Blended Book Review

Blended

 

Sharon M. Draper (Author)

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Middle Grade, Fiction

Publication Date: October, 30, 2018

Isabella switches lives every week. One week she lives with her dad, his girlfriend, and her son in a very fancy house, and the next week she lives with her mom and John-Mark in a comfortable house.

She's eleven years old and stuck between two parents who argue all the time about her, and she's stuck in two different worlds. Switching houses every week is more than just switching clothes and names (Izzy with her mom, Isabella with her dad). It's also switching identities.

Isabella is the same person, but her life experiences with her black dad and her white mom are very different.  Isabella and Darren (her dad's girlfriend's son) are stopped by police, and things escalate quickly when a cell phone is mistaken for a gun. 

Blended packs a lot into a middle grade novel, but kids deal with these situations everyday: blended families (in race), blended families (in living situation), questions about who you are, where you belong, and how others and society perceive you. Blended will hit home for many while offering insight for those who haven’t experienced these things.  It’s a thought-provoking read that middle grade students will enjoy.

If you’re interested in reading Blended, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Emotional Explorers A Creative Approach to Managing Emotions Book Review

Emotional Explorers

A Creative Approach to Managing Emotions

Maria Mercè Conangla (Author)

Jaume Soler (Author)

Schiffer Kids

Children’s Books, Middle Grades, Self-Help

Publication Date: October 28, 2018

Emotional Explorers aims to help children between the ages of seven to “work in a responsible and decisive way to become more attuned to their emotional lives, leave a better world for those following them, and help those around them to grow.” Children will need help and guidance navigating the activities in the book which will create a great line of communication between child and adult.

Emotional Explorers is a much needed book that helps kids build deeper connections within themselves as well as the world around them. Following the activities in this book will help kids feel more anchored to their world and kids will walk away with a much fuller and richer understanding of themselves. I highly recommend it!

If you’re interested in reading Emotional Explorers, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Otherwood Book Review

Otherwood

Pete Hautman

Candlewick

Fiction, Middle Grades

Publication Date: September 11, 2018

Stuey and his friend Elly Rose often play in a deadfall in the middle of an overgrown golf course that stretches between their two houses. One day when they play, reality splits. Grandpa Zach’s stories of lies, hatred, and people disappearing begin to make more sense. With a massive chasm between them, Stuey and Elly Rose need to repair what’s been broken.

Otherwood is a fascinating story that ignites wonder and awe with the world and stays with you long after you’re done reading.

If you’re interested in reading Otherwood, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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The Third Mushroom Book Review

The Third Mushroom

Jennifer L. Holm (Author)

Random House Books for Young Readers

Middle Grades, Upper Elementary, Children’s Fiction

Publication Date: September 4, 2018

Ellie’s grandpa Melvin just moved back in with her family. But the strange thing about grandpa Melvin, who is a world-renowned scientist, is that he discovered a way to reverse-age himself. While grandpa Melvin is incredibly smart and has two PhDs, he’s in the body of a smelly-footed 14 year old boy who now attends the same middle school as his granddaughter Ellie.

Ellie decides to team up with her grandpa for the science fair and their project is nothing short of stunning – a possible formula for the fountain of youth. When Ellie’s beloved cat gets sick, Ellie becomes even more desperate to see how far their experiment can go.

Though The Third Mushroom is the sequel to The Fourteenth Goldish (another great read!) this book still stands on its own. With interesting characters and a touch of middle school romance middle grade readers will devour it!

If you’re interested in reading The Third Mushroom, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Coding from Scratch Book Review

Coding from Scratch

Rachel Ziter

Capstone

Children’s Nonfiction, Middle Grades, Coding

Publication Date: August 1, 2018

Coding From Scratch is a very thorough, step-by-step guide for using Scratch to code. The book has clear illustrations, pictures, and diagrams to help readers navigate Scratch and develop their coding skills. It walks kids through how to make their own games, how to use the drawing tools to make animations, creating presentations, using the sound tools, and more! If you’re looking for a detailed guide to Scratch that dives in deep, then this is it!

If you’re interested in reading Coding from Scratch, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Code Your Own Adventure Book Review

Code Your Own Adventure

Max Wainewright (Authors)

Henry Smith (Illustrator)

QEB Publishing

Children’s Nonfiction, Middle grades, Coding

Publication Date: July 19, 2018

Colorful, engaging, and informative - Code Your Own Adventure provides step-by-step instructions in a comic-book format for kids to code their own game using Scratch. Kids will learn how to draw characters and shapes, animate plot lines, and create games all while learning how to code. A fun way to gain useful knowledge and coding skills!

If you’re interested in reading Code Your Own Adventure, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Bug Lab for Kids Book Review

Bug Lab for Kids

Family-Friendly Activities for Exploring the Amazing World of Beetles, Butterflies, Spiders, and Other Arthropods

John W. Guyton

Quarry Books

Children's Book, Middle Grades, Non-Fiction

Publication Date: June 12, 2018

If you have a kid who is interested in bugs, then Bug Lab for Kids is for you!

This book will walk even a novice bug-collector parent or teacher through learning where to start to more advanced techniques on collecting insects to how to preserve them. The book is set up as forty-three labs that kids can complete. The labs start with learning where to look, using sketching as a tool, and the scientific method. Later labs include photographing insects, making papier-mâché nests, creating a pollinator habitat, and more.

Bug Lab for Kids offers a variety of insect-centered activities and will keep kids busy and engaged! Perfect for summer!

If you’re interested in reading Bug Lab for Kids, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Amazing World: Bugs Get To Know 20 Crazy Bugs Book Review

Amazing World: Bugs Get To Know 20 Crazy Bugs

L.J. Tracosas

becker&mayer! kids

Children's Book, Middle Grades, Non-Fiction

Publication Date: June 5, 2018

Bold, bright, and informative! Kids will love learning about these twenty crazy and fascinating bugs. From the spiny flower mantis to glowing cockroach, kids are sure to be captivated by the crazy and cool things bugs can do!

If you’re interested in reading Amazing World: Bugs Get To Know 20 Crazy Bugs, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Ranger Rick Kids' Guide to Paddling and Ranger Rick Kids' Guide to Hiking Book Reviews

Ranger Rick Kids' Guide to Paddling

All you need to know about having fun while paddling

Tom Watson

Walter Foster Jr

Children’s Books, Middle Grades, Nonfiction

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

Ranger Rick Kids' Guide to Hiking

All you need to know about having fun while hiking

Helen Olsson

Walter Foster Jr

Children’s Books, Middle Grades, Nonfiction

Publication Date: May 1, 2018

Informative, colorful, and kid-friendly: Ranger Rick’s Guide to Paddling will get kids (and their parents) ready for fun on the water! The book covers topics from the gear and skills you need to learning how to prepare for a trip and where to go and more!

Similarly, Ranger Rick’s Guide to Hiking covers where to hike, when to hike, what you should wear and pack, and more! Both books are great for introducing kids to what to expect and how to be safe while having fun in the outdoors!

Perfect for summer and perfect for inspiring kids to get outside and explore!

If you’re interested in reading Ranger Rick Kids'Guide to Paddling or Ranger Rick Kids' Guide to Hiking, you can purchase a copy on Amazon: Paddling, Hiking.

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Pluto Is Peeved! An ex-planet searches for answers Book Review

Pluto Is Peeved!

An ex-planet searches for answers

Jacqueline Jules

Dave Roman

Seagrass Press

Children’s Nonfiction, Comic Book

Publication Date: June 5, 2018

In this comic-book-style picture book, Pluto isn't just peeved. He's kind of wallowing in self-pity. Pluto doesn't understand why he was demoted from his former status as a planet, so he sets out around the museum to find out. He runs into other exhibits like the Dinosaur Hall, Our Microscopic World, and the Geology Hall where he learns a lot about how science works and what caused his demotion.

In the end, he learns that scientists are always adjusting and evolving their theories based on the evidence and data they find. Even though he isn't a planet anymore, scientists are still very interested to learn a lot about him.

If you’re interested in reading Pluto Is Peeved!, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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Mason Jar Science 40 Slimy, Squishy, Super-Cool Experiments; Capture Big Discoveries in a Jar, from the Magic of Chemistry and Physics to the Amazing Worlds of Earth Science and Biology Book Review

Mason Jar Science

40 Slimy, Squishy, Super-Cool Experiments; 

Capture Big Discoveries in a Jar, from the Magic of Chemistry and Physics to the Amazing Worlds of Earth Science and Biology

Jonathan Adolph

Storey Publishing

Children's Book, Middle Grades, Non-Fiction

Publication Date: May 29, 2018

Mason Jar Science has fun ideas for kids to get hands-on with science. Broken into sections (Chemistry, Earth Science, Botany, Biology, Physics), kids can easily navigate the book and select which projects to undertake. From Fireworks in a Jar or Cornstarch Quicksand to Very Berry Ink or Light Bending kids are sure to find a variety of projects that interest them. Each project includes subsections like materials, instructions, what to watch for, what's going on, tell me more, or take it further so kids (and adults) know exactly what steps to take.

Mason Jar Science is full of great ideas that will keep kids busy, learning, and engaged. It's prefect for summers at home or for adventurous teachers looking for fun classroom projects!

If you’re interested in reading Mason Jar Science, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

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How to Spot a Sasquatch Book Review

How to Spot a Sasquatch

J. Torres (Author)

Aurélie Grand (Illustrator)

Owlkids

Children’s Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grades

Publication Date: May 15, 2018

As kids go out for a camping trip, Jay wants to see a Sasquatch. While the other kids make fun of him or roll their eyes at him for thinking they're real, Sass a Sasquatch watches the group and plays tricks on them from afar. A series of events eventually brings Sass and Jay together, but can Jay tell others about Sass? And what should Sass tell her parents? 

How to Spot a Sasquatch is a fun graphic novel with great illustrations and humor throughout the story. Kids will enjoy it!

If you’re interested in reading How to Spot a Sasquatch, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Ellie, Engineer Book Review

Ellie, Engineer

 

Jackson Pearce

Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Children’s Fiction, Chapter Book, Middle Grades

Publication Date: January 16, 2018

Ellie’s the kind of girl who has a tool belt strapped over her skirt. She’s got an engineer’s brain and wants to design, create, and build whenever she has the chance and her best friend Kit’s birthday gives her just that. Ellie will make Kit the best doghouse ever created, but to do so she needs to enlist the help of her friends (who are girls) and the neighborhood boys. The two groups don’t get along, and Ellie has to navigate the two plus Kit’s concerns as she tries to build her friend the best birthday present ever.

I appreciate that Ellie, Engineer has a central female character who “breaks the mold” of stereotypes, but at times the book hits this theme a bit too on the nose. Overall Ellie, Engineer has a good story that kids will like, but I found it a little superficial at times.

If you’re interested in reading Ellie, Engineer, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail What Will You Find? Book Review

Backpack Explorer

On the Nature Trail What Will You Find?

Editors of Storey Publishing

Storey Publishing

Children’s Nonfiction, Outdoors

Publication Date: March 20, 2018

An amazing book for any young outdoor enthusiast! It is full of great photographs, diagrams, and activities that will engage any budding explorer!

If you’re interested in reading Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail What Will You Find?, you can purchase a copy here onAmazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Uniquely Wired A book about autism and its gifts Book Review

Uniquely Wired

A book about autism and its gifts

Julia Cook (Author)

Anita DuFalla (Illustrator)

Boys Town Press

Children’s Book, Fiction

Publication Date: February 1, 2018

Autism is a wide spectrum and every person on the Autism spectrum (and every person in the world) is different than everyone else. Uniquely Wired introduces us to Zak who has Autism but doesn't see himself as having a "disability." Instead, he sees himself as uniquely wired and having gifts to share with those around him. From learning that fair doesn't mean equal to knowing that everyone hears and views things differently and that's okay to learning patience and more, Zak has many gifts to share.

In Uniquely Wired, we get to see life through Zak's eyes and learn what life feels like for him. It's a great read aloud for any teacher or parent who would like to introduce the idea that different doesn't mean bad, and that while we all think and act differently, we all have a lot in common and we all have gifts to share with one another.

One book cannot encapsulate everything there is to life with Autism, but Uniquely Wired gives an honest look at one experience and is a great tool for children to better understand how life is for someone else.

If you’re interested in reading Uniquely Wired, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

The Know-Nonsense Guide to Money: An Awesomely Fun Guide to the Way We Use Currency Book Review

The Know-Nonsense Guide to Money

An Awesomely Fun Guide to the Way We Use Currency

Heidi Fiedler (Author)

Brendan Kearney (Illustrator)

Walter Foster Jr

Children’s Nonfiction, Upper Elementary, Middle Grades

Publication Date: December 5, 2017

The Know-Nonsense Guide to Money is a great starting point for basic financial literacy. The book gives an overview of what money is, different kinds of earnings, savings, spending, and borrowing. The colorful illustrations are engaging and will help hold a reader's attention. Overall, The Know-Nonsense Guide to Money can help lay solid foundational knowledge of basic financial terms and concepts and get a conversation started about smart money decisions.

If you’re interested in reading The Know-Nonsense Guide to Money, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

365 Weird & Wonderful Science Experiments Book Review

365 Weird & Wonderful Science Experiments

An experiment for every day of the year

Elizabeth Snoke Harris

Moondance Press

Children’s Nonfiction, Upper Elementary, Middle Grades

Publication Date: November 7, 2017

From mouse trap cars to hot air balloons, dragon fly helicopters to underwater volcanoes, 365 Weird & Wonderful Science Experiments offers so many fun, hands-on experiments and challenges that will keep kids (and you) busy all year long!

It's great to have on hand for parents and teachers for those days you need an activity to keep the kids entertained.

If you’re interested in reading 365 Weird & Wonderful Science Experiments, you can purchase a copy here onAmazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

Programming Games and Animation Kids Get Coding Series Book Review

Programming Games and Animation 

Kids Get Coding Series

Heather Lyons (Author)

Alex Westgate (Illustrator)

Lerner Publications

Children’s Nonfiction, Upper Elementary

Publication Date: August 1, 2017

I love finding coding books that appeal to different age groups and that get kids interested in coding. I had a lot of hope for Programming Games and Animation from the Kids Get Coding series, but this book fell flat.

First, the web address in the book takes you to a page where the links associated with this book say, "Sorry... There's nothing here!" so any of the activities the book describes can't actually be completed. If I was a kid, I would be devastated.

Second, the book does do a good job of helping kids plan out a maze-type game and thinking through different scenarios, but the "coding" they show doesn't translate into other commonly used types of coding I've seen. Perhaps it is exactly what kids need for the maze-building website that has a broken link and is thus inaccessible? But as it currently is, if kids read this book, they would not be able to apply their knowledge to other coding formats.

Last, the book covers several coding topics but uses a rubber duck called "Data Duck" as its mascot. Even when the duck wears sunglasses, it's still too juvenile for the target audience. Upper Elementary kids who are excited to learn to code want to be challenged, not infantilized. Again, I had a lot of hope for this book, but your money would be better spent elsewhere.

If you’re still interested in reading Programming Games and Animation from the Kids Get Coding Series, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

The Man Who Knew Everything The Strange Life of Athanasius Kircher Book Review

The Man Who Knew Everything: 

The Strange Life of Athanasius Kircher

Marilee Peters

Roxanna Bikadoroff

Annick Press

Children’s Nonfiction, Upper Elementary, Middle Grades

Publication Date: October 10, 2017

The Man Who Knew Everything is a fun and colorful biography of Athanasius Kircher. Part scientist, part inventor, part show man, part con man: Athanasius Kircher made his mark on history. He explored inside a volcano by being lowered into itself mouth in a wicker basket. He wrote many books about his theories and findings. He drew up a design for a cat piano. And he filled a museum with fantastic creations, inventions, and displays (though same were not exactly grounded in fact and science).

Athanasius Kircher was an interesting and unique man - a celebrity scientist of his time. Though he had more misses than hits when it came to his theories, his work helped spread and improve scientific knowledge and it laid the groundwork for other scientists who came after him.

If you're looking for an interesting and well-illustrated biography, be sure to check out The Man Who Knew Everything!

If you’re interested in reading The Man Who Knew Everything: The Strange Life of Athanasius Kircher, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.

The War I Finally Won Book Review

The War I Finally Won

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dial Books

Historical Fiction, Middle Grades

Publication Date: October 3, 2017

If you haven't read The War that Saved My Life, start there! It's an amazing tale of Ada, a nine year old who has never left her apartment because her mother is too embarrassed by Ada's clubfoot. Her mother even locks her in the cabinet at times for punishment. When the war gets too close to London, Ada's brother Jamie is shipped off to stay safe from the bombings. What is Ada to do other than venture out of the apartment to join Jamie?

The War I Finally Won starts a week after The War That Saved My Life ends. Ada is in the hospital under Susan's care. She's just had surgery to fix her twisted foot. Something her mother would never approve of. Ada's mother always told her she was damaged, but she's not anymore. Ada's also just lost her mother to a bombing, and though she never had a good relationship with her mother, it's still her mother. As Ada and Jamie start their life with Susan seeking legal guardianship of them, the three chapter Sneak Peek ends! I can't wait to read the whole novel. October 3rd can't get here soon enough!

If you’re interested in reading The War I Finally Won, you can purchase a copy here on Amazon. 

*A copy of this book was provided free of charge for an honest review.