Oh Multiverse, you vex us so. The premise of the Multiverse is awesome. Its execution has been sketchy and inconsistent, with some characters and worlds being much more enjoyable than others. By far, the best job at establishing multiple protagonists in the same or different timelines is Spider-Man. It’s so effective at it that you can simply call it the Spider-Verse. Around the Spider-Verse: An Original Graphic Novel Collection is a new collection stories within that world that grabs your attention regardless of where your knowledge is about Spider lore.
Doing whatever a spider can, and very well yoAtlanta Record Stores: An Oral History, great subculture wherever you are
I didn’t get it. Despite being an ex-radio guy and owner of hundreds of LPs, I didn’t get the idea of buying vinyl. My collection had been stoic, waiting in the office, frustrating near the record player. It was a tin of cat food in the kitchen while an electric can opener tauntingly looked on. TLDR: I get vinyl now and it’s awesome. Atlanta Record Stores: An Oral History is a book that’s meant for people who get vinyl. They understand and appreciate the culture behind the small businesses.

Trial and Error, educational/funny, animal borne attorney fun
Every book aimed at elementary school-aged youth has its core audience. There is also the unknown crowd whom parents and educators hope find the book. Trial and Error is a graphic novel whose Venn Diagram bleeds into many fields. As an educator, you hope the longest leg option takes root but know that this avenue usually has the smallest entrance. However, you’re thankful for clever, unique books that speak to niche audiences, even though you want them to be more successful than they are.

Melodies of the Weary Blues, illustrated Hughes poetry for elementary ages
“Why are you reading a book of poems?”, asked the high school senior. Well, that’s a fair question, brother. I had taught this student in various classes over the years. In my typical way of teaching, I turned our conversation into a critical thinking exercise. This left our teenage dude mentally slipping into the hedges of his mind. He probably also wanted to get away from me and towards someone talking about something in his area of expertise. However, much to my surprise, he kept asking me questions about Langston Hughes Melodies of the Weary Blues: Classic Poems Illustrated for Young People.
A bridge, illustrated book to poetry for young agesA Tale of Plagues and Perfumes, fast-paced, original mglit that pays off
As kids get halfway through middle school they could lose their ability to use adjectives. I’m normally a glass-half-full kind of a guy. However, the essays that I see in 9th grade have a majority of students who need a map, compass and guide dog in order to find adjectives. They’d be overly excited if they came up with two ways to describe the weather in July and then ask for a waiver on future assignments. A Tale of Plagues and Perfumes is one of the more original middle-grade releases you’ll read this year. It does that by delving into a world that mglit readers know as familiar, but not too familiar, and exploring a realm that other books haven’t had the scents to do.
smells like teen readingWild About Capybaras! packs a lot of fun in its early-elementary package.
Wild About Capybaras! What the heck is a capybara? Do capybaras, sloths and quokkas belong to a slow-moving club that secretly meets south of the Equator? Is it really possible to Giggle and Learn? Giggle and Learn Series are Toon Books by Kevin McCloskey that are smarter than they look and more fun than they seem. Wild About Capybaras! is a fun book to read, which raises the question, can early-elementary ages really have fun reading? So many questions, let’s unpack them. However, in case you’ve got to split, the answer is “yes”.

What Makes A Bird?, timeless STEM that crosses into enjoyment
Quite often, we’ll talk about all-age comic books. These are comic books that can be enjoyed by any age; but have the ability to serve as entertainment for young ages. Is there such a thing as an all-age reference book? There is, but to call them a ‘reference book’ could be a disservice to how entertaining some of them are. What Makes A Bird? An Illustrated Guide to the Bird World is a fun, entertaining ‘reference book’ that belies the dreaded boring label young ages might apply to something that’s not brain rot. The book has a classic, timeless vibe that can be attributed to its illustrations and presentation.

The Traitor Moth, adventure fantasy that hides in plain sight for 8 and up
It could’ve begun as a side comment, or maybe even a dare. Write a book that has an action backbone, with the heart and emotive lessons that are age-appropriate, and entertaining, for upper-elementary and mglit audiences, with a moth as the main character. A moth. That flighty, lightweight, seemingly pointless creature who is hopelessly attracted to light and the punchline to a classic Norm Macdonald joke and its nemesis, Gregory Illininivich. Author Katherine Orton heard this sidebar, slipped into her moth exoskeleton, said hold this light and created The Traitor Moth. This is the first in the Moon Realm fantasy book series that lives in the world of eight through twelve-year-old, reading-because-it’s-awesome space.
Adventure fantasy at a jumping off point




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