Early Book Review: Mysterious, Marvelous Octopus by Paige Towler
Book Review: The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall by Ali Standish
Early Book Review: Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris
Pretty Ugly is a new look at several old adages. Our young hero finds out that when you are making silly, funny, or scary faces it really can stick that way. Even us parents thought it was made up and just an attempt to make the madness stop! I love the illustrations, and how poor Anna tries so hard to stop looking so darn cute. I also love her literal interpretation that beauty is on the inside. This is an all around fun book, with splendid illustrations, and I hope this will become a favorite for many, and that no one tries Anna's beauty secrets.
Book Review: The Witching Hour (Secrets of Camp Whatever) by Chris Grine
Book Review: The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais
Early Book Review: Famous Finds and Finders: Searching for the Past by Tom Velcovsky; Stepanka Sekaninova; Adam Wolf
Famous Finds and Finders: Searching for the Past, written by Tom Velcovsky and Stepanka Sekaninova, illustrated by Adam Wolf, is currently scheduled for release on November 28 2023. In this book young readers are taken on an journey back through time as they learn about the field of archeology and its role in uncovering the secrets of our past. Emphasizing the importance of preserving and recording moments in history, it encourages children to consider their own place in the ongoing story of humanity. Readers can also learn about the tools and techniques (from crude to state-of-the-art) that archeologists and paleontologists use, as well as about the challenges they face in uncovering fragments of the past buried in the ground or under the ocean. This book highlights some of the most significant archeological discoveries of all time, introducing young readers to some of the key figures in the field. It provides a fun and engaging way for children to learn about historical discoveries and the people who made them, and will inspire them to continue exploring the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity.
Famous Finds and Finders is an informative read, with a great deal of well organized information. I wish I had found this book when I was a young reader, as I would have loved getting a real look at the discoveries made, tools used, and maps detailing pertinent information. I do think that this is best suited for readers that already have some interest in the subject matter, as it is a great deal of information on each page. Those that are not already curious might be discouraged by that and not be fully engaged. As someone that has always been interested in archeology, I found the flow of text, images, maps, and other things to be engaging and kept me turning pages.
Early Book Review: School for Extraterrestrial Girls #2 Girls In Flight by Jeremy Whitley, Jamie Noguchi
School for Extraterrestrial Girls, Volume 2, Girls In Flight, written by Jeremy Whitley and illustrated by Jamie Noguchi, is a graphic novel currently scheduled for release on November 28 2023. The extraterrestrial girls are back! With their former school compromised, exposing Tara, Misako, Summer, and Kat, to possible danger from unknown alien forces, they all must relocate to a new hidden school--The School for Extraterrestrial Boys! Located on a hidden island in the arctic north, the new campus has a mysteriously warm summer climate, a beautiful lake, and dozens of sinister mysteries! The girls are staying in what appears to be summer cabins on the lake while going to school in the mysterious castle where the boys stay. This is all under the watchful eye of the boys' headmaster, Headmaster Stokes—an arrogant man with an unknown agenda and an obsession with Tara's people. They may still be in school, but this will be a semester full of blossoming romances, learning to love themselves, and trying to survive the mysteries of both this terrifying island and boys! Romance, magic, and near-death experiences are all part of a regular school day at the School for Extraterrestrial Girls.
Girls In Flight starts with a recap, which honestly I needed. I remembered enjoying the first volume of the story, but the details I was a bit hazy on. I was glad for the little catch up, which I think most readers will agree on. I was glad to read this next chapter of Tara and her circle's adventures and thought it was well planned out and executed. I thought the artwork was well matched to the story, and conveyed a great deal of emotion and action to make the story come alive. There were multiple story lines woven through each other, and it was neat to see threads that I had put to the back of my mind pop up and play an important roll in the story. My only complaint is one I often have with serials like this, and that is I was just feeling like I was deeply invested in the story and had a grasp on all the moving pieces when the volume ended. I am eager to get volume three in my hands.
Book Review: Don’t Be Mean to 13 by Douglas Harris
Don’t Be Mean to 13 by Douglas Harris is a picturebook. Friday the 13th is bad luck. Some high rises have no floor thirteen. Why are people so afraid of 13!? Thirteen is feared and disliked for no good reason, while Twelve has always been so popular! When Thirteen and his friend Friday get together - watch out for friggatriskaidekaphobia! Explore the ancient historical roots of these popular superstitions while encouraging children to use evidence-based, critical thinking with our friend, Thirteen!
Early Book Review: Sir Cumference and the 100 PerCent Goose Chase by Cindy Neuschwander, Wayne Geehan
Book Review: The Most Magnificent Maker's A to Z by Ashley Spires
The Most Magnificent Maker's A to Z, written and illustrated by Ashley Spires, is the latest addition to The Most Magnificent series highlights all the words little makers need to know.
In this twist on a vocabulary book, the beloved characters from The Most Magnificent Thing walk with readers from A to Z, defining all the words they need to know about making. It perfectly captures the ups (“I is for IDEA. A gift from the imagination that wants to be made”) and the downs (“P is for PATIENCE. Most things don't work the first time … or the third time … or even the twelfth time”) all makers face and includes kid-perfect explanations of key concepts (“B is for BRAINSTORM. When ideas of all shapes and sizes rain onto the page”). It's a fun and clever alphabet journey, sure to inspire magnificent making of every kind!
The Most Magnificent Maker's A to Z is a lovey and engaging picturebook that encourages readers to be creative and persistent in their efforts to make things. I thought the chosen words were clever and on point for the purpose. As always, I thought Spires's art was a perfect match to the text and keeps the reader focus on the book, and their next project. I love the encouraging tone and spirit of this series of books, and I think this alphabet book would be a delightful addition to personal, school, and public library collections.
Early Book Review: Bean The Stretchy Dragon: A Sally & Bean Adventure by Ari Stocrate
Early Book Review: Mysterious Glowing Mammals: An Unexpected Discovery Sparks a Scientific Investigation by Maria Parrott-Ryan
Early Book Review: The Upside-Down Book of Sloths by Elizabeth Shreeve, Illustrated by Isabella Grott
Early Audiobook Review: The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead; Wendy Mass, Narrated by Christopher Gebauer; Jennifer Blom; Rob Dircks
Early Book Review: A Natural History of Magical Beasts by Emily Hawkins, Jessica Roux
Early Book Review: Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke
Early Book Review: The Gender Book: Girls, Boys, Non-binary, and Beyond by Cassandra Jules Corrigan
Book Review: Do Other Earths Exist?: Mysteries of Space by Jennifer Lombardo
Early Book Review: The World's Most Atrocious Animals by Philip Bunting
The World's Most Atrocious Animals is the third title in the series from Philip Bunting. It is currently scheduled for release on July 11 2023 and is filled with facts about some of the scariest creatures in the natural world. Meet the enormous murder hornets of east and southeast Asia, the poisonous blue-ringed octopus, Africa's hungry but deadly hippos and some truly shocking electric eels, among many more truly scary creatures! The antagonist voice (speaking though cheeky annotations) points out the most frightening aspects of each creature's characteristics, while the narrator's voice describes engaging, factual information about each animal's seemingly scary characteristics. Are they really as scary as they seem? With humorous text and bright illustrations, this guide to terrifying animals contains funny labelled diagrams and fabulous facts. It will help teach kids about the animals we fear and whether their gruesome reputation is deserved!
The World's Most Atrocious Animals is another great addition to this series. There is a great balance of humor and information. While there was a good deal of information that I knew, I still learned a good deal. The illustrations are fun, and accurate while still maintaining the humorous tone of the book. There is a wide range of creatures covered here- with plenty of interesting information about each of them. The only things I would have liked to see here that I didn't, is some sources for further reading in the endmatter of the book and some kind of organization for the order of creatures in the book. If there was a reason for the order I missed it, but organizing them by something would have been nice; location, habitat, alphabetically, anything at all would have been helpful to me personally but no one else might be bothered by this at all. Fans of the previous books in this series will not be disappointed, either will readers that like a little fun along side their information.