Category: Middle Grade

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Tween Reads

Reynard’s Tale breathes new life into a literary figure

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Reynard’s Tale, by Ben Hatke, (April 2023, First Second), $22.99, ISBN: 9781250857910

Ages 10+

Foxes have been tricksters in fairy tales and myths for as long as cultural memory can hold. Ben Hatke’s latest work, Reynard’s Tale, takes readers into a wonderful medieval setting to relate a new set of trickster tales starring Reynard the Fox, Isengrim the Wolf, and a series of memorable supporting characters. The short stories all link together: Reynard on the move, Isengrim on the hunt, and Reynard smooth-talking and outfoxing (pun intended) a series of love interests… but the last joke may just be on Reynard. There’s a playful sense of adventure in Hatke’s storytelling, and his ink artwork has a fairytale quality, with Reynard sporting a large hat, a cloak, and boots. If you have animal tale fans, give them this one.

Read more about Reynard at Britannica.com. Listen to audio, watch a dramatic reading, and learn to make a fox bookmark at Oxford’s Bodleian Library’s website.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Just Between Us journals open up conversations between daughters, fathers, and mothers

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Just Between Us: Father & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Jonathan Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs, with Meredith Jacobs/Illustrated by Nate Padavick ,(Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797216119

Ages 10+

Father-daughter team Jonathan Jacobs and Sofie Jacobs come together to tell some stories and provide thought-provoking prompts for dads and daughters to communicate. Suggested guidelines help set comfortable boundaries while encouraging open sharing, with pages set side to side for dads and daughters. There are fun prompts that call to mind those “how much do you know about me?” memes we’ve all done through e-mail and social media, and Free Spaces allow for journaling feelings, memories, or stream-of-consciousness writing. Fun illustrations encourage the writers to envision what they’d like to see about themselves on the front page of a newspaper or their social media pages. With Father’s Day coming up, this would be a great way to connect. Not suggested for a circulating collection, but a great suggestion to have in your pocket.

 

 

Just Between Us: Mother & Daughter – The original bestselling no-stress, no-rules journal, by Meredith Jacobs & Sofie Jacobs/Illustrated by Molly Baker, (Apr. 2023, Chronicle Books), $16.95, ISBN: 9781797222219

Ages 10+

Mother and daughter first collaborated on the Just Between Us journal over ten years ago; this revised edition allows for updated prompts and greater writing and creative space. Spaces like “a drawing of my dream outfit” let moms and daughters show their playful side, and “Things I would love for us to do together” breaks down the walls and allows for a wish list that mom and daughter can create together: and then act on it. I miss the playful illustrations that were in previous editions, but I appreciate the copious writing space to allow both writers to put their hopes, dreams, feelings, and ideas on paper. An excellent suggestion for summer journaling.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

BLOG TOUR: How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hello, folks! After a morning fraught with technical difficulties, I bring you the latest and greatest Blog Tour from NatGeo Kids! Introducing…

 

Welcome to the blog tour for

How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs,

part of National Geographic Kids’ DinoMAYnia – a month-long celebration of all things prehistoric!

All week blogs are hosting fun excerpts from this handy guide so you will know just what it takes to dodge deadly dinosaurs, ride out mega monsoons and escape other perils of the prehistoric!

How To Survive the World Before Dinosaurs

Before you can try your luck at surviving the age of dinosaurs, you have to make it through what came just before: the Permian. It’s home to animals so strange they seem like fictional monsters. They dominate Earth for millions of years, until nearly all are wiped out by the biggest extinction event in the history of our planet. This catastrophe clears the world of competitors, setting the stage for dinosaurs to rise up. Can you survive it?

  • The Permian: 299-252 million years ago
  • Known For: The most catastrophic extinction in history
  • Best Place for Home Base: Northern Pangea…but be prepared to sweat
  • Your Main Food Source: Mega-size insects
  • Try to avoid: Going extinct along with 90 percent of the planet’s species

BIG Bugs

Your stomach rumbles. If you’re going to last another day in the Permian, you need food. You glance around—nope, not a single restaurant or grocery store in sight. That’s when you hear a buzz near your ear. The Permian is crawling with insects—some of them mega-size. Could you make a meal out of these big bugs?

During the early Permian, insects reach enormous proportions. There are dragonflies that could do aerial combat with the largest modern birds and go head-to-head with millipedes as long as a human is tall. Never again in the history of Earth would insects be so large.

What is it about the ancient world that allows these creatures to become supersize? Part of the answer is oxygen. At this time, the atmosphere contains far more oxygen than it has in the modern age—over 10 percent more. This allows Permian-era insects to fuel up more efficiently, freeing them to grow large. Then, there’s the second reason: Birds haven’t evolved yet. With no birds around, large, slow-moving insects have one fewer predator to worry about — and one fewer critter competing with them for meals. This also allows them to get big.

Those enormous insects would have made a great food source. Most insects are rich in protein, healthy fats, iron, and calcium. In modern times, about two billion people worldwide eat insects regularly. But it takes a lot to make a meal: If you were to snack on ants in modern times—say, red ants, for example—you’d need to eat more than 30 pounds (14 kg) of them a day to get the calories you’d need to stay healthy. Even if you spent all your time hunting and eating small, modern insects, you still might not gather enough to survive.

That’s not a problem in the time of giant insects. A single dragonfly-like Meganeuropsis would be enough to fuel you for several meals. Giant insects can even be dried and packed for eating on the go, like insect jerky. So big bugs would have been good eating.

Did You Know?

Spiders, scorpions, millipedes, centipedes, and some beetles survived the Permian extinction!

Buy | Buy on Bookshop.org

 

How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs:

A Handy Guide to Dodging Deadly Predators, Riding Out Mega-Monsoons and Escaping Other Perils of the Prehistoric

(ages 8-12, Paperback, National Geographic Kids Books)

Boom, boom, BOOM … Look out! That’s a T. rex coming your way!? You’ve been transported back in time to the age of the dinosaurs. What do you do?!

Test your chops and discover if you have what it takes to survive at a time when Earth looked, well, a tad different in this ultimate survival guide to the prehistoric age.

Find out how to make it through exploding volcanoes and mega monsoons—while dodging giant Permian bugs! See how to fend off an angry pterosaur and learn what to do if you’re caught in a stampede of enormous titanosaurs. Discover what you could eat (spoiler alert: You better like the taste of insects!), and find out which hungry creatures just might try to eat you!

Packed with tips, tricks, and helpful maps, this is the ultimate handbook for dinosaur fans who want to know what life on Earth was really like when dinos ruled. Could you survive in the age of dinosaurs?

 

About the Author

Stephanie Warren Drimmer is an award winning science writer based in Los Angeles, California. She writes books and magazine features for kids about everything from the strangest places in space, to the chemistry of cookies, to the mysteries of the human brain. She has a degree in science journalism from New York University…but she thinks she likes writing for kids because she’s secretly still one herself.

Website

 

About the Expert Contributor

Dr. Steve Brusatte vertebrate paleontologist and evolutionary biologist and professor at the University of Edinburgh who specializes in the anatomy, genealogy, and evolution of dinosaurs and other fossil organisms. He has written over 110 scientific papers, published six books (including the adult pop science book The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, the textbook Dinosaur Paleobiology, and the coffee table book Dinosaurs), and has described over 15 new species of fossil animals. He has done fieldwork in Brazil, Britain, China, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and the United States. His research is profiled often in the popular press and he is a “resident paleontologist” and scientific consultant for the BBC’s Walking With Dinosaurs team.

Website | Twitter

GIVEAWAY

 

  • One (1) winner will receive a copy of How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs!
  • US/Can only
  • Ends 6/3 at 11:59 pm ET
  • Enter via the form below

Visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win

 

Blog Tour Schedule:

May 22nd— Mom Read It

May 23rd— Ms. Yingling Reads

May 24th – From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors

May 25th — Log Cabin Library

May 26th— Mrs. Book Dragon

 

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade

Reads for Respect for All Week

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

NYC public schools have a week in February called Respect for All Week, where the students have discussions, assemblies, and programs geared toward a respect, appreciation, and understanding of diversity and inclusion. I went to speak my Kiddo’s – now a fifth grader! – classroom and realized that I couldn’t find specifically Respect for All booklists, so I made up my own and it went over pretty well. Here are my booktalks as presented to the class, with links to the publishers’s webpages with publishing details:

American as Paneer Pie, by Supriya Kelkarr

Lekha is an Indian-American girl – the ONLY Indian-American girl – living in a small town. She puts up with casual everyday racism and tries to cover up who she is culturally in order to fit in until she meets Avantika, a new girl who is also Indian, and who has no interest or patience to hide who she is! Avantika helps Lekha find her voice in this community, and together they have to be strong: a racist is running for Congress in their community and they need to stand up for themselves and their families.

 

A Good Kind of Trouble, by Lisa Moore Ramee

First, I explained “good trouble”, and read the John Lewis quote on getting into “good trouble” to the class. After establishing what “good trouble”, I started my booktalk:

Shay is 12 and tries to stay far away from trouble. Her older sister, Hana, is an activist who takes Shay to a Black Lives Matter protest; the protest awakens Shay’s sense of social justice. Shay begins wearing a black armband to school as a silent protest, but that causes division among the students, and Shay has to hold onto her values and beliefs in the face of anger and bullying.

 

Front Desk, by Kelly Yang

Who doesn’t love Kelly Yang? The kids went wild when I held up the book, because Ms. Yang was a virtual visitor to their 4th grade class last year and they all have signed copies of her book, New From Here. Quite a few had already read Front Desk, so I asked them if they’d known that Ms. Yang was the victim of a racist Zoom-bombing during a virtual visit over the pandemic. The kids were mortified when I told them what happened to them, and we talked more about how this is why Respect for All is so important: we have to do better. That said, I gave a quick booktalk for the handful of kids who hadn’t yet read Front Desk.

Mia is a fifth grader working at the front desk of the hotel where her parents also work, but she has a secret: her parents help shelter newly-arrived immigrants at the hotel, giving them a place to stay until they can get on their feet. Mia wants to be a writer, but has to navigate her parents’ expectations, her job, and hoping that the hotel owner doesn’t find out about Mia’s parents and their shelter work or they’ll all be out on the street!

 

Green Lantern Legacy, by Minh Lê & Andie Tong

This is one of my favorite original graphic novels, and I’m pretty happy to stay I made quite the stir by booktalking this one! A large number of the kids were familiar with Green Lantern, so I was able to start with just a quick explanation of Green Lantern and how the Lantern Corps protect the universe. Whoever gets a ring joins the Corps. Tai Pham is a 13-year-old living with his family above his grandmother’s store. At his grandmother’s funeral, he meets Xander, who tells him that his grandmother was a hero – a superhero! – and leaves him a ring. Tai discovers that his grandmother was a GREEN LANTERN.

That alone set the room of kids off, but when I explained that Tai’s family were refugees from Viet Nam, and showed them my favorite panel in the book, when Tai’s grandmother used her Lantern powers to get the refugees’ boat to safety, the kids were sold. One of my Kiddo’s classmates is Vietnamese and gave me a fist pump. It was fantastic. I’ve since been told that there is a “10-person deep line to borrow the book”.

 

Restart, by Gordon Korman

Everything changed for Chase Ambrose the day he fell off the roof. He has no idea who he was before the fall, or why the kids all look at him the way they do. Or why that girl in the cafeteria, poured yogurt over his head one day. Chase wasn’t just a bully: he was THE bully, enouraged by his father and his friends. Chase doesn’t think he wants to be that person any longer, but can he really have a restart?

This was another home run with the class. Gordon Korman is aces with these kids, so a couple had read Restart, and most had read at least one other book by him.

 

Blackbird Girls, by Anne Blankman

Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko live in Russia near the Chernobyl nuclear plan, but they aren’t friends: Valentina is Jewish and Oksana has been told to avoid her. Their fathers die in the nuclear reactor explosion, they’re separated from their moms, and the government isn’t exactly forthcoming. Together, they discover that they need to rely on one another to save themselves.

This was a surprise hit! The idea of two girls relying on each other to survive, especially if they weren’t really friends to begin with, really appealed to boys and girls alike in the class. I’ve since been told there was a “WWE-like brawl” for the book (which I’ve confirmed was not really a brawl, just a group of kids surging the desk for the book).

 

Me and Marvin Gardens, by Amy Sarig King

I finished with Me and Marvin Gardens, beginning with a quick chat on how respect for our world and our environment is just as important as respect for one another. The kids hadn’t heard of this book, so I was excited to booktalk it, since it’s one of my favorites.

Obe Devlin has some big problems: developers are taking over his family’s farmland and he keeps getting nosebleeds. While he’s on what’s left of his family’s land, cleaning up the trash, he discovers a not-quite-dog, not-quite-pig, eating plastic. It only eats plastic. Naming it Marvin Gardens (any Monopoly fans here?), Obe quickly takes to his new friend and has to keep it safe from everyone.

So that’s my fledgling Respect for All list, which will only get better as I refine it. Feel free to weigh in with your favorites to add!

 

Posted in Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Club Roll Call: Where Middle School is the Dungeon

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call, Molly Knox Ostertag/Illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, (Nov. 2022, HarperAlley), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063039247

Ages 8-12

This graphic novel is just what I needed to booktalk D&D to my Corona Kids! Combining D&D fantasy roleplaying with fantasy storytelling, Roll Call is the first in a new series, written by the amazing Molly Knox Ostertag and illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, who illustrates the 5 Worlds series – another series I can’t keep on my shelves. Olivia and Jess are best friends who make up incredible stories: it’s how they met on a school playground, and it’s brought them even closer in their 2-person Dungeons & Dragons campaign. They’re heading to middle school, which Olivia is really excited about. Jess? Not so much, especially when Olivia decides to expand their D&D campaign into a full-on school club. Not willing to share her game time and her best friend with anyone, Jess expresses her frustration through the game, and when it affects one of the new members of the club, Jess discovers that sometimes, you need to find room in your heart – and in your dungeon-raiding party – for new friends.

Ostertag’s got storytelling down, effortlessly moving back and forth between fantasy and reality. I’m excited for more backstory as the series develops; Jess is Diné from the Navajo Nation, living with her father, and playing a character named Sir Corius. Olivia is Afro-Latina, sporting hot-pink hair and can effortlessly rattle off character and monster stats, several of which are incorporated into the story; it gives readers a sense of game play. Having story characters create genderfluid, speciesfluid characters is wonderful, inviting readers to see what so many of us have known for a while: you don’t have to conform to any gender in the game. It says so in the Player’s Handbook! Bouma’s vibrant illustration creates personable characters and exciting fantasy settings. The whole story comes together beautifully and is an excellent choice for readers who are interested in gaming, fantasy, and realistic fiction. Display and booktalk these with any of your fantasy roleplaying graphic novels, like 5 Worlds and Dragon Prince; The Witch Boy; Popular MMOs and Dan TDM, and the Dungeon Academy middle grade novel series by Madeline Roux.

 

Posted in Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

DC Original Graphic Novel Rundown

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

There’s a new batch of DC original graphic novels coming up, and trust and believe these will be on my shelves (and if my Kiddo has anything to say about it, my home shelves are included).

Shazam! Thundercrack, by Yehudi Mercado, (Feb. 2023, DC Comics), $9.99, ISBN: 9781779505026

Ages 8-12

Yehudi Mercado is the perfect author/illustrator to bring this fun Shazam tale to comic book life. Beginning with Billy Batson’s arrival at his new foster family home and bonding with his new foster brother, Freddy, the main plot kicks in pretty quickly: as Billy and Freddy tests the limits of Billy’s power when he’s Shazam, they realize that even when he’s in Billy’s form, he’s got some power moves – and that leads him to join the school football team. The only thing is, Billy isn’t much of a team player. He just doesn’t have that kind of trust in others, so when the chips are down for the team, why should Billy come through? Maybe because a rival school is using biotech experimentation that makes them very, very dangerous? Maybe because Billy’s foster dad drops some wisdom on Billy? Thundercrack is fun, easy reading that captures the light spirit of the 2019 movie (and the upcoming movie, Fury of the Gods). Mercado is at the top of his game when he’s writing everyday family comedy that balances with a pathos that understands each character’s backstory. Having the story take place within the DCU timeline has a nice link for readers who are versed in the cinematic universe; Freddy is a strong Number 1 to Billy and has his own spirited journey in the story, with vlog entries and commentary running through the story. Add this one to your middle grade graphic novel collections – kids aren’t getting nearly enough Shazam! in their comic book diets.

 

Bruce Wayne: Not Super, by Stuart Gibbs/Illustrated by Berat Pekmezci, (March 2023, DC Comics), $12.99, ISBN: 9781779507679

Ages 8-12

Another middle grade luminary takes the reins for this Bruce Wayne-Before-Batman story. Batman: Not Super is all about Bruce Wayne, who attends a super-special school. No, really, all the students have superpowers except for Bruce, who’s only there because his parents paid for the school to be built before they passed away. He’s rubbing shoulders with superhero elite here, but he’s not the most popular kid in school; he hangs out with an 11-year-old named Dick Grayson, whose gymnastic abilities got him into the school. He’s bullied by Clark Kent, who uses his x-ray vision to see through Bruce’s clothes and tell everyone what underwear he’s wearing that day. Things change when bully Jack Napier steals Dick’s ice cream money, though: Bruce has found his mission, and it’s to be a vigilante! Now, to just figure out how to get around his guardian, Alfred, who won’t let Bruce undertake any dangerous missions. Even when Dick overhears Jack telling Bane that they’re going to rob all the lockers while everyone is at the big game. Fast-paced dialogue and swiftly moving action come together with jokes and humor. Pekmezci’s artwork is a feast for superhero-loving eyes as the DC Middle School Universe unfolds in front of them: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy are canoodling by the lockers; Penguin and Selina Kyle are here; Arthur Curry is more AquaKid than Aquaman, but he’s talking to the fish in the school fish tank, and Wonder Girl Donna Troy is Diana Prince’s younger sister. Sharp-eyed comics fans will catch some deep cuts, like Polka Dot Man, and comics fans of a *cough* certain age will appreciate the Bat Shark Repellent joke that finds its way into most Bat-humor. Bruce Wayne: Not Super is another home run for middle graders. Put this one on your shelves.

 

Teen Titans: Robin, by Kami Garcia/Illustrated by Gabriel Picolo, (March 2023, DC Comics), $16.99, ISBN: 9781779512246

Ages 13-17

The third in the Teen Titans series from Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo, Teen Titans: Robin is the fourth Teen Titans story that includes Raven, Beast Boy, and Beast Boy Loves Raven. Joined by Damian Wayne and Max Navarro, the group is on the run from Slade Wilson and H.I.V.E.; Dick Grayson leaves Gotham to find his younger brother, Damian. Damian resists getting to know his adopted brother, feeling like his father, Bruce, attempted to replace him, but Grayson just wants to get to know his brother and keep him and his friends safe. With equal emphasis on character growth, developing relationships, and action, this is a great addition to the series. Picolo does so much storytelling through his color changes and shading; he takes each color that readers and viewers familiar with the Titans will recognize and makes them part of the story, leaving Slade Wilson’s story gray and desolate. This one’s for the middle and high schoolers, but upper grade elementary schoolers may be interested, too.

I’ve been such a fan of these YA and middle grade books since they launched a few years ago. By bringing original graphic novels to kids and finding authors and illustrators that are standout names, they’re investing brand new generations of readers into comics and graphic novels.

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Book Blitz & Giveaway: How to Speak Animal!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Buy | Goodreads

Learn about the secret language of wild animals in this exciting and informative guide from the experts who brought you How to Speak Cat and How to Speak Dog.

We know animals can’t speak and express themselves in the same way as humans … but even the smallest and quietest animals have incredible ways of communicating with each other. With wildlife veterinarian expert Dr. Gabby Wild as a guide, How to Speak Animal helps kids understand how animals communicate through sound, body language, and behavior. It’s full of expert insights and real-life stories of humans exploring ways to “talk” to animals, from teaching great apes sign language to speaking “dolphin.” Packed with super-engaging animal photography that helps illustrate key concepts, this fascinating bookprofiles more than 60 different creatures―from birds to mammals to reptiles and more―and their amazing ways of communicating with each other.

If you’ve ever wondered why gorillas beat their chests and make hooting noises, what it means when chameleons change color, or why some elephants twist their trunks together, this is the book for you!

 

About the Authors

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

DR. GABBY WILD earned her bachelor of science and doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degrees at Cornell University. She completed her veterinary internship training at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and received her master’s of public health (MPH) from the University of Minnesota. She is a published genetics researcher and uses her research background to screen zoonotic disease transmission among wildlife, domestic animals, and people. To help maintain a healthy planet, she monitors herd and individual health for rising epidemics. Dr. Wild balances her Western medicine practices with traditional Chinese medicine in an effort to blend both methodologies. Acclaimed for her role as “the veterinarian” on Animal Jam, the world’s largest online “playground,” with 54 million players, she creates educational videos and teaches children internationally about wildlife conservation and medicine. When not in the wild, Gabby works as a Wildlife Health Program veterinarian for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo and is a training veterinary surgeon at the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island. She lives in New York City.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

AUBRE ANDRUS is an award-winning children's book author with dozens of books published by National Geographic, Lonely Planet, American Girl, Disney, Scholastic, and more. She has also ghostwritten books for young YouTube stars. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her family. 

GIVEAWAY

  • Three (5) winners will receive a copy of How to Speak Animal
  • US only
  • Ends 12/18 at 11:59pm ET
  • Enter via the Rafflecopter below

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Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Tales from the TBR: The Kids Under the Stairs

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

More reporting as I continue scaling Mount TBR. Two years ago, I read BenBee and the Teacher Griefer; the first in a new series from KA Holt. The Minecraft-looking cover art and storyline drew me in – I’m a kids’ librarian and a mom, Minecraft and Roblox is allllll around me – and seriously, a KA Holt book is an exciting time. I loved BenBee, and finally made time to read the next two books in the series. Folx, I am a fan.

Ben Y and The Ghost in the Machine: The Kids Under the Stairs, by KA Holt, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452183213

Ages 10-14

The second Kids Under the Stairs book puts Ben Y on center stage: Ben Y, Benita, whose older brother, Benito, helped create Sandbox and communicated with her via Sandbox chat. and whose recent sudden death has her reeling. She still logs into chat to talk to him, but one night, someone responds. Who knows about Benito’s and Ben Y’s secret chat? Grief and recovery are major plot drivers in Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine, and equally strong subplots about gender identity, dress coding, and journalism drive this brilliant story. Ben Y narrates most of the story, with appearances from the other Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee, Jordan, Javier, and Ms. J, the lovable teacher-turned-librarian who runs the “Newspaper Typing Club”, the new name for the Sandbox club. The introduction of a new character, Ace, keeps the narrative even more interesting and adds a drop of conflict. The story narrative pairs with Sandbox interactions to keep readers engaged. Ben Y’s writing is in verse, with other character interactions emphasized with italics and written in straight prose. Chat room interactions are presented as block text interactions and set off with black-framed pages. The Kids Under the Stairs is an excellent series that examines issues facing tweens and young teens and features brilliant portrayals of neurodiverse people. Download a free teacher guide to the book at Chronicle’s book detail page.

Ben Y and The Ghost in the Machine has a starred review from Kirkus.

 

 

Jordan J and the Truth About Jordan J: The Kids Under the Stairs, by KA Holt, (Sept. 2021, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781452183213

Ages 10-14

It’s Jordan’s turn, and I am psyched! Jordan’s energy and honest enthusiasm made this my favorite book in the Kids Under the Stairs series so far. Jordan loves a competitive dance show, Fierce Across America; as such, he obsessively talks about it and even writes a column about it in the school newspaper – it doesn’t go well, because Jordan is a little too honest in his opinions about the school’s dance team and where they stand in reference to Fierce Across America hosts and dancers. Things change when Fierce Across America tryouts come to the Kids’ town in Florida, and Casey Price – one of Jordan’s schoolmates – asks him to choreograph a winning routine to advance her through the competition. Subplots on Jordan and Javier connecting through an art class and family financial stress meet many readers where they’re at, addressing issues that they can understand and work through. Jordan’s voice is exuberant and sweet, hesitant and apologetic, as he navigates situations; storytelling takes place in Sandbox chat rooms, through notes drawn on artwork from the “old lady art class” Jordan and Javier take together, school newspapers, Jordan’s notes to his therapist, and Jordan’s own storytelling. Boo-yah!

Download a free teacher guide at Chronicle’s book detail page.

 

Posted in Middle Grade, Non-fiction

Book Blitz: Weird But True WORLD 2023!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Buy | Goodreads

The BLOCKBUSTER kid-favorite series Weird But True! is busting out with a BIG, BOLD annual extravaganza of the wackiest, wildest, and downright weirdest wonders on planet Earth.

Discover Earth’s strangest animals, natural formations, festivals, ancient wonders, news, and more in this newest addition to the wildly popular Weird But True! family―an annual compendium of everything Weird But True! fans love … and then some. Readers will journey across the seven continents, dive into the ocean, and even blast off into space to discover a whole wide world of weird. From the troll doll bug of Suriname to the Bog Snorkeling Championships in Wales to a technicolor village in Indonesia, Weird But True! World offers an unparalleled, adventure-filled exploration of our world’s amazing uniqueness.

Inside, you’ll find:

  • Stunning photographs
  • Wild, wow-worthy facts
  • Weird news
  • Shocking stats and infographics
  • Colorful maps
  • Personality quizzes
  • Adorable odd animals
  • And more!

This book is perfect for fans of Weird But True!, as well as Atlas Obscura, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and Guinness World Records, and any curious kid willing to embrace the quirky side of life.

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

 

For more Weird But True! fun check out the series page on National Geographic Kids!

 

GIVEAWAY

  • Five (5) winners will receive a hardcover of Weird But True! World 2023
  • Ends 12/18 at 11:59pm ET
  • Enter via the Rafflecopter below

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Posted in Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

BOOK BLITZ! NatGeo Explorer Academy Forbidden Island

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Buy | Goodreads | Trailer

A heart-pounding final showdown changes the life of Cruz Coronado forever in the seventh and final book in this thrilling fact-based fiction series.

Amid assignments that take the Explorer Academy recruits from the iceberg-filled waters of Antarctica to the bone-dry deserts of Argentina, Cruz Coronado is scrambling to complete the last piece of the cipher. With Nebula agents and the elusive explorer spy still out there, his opportunity to recover his mother’s world-changing formula is slipping away. But as Cruz has learned from his time aboard Orion, true explorers must never give up.

Even after completing dozens of high-risk missions and traveling to all seven continents, Cruz could never prepare himself for one ultimate surprise.

Explorer Academy features: Gripping fact-based fiction plot that inspires curiosity with new technology and innovations; amazing inventions and gadgets; a cast of diverse, relatable characters; secret clues, codes, and ciphers to track down within the text; vibrant illustrations; elements of STEAM; National Geographic explorer profiles in the "Truth Behind" section.

Check out the Explorer Academy website featuring videos, comic shorts, games, profiles of real-life National Geographic Explorers, chapter excerpts and more. 
 


Praise:

"Sure to appeal to kids who love code cracking and mysteries with cutting-edge technology."  
—Booklist

"A perfect blend of adventure with real science and technology!"
—New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan

"A fun, exciting, and action-packed ride that kids will love."
—J.J. Abrams, director and screenwriter of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lost, Alias

"Inspires the next generation of curious kids to go out into our world and discover something unexpected.”
—James Cameron, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and acclaimed film-maker

 

About the Author

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TRUDI TRUEIT has written more than 100 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction. Her love of writing began in fourth grade, when she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play. She went on to be a TV news reporter and weather forecaster, but she knew her calling was in writing. Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences, and her fiction novels include The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular, and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Her expertise in kids nonfiction encompasses books on history, weather, wildlife, and earth science. She is the author of all the narratives in the Explorer Academy series, beginning with Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret. Trueit was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and lives in Everett, Washington.

 

GIVEAWAY

  • Three (3) winners will receive the COMPLETE 7-book Explorer Academy series and an Explorer Academy map, showing all the places around the world that Cruz and his classmates visit over the course of the series!
  • US/Canada only
  • Ends 11/27 at 11:59pm ET
  • Enter via the Rafflecopter below

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