Books | Page 28 of 82

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

Lizzy and the Cloud, an illustrated allegory and a great goodnight read

Allegorical illustrated books can be about many things or they can be about nothing at all. Maybe they reference amorphous feelings, or perhaps it’s just about a kid who’s having an off day. The tricky part in quantifying these books is that sometimes your interpretation of the book will differ from mine, but that’s OK because we’re both correct. Lizzy and the Cloud is an illustrated book of a Rorschach test that leads to an M. C. Escher painting that you’re looking at through dreamy, haze-colored glasses. And by that I mean, readers might come away from the book with different interpretations of what Lizzy and her cloud actually mean, but they’ll all be on the same page when it comes to singing the book’s praises.

Lizzy and the Cloud is a great good night book, with illustrations that speak beyond its text and a story ages 4 and up will smile at.

A great-goodnight book that can be read once or multiple times in a sitting

Crocs, a Sharks Inc. book that effortlessly hooks readers 9 and up

Upper elementary school readers and older want to be respected, and-to an extent, challenged when they read for fun. There comes a point when elementary and middle school readers become aware of the fact that the books that they read are a direct reflection of who they are. They’ve got the staples that most of them are reading in fourth and fifth, with a few brave souls venturing out to discover something unique. That funnel opens up much more in middle school. Crocs is our first encounter with a book in the Sharks Inc. book series by New York Times-Bestselling author Randy Wayne White. It checks off so many columns in what ages nine through 15 are looking for in a great fiction book that it resembles a dog’s shopping list at the meat market.

Crocs is realistic fiction that’s loaded with action and smarts that very few in this genre can match. It’s also jammed with STEM and real-world Florida vibes.

If you love to read, you’ll love this book

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess, timeless excellence

Have you ever experienced something so awesome that you wish that you hadn’t seen it so that you could enjoy it for the first time again? Creepy Carrots was the last illustrated book to do this to us. On television, it was Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, however, those shows are most certainly for adults or some teens. As much as I enjoyed that, it’s the all-age entries that are more impressive. The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is an illustrated book that roars up alongside its contemporaries and happily rises to the cream of the crop. Even a casual glance at the cover, seeing the wood graphics on the spine and the dozens of hidden details that are lovingly drawn in give readers the impression that they’re in for something special.

The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess is an illustrated fairy tale that makes you want to believe. It’s smart, great for ages three and up and a timeless book for the ages.

A new classic. Your grandchildren will be reading this in a decade or two

Harriet’s Ruffled Feathers, an illustrated avian book that charms and educates

Can you believe people still wear fur coats? That’s what some people think. However, let’s take that idea, go back more than 100 years and imagine that real fur coats, as well as, other apparel, are the norm. Harriet’s Ruffled Feathers, The Woman Who Saved Millions of Birds examines that time when millions of birds were killed annually for the purpose of brightly colored feathers. Those feathers were then used to accessorize women’s hats. This was a time when garden parties and the women who attended them were all the rage.

Harriet’s Ruffled Feathers is the story of how the Audubon Society came to be, via a woman who realized that the plumes in her hat came with a birdly price.

You’d have to be a bird brain not to dig this book