Books | Page 77 of 81

Scary Stories for Young Foxes, dreadful, terror-fun for 10 and up

A kit is a baby fox. Prior to reading Scary Stories for Young Foxes I didn’t know that. It didn’t take me long to realize the horror, love and adventure that they could encounter. Scary Stories for Young Foxes gets so many things absolutely right about what makes a great book work it’s, well…scary. While reading the book it was so easy to imagine myself transforming into a creature to no bigger than a house cat. But the world that I’d encounter in that body is far more treacherous then you’d want it to be.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes is age appropriate horror. Great for ages 10 and up, this is real, (age appropriate) scary (and fun!) and will leave them breathless.

This is age OK scares and horror for ages 10 and up-it’s also Awesome.

Science Comics: Cats, as enjoyable as a kitten video, but educational too

Graphic novels are meant to be entertaining and are incapable of being educational. Granted readers might gleam something from the art and the book’s cultural relevance, but on the whole, it’s for fun. It’s OK if you have thought that. Education and entertainment sometimes don’t mix. That’s why the best teachers, the ones that you still remember from middle school managed to entertain you while they were teaching you. They lower your defenses and then –BAM, start the soft messaging of teaching you something. Science Comics: Cats is like that and for middle school readers and up who want to learn about animals that will leave you feline fine keep on reading.

Science Comics: Cats by Andy Hirsch is an entertaining graphic novel masquerading as a cat bio book. Ages 8 and up will laugh, learn and love it.

Science Comics: Cats, as enjoyable as a kitten video, but educational too

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao, family, cuisine, and culture

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is not a book about babies. My very limited Chinese knowledge knew that bao bao means baby. Thus, this is obviously a book about Amy and her search for the perfect baby. I was wrong. Had I thought about it for a moment the very large dumpling on the cover should’ve pointed me in the correct direction. Instead, Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao is about a young girl in search of the perfect dumpling. It’s a book about family traditions, good food, not getting discouraged and learning how to do things by yourself.

Bao, family, dealing with frustration and joy make up this breezy illustrated book

King of the Mole People, reluctant reader middle school gold

The story of Doug Underbelly starts out fast. Underbelly is the king of the mole people and it’s important to know that because he’s being called back to do the king’s work by the end of the first chapter. Granted, there is a two-page prologue that gives readers a very quick overview of the situation. Doug is just trying to be a typical seventh-grade student, but he’s also the King of the Mole People. Unfortunately for him, the later seems to always have the upper hand.

King of the Mole People is middle school reluctant reader gold. It’s funny, very fast paced and perfect for that age that needs to level up their reading skills.

Middle school reluctant readers, check this series out

Classics Reimagined: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, review

If I say classics reimagined it might bring about the worst case scenario in your mind. They’re going to remake The Princess Bride? Here we enter the sometimes interchangeable at worst or synonymous words at best. In common movie terms, I’d think of a movie being reimagined as sticking close to the source material, but contemporizing it for a new audience. Classics Reimagined: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a book from the same named series by Rockport Publishing.

Classics Reimagined: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with art by Tina Berning take the classic to modern levels.

Come for the classic story, Stay for the illustrations

The Tornado, approachable middle school fiction with self-discovery

A story is only as good as its heel. Toss in that the heel is also a bully and it can take on primal feelings of disdain, guilt and shame. Not only are they not a good person, they’re actively picking on other people. It’s on. The Tornado is by author Jake Burt. Its tagline is “Only a force of nature can stop this bully”. This is middle school reading that’s more fun to read than that tagline infers. Ultimately, it’s about friendship, making mistakes and owning up to them.

The Tornado deals with middle school problems in an age appropriate manner; from new friends, discovering yourself, bullies and more in an entertaining way.

The Tornado, it’s not what you think it is.

Vegetables in Holiday Underwear brings the seasonal big-kid joy

Jared Chapman has cornered the market in joyful toilet training books. That’s a narrow niche, but for those parents who are trying to get their child out of diapers and into underwear this is the most important segment of books that you can read. Mind you, Vegetables in Holiday Underwear is not a wonky toilet training book. Instead, it’s the third book in this series by Chapman to illustrate that has vegetables (and sometimes fruits) talking about underwear (or bathing suits), wanting to wear it and having an amazingly fun time doing it. If there’s a kid from 3-7 years old in your orbit this book will provide laughs aplenty, and just might solve their diaper issue.

Vegetables in Underwear continues the garden fun for 3 and up

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is awesome middle school Bourne

Stuart Gibbs Level Up. The name of the book is Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. However, when we were reading it that’s what we kept thinking of the book in our head. Stuart Gibbs, the author of Spy School book series that upper elementary and middle students love has really upped his game with Charlie Thorne. This is the series that fans of Spy School need if they want their action and story just a bit older than Ben Ripley. A side vision in my mind had Gibbs thinking to himself, “You want a book that has more action and will demo just slightly higher? Take that!” He’ll then drop the mic and challenge someone to a dance off in the street.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is spy-centered realistic fiction from New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs that leaves ages 10 and up breathless.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is middle school (and up) spy gold