Books | Page 27 of 82

Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner’s Call to Science, unexpected power in poetry

Imagine that you love pizza. Granted that’s not a stretch for most people, but let’s establish the fact that you love pizza. Now, you’re given something that has all of the ingredients of pizza, but it’s not circular or square, it’s a rhombus or some other rogue shape that shakes up your otherwise perfect pizza senses. You eat this oddly shaped thing and it tastes great. Then you find out that the crust is made of cauliflower, but it’s great so you keep on eating it. At the end of the pizza, you’re rethinking shapes that previously couldn’t possibly be that greasy wheel that you love so much and are thinking of different shaped food that you could enjoy.

Hidden Powers is the most unlikely of books, one full of narrative poems that add up to a fascinating, non-fiction STEM story.

Pardon us while we ramble-but this excellnet book defies description

Clever Publishing’s My First Spanish board books have a long life

We go to the dentista and read a revista. For some reason, my wife and I still remember that sentence from an early learner illustrated book that taught basic Spanish words. I don’t even remember the name of the book or anything else from it. It was cute and a book that resonated with our oldest child for a season or two. That was an illustrated book, and by its design was intended to be experienced in its totality. It’s not like a reference book where young readers are intrigued enough to open it to any page and thumb around. Clever Publishing has a trio of My First Spanish Books that hit the bilingual nail on the head for a couple of reasons.

Clever Publishing has a trio of My First Spanish board books that are smart enough for sixth or seventh grade, and young enough for crawlers.

This board book series extends through seventh grade for second language peeps

Earth Friend Forever, early elementary illustrated, with laughs and smarts

Funny, as in genuinely producing a laugh, is something that eco books don’t normally do, especially picture books aimed at kindergarten through third grade. However, Earth Friend Forever, manages to produce a laugh or two, in addition to driving home the eco point to those young audiences. It’s an illustrated book on our use of plastic that’s not too heavy, doesn’t speak down to young elementary students, and provides basic ideas on how they can help with the problem.

Earth Friend Forever is a guilt-free, illustrated book that introduces early elementary to too much plastic-and what they can do about it.

A great blance of message, entertainment and smarts

Lifetime Passes, a sly, graphic novel on friends, life and expectations

Never judge a book by its cover. I led one other review like this and that book, much like Lifetime Passes was nothing like what I thought it would be. From the cover of Lifetime Passes one might think that it’s a group of teen social media savvy vampires who are being escorted through a theme park with their elder queen, who was donning red glasses underneath her umbrella. Had I looked at the back cover I would’ve discovered a more accurate read on what the graphic novel is really about.

Lifetime Passes is a graphic novel that isn’t what you think. This is smart, sardonic, caring and darkly clever for middle school and up.

A darkly comic graphic novel that twists towards the end

The Woman Who Split the Atom, an easy top 10 mglit for 2022

The Woman Who Split the Atom is a fascinating, entertaining, non-fiction book that dares you not to enjoy it. That’s a big claim, especially when you consider that the key group that the book is going after are those middle school, mglit readers who can be notoriously fickle. Now, factor in that the book is the true story about a scientist whose groundbreaking work as a physicist changed the world. Oh, and this physicist is a Jewish woman who you probably haven’t heard of who did the bulk of her research in Germany in the early 20^th century. With all of that going against it, the book tells the story of Lise Meitner in a way that even the most reluctant middle school reader will eagerly turn the pages to see what happens next.

The Woman Who Split the Atom, the true story of Lise Meitner is presented and constructed in an irresistible way for readers aged 10 and up.

Stop, collaborate and read this book-it is incredible for ages 10 and up

Strong, illustrated pride that aims high and speaks to the choir

What’s the difference between a gay weightlifter and a weightlifter who is gay? That’s kind of a trick question because there is no correct answer and it’s one that just popped into my head as I was trying to recap Strong. Strong is an illustrated book and the story of Rob Kearney, a professional Strongman who is openly gay. Or would that be an openly gay professional Strongman? Regardless he competes on a global scale, but his biography describes him as the latter. However, either way you describe it, it leads to one of the main issues that school librarians will have with Strong, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Strong is an illustrated book on the story of the first openly gay Strongman, Rob Kearney and the blending of his sport and his style.

The message will speak to those who want to hear it

The Prisoner of Shiverstone, old/new and completely awesome

There is something familiar about The Prisoner of Shiverstone. It has a character or two that will remind you of others that you’ve read, or possibly some of the more creative movies that you’ve seen. Yes, Shiverstone seems like something that you know. However, when all of the elements come into play it forms a unique, weird, creative gem of an mglit graphic novel that dances with different genres and one in which future entries would be welcome.

The Prisoner of Shiverstone is an all-age graphic novel that’s familiar, but utterly original for ages 10 and up.

All age graphic novel with an old soul, but 100% modern too

Animals That Might Exist, critters from another mother to entertain all

Animals That Might Exist is a very clever book that could be viewed via two, different lenses. Either of them will agree that the book is an incredibly well-crafted and produced book. Its pages are thicker than regular ones and when combined with its interior drawings help the book exude an aurora of a long-lost encyclopedia from the Gary Lawson non-fiction wing of biology. And having said that, there’s a third lens that people might enjoy reading Animals That Might Exist.

Animals That Might Exist is creative, faux-biology at its best with dozens of animals that should exist, but just haven’t been found yet.

faux biology with a far side twist