There is a dearth of children’s books focused on women in science, so this book is much needed and appreciated. However, it goes beyond just filling in a gap. So much consideration and thoughtfulness have gone into this STEM book! It is a well-thought-out, well-written, well-constructed book that is engaging and informative.
Young love is thrilling and all-consuming. But is it worth risking your life over? This coming-of-age romance highlights the sacrifices a teen makes to appease his heart.
“Cursed Waters” by Stanley Nesbitt is about a young 16-year-old named William. Having spent the last years scraping up what work he and his younger brother could manage just to keep their mother and siblings fed, William is left feeling bitter about the confines of his home, his town and what seems to him to be a drab future. When a ship pulls into port prior to departing on a grand adventure, William stows away, telling himself (and his family) that he is doing so for his family—to earn a better living. Is he truly leaving on a long journey to provide for his family? Or is he merely taking the opportunity to escape the confined, cramped life he’s resented for too long?
“Dinopotamus Solves a Mystery” is a simple story, but it still works as well as a complicated one. The concept of how bigger things produce more heat is an educational one that isn’t bad for kids to learn.
“Dream-Shifter” by Lois Wickstrom is an intriguing tale about Gwendolyn, a young preteen who can change forms as she dreams.
"Let's Tour the World: A Globe Adventure" by Theresa Lynn is the story of a young boy who uses his imagination and a globe with special powers to plan his family's summer vacation.
“The Bridge to Magic” is a magnificent high fantasy debut by exciting new author, Alex Thornbury. Dark and foreboding, while equally alluring and addicting—as the first book in The Sundered Web trilogy, Thornbury lays the foundation for an unforgettable journey.
"Tree Spirits" by Louise Wannier is a stunningly beautiful storybook with characters formed by nature and revisioned by an artistic eye to show hidden animal designs in tree trunks. The story is rhythmic and challenges the reader to look further into the natural world around them. Each page shows a photograph of a tree and asks the child what form they see in the bark.
"Pebbles and the Biggest Number" by Joey Benun is an adorable children's story full of educational opportunities for numerous age groups and education levels. A curious little butterfly's quest to learn all about numbers also ventures into environmental science, anatomy, vocabulary, and meteorology. During Pebbles the Butterfly's investigation of how big a number can get, he visits different climates, ecosystems, and animals as he learns about measurements, temperatures, and numeric values. He faces climate challenges from deserts to the arctic, as well as difficult weather situations such as extreme heat and hurricanes.
In “The Newton Chronicles: Soldiers, Temples, and Crystals,” Luke Alexander’s mother truly believes that her husband, an archeologist and historian, is missing and presumed dead from his last archeological search, though her son Luke strongly believes his dad is still very much alive. So, since it’s the beginning of summer break, Luke, along with his two friends, Nathan and Lydia, decide to comb through Mr. Alexander’s home study hoping to find a few clues as to where he headed on his expedition and determine the true meaning of this trip.
I love fairytales, and I am Italian, so I jumped on the opportunity to read “A Maiden of Snakes” by Jane McGarry. I was not disappointed! The main character, Biancabella, was born through magical intervention from the town’s witch, as her mother, marchioness Adeleta Lamberico secretly sought her help to conceive a child. She did so knowing that such favor would have a price; but because of her desperation to produce a child, she decided to overlook those rumors. As a result, Biancabella was born with a magical serpent wrapped around her neck. The serpent disappeared from her neck right after birth, but not from her life, as she was Biancabella’s magical sister....
Jill is a 10-year-old girl who was born deaf. She wears a cochlear implant, which helps her to hear most sounds around her. Up until now, she attended a School For the Deaf, but now she is enrolled at a mainstream school and today is her first day. In “Jill’s First Day of School: Based on a True Story of a 10-Year-Old Deaf Girl,” Jill is nervous about how she will manage life at a new school and she worries if the hearing kids at her new school will like her and accept her. She also has the opportunity to share about her disability with the new people she meets at this school.