of the Year, the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards and the Blue Peter Book Awards.

Aurélie Guillerey studied at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg and now works as an illustrator in France. Her characters are often inspired by her children and she likes to work with bright, bold colours to create energetic illustration. View titles by Isabel Thomas

About

Experience the greatest breakthroughs in science with the DK Discoveries series.

On the battlefields of World War I, soldiers are dying from infected wounds. A young doctor witnessing the devastation vows to find a cure. In his messy laboratory a decade later, he makes an accidental discovery—a miracle mold that kills bacteria. But try as he might, he cannot turn his amazing find into a useful medicine.

This is the story of that chance discovery and the brilliant scientists who took Alexander Fleming’s miracle mold and worked tirelessly to turn it into a treatment that doctors could use. As another war broke out in Europe, they found themselves in a race against time to grow enough penicillin and create the first antibiotic. Their teamwork and determination led to a class of drugs that saved countless lives and paved the way for modern surgery and other life-saving treatments.

Author

Isabel Thomas has written more than 150 books about science for young readers and has been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize, the Association of Science Education Book of the Year, the English 4-11 Picture Book Awards and the Blue Peter Book Awards.

Aurélie Guillerey studied at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg and now works as an illustrator in France. Her characters are often inspired by her children and she likes to work with bright, bold colours to create energetic illustration. View titles by Isabel Thomas

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