Middle school | Page 6 of 7

The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away-scale that curious or STEM kids crave

I was talking to a student one day about the approximate distance between Georgia and New York and they had absolutely no clue. Their spatial abilities were suspect at best with them guessing at only a couple of hundred miles to multiple thousands. Space is like that too, except so much more interesting and potentially complex. The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away puts the impossibly massive scale of the solar system into a scope that anyone is able to understand. Author Mike Vago is an author who produces books that are as much of a publishing statement as they are informative, entertaining, or both.

The Planets Are Very, Very, Very Far Away-space scale for curious STEM kids

Vast nothingness turned into curiosity food for kids

Retro, wily YA lit that jumps between genres and expectations with glee

Retro, by Sofia Lapuente and New York Times-bestselling author Jarrod Shusterman is an unlikely candidate for the cat video and potato chip challenge. That’s our internal and highly unscientific procedure for reviewing things. Essentially, if you’re able to partake in said thing and are able to read, or do it only one time, then it would fail the potato chip challenge. This is a case where Retro passes the challenge that’s normally reserved for illustrated books and collections of comic strips, in addition to potato chips and cat videos. Just try to watch only one cat video, and you’ll fail quickly, much like trying to read only one chapter from Retro.

Retro is YA lit that’s written for the reluctant reader. It dabbles enough in thriller, relationships and mystery to reel in those who simply want a breezy read.

Retro, read all about it, retro

Great Battles for Boys, fabulous non-fiction for ages 8 and up

But what about girls?, I can hear that being asked now. I’m casting a wide net that’ll describe a majority of boys, but not all boys. I’ll cast the same wide net and say that a series of emerging reader books on unicorns or kittens will be a big hit with girl readers in second grade. Whenever I teach ELA and I have to attribute one trait to a group there are always a couple who will say, “But, I….”, and yes, you might be the exception to that. Great Battles for Boys is a series of books that hits the reluctant reader boy on the head in an enjoyable and historical way.

Great Battles For Boys is a series of non-fiction books that are concisely written in a way that elementary school readers will immediately be attracted to.

Boys, girls, non-fiction or kidlit fans unite

We The People!, a graphic novel smart enough to be simple

Prior to reading We The People! I had no idea about the woman who was the first Second Lady and the second First Lady. Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the first Vice President and second President of the United States. Abigail Adams is also the narrator in Big Ideas That Changed The World, We The People! The Big Ideas That Changed The World graphic novel series is from Don Brown and absolutely nails the intersection of education and entertainment down to the floor. We The People! gives people a deep, yet entirely accessible, dive into American democracy and how it came to be.

We The People! is a non-fiction graphic novel from the Big Idea series that makes the complex topic of democracy interesting and approachable.

Fun and education need not be separate

Win a complete series of Explorer Academy, realistic fiction w/a STEM backbone

Explorer Academy is an ongoing mglit series that weaves in non-fiction globetrotting adventure travel, STEM smarts, and aspects of a family quest. Our protagonist, Cruz Coronado attends a prestigious school where 23 other kids from around the world study and learn the art of becoming explorers. It’s here where you can all but hear Miss Frizzle saying something motivational about questioning the process, outcome, or possibility as to how something can occur. I’ll be honest, I forget what she used to say, but it was a catchphrase that made her students reach further intellectually. I need a phrase like that for my students. The seventh book in the series is out and we’re hosting a giveaway for all of the Explorer Academy books. This giveaway ends soon, so double-time it on those responses.

A dande addition to your home (or school) Mglit library

Grounded For All Eternity succeeds with its playfully evil intent if you let it

Grounded For All Eternity is hyperbole. True story: for a while, I thought hyperbole was pronounced hyper bowl and really was just people bowling really fast. This is a case where a youth does something bad, really bad, and thinks that they’ll be grounded for a very long time. This is also no ordinary kid. Mal lives in Hell, again, that’s not hyperbole, he lives in Hell. It’s hot, with lots of red and black décor, and has various circles that comprise neighborhoods with homes, fallen angels, and flying folks. Grounded For All Eternity is thrilling mglit that takes a leap of faith to follow its premise, but rewards readers with a story that’s ironically about redemption and friendship.

Grounded For All Eternity is devilish fish-out-of-water mglit about a trio of teens who live in Hell and leave for one night to have some Earth-bound fun.

It’s Ok, really, it’s OK. Read it and have fun

Unmasked gets to the big bad quickly and sustains the teen tension

I love it when a book series gets better with a subsequent release. Unmasked is the third book in the Fright Watch series by Lorien Lawrence and manages to do that. We also read The Collectors, which was the second book in the series and while it was enjoyable, it didn’t have as much of an age-appropriate scare that some readers want. Unmasked is about a middle school girl, Marion, who uses the artistic creation of monsters as therapy. Her latest creation is a sea monster that she calls Winston. It’s all happening as the Super Blue Blood Moon and the school dance are around the corner, and Marion has developed a crush on a boy. Things can get complicated when you factor in a super-realistic mask that even gives its creator the creeps.

Unmasked is the third book in the Fright Watch series. It improves upon its predecessor and brings the bad on quicker, whilst keeping the teen feels.

MGLIT, age-OK scares line up at the first page

Bodies, Brains & Boogers, makes human health fun for ages 8 and up

Pick a page, any page from Bodies, Brains & Boogers and it’s something that will interest or intrigue ages eight and up. And, while you may not want to tell those ages this, they’ll also learn something from every page, yes, even you older middle school readers. Do you have Demodex, how much collagen is in your brain, how fast are synapses and so many more are questions that will be posed to elementary school students. The takeaway and question for parents, educators, and that wily eight-year-old audience is this, is Bodies, Brains & Boogers a book that they’ll want to read?

Bodies, Brains & Boogers is the approachable, fun way that ages 8 and up can learn about their bodies with humor and gross, interesting facts.

Science made fun, and slightly disgusting for ages 8 and up