kidlit | Page 2 of 4

Dead Flip, retro teen scary vibes with a friendship backbeat

The 80s were chaotic, riddled with bad fashion that people thought was cool, produced some fabulous music, and is entertaining legions of teens nowadays. For the record ‘nowadays’ is possibly the oldest sounding word in the English language and is usually followed up with ‘back in my day’. Dead Flip is mglit that is all but served up with a heaping serving of Raisin Bran, featuring the iconic dancing raisins from 1989. It’s a fun book that today’s tweens and lower teens will enjoy because of the accurate 80s and 90’s shoutouts, as well as, the age-appropriate scares and drama.

Dead Flip is tween-aimed, mglit about a haunted pinball machine that has enough creeps mixed in with the retro teen ways of the 80s and 90s.

10 years and up who want spooky vibes will dig this

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

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

City Spies Forbidden City, full STEM ahead in this must-read series

Sometimes we write about all-age comic books. What distinguishes a great comic book from a great all-age comic book is that the latter doesn’t dumb down the content in order to be appreciated by younger audiences. It’s a great read that just happens to not have any content that would prohibit it from being voraciously enjoyed by elementary or middle school readers. City Spies is a book series that’s mglit, middle-grade literature, and one might presume from that categorization that it’s only for grades three through eight. That’s where the catch-all description of leisure reading kicks in and puts the series, including City Spies: Forbidden City, into the age-defying group of mglit without boundaries.

Book 3 in the City Spies series, Forbidden Series still roars ahead

With Great Power, a fab illustrated look at Stan Lee for grades 2 and up

Imagine that you are tasked with creating a book about someone whose life has made a worldwide impact. They help found an entire industry and the look of their creation is one that every kid aged three and up knows. That is a daunting task. Now take this person’s life and make an illustrated book on it without directly using the style that most people are familiar with. The task is even more daunting now. With Great Power, The Marvelous Stan Lee is an unauthorized biography that nails the early life of Stan Lee to the floor. It’s entertaining, has great non-Marvel type illustrations, as well as, nuggets of information that even the comic or Marvel kids in elementary school will be surprised to learn.

Read on, young true believers

Saving Stella, current event canine non-fiction with a war backdrop

There are books that kids want to read, books that parents/educators want them to read, and those books that sometimes straddle both camps. Saving Stella is one of those books that will keep a foot in each of those categories to some extent, due to its true story, soft visuals, and the always appealing element of a lovable dog.

A book for people that love dogs and hope

Who Gives A Poop?, STEM, fun, edutainment for 10 and up

Regardless of your stance on books, STEM, mglit, or chocolate chip cookies, we can all agree that Who Gives A Poop?, Surprising Science From One End To The Other is one of the cleverest book titles you’ll ever run across. The book is a story of things that we see every day. Sometimes it’s hiding in plain sight and other times it smacks us on the shoulder while we’re sitting at the pool. It’s worth noting that actually did happen to our son this summer from a passing seagull. Now that I’ve read this book I know that so many things could’ve been gleaned by taking a look at that white splotch that splattered from him onto our stuff.

It’s science. Stem. funny. readable. and makes ages 10 and up curious

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light-teaches softly and fun for 4-9

I’m a firm believer that the answers to the problems that you’re currently having are usually right in front of you. In the case of our nine-year-old, he’s reading Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light. He’s on the tail end of the reading level for this book. The book’s key audience is pre-K through third grade. However, this is one that he can easily read for the most part. For him, it’s more about the message and the soft lesson that the book is illustrating.

Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light is a great good-night book that shows selfless giving and how to make friends the right way.

disarmingly sweet, lovingly crafted and a great message