Project Penicillin

The Race to Develop a Life-Saving Antibiotic

Illustrated by Weston Wei
$7.99 US
DK. | DK Children
On sale Mar 24, 2026 | 9798217310456
Age 9-12 years
Sales rights: US/CAN (No Open Mkt)

See Additional Formats
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.

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.