tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78926925548411071672024-02-19T21:22:40.932-05:00Sally's Bookshelfbook reviews and stuff you can useSue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.comBlogger524125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-38875389884788322652022-01-28T01:00:00.002-05:002023-09-25T12:58:26.795-04:00<p>Hello, and thank you for dropping by to explore Sally's Bookshelf. There are more than 500 book reviews stuffed, stacked, and crammed into the bookshelf. You can search for a title or author in the search box to the right.</p><p>Click on the Archimedes Notebook button to find my STEAM blog. That's where I post hands-on STEAM activities, book reviews, interviews with authors, and thoughts about writing. And "follow" my Facebook page to get updates on book reviews and STEAM stuff.</p><p><br /></p>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-4139939153931295682022-01-21T01:00:00.038-05:002022-01-21T01:00:00.157-05:00Returning to the Embassy of the Dead<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRN_6j5twdIt8cmyla-lS-TCQ1u4JctNpALHvG1ZmnHsaQY46kP78eIOqIMIZeDWTlHDhToKs2DCQdb9IatDth5MC6ylzoCP1bEIj5UzjdUaT8KYHMxdli8m7tNWeVJi3tsuB5hOEcWNjUPNoMGJSUNI9td2yXkfpb1iyNqzDFG-7tb3pJlrizVW-u=s768" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="507" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRN_6j5twdIt8cmyla-lS-TCQ1u4JctNpALHvG1ZmnHsaQY46kP78eIOqIMIZeDWTlHDhToKs2DCQdb9IatDth5MC6ylzoCP1bEIj5UzjdUaT8KYHMxdli8m7tNWeVJi3tsuB5hOEcWNjUPNoMGJSUNI9td2yXkfpb1iyNqzDFG-7tb3pJlrizVW-u=s320" width="211" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Embassy of the Dead: Hangman’s Crossing </i></b></div><div>by Will Mabbitt; illus. by Taryn Knight </div><div>240 pages; ages 8-12</div><div>Walker Books US, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Jake, fresh off his adventure in <a href=" https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-perfect-read-for-season.html" target="_blank">book #1 of Embassy of the Dead</a>, is trying to get back to his normal life. But, since he can see ghosts (not to mention has one hanging out in his house) he has been appointed as an “official Undoer”, someone who helps ghosts pass on. So Jake ignores the summons to the Embassy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until he can’t. There is a state-of-emergency and the Ambassador needs to swear in the newest Undoers so that the elder, elite Undoers can head off on a mission to save the dead-world. At the ceremony, each new Undoer is sworn in, receives an official ID card, a special box, and a name. “Wormling” is NOT the name Jake would have chosen.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the ceremony Cora, former hockey player and now Jake’s ghostly assistant, wanders into a room. Jake sees a line of photos of a missing ghost – a test pilot from the 1920s. She was investigating a gang involved in the illegal trade of artifacts stolen from the afterworld, but no one has seen her for weeks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jake’s first assignment is to locate a career criminal haunting a snookers club in London. Jake’s ghost-handler is so recently dead that it’s his first case, too. What could possibly go wrong?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_8-NzoYqB0qQGMh5xoyXxLVOSc3VMwPn4WJkXHSF01iDwS40P7ZPGesexO28DbgA-r6DZB9NGsK6p3oYhbV4t90GRqnYP5DEJzFtvUVdBw5hJGksxzG6wWy62QMBWCBb6DM9KtgVkBNYIH5IFuTCO1K0hNC_gQudE_fOzEdd-Y4uWwCEAom8ZLeLd=s1000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_8-NzoYqB0qQGMh5xoyXxLVOSc3VMwPn4WJkXHSF01iDwS40P7ZPGesexO28DbgA-r6DZB9NGsK6p3oYhbV4t90GRqnYP5DEJzFtvUVdBw5hJGksxzG6wWy62QMBWCBb6DM9KtgVkBNYIH5IFuTCO1K0hNC_gQudE_fOzEdd-Y4uWwCEAom8ZLeLd=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book: </b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This is the perfect book for today’s political climate. It is about followers of a corrupt leader, growing in power and working to overturn the rules of the Afterworld.</li><li>There is a Plague demon</li><li>A wardrobe turns out to be a portal to another world</li><li>There’s an out-of-body experience</li><li>And lots of Old Magic</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHwZbEbELxOdVMtWqUTQYUJ3QNnaW6LPVIpoCxMEkxjzrVV2J0rDgL9cvj5cNI0V6GQ-0oluUHW5i3vr_Hoa7EvsUoZ5bCUHIcHUFU82ZOqWZa7uuw2J0LMUdC86boCjg_h9Z2wbvl5n0m_D1B3MZfIxAfZuITYrNmSviQ9buIkGa8yEGYY4SncmYM=s100" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHwZbEbELxOdVMtWqUTQYUJ3QNnaW6LPVIpoCxMEkxjzrVV2J0rDgL9cvj5cNI0V6GQ-0oluUHW5i3vr_Hoa7EvsUoZ5bCUHIcHUFU82ZOqWZa7uuw2J0LMUdC86boCjg_h9Z2wbvl5n0m_D1B3MZfIxAfZuITYrNmSviQ9buIkGa8yEGYY4SncmYM" width="100" /></a></div><div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-39230551866395665112022-01-14T01:00:00.010-05:002022-01-14T01:00:00.174-05:00Read All About It!<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjGhbL_VGlfeGUkVSoOsvKEImhW8g2pOMGh-GxT-5_XwMuQvs2Aji4Mdsd73umq3PKHgg7bwhtR6_HuNGUbmjddxaSxjTn3uATzxcu5TwO68wU8pxfHzAZlyRpGc25Ph7rErO8d_dbNA/s768/Puppy+Problem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="544" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjGhbL_VGlfeGUkVSoOsvKEImhW8g2pOMGh-GxT-5_XwMuQvs2Aji4Mdsd73umq3PKHgg7bwhtR6_HuNGUbmjddxaSxjTn3uATzxcu5TwO68wU8pxfHzAZlyRpGc25Ph7rErO8d_dbNA/s320/Puppy+Problem.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /> <b><i>The Daily Bark: The Puppy Problem </i></b></div><div>by Laura James; illus. by Charlie Alder</div><div>128 pages; ages 7-10</div><div> Bloomsbury Children's Books ~ releases January, 2022)</div><div><br /></div><div>Gizmo was a city dog – until he wasn’t. For some inexplicable reason, Granny packed up the car, loaded up Gizmo, and drove away from the only home he’d ever known. Now he’s far from his familiar world of groundskeepers and manicured landscapes. There are flowers. And bees. And mud!</div><div><br /></div><div>And the dogs out here in the country are …. Ginormous! Well, at least they look that way to Gizmo, who is a tiny little sausage dog. A sausage dog, NOT a sausage! he has to remind his new friend Jilly, an Irish wolfhound. At least the puppies are Gizmo’s size, more or less. They are cute, energetic, and friendly.</div><div><br /></div><div>They are also being put up for adoption to people who might live far, far away. And Jilly has no idea what to do to prevent this from happening. Luckily, Gizmo has a nose for a story, and he knows this one will sell. So he does what any newshound would do: start a newspaper. Soon the New Dog in Town finds himself editor-in-chief.</div><div><br /></div><div>STOP the PRESSES!</div><div><br /></div><div>Will Granny discover muddy paw prints on her keyboard? </div><div>Will she miss that ream of printer paper? </div><div>Will the puppies be saved?</div><div>And why does Jilly insist that Gizmo read the news out loud? </div><div><br /></div><div>As a journalist, I totally enjoyed this first book of a new series. I can’t wait to read what adventures lie ahead, and what new stories the Daily Bark will paw-print. I wonder whether they’ll do doggie-bag reviews of local eating establishments… </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle,</a> so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review ARC provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-18846710444100588472022-01-07T01:00:00.001-05:002022-01-07T01:00:00.200-05:00Is it Winter Yet?<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfCH-R3FbsOv8rmTHTH1gEsosCyw_f4R5FacccX7OvQMdO3LOyVvQ_0GBayfEU-w9WGsoyZb9cB9iNRgkAoPXfPt44RvhJzrE-mxtMf7BXJ3E2-4mSTqYKfTT4Mp_RAGJEtxeLyKV0cw/s870/Sled+for+Gabo+1-cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="870" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVfCH-R3FbsOv8rmTHTH1gEsosCyw_f4R5FacccX7OvQMdO3LOyVvQ_0GBayfEU-w9WGsoyZb9cB9iNRgkAoPXfPt44RvhJzrE-mxtMf7BXJ3E2-4mSTqYKfTT4Mp_RAGJEtxeLyKV0cw/s320/Sled+for+Gabo+1-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <b><i>A Sled for Gabo </i></b></div><div>by Emma Otheguy; illus. by Ana Ramírez González </div><div>40 pages; ages 4-8</div><div>Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme</b>: friendship, winter</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The day it snowed Gabo followed the whistling sound of an old steam radiator into the kitchen.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>All the other kids are outside sledding. But Gabo doesn’t have a sled. He doesn’t have warm boots or wool socks or a winter hat, either. But Mami is a problem-solver. With many pairs of socks and plastic bags tied over his sneakers, Gabo is ready to go play in the snow. But first, he wants to find a sled.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> I like how Gabo goes to neighbors to see if they have a sled he can borrow. They don’t have a sled, but offer him other things. Eventually he does get something that will slide down the hill, and in the process makes a new friend. I also like that the opening spreads show Mami and Papi cooking something on the stove: a can in a pot of water. And at the end, Papi cranks open the can and Gabo and his new friend grab spoons and dive into the Dulce de Leche. </div><div><br /></div><div>I also like the illustrations. Ana Ramírez González captures the expression of Gabo’s thrill and joy of riding down a hill perfectly! </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">People use all kinds of things to slide down a hill, from plastic saucers to lunch trays</span></i></b>. What sorts of things could you use to slide down a hill if you don’t have a sled? Try some of them out and see how they work.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Make some Dulce de Leche </span></i></b>(cooked sweet milk). You can do it in a can like Gabo’s Mami. <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/dulce-de-leche-recipe" target="_blank">Here’s how</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">No boots? Try this.</span></i></b> The trick to keeping your feet warm when all you’ve got is sneakers to wear on a snowy day is to insulate. Grandma used to grab bread bags to put over our socks. Here’s how to do it: Get two pair of knee socks (or socks that go up your calf a little bit). Put one sock on your foot. Put your foot inside a bread bag. Now pull the second sock over the bread-bagged foot. Put your foot in your sneaker and lace it up. Now do the same for your other foot. Go. Play in the snow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy is from my local library system</i>.</div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-52905453469110172832021-12-21T01:00:00.000-05:002021-12-21T01:00:00.221-05:00Merry Solstice!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3xcR3fmkbzBYG2nNlEBGpUdvR10DAh5YhjcYZMVnRNq9THHAaEkTsFkUGPeaeV9pPkhTfbdjqOuCjBSvKX8jw3UhYZUoxGsHakBXQi9TALgiT_s_0kvGM7de7S-IYby6n0VJopLRvbY/s768/12+city+tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="758" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3xcR3fmkbzBYG2nNlEBGpUdvR10DAh5YhjcYZMVnRNq9THHAaEkTsFkUGPeaeV9pPkhTfbdjqOuCjBSvKX8jw3UhYZUoxGsHakBXQi9TALgiT_s_0kvGM7de7S-IYby6n0VJopLRvbY/w395-h400/12+city+tree.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b>tis the season to:</b></span></i></div><div>drink hot cocoa</div><div>make snow angels</div><div>cut out paper snowflakes</div><div>watch stars</div><div>make popcorn</div><div>read books</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>See you Next Year!</i></b></span></span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-16686454576166195602021-12-17T01:00:00.089-05:002021-12-17T01:00:00.181-05:00Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School <div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrGoD3lgB1MSz5JEW319ZKR2Q6llwV6Qir1d_7OLvTkoh7eMVWRi9y14h4jkQAmuwzS8rCRAYPxvS3d7O-05ECWAtn6f8JWoukt-WLTAOJ3iEW0rZT_AZXY5GNkQYyXfwtUZk2KSQtAM/s768/Fergus-Zeke+1-cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrGoD3lgB1MSz5JEW319ZKR2Q6llwV6Qir1d_7OLvTkoh7eMVWRi9y14h4jkQAmuwzS8rCRAYPxvS3d7O-05ECWAtn6f8JWoukt-WLTAOJ3iEW0rZT_AZXY5GNkQYyXfwtUZk2KSQtAM/s320/Fergus-Zeke+1-cover.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School</i></b> </div><div style="text-align: left;">by
<span class="author notFaded" data-width="">
Kate Messner; illus. by </span><span class="author notFaded" data-width="">Heather Ross </span></div><div style="text-align: left;">56 pages; ages 5-8</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>Candlewick, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have <i>not</i> read any Fergus and Zeke books, then go get a couple. They are fun, fun, fun! This is the newest in the series, book #4 and it deals with math. In particular, the number 100.</div><div><br /></div><div>For students in elementary school, 100 is a benchmark: the number of days you have been in school. Celebrated with snacks and parades and the creation of collections of 100 things. Zeke and Fergus, the class mice, want to participate in the excitement. Maybe they could run 100 miles on the mousewheel in the cage. It only takes a few minutes to figure that 100 miles is Too Long. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe they should take a nap. It doesn't take any time at all to figure out that 100 seconds is Too Short. Maybe they could collect something... but 100 rocks are Too Heavy. And sometimes they begin counting or collecting only to discover that a box labeled "100" doesn't have 100 things in it! What's a mouse to do? You'll have to read the book to find out!</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by the publishers.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-82701572356064311622021-12-10T01:00:00.064-05:002021-12-10T01:00:00.162-05:00Unputdownable! Sharon Cameron's BLUEBIRD<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwYA56Q78maVzMyJzULUI-FLXwjJ5eulrk-Jf8lCKj9RLo62PMmMJyAacIepiIsyBsuiHHtpVWtJEz8LJVCAOX9tNdVWaI_PJjqu-MhS6ufkYvUOb8p1EXrg4PY6aWDzWqf5XCQdyLN4/s1200/Bluebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="794" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwYA56Q78maVzMyJzULUI-FLXwjJ5eulrk-Jf8lCKj9RLo62PMmMJyAacIepiIsyBsuiHHtpVWtJEz8LJVCAOX9tNdVWaI_PJjqu-MhS6ufkYvUOb8p1EXrg4PY6aWDzWqf5XCQdyLN4/s320/Bluebird.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Scholastic Press, 2021</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>In the normal course of events, I request books to review. And so I was surprised to get a package from Scholastic. Had I asked for a book and forgotten about it? Nope. Inside was a young adult novel that I never would have looked at, much less cracked the covers of, had it not ended up in my mailbox. By mistake? By fate? Who knows. </p><div>Good thing it did, though, because I love a good story. Especially when it is grounded in fact and history. And doubly especially when it is written so well I just have to read another dozen (or 50) pages - even if it is one in the morning! </div><div><div><br /></div><div>The opening chapter introduces Eva, standing on the deck of a ship and gazing at the sea before her and the city approaching. It’s August 1946 and she has left behind a world of burning rubble. She gathers her suitcase and that of Brigit, who does not speak. She gathers their papers, and checks to make sure her secret documents are safely hidden. Then, together they follow their guide down the gangplank and into immigration.</div><div><br /></div><div>America is bright, and friendly – and Eva and Brigit are here ostensibly to begin a new life. Eva has come for justice. She has come to search for a Nazi physician responsible for conducting horrific medical experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. She has come to uncover secrets, with hope of bringing this person to justice before the US government recruits him for their own dark programs. She has come to dig for the truth about Project Bluebird.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eva has also come to protect Brigit, and help her recover from the horrible suffering at the hands of soldiers. Chapters alternate between 1946 America and war-torn Germany. We see flashes of Eva’s childhood as a schoolgirl under the Nazi regime. Living in Germany, Eva knew no hardship (her household included servants). But as she begins uncovering clues, dark memories begin to surface and Eva wonders about her place in her family. And now she is being followed by mysterious men.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eva eventually finds a job and covers the hospital expenses so that Brigit can get treatment. As Brigit regains her memories, we learn how the two girls are connected – and we see how their experiences translate into different views of the world they now find themselves in.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> Sharon Cameron paints a detailed picture of an American city post-war. Her characters are so three-dimensional they could walk out of the book and carry on a conversation with you. But what I really like is the backmatter. Sharon adds a dozen pages of well-researched material that provides historical context and perspective for her story and the era. It should come as no surprise that Germany was not the only one conducting research on human subjects during the war.</div></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-65850077835470127082021-12-03T01:00:00.061-05:002021-12-03T01:00:00.163-05:00Off on Another Explorer Academy Adventure!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSlU9sThx3J3hP2XpaWCQq7tR1XpcaK7KZRlbMNUfqtK86fDC8zvQ1kZcnb3rlsifR6K2kDAQ0bJbOJcOWIuuILLfl9s8kmrAiwEzsC7yaqQOeIDdkLdEhpnOenOFYzZci2tr4pDRCh0/s499/Explorer+Academy-Dragons+Blood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="338" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPSlU9sThx3J3hP2XpaWCQq7tR1XpcaK7KZRlbMNUfqtK86fDC8zvQ1kZcnb3rlsifR6K2kDAQ0bJbOJcOWIuuILLfl9s8kmrAiwEzsC7yaqQOeIDdkLdEhpnOenOFYzZci2tr4pDRCh0/s320/Explorer+Academy-Dragons+Blood.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><p></p><div><b><i>Explorer Academy: The Dragon's Blood</i></b> (Book 6) <br />by Trudi Trueit <br />216 pages; ages 8-12<br />National Geographic Children’s Books, 2021</div><div><br />Cruz joins his best friends in another race-around-the-globe adventure in search of the next clue to his mom’s secret formula. This time we begin our adventures in a steamy rainforest in Borneo. Cruz Coronado and his friends are gathering information as part of a Bioblitz. They’re taking photos of animal and plant life they find, seeking the rarely seen. They find an orchid mantis that perfectly mimics the flower it’s named for, and pitcher plants that digest leaves instead of insects. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsfxjcIm3a7D2A52Ta3r-KCbGuW4Zv7ZbiyovT77yV22dhX05aeCJT0OS9v9Sqkevb04uB6qLrmw4DJrLZstJDd4DsU3h5AfJD5iwBnv0wPTNFxJImDT8n-P6prMrz0-_zmbw8HL43dU/s640/640px-Orchid_mantis_after_lunch_%25288051009717%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsfxjcIm3a7D2A52Ta3r-KCbGuW4Zv7ZbiyovT77yV22dhX05aeCJT0OS9v9Sqkevb04uB6qLrmw4DJrLZstJDd4DsU3h5AfJD5iwBnv0wPTNFxJImDT8n-P6prMrz0-_zmbw8HL43dU/w200-h150/640px-Orchid_mantis_after_lunch_%25288051009717%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Di Pavel Kirillov/Wikimedia commons</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>After they’ve had an opportunity to sharpen their observation skills, the students are sent into the Tasmanian wilderness on their real mission: searching for an animal thought to be extinct for the past hundred years. They deploy cool technology, such as the SHOT Bots (Soft Heliomorphic Observational Traveling Robots). The robots are designed to resemble stinging nettles so that the local wildlife won’t nibble on them.</div><div><br />But the creature they are searching for is so rare that the students wonder if they will ever see it. The book raises good questions, such as how do we protect species with small wild populations? It also highlights the importance of preserving biodiversity.</div><div><br />Of course, as the expedition unfolds, Cruz is drawn into searching for the missing pieces of his mother’s code. Clues point to the <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/terra-cotta-soldiers-on-the-march-30942673/" target="_blank">Terra Cotta army</a>, an army of clay soldiers that were buried more than 2,000 years ago where the ancient capital of Xianyang once stood. Could the missing puzzle piece be there? </div><div><br />Meanwhile, it becomes clear that someone in the Academy is a spy. But who? and what does it have to do with emo-glasses and weaponized goo? </div><div><br /></div><div>Like the other books in the series, the back matter explains the truth behind the fiction. You’ll meet an ocean explorer, an explorer who uses camera traps to document wildlife in a rainforest, and more who are involved in preserving the diversity of plant and animal life on our planet. </div><div><br /></div><div>You can check out reviews of previous books in the series <a href="https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2018/12/explorer-academy-nebula-secret.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2019/06/explorer-academy-falcons-feather.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/12/explorer-academy-star-dunes.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/04/off-on-another-explorer-academy.html" target="_blank">here</a> . Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by Media Masters Publicity.</i><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-63274959885067896612021-11-26T01:00:00.030-05:002021-11-26T01:00:00.172-05:00Home Alone.....<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcetuTTI5axUsz6TkGE8myeHCimWCAGeNQNaEwhUCv428O0kQq7Ya8FQfb9dPLzkXDQptIMwlFT3FLFsI06AodlIyvJI2OOSq1x8he7VQRH0UNzjwewWl7OgIPkdENiyoTMC1XoP-08/s768/Henry+at+Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="652" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcetuTTI5axUsz6TkGE8myeHCimWCAGeNQNaEwhUCv428O0kQq7Ya8FQfb9dPLzkXDQptIMwlFT3FLFsI06AodlIyvJI2OOSq1x8he7VQRH0UNzjwewWl7OgIPkdENiyoTMC1XoP-08/s320/Henry+at+Home.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><p></p><div><b><i>Henry at Home</i></b> </div><div>by Megan Maynor; illus. by Alea Marley </div><div>40 pages; ages 4-7</div><div>Clarion Books, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme</b>: family, growing up, school</div><div><br /></div><div><i>As long as there had been Henry and Liza, they were together.</i></div><div><div><i>Liza and Henry.</i></div><div><i>Henry and Liza.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>They shared friends, adventures, and the marvelous Twisty Tree. But one day, Liza got a backpack and new pencils and fresh crayons and her very own pair of scissors. She was getting ready to go to school – and Henry was NOT happy about that! Because, up to this point, they had Done Everything Together. When the bus roars away, Henry roars, too!</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> I like the close relationship between Henry and his sister. I like how Megan shows his jealousy that Liza gets to go to school, but he has to stay home. But what I really like is how Henry discovers that he can do his favorite things on his own. And when Liza returns from school, he has something special he can share with her.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">How do you feel when </span></i></b>an older sister, brother, cousin, friend, gets to start a new adventure and you’re left behind? Draw a picture or tell a story about how you feel. Do you roar? Stomp your feet? Hang out on the swings at a park and create new ways of swinging?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">If you go to school, what are your favorite school supplies? </span></i></b>Do any of them have a smell that you associate with going to school? I confess, I love the smell of new crayons!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #6aa84f;">Think of something you can do with a younger or older sibling </span></i></b>that you only see after school. Maybe it’s a favorite game. In our house it was listening to an audio book and coloring.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-76118314010353539172021-11-19T01:00:00.033-05:002021-11-19T01:00:00.166-05:00Journalists defend Free Speech<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccOk0FxXSPuHOqnfpb2FyDIDLG5S_k3NjhcUhn5UsNEPkLNg8DAZAQNu6n9ZmrfrctVPhMriL_xg4xPMFlhGeEC4huPO0x0_1vBt3IHADUmoOU81j-L4gOBf4jud0xweKy4bJ-Ra4UUk/s768/Fearless+1-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="616" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccOk0FxXSPuHOqnfpb2FyDIDLG5S_k3NjhcUhn5UsNEPkLNg8DAZAQNu6n9ZmrfrctVPhMriL_xg4xPMFlhGeEC4huPO0x0_1vBt3IHADUmoOU81j-L4gOBf4jud0xweKy4bJ-Ra4UUk/s320/Fearless+1-cover.jpg" width="257" /></a></div><p></p><div><b><i>Fearless: The Story of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Defender of Free Speech </i></b></div><div><div>written & illus. by Gattaldo </div><div>32 pages; ages 7-9</div><div>Candlewick, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme: </b>courage, biography, free speech,</div><div><br /></div><div><i>In a house by the sea, on the island of Malta, lived a little girl named Daphne, together with her mom, dad, and three sisters.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Daphne loved stories ~ especially the story of her great-great-great-great-grandfather who fought against Napoleon. She loved reading books, and carried one with her wherever she went.</div><div><br /></div><div>“And she loved the freedom of asking questions and then making up her own mind,” writes Gattaldo who, not only wrote this book, but also happened to be one of Daphne’s close friends. Daphne protested injustice and wrote for a newspaper. She was an investigative reporter, uncovering human rights abuses and other wrongdoings. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> It’s about a courageous woman who tries to reveal truth about those in power. It’s about fighting for justice using a pen instead of a sword. And there is back matter! That's where we learn more about her life, and how those in power worked to silence her.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #ffa400;">Write a news story.</span></i></b> What’s happening in your town or neighborhood that you think people should know about? Find out the facts and write them up in a newsy story to share with your friends. See if your friends want to help write a neighborhood newsy-letter.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #ffa400;">Students, from 6th grade to 12th, are writing and publishing the local newspaper</span></i></b> in Pelham, New York. They started doing this when the local paper went out of business. You can see what they write about <a href="https://pelhamexaminer.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-78522957620941109502021-11-12T01:00:00.029-05:002021-11-12T01:00:00.157-05:00A Tale of Two Audreys<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHzy_UE-kQSOx7k0zZKFSl-aRLtAi4_PJdBAD1grDj2IxYTwnWOkSZ5Hx9P6mrxKJrKtlj_zdNQCoF5O2mrlFS4cydGwKkkSclH8wyGcC843FvyOXY94joBg_AmXgLD7_P5bkHwCVdi4/s768/Audrey+L-W+1-jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="601" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVHzy_UE-kQSOx7k0zZKFSl-aRLtAi4_PJdBAD1grDj2IxYTwnWOkSZ5Hx9P6mrxKJrKtlj_zdNQCoF5O2mrlFS4cydGwKkkSclH8wyGcC843FvyOXY94joBg_AmXgLD7_P5bkHwCVdi4/s320/Audrey+L-W+1-jacket.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><p></p><div><b><i>Audrey L and Audrey W: Best Friends-ish</i></b></div><div><div>by Carter Higgins; illus. by Jennifer K. Mann </div><div>184 pages; ages 6-9</div><div>Chronicle Books, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s always fun to dive into the first book in a new chapter book series. And after hearing about Audrey L. and Audrey W, I could not wait! </div><div><br /></div><div>It’s the beginning of the school year, and Audrey is super-duper-duper sure that second grade will be twice as fun as first. Plus they get to put on a play – with costumes and everything! But second grade isn’t turning out to be so great after all. Sure, there are all kinds of new things to learn and do, but the teacher stuck Mimi’s artwork at the top of the filing cabinet, and Audrey’s is stuck somewhere in the middle. And Diego, who was Audrey’s first friend in first grade won’t even tell her any jokes.</div><div><br /></div><div>And to top it off, Audrey isn’t even the only Audrey in class. There’s a new Audrey, so now Audrey has to go by Audrey L. and the new girl by Audrey W.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe, though… just maybe they could become best friends?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc7HUzRWyYl_cgE_fwjqV6BuIh-A8TlA1zn53UNncraMj0Lh4mK9b7T9RCQ3hGVPxE2cWjyQc5IcJk4qhSpFVByLoNWhp8UTfWD6JgjCZkZmh872Q4tkruMzWp2ycTsuj8x1wap-Otoo/s1024/Audrey+L-W+2-inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="1024" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifc7HUzRWyYl_cgE_fwjqV6BuIh-A8TlA1zn53UNncraMj0Lh4mK9b7T9RCQ3hGVPxE2cWjyQc5IcJk4qhSpFVByLoNWhp8UTfWD6JgjCZkZmh872Q4tkruMzWp2ycTsuj8x1wap-Otoo/w400-h264/Audrey+L-W+2-inside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> I love that Audrey W.’s reputation precedes her: she’s eaten crickets! And I like how Audrey L. tries to welcome the new Audrey, and befriend her … and make friendship mistakes. Fortunately, second grade friendship mistakes can sometimes be put to rights – if one makes the effort. I also like how Ms. Fincastle refers to her students as her “little chickens” and I love her list of classroom jobs: plant waterer, recycling boss, welcome ambassador, and my fave, paper passer-outer. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-27456392293194608522021-11-05T01:00:00.038-04:002021-11-05T01:00:00.201-04:00Need Mittens? Get a Sheep!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH7lyquDXRMuwuKsCyK682ZyQJyFh_-W3BUx80JXYMUuaNZ556kcB-YYT_0IbKYkTK0T18gHW3BN-ZkElluwu0Ox-792detLiO8jUySejHvVSQEiBCX5p-19z4DcGYUEfPHqKdmYk7Jo/s792/knit+some+mittens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="792" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaH7lyquDXRMuwuKsCyK682ZyQJyFh_-W3BUx80JXYMUuaNZ556kcB-YYT_0IbKYkTK0T18gHW3BN-ZkElluwu0Ox-792detLiO8jUySejHvVSQEiBCX5p-19z4DcGYUEfPHqKdmYk7Jo/w400-h388/knit+some+mittens.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b><i>If You Want to Knit Some Mittens </i></b></div><div>by Laura Purdie Salas; illus. by Angela Matteson </div><div>32 pages; ages 4-8</div><div>Boyds Mills Press, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme: </b>friendship, patience, humor</div><div><br /></div><div><i>1. Get a sheep. Seriously.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>According to Laura Purdie Salas, there are eighteen steps to knitting mittens. The first one is obvious: get a sheep. Once you get that sheep, you’ve got to feed her, and keep her warm and dry. And then you’ve got to give her a buzz cut, wash the wool …. So Many Things To Do until you can finally knit your mittens. And throughout it all there is this sheep – who sometimes helps – and maybe your dad, who also might help, and quite possibly some chickens.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I <i>love</i> about this book:</b> I love tongue-in-cheek guide books, especially when they provide real instructions while the illustrations show what is “really going on”. In this book, the instructions for how to get from sheep-to-knitting needles are on point … and, except for the sheep (and the actual knitting) I have done them all. Wash wool. Dry it. Card it. Dye it. </div><div><br /></div><div>These things take time. Especially when you decide, at the last minute, that you want to dye your wool the color of sunshine and the Natural Dye Book says you need marigolds and you haven’t planted any marigolds – yet. So… there is a lot of waiting that also goes into making mittens. But all that waiting is worth it because that’s how you discover the meaning of true friendship.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #ffa400;">Finger knit a flower.</span></i></b> You don’t need knitting needles to learn some knitting basics. All you need is some pretty yarn,<a href="https://www.themagiconions.com/2016/04/finger-knitting-for-kids-an-easy-diy-tutorial.html" target="_blank"> this tutorial</a>, and some patience. If you get addicted to finger knitting, find a hoop and <a href="http://belindafireman.com/weaving/woven-rug-or-what-to-do-with-all-that-finger-knitting/" target="_blank">weave a coaster (embroidery hoop), or a rug (hula-hoop</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #ffa400;">Try making natural dye using beets. </span></i></b>You can use juice from cooked beets to paint your own gift wrap, or use beet tops to <a href="https://bohachibean.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/beet-dye-a-tea-towel-makeover/" target="_blank">stamp designs on a napkin</a>, or use beets and other things (onion skins, rose hips and berries outside) <a href="https://momlifehappylife.com/natural-dye-lesson-plan/" target="_blank">to do bundle-dying.</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-42263011574706724342021-10-29T01:00:00.037-04:002021-10-29T01:00:00.182-04:00Need Something Fixed?<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWUfmlpszPa8nP514fmxXOGrG6lNkP2oqgrO34r4tRtmihWyR6iLoESG_itW2qptCQGQTHv8I7lILVJjrvnj6UHMwg7RsAskhYcVF3RCon4EAuve1PbArZIsZjy9gcZcxl2JCTE6RK5Y/s768/Girl+could+fix_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="619" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWUfmlpszPa8nP514fmxXOGrG6lNkP2oqgrO34r4tRtmihWyR6iLoESG_itW2qptCQGQTHv8I7lILVJjrvnj6UHMwg7RsAskhYcVF3RCon4EAuve1PbArZIsZjy9gcZcxl2JCTE6RK5Y/s320/Girl+could+fix_1.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p></p><div><b><i>The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer </i></b></div><div><div>by Mara Rockliff; illus. by Daniel Duncan </div><div>48 pages; ages 5-9</div><div>Candlewick, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> Engineering, women in science, biography </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Beatrice Shilling wasn’t quite like other children. She preferred tools to sweets.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Because tools can take things apart. They can put things together. They can fix things that are broken.</div><div><br /></div><div>Beatrice wanted to be an engineer, and was fortunate to meet a mentor who encouraged her to study at the university. Where she wasn’t quite like the other students. And when she graduated, there weren’t any jobs for women engineers. But finally, one company gave her a chance. Which was a good thing, because she figured out how to solve a serious problem with fighter planes.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book</b>: I am always looking for books about women in STEM fields – and engineering is one of those fields where women are underrepresented. I also love reading stories about strong girls who solve problems. Plus, there is back matter: more juicy details about Beatrice’s life. And – the end pages are wonderful ~ diagrams of engine parts and bolts and other fun things.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTVlX2cjCDgSfKrQBHKdC60RwXmbCFQMJuZwjtLfqJD2kXMBm8GfJv_tDFYeK-P9dXO2V4GMGGYWchT_i9pQs97_Ge60kugCiOaHbi6GcLv4WNne6WSLvJ8WnbjUYgMLyqw7NtVVdmQ/s1000/Girl+could+fix_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="1000" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzTVlX2cjCDgSfKrQBHKdC60RwXmbCFQMJuZwjtLfqJD2kXMBm8GfJv_tDFYeK-P9dXO2V4GMGGYWchT_i9pQs97_Ge60kugCiOaHbi6GcLv4WNne6WSLvJ8WnbjUYgMLyqw7NtVVdmQ/w400-h249/Girl+could+fix_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Make a tool kit.</span></i></b> An unused tackle box or lunch box work well. Here are the basics you’ll need: safety goggles, a variety of screwdriver sizes in both flat and Phillip’s head, a hammer, needle nose pliers, wire cutters, tweezers, and a crescent wrench. Also a plastic tray for collecting screws and washers while working on a project – we use take-out containers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Take apart some things that no one is using</span></i></b>. Some fun things to take apart are old computer keyboards, old computer mouse, broken electronic toys, toaster, radio, VHS or DVD player, old printer. Make sure you remove batteries and snip off the cord before unscrewing the first screw. For safety reasons, don’t take apart anything with glass, sharp edges, or tubes that can break.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-55647273146401117532021-10-22T01:00:00.026-04:002021-10-22T01:00:00.183-04:00It was a dark and zombie night...<div style="text-align: left;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVd6UtjFBgIABpLeMzCuWgO-1cCVELRMNUbXf7pym1M-qMHfv8OWZp0GEa51Dhz50jA-O9H1knfyeDLoFCpc7Q7IPTiM92wz8jpaEofnpoMwvMRyMucYEkol5j5wE6aXf-SIAW-jcYMM/s768/Return+of+Zombert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrVd6UtjFBgIABpLeMzCuWgO-1cCVELRMNUbXf7pym1M-qMHfv8OWZp0GEa51Dhz50jA-O9H1knfyeDLoFCpc7Q7IPTiM92wz8jpaEofnpoMwvMRyMucYEkol5j5wE6aXf-SIAW-jcYMM/s320/Return+of+Zombert.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Return of ZomBert</i></b> (The Zombert Chronicles) </div><div>by Kara LaReau; illustrated by Ryan Andrews </div><div>160 pages; ages 8-12</div><div> Candlewick, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the perfect time of year to settle in for a Halloween read. The wind is blowing through the trees, and limbs are squeaking and scratching against the house. Something, somewhere is moaning, and … what’s that tap-tap-tapping noise at the window? Pull up the quilt, grab your mug of cocoa, and lean in for the continuing tale of … ZomBert.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>In a certain corporate headquarters on the edge of town, all was quiet. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Plans are being hatched. Evil plans. Plans to kidnap a certain cat who, though once stray and straggly, now spends his days dozing in Mellie’s room. Now Mellie has to earn money to pay back her parents for vet care and the cat’s other adoption-related expenses. But Mellie is reluctant to take on yard work for Mrs. Witt, known to some as “the Candy Witch”.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out Mrs. Witt has lots of old science stuff from back when she and her husband owned a confectionary shop, back before YummCo bought the company and changed the recipes. Now, YummCo is so large they influence the town – and their newest event is a harvest festival with a pet contest and parade. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then people start acting weird – they can’t seem to get enough of YummCo foods, and they act like … zombies? Mellie and her friends – and ZomBert the cat – are determined to uncover the mystery. Things don’t go as planned, people end up in the wrong place, and cats go missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's a fun story to read. But like YummCo products, this book seems a bit light on the nutrition and destined to get you hooked so you’ll read the next book. Plus this reader wants to know: why didn't Millie follow the clue?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><br /><div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div>
</div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-76284552249649241532021-10-15T01:00:00.031-04:002021-10-15T01:00:00.240-04:00What's Buried in Your Backyard?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOJSH7LIBfhJdtWzHKxifuRaICpfGXTWWPRELF3DFplSIa8EJELyZ5E2Lc2-M42glYq5ZTanp2U5jpnKBRNk7FbSBdju0abkup3ZyYUu59hknf1Y0NX3Gf4a254iseEC8MagWq0PBuyE/s1066/Deepest+Dig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOJSH7LIBfhJdtWzHKxifuRaICpfGXTWWPRELF3DFplSIa8EJELyZ5E2Lc2-M42glYq5ZTanp2U5jpnKBRNk7FbSBdju0abkup3ZyYUu59hknf1Y0NX3Gf4a254iseEC8MagWq0PBuyE/s320/Deepest+Dig.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>The Deepest Dig </i></b></div><div>by Mark David Smith; illus by Lily Snowden-Fine </div><div>32 pages; ages 3-7</div><div>Owlkids, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> mammoth, bones, STEAM</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Caden found something in the backyard.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>It was as long as a fence post. It was as hard as a stone. It pushed up through the soil like a root. But it wasn’t a stone or a root or even a fence post. It was definitely a treasure, said his neighbor, Martha. But no one else believes Caden about his treasure. If it was a treasure, we could go traveling, says mom. If it was a prehistoric animal, I’ll eat my hat, says Caden’s science teacher. But Caden, with Martha’s help – and her truck and winch – pull up the bone. Then more. And soon an entire skeleton which Caden tries to assemble in increasingly funny ways.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book</b>: It’s a fun take on finding bones in your backyard. And I love the nonchalance of Caden’s parents. I like that Martha has the truck and encourages Caden to dig deeper. And I really like that the story is based on a real event: a farmer in Michigan discovered mammoth bones in his soybean field. What I would have liked even better was if there had been back matter. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Find out more about the discovery of mammoth bones in the farmer’s field</span></i></b>. Here’s an <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/10/02/farmer-finds-woolly-mammoth-bones-michigan-field/73194604/" target="_blank">article from the Detroit News</a>. What other articles can you find about people discovering mammoth – or even dinosaur – bones in their backyards?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">What does a mammoth site look like when scientists are digging?</span></i></b> Check out <a href="https://youtu.be/MISJj7-CEYk" target="_blank">this video </a>of University of Michigan paleontologists.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Are mammoths ancient relatives of modern elephants?</span></i></b> Here’s <a href="https://sciencing.com/list-biggest-mammals-8317803.html" target="_blank">one article that compares </a>the two. If you can, visit elephants at a zoo and make your own observations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-91579822918077708192021-10-08T01:00:00.040-04:002021-10-08T01:00:00.327-04:00Charlie & Mouse with new adventures<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5T0JBAb9VOUGiRqXoRkWEdUMlv2jDvZSGs6xVtJYRI6eNjFlf53a8HCojJojvAwsurtqkHsARy2PmYiGF7XSTxTvqSuzMQhrdO-XGV3Ka7lSUKmXKdB6H9c5dRI2Tb4yjjfwFjgrelo/s768/Charlie-Mouse-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="674" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5T0JBAb9VOUGiRqXoRkWEdUMlv2jDvZSGs6xVtJYRI6eNjFlf53a8HCojJojvAwsurtqkHsARy2PmYiGF7XSTxTvqSuzMQhrdO-XGV3Ka7lSUKmXKdB6H9c5dRI2Tb4yjjfwFjgrelo/s320/Charlie-Mouse-1.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Charlie & Mouse Lost and Found </i></b></div><div>by Laurel Snyder; illus. by Emily Hughes</div><div>52 pages; ages 6-9</div><div>Chronicle Books, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>This is book 5 in this wonderful chapter book series. I’ve got to tell you, I love Charlie and Mouse. Even though they are brothers, they treat each other with tenderness – well, some of the time. In this book the four chapters may look like independent stories, but they are leashed together. There is a sweet story about a missing blanket (referred to as “he/him”) and Charlie and Mouse go on a blanket hunt. They go on errands with mom – which, if you remember your younger childhood, were Not Fun. I vaguely remember trips to the bank (there were deposit slips to write on!) and grocery stores…</div><div><br /></div><div>… but Charlie and Mouse find a lost dog. Can we keep him? they ask. You think you know how that ends, but author Laurel Snyder turns it into a story of care. And then there is the dog that finds them. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOS8t-ZfLgkr7HMPL09zng1XUJamJSL_5xw0UZwGNOQO8qZN8c5b1lOPlv3peUm1PYtgWV5FGzipYvww7vYjdoFmylQ8_C8jE5sT9-NA8D5L0dB8ey-6Mo8b6mt3qiDb4cXJEia5tch3g/s1024/Charlie-Mouse-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1024" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOS8t-ZfLgkr7HMPL09zng1XUJamJSL_5xw0UZwGNOQO8qZN8c5b1lOPlv3peUm1PYtgWV5FGzipYvww7vYjdoFmylQ8_C8jE5sT9-NA8D5L0dB8ey-6Mo8b6mt3qiDb4cXJEia5tch3g/w400-h230/Charlie-Mouse-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> Short, simple language, sweet. Some observations about the Charlie and Mouse series: each book has four chapters (or stories) and total word count for the books range from 950 – 1100 words. Not only are they great stories for newly independent readers, they are good mentor texts for writers interested in early chapter books.</div><div><br /></div><div>You can find my reviews of earlier books here on the blog.</div><div><b><i>Charlie & Mouse Even Better</i></b> (2019) is <a href="https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/03/books-for-newly-independent-readers.html" target="_blank">here</a> </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Charlie & Mouse Outdoors</i></b> (2020) is<a href="https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2020/09/chapter-books-for-end-of-summer.html" target="_blank"> here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for dropping by today. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-3940949953292188432021-10-01T02:00:00.034-04:002021-10-01T02:00:00.220-04:00A Boy, a fox, and a forest fire<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_IfnX-cw4KI3PKcrljuVnmF_kZZlXNaxnJQcqMe0OU4hxOhkwbxIy-9qXrQquKFJ6XbdR6pMXYSl662-wSeXVdU_PKQQKcBSLmYnNz3vJhNk1ZDHGYH8u_LiqQOJwfYkQF2rTpzL8ac/s954/Fox+and+forest+fire-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="954" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_IfnX-cw4KI3PKcrljuVnmF_kZZlXNaxnJQcqMe0OU4hxOhkwbxIy-9qXrQquKFJ6XbdR6pMXYSl662-wSeXVdU_PKQQKcBSLmYnNz3vJhNk1ZDHGYH8u_LiqQOJwfYkQF2rTpzL8ac/s320/Fox+and+forest+fire-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><i>The Fox and the Forest Fire </i></b></div><div>by Danny Popovici </div><div>44 pages; ages 5-8</div><div>Chronicle Books, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> animals, forest fire</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I wasn’t sure I’d like my new home.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>When a boy moves from his home in the city to a new house in the woods, he wonders whether he will ever like it. It’s too quiet at night; too loud in the morning, and bugs fly into his mouth when he’s hiking with mom. But over time he discovers things that he does like, and makes friends with a fox. Then disaster strikes: a forest fire. The boy and his mom have to evacuate ~ but where do the animals go?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J3B7ykpIulmeKFov-uEhTyyc2TDKYMQZDsFEztrUHpbHE3EP_ni_Kb6OW-qRStiktu9aUCNJ9puy1chuavmLu_FbeqxaeBpxy7Rd0bGyeqJr2exZBfI-w9vbXT9iy34j-Rr59xD2RRo/s1024/Fox+and+forest+fire-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="1024" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2J3B7ykpIulmeKFov-uEhTyyc2TDKYMQZDsFEztrUHpbHE3EP_ni_Kb6OW-qRStiktu9aUCNJ9puy1chuavmLu_FbeqxaeBpxy7Rd0bGyeqJr2exZBfI-w9vbXT9iy34j-Rr59xD2RRo/w400-h166/Fox+and+forest+fire-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> What looks like a simple story has layers: a house, the woods, the trees and plants, the animals living in the woods. Everything is connected, even if you don’t see those connections. Given the fires this summer, this is a timely book. The author, at one time, was part of a forest firefighting crew, and he writes about that and the impacts of wildfires in the back matter.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">The western part of the US has seen lots of wildfires this summer.</span></i></b> You can find out more about wildfires <a href="https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-wildfires/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">If you were a forest animal, what would you be?</span></i></b> Where would you hide – or go – during a wildfire? Here’s an <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article253948063.html" target="_blank">article about animals and the fires </a>in California this summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-13409954481727916482021-09-24T01:00:00.063-04:002021-09-24T01:00:00.202-04:00Blink and Block are Friends<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IuAF9hd80juOEBBlGgZYcaYKKRJShiUIagQOZ4bhVh4LRTWcpeODiDFksqKkFxKYBUYlnbiuBJzQUXSda7bEYmgYsZhnByJPOrMud7hjsQnJd5P7367LeKGfrdJJMoZGtC8K-dFvIg/s768/FriendBots.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-IuAF9hd80juOEBBlGgZYcaYKKRJShiUIagQOZ4bhVh4LRTWcpeODiDFksqKkFxKYBUYlnbiuBJzQUXSda7bEYmgYsZhnByJPOrMud7hjsQnJd5P7367LeKGfrdJJMoZGtC8K-dFvIg/s320/FriendBots.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><b><i>Friendbots: Blink and Block Bug Each Other </i></b>(I Can Read Comics)</div><div>by Vicky Fang </div><div>32 pages; ages 4-8</div><div>HarperAlley, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> friendship, STEAM, robots</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hey, Block. Let’s play!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Blink and Block are friends. They are robots. That makes them FriendBots! Blink is round, and silly, and playful. Block is square, and serious, and logical. They may not be a perfect fit, but … eventually they figure out how to solve problems together. In book one, they were looking for treasure, and ended up finding friendship. In this book, Block is busy working and Blink wants to play. If you've ever had a friend who pesters and bugs you, then you will identify with these two friendbots.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book</b>: Comics! Who doesn’t love comics? There are three or four panels per 2-page spread. The drawings are uncomplicated and, combined with simple text presented in speech bubbles (aka: word balloons), guides the beginning reader through the story.</div><div><br /></div><div>Front matter in this book shows how to read a comic, and defines the different kinds of word balloons: dialogue, thought, whisper, excited exclamation! Back matter is a single page, and in this book focuses on buttons. Why? Because Blink pushes Block’s buttons. But also because a button – at least on a robot – is a type of sensor, just like the power button on your tv remote.</div><div><br /></div><div>This book is part of a series. In the first book, Blink and Block use a scanner to locate treasure. Scanners are sensors, too. They allow robots to see and understand the environment around them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Blink and Block are so likeable that I just had to ask Vicky <b><i><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">One Question</span></i></b>.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><b>Me: </b>Can you talk about how you came to illustrate these comics yourself? Is drawing a part of your tech career? </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Vicky:</b> My expertise is in interaction design, not visual design. So, I’m familiar with digital art tools, but I never used them professionally for art! At one time I thought I would illustrate my own stories. But when I saw the amazing art and the arduous editing process of the kidlit world, I focused on writing. </div><div><br /></div><div>And yet, I always drew sketches to help me write my stories. They were messy, and hidden in my sketchbooks for me to reference as I wrote. Eventually I started adding a little concept sketch when my manuscripts went out on submission. My intention was to set the tone for the editor, not to pitch myself as the illustrator. Over time, the sketches turned into full dummies, and my agent began submitting me as illustrator-optional on some of my projects.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andrew Arnold, my eventual editor for FRIENDBOTS, saw potential in the dummy I had sent and worked with me to polish my style. When he made me an offer for text and illustrations, I was slightly terrified. But I took the leap and I’m so glad that I did. It was so much fun, I learned a ton, and I feel like illustration is properly a new tool in my arsenal.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also have to thank my kid for making me practice. He constantly asked me to draw him pictures, mostly stormtroopers. And he was an unforgiving critic with high standards! So I got a lot of practice drawing and my skills improved.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I’m working on a lot of new projects including a new chapter book and a non-fiction book. And guess what? I’m illustrating all of them.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Look for sensors in and around your house.</span></i></b> You probably don’t have a robot, but you may have a remote control with on and off buttons. Other sensors might include a camera, and microphones. I use the mic in my smart phone to pick up bird calls so the Merlin App can identify the bird. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Draw or build (using recycled materials) a simple robot with at least one sensor</span></i></b>. Write about what the sensor does for the robot. What sort of information does it collect? Or does it have another job?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #351c75;">Back in June, I chatted with Vicky</span></i></b> about how she integrates technology, engineering, and coding in her kid’s stories. You can find that <a href=" https://groggorg.blogspot.com/2021/06/vicky-fang-puts-tech-into-steam-books.html" target="_blank">at the GROG blog</a>. Check out this review of her <a href="https://sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com/2021/06/layla-and-bots-return-to-make-cupcakes.html" target="_blank">Layla and the Bots series</a> for middle graders.</div><div><br /></div><div>Vicky is a member of #STEAMTeam2021. 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<![endif]--><i><b>
</b></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Secondhand Dogs </b></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">by Carolyn Crimi </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">256 pages; ages 8-12 </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Balzer + Bray, 2021</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">By now you know I am a sucker for dog stories. And
especially if they are about rescue dogs and the people who love them. And
doubly especially if they are told from the dogs’ points of view. </div><div style="text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNormal">Gus, Roo, Tank, and Moon Pie live with Miss Lottie and her cat,
Ghost. Together with Quinn, the kid down the street who helps Miss Lottie, they
make up a pack. At least that’s how Gus thinks of his adopted family. But when
Miss Lottie brings a new member into the group, Gus – already insecure about
being a “good enough” leader – is hard-pressed to keep his pack together.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gus isn’t too sure about the new dog, Decker. The scent that
wafts off him is “bright and cold, like the metal water bowl in Miss Lottie’s
kitchen,” and he acts too … confident. But Miss Lottie falls in love with her
new rescue, and soon Decker has moved into her room, onto her bed, and squeezed
the other dogs out of her heart. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But when Decker convinces Moon Pie to take off on an
impossible journey, Gus realizes he has to rally his pack and find the little
dog they all love. After all, there are coyotes on the loose, and cars on the
road. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each chapter is told through a different point-of-view, with
some providing insights into backstories and personal motives. Each in a unique
voice. You can almost hear Moon Pie’s tail wagging as he tries to please Miss
Lottie, Gus, Quinn, and bad-boy Decker. You can hear the nervousness in Roo’s
hyperactive cadence, and Tank’s heft as he moves and settles and thinks over a
response. Then there’s Ghost, the resident cat who rarely shows himself but
when he does, it’s to deliver important information. And Quinn, who may or may
not have been at fault when his own dog died, and finds acceptance in the pack
at Miss Lottie’s house.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this book you’ll find adventure. You’ll suffer through
family/pack disputes and bullying. And at the end you will discover that there’s
a “good boy” hidden inside everyone.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is definitely a book you’ll want to Sit, Stay, and
Read.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out
at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle,</a> so
hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review ARC provided by the author</i>.<p></p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-21544262042279081552021-09-10T01:00:00.060-04:002021-09-10T01:00:00.229-04:00BLOG TOUR: Good Night, Oppy!<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-WvubOREmozKQgEd__ouhaLoo2AsyEwM7a9cxlZ28bUV9aOncCXoZJPtuL2dUT1oKBVu2cWUNUu3WnMy8n2BPf_F_7XAlDtYN9NJHMPUU5aprYdatIvkD2tVGTcGpyvKTsY0LNC9P8o/s993/Oppy+01+cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="993" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-WvubOREmozKQgEd__ouhaLoo2AsyEwM7a9cxlZ28bUV9aOncCXoZJPtuL2dUT1oKBVu2cWUNUu3WnMy8n2BPf_F_7XAlDtYN9NJHMPUU5aprYdatIvkD2tVGTcGpyvKTsY0LNC9P8o/s320/Oppy+01+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b><i>Good Night, Oppy! </i></b></div><div>by James McGowan; illus. by Graham Carter </div><div>32 pages; ages 4-8</div><div>Boyds Mills Press, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> Mars, exploration</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Opportunity loved her job. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Opportunity was one of two rovers sent to explore Mars. She and her sister, Spirit, landed on the planet in January, 2004. In his book, McGowan endows Oppy with the voice to describe the Mars mission in her own words. And he shows how hard she worked, navigating more than 28 miles over the uneven and rocky Martian surface. She sledded down hills into craters, discovered minerals, and searched for proof of ancient watery environments. Through the marvels of NASA technology, Oppy talked with her scientists and engineers. The original mission was for 90 days, but Oppy kept on going, and going, and going for fifteen years – until a huge dust storm prevented her from recharging her solar batteries. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book: </b>The story is fun, and both author and illustrator give Oppy real personality. I like how Oppy is presented as an explorer, on the trail of discovery. Though a work of fiction, each page contains an additional layer of factual text filled with details to help answer questions young listeners are sure to come up with. </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuJVrf4QPC95W1llg-PWAC2WPm5F93IOeM1OfwMsJ5hsywq0LU1csSckJUDy5_Qjx2Fjo2Gq-FsWMxbVU3bz9VE8hO-OPh1c_jVPEjAaaZat0iwyQiTwhDXqL6A8FA3sAq9U-sgBVSkI/s1293/Oppy+02+inside+spread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1293" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixuJVrf4QPC95W1llg-PWAC2WPm5F93IOeM1OfwMsJ5hsywq0LU1csSckJUDy5_Qjx2Fjo2Gq-FsWMxbVU3bz9VE8hO-OPh1c_jVPEjAaaZat0iwyQiTwhDXqL6A8FA3sAq9U-sgBVSkI/w400-h155/Oppy+02+inside+spread.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div>Yes! There is Back Matter! In the author’s note, McGowan shares some of the history of the real Oppy and reminds readers that there are two more rovers actively exploring the planet. And there are photos ~ some of Oppy’s “postcards from Mars.”</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Learn more about the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity</span></i></b>. You can find out more <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-spirit-opportunity/en/" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8414/six-things-to-know-about-nasas-opportunity-rover/" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-exploration-rover-opportunity-mer" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Make your own rover out of cardboard</span></i></b>. <a href="https://youtu.be/RGMady6mMgk" target="_blank">Here’s how</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Pretend you are a rover. Draw a picture of what you think you would see on Mars</span></i></b>. Then check out some of these “<a href="https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/postcard/opportunity-rover/" target="_blank">postcards” of images from Opportunity</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Head over to <a href="https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2021/09/armchair-space-camp.html" target="_blank">Archimedes Notebook</a> to discover <b><i><span style="color: #990000;">more new books about Mars </span></i></b>and space exploration. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hb1E6fvedNxCqvxMQJfObcz0xi1IuzMqO2TDZTXefXpOQAtY0NDgkjL-lKGhCaRZyO7_WxCEoA11axnCrIGn9DV9mQdeE4oIPBuyv43ZYvRVjpxQiWZnnzMU77vxOpytodliQdM72wE/s1000/Oppy+Blog+Tour+-+badge.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1000" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hb1E6fvedNxCqvxMQJfObcz0xi1IuzMqO2TDZTXefXpOQAtY0NDgkjL-lKGhCaRZyO7_WxCEoA11axnCrIGn9DV9mQdeE4oIPBuyv43ZYvRVjpxQiWZnnzMU77vxOpytodliQdM72wE/s320/Oppy+Blog+Tour+-+badge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Make sure to visit the other stops on the Blog Tour</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-20762406043931349422021-09-03T01:00:00.035-04:002021-09-03T01:00:00.256-04:00Avocado in Search of Self<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2W53Vk_gf-UY-j29YSTpbgflxMbymBF9Xy2hKWmkaFVKjdftAlcArb9Tg0K5cLVCbCVkYyOFpRA8o5d11VnAyw9oD5j05NQLS32N54aQAJo0l5c7qfOjIGpUcXeTSfaH0BuF04bKajY/s1000/Avocado+Asks+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="818" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2W53Vk_gf-UY-j29YSTpbgflxMbymBF9Xy2hKWmkaFVKjdftAlcArb9Tg0K5cLVCbCVkYyOFpRA8o5d11VnAyw9oD5j05NQLS32N54aQAJo0l5c7qfOjIGpUcXeTSfaH0BuF04bKajY/s320/Avocado+Asks+01.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div><b><i>Avocado Asks </i></b></div><div>by Momoko Abe </div><div>32 pages; ages 3-7</div><div>Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme:</b> imagination, identity</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Avocado was feeling just fine in the fruit and vegetable aisle of the supermarket.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>At least he was until a kid asked whether he was a fruit or a vegetable. Avocado didn’t know the answer! So Avocado did what any other item in the produce section would do: set off in search of his identity. </div><div>Was Avocado a Vegetable?</div><div>No, said the veggies.</div><div>Was Avocado a fruit?</div><div>You’re not sweet like us, they answered.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book:</b> I love, love, love when Avocado’s “insides felt like they were turning to guacamole.” I love how Avocado searches for identity amongst the lentils and eggs, fish and cheeses. And I love the tomato skulking around in the background. But most of all I love the fun language Momoko Abe uses to show how Avocado feels.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuIvYAWEbQObOk_SjLaJ-jOortXOpJf-2bGBpUa5M6Zx3k3ARrvL3oP8YpMNQxtfGCFb0h6klBK7OEkchlbxCeGQQ-aK5XeJJxkbEO_uFtcTv7MkrckEoOJ4_J_wCk9c2Or2KPGcuMo0/s1020/Avocado+Asks+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1020" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuIvYAWEbQObOk_SjLaJ-jOortXOpJf-2bGBpUa5M6Zx3k3ARrvL3oP8YpMNQxtfGCFb0h6klBK7OEkchlbxCeGQQ-aK5XeJJxkbEO_uFtcTv7MkrckEoOJ4_J_wCk9c2Or2KPGcuMo0/w400-h250/Avocado+Asks+02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Take a trip to a grocery store.</span></i></b> Notice how the produce is displayed. Where is Avocado?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Check out the book trailer</span></i></b> <a href="https://youtu.be/wVuK-A03Jac" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Did you know you can make brownies using avocados</span></i></b>? Well, I didn’t either. But <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/23-ways-to-eat-avocados#TOC_TITLE_HDR_18" target="_blank">here are a whole bunch of ways to enjoy avocados</a>. So ask Avocado over for lunch!</div><div><br /></div><div>Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Reviewed from a library copy.</i></div><div><br /></div></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-66237147943139028402021-07-30T01:00:00.049-04:002021-07-30T01:00:00.250-04:00Beach Reading!<p>We're taking a summer break. As much as I'd like to head to the beach, the only thing nearby is a sandy bit of shore along a lake where seagulls wheel overhead. There are no waves, no hermit crabs, no tidepools. What we do have, though, is a library system filled with books about the beach. Books that can take us to the shore even if we just spend summer dabbling toes in a wading pool, building sand castles in the sandbox, or swinging on a hammock strung beneath shady trees. </p><p>So I'm packing up my beach bag with library books and heading out to read... see you in September! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmamlQdDwumc4vw0YnovQbGr0_bSl4lviIjvA8Cm8-6BtkGjRGc0wLJA-GRmcID_vzXDAP8e7QPW1Xb03MEsOnwTZoDuvn_bldSigFfOsPlr9i-gezySceS9xyPRM1temS6t-1RKkS-nI/s669/beach-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="669" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmamlQdDwumc4vw0YnovQbGr0_bSl4lviIjvA8Cm8-6BtkGjRGc0wLJA-GRmcID_vzXDAP8e7QPW1Xb03MEsOnwTZoDuvn_bldSigFfOsPlr9i-gezySceS9xyPRM1temS6t-1RKkS-nI/s320/beach-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBR5DO1l1f9cgPGr9jwamZRHhqWd-Xn5-kkRMIyJz1EYMtg3bWme_AQ7jeRr09u2MpgS0ID3tLqWOGentoJgDsipXzTOfyE7k8PYxpGMEZrUhxkaPslWxy42kU866M4IHSrbiqmBLTZBw/s600/beach-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="516" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBR5DO1l1f9cgPGr9jwamZRHhqWd-Xn5-kkRMIyJz1EYMtg3bWme_AQ7jeRr09u2MpgS0ID3tLqWOGentoJgDsipXzTOfyE7k8PYxpGMEZrUhxkaPslWxy42kU866M4IHSrbiqmBLTZBw/s320/beach-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKF7_-5QwPAp4Jpv_rjj9urCxVaFTiEF1Hqa55FR9TpBEy_K0-F9EzefoDxt8Jnlo7Bewqqs1gKxia7E8bjmr-i_A98ETivpXso1IiME1BIqpD85t9EcQge4qtWXEOgAATplOScFnzyc/s600/beach-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="598" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKF7_-5QwPAp4Jpv_rjj9urCxVaFTiEF1Hqa55FR9TpBEy_K0-F9EzefoDxt8Jnlo7Bewqqs1gKxia7E8bjmr-i_A98ETivpXso1IiME1BIqpD85t9EcQge4qtWXEOgAATplOScFnzyc/s320/beach-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI9kEfmvHl3cQQaKLhygcfZpPFx18XzryeNgiW_t9S_5MMSefcKdcFviuBYRcW-gOlu14a6gSEz52WSpNORNzz1LNCXBmRQKoSYiRgFW3pkyPr3KXYnD8iIrEqE-4U-_9hRSlnd0k9T8/s600/beach-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="463" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI9kEfmvHl3cQQaKLhygcfZpPFx18XzryeNgiW_t9S_5MMSefcKdcFviuBYRcW-gOlu14a6gSEz52WSpNORNzz1LNCXBmRQKoSYiRgFW3pkyPr3KXYnD8iIrEqE-4U-_9hRSlnd0k9T8/s320/beach-8.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyCBY6zsrjlsDw64COa3YQ9zMHZRMsgYDA1ICnyzZ3n7cYb_cf1bYHHfDWC2j_y4000-n1KqYPbHZ_98pp7vVY-vsKzXoTT_JemiJIXgVoLEOpH5PJg1K_SGTXJR7tkbgIfssNXgSaPg/s604/beach-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyCBY6zsrjlsDw64COa3YQ9zMHZRMsgYDA1ICnyzZ3n7cYb_cf1bYHHfDWC2j_y4000-n1KqYPbHZ_98pp7vVY-vsKzXoTT_JemiJIXgVoLEOpH5PJg1K_SGTXJR7tkbgIfssNXgSaPg/s320/beach-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcqFUgVWn6a8mxdrXjfMBSfp1II9v5zYghRZ4DNSqLizf_qC50LEhK1mXr_n-mQh2UWhSnyLhkKgyZJkvFR_F5F8W-e9AvcTRXV-M5VKVmZvClEF9OqIVYr7SNA6n6kyTQFD0HjJ3crw/s776/beach-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="776" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcqFUgVWn6a8mxdrXjfMBSfp1II9v5zYghRZ4DNSqLizf_qC50LEhK1mXr_n-mQh2UWhSnyLhkKgyZJkvFR_F5F8W-e9AvcTRXV-M5VKVmZvClEF9OqIVYr7SNA6n6kyTQFD0HjJ3crw/s320/beach-10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-13895773554870408322021-07-23T01:00:00.000-04:002021-07-23T01:00:00.252-04:00Two Books Explore Life Under Hitler<div style="text-align: left;">Two books about life under Hitler came out earlier this year. At the time, I was busy reading escapist stories of adventure, fantasy, and science fiction – you know, typical pandemic fare. But this spring I dug through my book basket and plucked these two out to read. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKfPPXtCdMVV9Z-2RXG3ahnX0ijCtAWKOrITHCUKsbTHyYkhQYrtf62ilB1ZcslgKrL1qmlj3mpfnpYxzwETdNtzM2Ex1y150BLcuf93Z62uoMIMBZMhJMEt6Ce8e4dDust5j9yxEDD4/s600/wolf+lair.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="405" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJKfPPXtCdMVV9Z-2RXG3ahnX0ijCtAWKOrITHCUKsbTHyYkhQYrtf62ilB1ZcslgKrL1qmlj3mpfnpYxzwETdNtzM2Ex1y150BLcuf93Z62uoMIMBZMhJMEt6Ce8e4dDust5j9yxEDD4/s320/wolf+lair.jpg" /></a></div><b><i>Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge </i></b></div><div>by Ann Bausum</div><div>144 pages; ages 10-14</div><div>National Geographic Kids, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne Frank wasn’t the only one writing in her diary in 1944. Sometime during the summer of that year, “a 12-year-old German girl named Christa von Hofacker picked up her pen and began to write in her own diary.” Like Anne Frank, Christa wrote to try to make sense of her world. Her father was entangled in an assassination attempt against Hitler, deemed a traitor, and vanished into the Nazi criminal court system. Days later Gestapo agents took away her mother and older brother and sister. And then it was Christa’s turn to be uprooted – sent on a three-day, 500-mile journey to a youth retreat center. Now it was a detention center for children of German men and women who were resisting Hitler’s regime. The overseers took away family photos and were given new names. They weren’t allowed to enroll in local schools, attend church, or visit the nearby community. Instead they were hidden and denied outside contact.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this book, Ann Bausum explores Hitler’s rise to power, the German resistance attempts to limit that power, and his demise. During the first part of the book, she shows how easy it was for Hitler to control the message and reality of what people heard and saw. His regime was built on lies and fears. But a few brave people, some in his government, worked to overthrow him. When that attempt failed, Hitler not only went after members of the resistance, but also their families and children. </div><div><br /></div><div>A great mix of history, adventure, and insight into how a charismatic fascist leader can create a world of alternate facts. “…he connected with people on an emotional level that made it easy for them to dismiss logical counterarguments … his message was simple and it was compelling: You’ve been wronged, and I can make things right.” Serious, but essential reading for this time.</div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOw-yKI4kJZkDQ87utxfNHiG5ib73AhsLl81EyTc0yuEpZzy96hJup4h1WetoMmJfjGxhzqlphIsXv8d1v4tYz71Z_c16K3K_s3BQ5sKt4miubW7J0MZq0NQ8_9-R-z4AC5LotmH_JWQ/s600/Nazi+Invasion.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOw-yKI4kJZkDQ87utxfNHiG5ib73AhsLl81EyTc0yuEpZzy96hJup4h1WetoMmJfjGxhzqlphIsXv8d1v4tYz71Z_c16K3K_s3BQ5sKt4miubW7J0MZq0NQ8_9-R-z4AC5LotmH_JWQ/s320/Nazi+Invasion.jpg" /></a></div><b><i>I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944</i></b> (graphic novel)</div><div>by Lauren Tarshis; illus. by Álvaro Sarraseca </div><div>160 pages; ages 8-12</div><div>Graphix (Scholastic), 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s been two months since the Nazis have taken papa away, and now Max and his sister, Zena, are on their own. They live in a Jewish ghetto in Poland, and are hungry. When Max sneaks under the fence to gather berries, he’s spotted by a guard and marched back into camp. When his sister is threatened, Max makes a lunge, a gun goes off, and chaos ensues – but Max and Zena run for the forest. They meet Jewish resistance fighters who take them to a safe camp, but soon grenades are exploding, planes are flying overhead, and soldiers are marching through the woods.</div><div><br /></div><div>The story is told through comic panels, with text and dialog. It gets information and emotion across with a minimum of words, leaving plenty of room for a reader to imagine.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" /></a></div><br />Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copies provided by the publishers.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-86238894564395512172021-07-16T01:00:00.001-04:002021-07-16T01:00:00.214-04:00What if you Found a Thingity-Jig?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzOuzg1zP_Esf9V57c7YGVZeI_y1hnHSprcthA7EEkiXT6orMJzrEos-fVBjbq5wHe4EXoqIv6gkoByJWPPEyRFWNaQ_lcW1UVgq-9M7kl19lpuVWJR0cmkGNhlHiyDvRiHCVF43CUvQ/s1000/thingity-jig-1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="761" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzOuzg1zP_Esf9V57c7YGVZeI_y1hnHSprcthA7EEkiXT6orMJzrEos-fVBjbq5wHe4EXoqIv6gkoByJWPPEyRFWNaQ_lcW1UVgq-9M7kl19lpuVWJR0cmkGNhlHiyDvRiHCVF43CUvQ/s320/thingity-jig-1.jpg" /></a></div></div><div><div><b><i>The Thingity-Jig </i></b></div><div>by Kathleen Doherty; illus. by Kristyna Litten </div><div>32 pages; ages 4-8</div><div>Peachtree, 2021 </div><div><br /></div><div><b>theme: </b>mystery, fun, invention</div><div><br /></div><div><i>One night, under the light of a silvery moon, all of Bear’s friends were deep asleep.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>But not Bear. He wandered about tapping, poking, and sniffing things until he found a Thingity-Jig! It was bouncy! So Bear decides to take it home – but he needs something to pull it or drag it or roll it home. So he builds that thing, and then realizes he needs help lifting the Thingity-Jig onto his contraption to carry it home. But no one will help, so Bear builds a lifter-upper.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What I like about this book: </b>I love the language! <i>Smack. Wallop. Whack. </i>That’s the sound of Bear building something. He clinks and clanks, fiddles and whittles… until he’s built a rolly thing, a lifter-upper thing, and other things with fun-to-say names that describe their function.</div><div><br /></div><div>I love that Bear invents Rube-Goldberg-type things to help get the job done. I love that he runs into problems trying to get the Thingity-Jig back to his home. I love that Kathleen Doherty puts the best, most fun words to say into her text. I love that I actually have a Thingity-Jig at my house, and my kids used it in much the same way Bear does. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEX96QpykPxudQTzGD1Qf4F_GqRiOIuHpjplXchFvtsIQvyd8I7_jfGm6eojjLEiLvPd-9M7pZevt16QNX74z_5CXb7R2rhX1O7Cr42177vkzbY9aXkXuxVWG9JvTnvrgdow1fsdTPJI/s540/thingity-jig-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="540" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikEX96QpykPxudQTzGD1Qf4F_GqRiOIuHpjplXchFvtsIQvyd8I7_jfGm6eojjLEiLvPd-9M7pZevt16QNX74z_5CXb7R2rhX1O7Cr42177vkzbY9aXkXuxVWG9JvTnvrgdow1fsdTPJI/w400-h283/thingity-jig-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><b>Beyond the Books:</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Bear has to move a huge Thingity-Jig and has no one to help him</span></i></b>. So he invents a way to move it. Design and – if you can – build your own thingity-jig mover. Raid the recycling bin for materials, put old wagons into use, think about pulleys and rope. But mostly, have fun!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Build a crazy contraption</span></i></b>. Need ideas? Check out <a href="https://youtu.be/yHO4D98eoRE" target="_blank">this video</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at <a href="https://susannahill.com/blog/" target="_blank">Susanna Leonard Hill's website</a>. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher</i>.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><br /></div>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7892692554841107167.post-77699801310136949532021-07-09T01:00:00.025-04:002021-07-09T01:00:00.263-04:00Gardening is More Fun with Friends<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4lUeWPrpfpBgjVeDnBxj7O-jBWYepqN6RJ0QpzkmHb3hgsau_mmZSxcu3DxIumdCp2YqAOTyuq1LoD2BhQSkUKNN-CLJc82CkTGLmFZShNpjkAXA5CiWqaSMR9I8hRv214v0G1kZFLs/s768/Nina+Soni+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="554" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK4lUeWPrpfpBgjVeDnBxj7O-jBWYepqN6RJ0QpzkmHb3hgsau_mmZSxcu3DxIumdCp2YqAOTyuq1LoD2BhQSkUKNN-CLJc82CkTGLmFZShNpjkAXA5CiWqaSMR9I8hRv214v0G1kZFLs/s320/Nina+Soni+Garden.jpg" /></a></div><div><b><i>Nina Soni, Master of the Garden</i></b></div><div>by Kashmira Sheth; illus. by Jenn Kocsmiersky </div><div>192 pages; ages 7-10</div><div>Peachtree Publishing Company, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div>It’s “take a daughter to work” day, and fourth-grader Nina is going to work with mom, who is a landscape architect. They are going to build a garden – raised beds. Little sister, Kavita has been working on a picture of a garden plan for a week. Nina, a list-maker, has yet to start.</div><div> </div><div>One of the things I like in this book is that we see Nina’s lists – even when they’re in her head. Occasionally there are text-boxes, as though Nina is explaining something, such as what a word means, to her sister.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before the first boards are nailed together, Nina is thinking how they can sell extra veggies to earn money. She’s even got a plan. It involves her friend, Jay and Kavita, but when is the right time to tell them?</div><div><br /></div><div>The plants start growing and everything is going well until…</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A rabbit eats Nina’s chard. All of it.</li><li>Slugs! Yuck.</li><li>Japanese beetles nibble plants.</li><li>And the birds are attacking the beans.</li></ul></div><div>As a gardener currently engaged in hostilities with a woodchuck (he ate Every. Single. Sunflower!) I liked that author Kashmira Sheth does not spare her young gardeners from the realities of beasts and bugs. I love how she brings readers into Nina’s family life – I can almost smell the <a href="https://www.tarladalal.com/methi-cheese-paratha-recipe-42136r" target="_blank">cheesy-methi parathas</a> toasting in the kitchen. And I really like that Kashmira includes some Q&A at the back-of-the-book, where she talks about her inspiration and why it is important for readers to be exposed to diverse books written by people who share those diverse identities. Full disclosure: Kashmira was one of the instructors for the Highlights Foundation workshop on “writing chapter books” that I took last summer. Because of Covid-19 it was a remote class; I know we would have had many fun discussions about gardening around the lunch tables had it been in-person.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s100/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40jOC6i0GMW2OyX5AiN3rj65SEfUQpp5TisN_eTTICiJ91YIRyvK7ctlzHEcFmCxfog1tbXszM5M1BbEWXZbh7LxepA7KNyd3LcajoGCQ49taOv5FdazzWzm0DcC4RmWg-_9eNTi_YDc/s0/middle+grade+monday+sm.jpg" /></a></div>Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, <a href="https://gpattridge.com/" target="_blank">Always in the Middle</a>, so hop over to see what other people are reading. <i>Review copy provided by the publisher.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Sue Heavenrichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00550259613381458435noreply@blogger.com6