Books | Page 74 of 81

The Hadley Academy For The Improbably Gifted, fresh mid-school reading

The Hadley Academy For The Improbably Gifted sounds like a young adult hit movie, doesn’t it? In my mind’s eye I see the characters already cast and to an extent that’s completely accurate. The Hadley Academy is a young adult novel that establishes a new world, one that exists within sight of ours, but can only be seen by a few, select people. See, it has similarities, ideas or tropes that other well known middle grade fiction books try to achieve. Author Conor Grennan wastes no time in creating this slightly alternate world and dropping readers right in the middle of it.

The Hadley Academy requires your attention, but you’re rewarded with a smart, twisty

Star Wars A Merry Sithmas Pop-Up Book, rises to the season

It’s natural to be scared of one thing or another. Let’s be clear, it’s not that I was scared of Star Wars A Merry Sithmas Pop-Up Book; it’s just that I was hesitant to get started on it because I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish the book in a way that’s presentable. Any Star Wars fan knows that once you open the packaging or break the seal its collectible value plummets. That’s where this book is utterly, thankfully different. “Daddy, can we do the pop-up book”, asked the 10 year-old. It’s when he asked that question I knew it was time, for better or worse to get the tape, read the directions and jump into the book.

This pop-up craft book is easy and fun to do, it’s a holiday keepsake for generations

Star Wars, The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy has to seen to be believed

Ode to be trapped inside Matthew Reinhart’s mind. Reinhart is an author and pop-up book genius. He’s constructed dozens of pop-up books that make you want to be a piece of paper just so he can engineer it becoming whatever magical thing might come to life in his books. We first discovered his work in Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs and Encyclopedia Sharks and Other Sea Monsters. These, and his other pop-up books are the stuff of legend and will engross anyone aged 5 and up. They’re also very complex, so if you value your books you’ll want to handle them yourself when looking at them with children under 10. Star Wars, The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy lives up to its name and is now our favorite Reinhart book. It maintains the intricate pop-up aspects of his other work, but digs down into many Star Wars elements that pop off of the page.

This is a pop-up book that will dazzle fans, stimulate curiosity and boggle the mind

Star Wars The Secrets of The Jedi, a light side primer

If Star Wars, The Secrets of The Jedi were a football playbook it would be 90% focused on the defensive side. For younger fans of The Force, especially given that The Rise of Skywalker is nigh, this is a great literary jumping on point for those that know a little bit about this famous family. The cover of The Secrets of The Jedi gives the Star Wars initiated a quick preview of what’s inside, or namely, what’s not inside. There aren’t any dark force characters on the book’s cover. There are a couple pages inside that hint to their evil, but the deep-dive to the dark side is left to another book.

A beautiful and detailed look at the Light Side of the Force this Is

I Love Me, an Australian board book that will suit any toddler

One look at the cover the board book I Love Me by Sally Morgan and Ambelin Kwaymullina and you can tell it’s happy, full of energy and has an Outback vibe that we’ve never seen. Every page on this board book is corner to corner color with just a hint of enthusiasm that will shake up crawlers through kindergarten kids.

I LOve me is a board book that sports universal appeal

Queen of the Sea, a taut page turner on an unlikely subject

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis doesn’t look like a graphic novel. For starters it’s as thick as most books that you’ll find on the adult best-seller list, that is to say it’s very thick. The subject matter also doesn’t typically lend itself to something that you’d associate with an engaging graphic novel. You see, Queen of the Sea is about an island that operates as a convent in the early 1500s.

Make a fun graphic novel about nuns on an island? Dylan Meconis: Hold my rosary

Alien Superstar is funny, whip smart and a book ages 9 and up will love

You might’ve seen the press tour for Alien Superstar. I was skeptical of the book because my bias against celebrity authors. The jaded side of my personality sometimes thinks that the quality of the book will be less and that the author is simply coasting by on their fame in another profession. Alien Superstar is written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver and is a hoot of a book. It’s one that our fourth grade student read in three nights and could not put down. Curious about the book that he couldn’t stop raving on I picked it up and can attest to his impression.

Alien Superstar is upper elementary gold, kids 9 and up will love it!

Deadendia The Broken Halo, quirky LGBTQ sci-fi graphic novel

My weird is not your weird. What I think is different, odd or not my normal could be your go-to entertainment. Quirky is a much better word for that. Everything can be quirky. It’s the way that your dog walks around the bush three times before using the bathroom. It’s the way that some creators accent their characters to a degree in their mannerisms to make just a bit more eccentric than the rest of us. Deadendia The Broken Halo is the second book in the series by Hamish Steele on Nobrow. It’s full on quirky for those readers 14 and up who want a beautifully illustrated story that’s crafted in another dimension, then wrapped in bacon and served with a side of friendship, monsters and angels.

Deadendia: The Broken Halo is quirk-tastic, sci-fi with an LGBTQ twist