Books | Page 68 of 82

Investigators, the new 500 pound gorilla in all age graphic novels

Waves are a common thing amongst the tides, life and publishing. There will never be another middle grade book series as this. The best all age comic book that we’ve seen in ages has just ended its run. There are no new great all age graphic novels. We have points to counter all of those, but let’s tackle that last one first. A great all age graphic novel is one that’s fabulously entertaining for elementary aged readers without babying down the content. This way it can also be enjoyed by those in middle school, high school and those adults that read to children. For all of those in that sentence check out Investigators by John Patrick Green. This is legitimately laugh out loud funny for adult readers, but is probably intended for readers as young as six.

Investigators runs from the start, it’s one of the best graphic novels of the year.

The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki review

The paper crane is ubiquitous with Hiroshima, Japan and the Atomic bomb. You don’t have to have visited Hiroshima to be aware of the relationship between the deceivingly complex origami crane, that location and its history. To some extent it’s as associated with the bomb as the dome shaped building that’s still in Hiroshima. However, the cranes have a story behind them and a teenage-girl who was the victim of the detonation. The Complete Story of Sadako Sasaki and the Thousand Paper Cranes is the soft-cover version of the book that tells her story.

For middle school readers who are learning more about WWII, this is great

Roll With It sneaks up on any middle school reader

For some reason the cover to the book and its title didn’t connect with me. The cover of Roll With It has a teenage girl in her wheel chair, balancing on her back wheels whilst holding a pie with finger like she’s spinning a basketball. The cover image and the title imply the vibe that the book puts forth perfectly. So much so that after reading it I realized I had brought my expectations to a book that I expected to be one that I couldn’t relate to and dour.

Trying to get middle schoolers to read something different? Try this

Village of Scoundrels is a WWII tale that reads real

Village of Scoundrels by Margi Perus reads, at times, like a middle grade WWII book with subtle traces of Hogan’s Heroes. It doesn’t have the same slapstick comedy of that show. It does place its characters in real-life WWII situations while giving them a chilled out, laissez-fiare veneer. That’s due to the age of the people and characters in the story as we catch a glimpse of French teenagers who live in the mountains near Switzerland.

This is a great reading point for middle school WWII learners

Ben Braver and the Vortex of Doom review

It’s great when our 10 year-old discovers a new book that he enjoys. That was the case with Ben Braver and the Vortex of Doom. Even though this is the third book in the series it’s the first one that he read and hadn’t heard of the character before. However, Vortex of Doom has that vibe about it that’s just the sort of thing upper elementary school readers through middle school will eat up.

Manic energy fun is in store for ages 9 and up in this book

Beast Face-To-Face With The Florida Bigfoot review

Beast Face-To-Face With The Florida Bigfoot arrived on my desk without any advance knowledge on my part. Truth be told, my oldest son opened the package and said, “Dad, you’ve got a book about Bigfoot!” Mind you, it’s the Florida Bigfoot, a creature that I’ve never even heard of. I’m no Bigfoot aficionado; sure I’ve seen the Patterson-Gimlin film and saw Steven Austin get carried away by Andre the Giant in that tunnel in 1976. But a middle grade book on the Florida Bigfoot must sure be hokey, right?

Upper elementary and middle school dread doesn’t get better than this

City Spies is go-to reading for middle school and up

On average we read one book a year that runs. This is the descriptor we use when the book can’t be put down. The story that the author has put forth literally runs off of the page and into your imagination as fuel for what could be a perfect movie. Having said that, the book is almost always better, so be ahead of the curve and read City Spies by James Ponti. From the first two pages the book’s story runs into your mind with a credible, fun plot that has early teenagers as the main characters.

City Spies is fast, fun and jammed with excitement for ages 10 and up

A Way With Wild Things is much more than a garden book

A Way With Wild Things is not a children’s illustrated book that’s specifically for spring. It may seem that way, what with the countless flowers, insects, animals and overall happiness. Instead, the book gives the kids who don’t seek the spotlight their time in the limelight, even if they don’t think that they deserve it. It does this with a combination of seek-and-find, a child’s natural curiosity and her grandmother’s 100^th birthday. How does a girl who is usually more comfortable act when there’s a giant party happening in the park?

When is a book about a gardening girl not about a gardening girl?