inventions – Mom Read It

Graphic Novels, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Teleportation and Other Luxuries, for STEM Geeks Everywhere

Posted on November 13, 2024November 12, 2024 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Teleportation and Other Luxuries, by Archie Bongiovanni & Mary Verhoeven, (Nov. 2024, Mad Cave Studios), $14.99, ISBN: 9781545812242

Ages 12+

A group of brainy misfits come together to win a science competition sponsored by a nefarious coroporation in this original graphic novel from Bongiovanni (A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns) and illustrator Verhoeven. Tyler, a trans teen with a penchant for social media and scientist parents who won’t accept anything less than total success, feels the pressure to keep up appearances for his family’s reputation’s sake. Gabby is a nonbinary student in the competition for far greater reasons than the scholarship money and the fame; her distrust of the corporation and science overall puts her at odds with Tyler. Allegra is a shy genius who hides her intelligence so she can fit in, and LJ is from a small town where he just learned to do everything because no one else could. Each member of the group has a hidden and personal agenda; when they realize a monumental breakthrough, though, they must weigh the cost of entering a project they know will win, but is unsafe. Blamazon, the megacorporation sponsoring the contest, is quick to wave their fears aside. A very human story with four queer teens at its heart, Bongiovanni explores their relationships with one another and with the world outside Blamazon’s walls. It becomes a story that encourages readers to ask themselves what really matters most. Cartoon-realistic illustration keeps pages turning along with the smart dialogue. A solid STEM story with realistic characters and situations at its center.

History, Middle Grade, Non-fiction, Tween Reads

Honest History gives middle graders new perspectives

Posted on December 12, 2021December 12, 2021 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Publisher Gibbs Smith hit shelves in August with two history titles that are great gift ideas and lots of fun for your nonfiction collections: History is Delicious, and History is Inventive.

History Is Delicious, by Joshua Lurie/Illustrated by Laura Foy, (Aug. 2021, Gibbs Smith/Honest History), $19.99, ISBN: 9781736191903

Ages 8-12

History is Delicious is a colorful, tasty trip across world history through cuisine. Food plays a part in the cultural fabric; influenced by native cultures and colonialism, the book illustrates how food brings us all together. Organized into sections highlighting the Americas, Europe, Ethiopia (and their coffee breaks!), and Asia, sections include histories of each cuisine, etiquette tips for dining across cultures, popular and “must try” dishes, and a recipe for each region. Colorful illustrations make this attractive and accessible to kids everywhere.

History is Inventive, by Brooke Knight/Illustrated by Sophy Smith (Aug. 2021, Honest History/Gibbs Smith), $19.99, ISBN: 9781736191927

Ages 8-12

Next up, we’ve got History is Inventive, a look at inventions and their inventors that changed the world. Straightforward sections organize inventions into timeframes like “Inventions from Long Ago”, “Inventions from Not As Long Ago”, and “Inventions from Not Long Ago” to group inventions going from ancient ideas like gunpowder (9th century AD), to the piano (17th century), to wi-fi (1940s). There’s a section on famous inventors like Charles Drew, the first African American doctor to earn a Doctor of Science from Columbia University, and creator of blood banks. A “Fun Stuff” section gives readers the background and lists of materials needed to make a version of Galileo’s telescope. “Thinking it Over” sections after every profile offer thought-provoking questions. Colorful illustrations, great pacing and layout, and hands-on activities make this another great book to have in your history and STEM collections. I am looking forward to seeing what more Honest History books are coming down the pike!

picture books, Preschool Reads

Izzy Gizmo returns with the Invention Convention!

Posted on March 11, 2020March 11, 2020 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention, by Pip Jones/Illustrated by Sara Ogilvie, (March 2020, Peachtree Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5

Ages 4-7

Readers met Izzy Gizmo, a little girl who loves to invent and create, two years ago. She’s finally back in Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention, where Izzy, Grandpa, and her best buddy, Fixer, are invited to Technoff Isle’s annual Invention Convention, where she’s up against other kids. They have to make a machine that will impress The Professor, and the winner becomes a member of the Genius Guild! Izzy’s ready to get down to business, but the obnoxious mean girl Abi von Lavish seems to be taking everything Izzy needs to create her invention – until Abi’s drill breaks and she discards it without a second glance. Fixer has an idea, but will Izzy see past her own frustration to understand?

Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention has all the fun and charm of the first book, with the added positive emphasis on making, repurposing, and recycling. In a time where Fix-It Clinics are popping up all over the nation – including libraries! – Izzy hits on a few important topics. Reusing and repurposing materials is the primary objective, but readers will also notice that while Izzy’s fellow competitors are using machines that eat up a lot of energy or cause pollution, Izzy’s using wind, manual (or bird), and solar power to make her Fix-It machine a success. And Izzy also speaks to readers about frustration, and how sometimes, our feelings can get away from us. She takes her irritation out on Fixer, only to be gently guided back in the right direction by Grandpa. The pencil, ink, oil pastel, monoprint, and digital illustrations are bright and give a real feel for the hustle and bustle of a science fair, with lots of movement and activity packed into each page. Perfect for Science Fair season and beyond, Izzy Gizmo and the Invention Convention is fun reading with smart lessons for all. Publisher Peachtree has free, downloadable activity sheets and a teacher’s guide available.

picture books

Chilly DaVinci is a Renaissance penguin… sorta.

Posted on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Chilly DaVinci, by J. Rutland, (Dec. 2018, NorthSouth Books), $17.95, ISBN: 9780735842830

Ages 6-8

Chilly DaVinci is a penguin who’s not like the other penguins on his iceberg home, DaVinci. He builds things while the others do more “penguin” things. But his machines don’t always work, so when his latest contraption cracks the ice and puts the group in danger from a nearby orca, Chilly knows he has to make things right. After some trial and error, and taunting from Chilly’s nemesis, Vinnie, Chilly manages to save his group and land them safely back on Vinci. Chilly’s inventions are inspired by Leonardo DaVinci’s inventions, including a flying contraption. An afterword reminds readers to think about the process rather than the reward, like DaVinci, and to think outside the box (or ‘berg).

Chilly DaVinci is inspired by Leonardo DaVinci, with sepia-toned blueprints paced with the penguins story. The storyline itself is a little jumbled, with side conversations and random thoughts popping up throughout the text; readers may tangent off on these. The watercolor-style artwork makes for cute penguins, and DaVinci is especially wide-eyed and rocks a pair of giant glasses, giving him an egghead-type of nerdy cool.

Better for independent reading than storytime, but fun for penguin fans.

Non-Fiction, Non-Fiction, picture books

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: An accidental invention!

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Kids love Band-Aids, right? My kids have all come to me, asking for a fistful of Band-Aids for some nearly invisible wound. I remember covering my own teddy bears with Band-Aids when I played with my doctor kit. Working around books and paper as much as I do, I can tell you that there have been days where I’m walking around with two or three of the suckers on various fingers, especially when I’m doing program prep and put literal blood, sweat, and tears into a project I’m working on for the kids. Whether they’re the original plain, or decorated with Transformers, Band-Aids are a great example of an invention that fills a need and became so much more – so how did this happen?

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: A True Story About an Accidental Invention (Really!),
by Barry Wittenstein/Illustrated by Chris Hsu,
(Feb. 2018, Charlesbridge), $16.99, ISBN: 978-1-58089-745-7

Recommended for readers 6-10

In the 1920s, a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson named Earle Dickson married Josephine, settled in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and started their lives together. But Josephine was a bit accident-prone; she’d cut herself while cooking, bumped and bruised herself going about her daily business, you get the drift. (C’mon, though: who hasn’t grated knuckles, fingernails, and the occasional fingertip on those savage cheese graters?) Poor Josephine was going through dishrags at an astonishing rate, and Earle, being the loving husband he was, started looking for solutions. He took a long piece of adhesive tape and stuck sterile gauze to them every few inches: voila! The Band-Aid prototype was born! The bandages evolved for easier and quicker application and were made easier to apply and reached worldwide usage, going overseas during World War II to the soldiers fighting in Europe, even as kids were testing their limits with scratches and cuts at home. The End. (Really.)

I enjoy a good nonfiction book I can give to younger readers; I’ve had big success with everyday inventions like hot chocolate and earmuffs, thanks to Easy Readers on the topics, and Boo-Boos is a great addition to younger nonfiction collections. Big enough to spotlight the mixed media and Photoshop artwork, all of which is sepia-toned to give a real vintage-y feel to this story. I love the Band-Aid endpapers that bring you in and escort you out of the story, and the sweet love story at the heart of this invention story is just adorable. I love the kid-like narration, which starts and stops with each major moment: “The End. Actually, no, wait…” It’s like listening to my own 5 year-old, or any of my library kiddos, describing a movie, big happening at school, or family event. There’s an author’s note, Earle Dickson time line, a timeline of medical inventions from the 1920s and 1930s, and a list of further resources for anyone who wants to learn more.

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World is good reading, and just good fun. Hand out some Band-Aids (licensed characters, please, we’re not cruel) at a storytime, or raffle off a box of them for a great reader report! There’s a downloadable curriculum guide on the way, and you can listen to a Charlesbridge podcast interview with author Barry Wittenstein right here. The book has a starred review from Kirkus.

Giveaway!

Want a shot at your own copy of Boo-Boos? Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway! (US addresses only, please.)
Author Barry Wittenstein has always been involved with writing, from contributing to his high school and college newspapers, to writing and performing poetry on stage in San Francisco, songwriting, sports writing, and now picture books. He has worked at CBS Records, CBS News, and was a web editor and writer for Major League Baseball. He is now an elementary-school substitute teacher and children’s author.

Barry particularly likes nonfiction, and profiling mostly unknown people and events whose stories have never been told in children’s literature. He is the author of Waiting for Pumpsie and The Boo-Boos That Changed the World. He lives in New York City. To learn more, visit his website: https://onedogwoof.com/ or on Twitter: @bwittbooks

Praise for THE BOO-BOOS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

★”Appealingly designed and illustrated, an engaging, fun story about the inspiration and inventor of that essential staple of home first aid.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Animal Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Tween Reads