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Today’s book recommendation: MOLES: The Superpower Field Guide by Rachel Poliquin

– Nonfiction Middle Grade

No matter what age you are, learning about animals is super duper fun, especially when you have Author Rachel Poliquin @rachelpoliquin framing their abilities as sensational superpowers!

I first came across MOLES: The Superpower Field Guide a few years ago, and we loved it so much, I promptly bought the whole series.

I mean, who doesn’t want to know how this “humble hero” of the animal kingdom has the “Blood of Gods,” the “Saliva of Death,” and “Indefatigable Paws of Power.”

*****
💥 Here’s the official book summary of MOLES:
Meet Rosalie, a common mole. The first thing you need to know about Rosalie is that she is shaped like a potato. Not a new potato, all cute and round, but a plain old lumpy potato. She may be small. She may be spongy. But never underestimate a mole.

I know what you’re thinking: moles are just squinty-eyed beasts that wreck your lawn.

You’re right! Those squinty eyes and mounds of dirt are proof that moles have superpowers. There is absolutely nothing common about the common mole.
*****

The simple cartoon-y illustrations are perfect for the witty narration and there are quizzes and even a mole maze to get kids engaging with what they are learning.

I highly recommend these books! Pick one up today and give it a try!

And, as always,
happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendations:

BUTT OR FACE? CAN YOU TELL WHICH END YOU’RE LOOKING AT?
by Kari Lavelle

-and-

BATTLE OF THE BUTTS: THE SCIENCE BEHIND ANIMAL BEHINDS
by Jocelyn Rish

– Nonfiction Picture Books

If you have kids who enjoy potty humor, then have I got the books for you! We picked these up at the same time and it made for a combination that had the whole family dying with laughter.

Did you know that some animals disguise their rumps? Or that manatees control their buoyancy with flatulence? If they want to move up in the water, they hold it in, and if they want to sink, they let it rip!

Here are snippets of the official BOOK PROMOs:

*****
✒ Butt or Face? offers kids a delightfully cheeky challenge: examine a close-up photo of an animal, and then guess whether you’re looking at the top or the…um…bottom. The answer is revealed on the next page with a complete photo of the animal! Readers will discover animals like the Cuyaba dwarf frog whose backside looks like a pair of eyes, the Mary River turtle that breathes through its butt, and many more!

✒ Battle of the Butts
Butts are used for breathing, eating, swimming, talking, and even killing in the animal kingdom. Focusing on ten different animals and their derrières, and offering fun facts about their origin, habitat, and “posterior power,” this hilarious book captures the wonder of our ecosystem. Which animal has the coolest butt power? That’s up to you to decide!
*****
Humorous nonfiction like this is the perfect way to learn about the amazing world around us. And there’s nothing like unique animals and their surprising abilities to give a book instant kid appeal!

Snuggle up with these books and prepare to giggle. 🤣

Happy reading! 📚

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Today’s book recommendation: THE DOUBLE V CAMPAIGN by Lea Lyon

-YA Nonfiction

This book is a must-read for teenagers and adults, alike! It’s the chapter of World War II history that you don’t get in school!

When America entered WWII, many African Americans wondered how they could go to war for a country that still didn’t treat them as full and equal citizens. The Double V campaign was the answer.

A man named James Thompson came up with it and the black-owned newspaper, the Philadelphia Courier spread the word.

The double “V” stood for a double victory—abroad in the war and at home for civil rights. This was huge because it allowed African Americans to feel patriotic about serving in the war, while also being true to their fight for equal rights.

My favorite part was when author Lea Lyon shows how by organizing a potential march on Washington, activists were able to force President Roosevelt’s hand, getting him to sign an executive order to desegregate the defense industry.

Then, five years later, right after the war, their efforts culminated in another executive order, this time with President Truman desegregating the military. This act was so important because it led the way for other industries to do the same.

All of these events were the beginning of America’s decades long civil rights movement, and I honestly had no idea about any of it! Really, I hope educators will pick up this book and incorporate it into their curriculum. It’s a quick read and so inspiring! I really couldn’t put it down.

Highly recommend and happy reading! 🙂

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Today’s book recommendation: THE WINTERTON DECEPTION: FINAL WORD by Janet Sumner Johnson

– Middle Grade Mystery

This middle grade mystery is so, so good! The main protagonists are twelve-year-old twins and the book has so many elements that make it fun: a spelling bee, a mansion with secret passages, a scavenger hunt, hidden treasure, tricky family dynamics, as well as long-buried family secrets.

📚 Here’s the official book promo:

*****
A twisty middle grade mystery for fans of Knives Out, The Inheritance Game, and The Westing Game. Twelve-year-old twins enter a spelling bee in a last-ditch effort to save their family from financial ruin, only to find themselves in a cut-throat competition to uncover a fortune and dark secrets about the wealthy relations they’ve never known.

Hope Smith can’t stand rich people—the dictionary magnate family the Wintertons most of all. Not since she and her twin brother, Gordon, learned that their dad was one. So when Gordon enters the family into the Winterton’s charity spelling bee, Hope wants nothing to do with it. But with their mom losing her job and the family facing eviction from the motel where they live, they desperately need the money, and it looks like Hope doesn’t have much of a choice.

After winning the preliminary round, the Smiths are whisked to Winterton Manor to compete in the official Winterton Bee against their long-lost relatives. Hope wants to get in and out, beat the snobbish family at their own game, and never see them again. But deceased matriarch Jane Winterton had other plans for this final family showdown. Before her death, she set up a clue hunt throughout the manor—an alternate way for Hope and Gordon to get the money that could change their lives.

Still, others are on the trail, too. With tensions at an all-time high, a fortune at stake, and long-simmering family secrets about to boil to the surface, anything could happen.
*****

I especially love the close twin relationship between Hope and Gordon and how they both approach their estranged family and their challenges so differently.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book! The second one, FAULT LINES, is out now, too!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: LOVE, SOPHIA ON THE MOON by Anica Mrose Rissi

  • SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Picture Book

There’s no doubt about it: little people have BIG feelings, and they often don’t know quite how to handle them.

In LOVE, SOPHIA ON THE MOON, Sophia is no different. This beautiful picture book, illustrated by Mika Song, does such a good job of showing how to honor those feelings while helping the child through them with gentle love and humor.

Here’s the official BOOK PROMO:

*****
Life on Earth isn’t always fair, so Sophia runs off to the moon, where there are no bedtimes, no time-outs, and no Mom.

But as Sophia and her mom send letters to each other, Mom has a clever comeback for all of Sophia’s angry notes. Home starts to sound not-quite-so-bad, especially when Mom reports that someone from the moon has moved in to Sophia’s old room, they’re having spaghetti for dinner, and they’re reading Sophia’s favorite story at bedtime.

*****

This book has so much heart! I really love how the whole thing is written in letters back and forth between Sophia and her mom. Rissi does such a great job of allowing the subtext to shine through, despite what is actually said.

This is one you’re going to want to curl up in a soft blanket and read again and again.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD-AND STEAL-THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON by Steve Sheinkin -Young Adult Nonfiction

Okay, I already admitted that I love spy stories, but this one is a MUST READ! Sheinkin is a genius at making this true story from the past read like an international espionage thriller novel. Even if you know your history, you can’t help but turn the page to see what happens next.

Also, one thing I love is the amount of detailed research Sheinkin puts into his books. It’s absolutely astonishing! If he says it was raining, it was actually raining on that day in history, and if there are tulips blooming, then there were tulips blooming!

Here’s the official BOOK PROMO:

*****
In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned three continents.

In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. 

This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world’s most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb.
*****

There is a reason this book has won all kinds of awards, including National Book Award Finalist, Newbery Honor Book, and Cybils Winner for Nonfiction. It’s really that good!

Sheinkin beautifully weaves the American, Russian, and German parts of the story together, and you come away from the book with a healthy fear of the power of the atom bomb and an appreciation for the individuals involved in making it. 

True stories are sometimes the most unbelievable, and this is one you don’t want to miss.

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: SNOW WHITE by Matt Phelan – Middle Grade Graphic Novel

I’m a sucker for both historical fiction and fairy tales retellings, and this graphic novel by Matt Phelan is a stunning combination of the two.

The timeless tale of Snow White is transformed into something brand-new when it takes place in New York City during the Great Depression.

🍎 Here’s the official book promo:

*****
The curtain rises on New York City. The dazzling lights cast shadows that grow ever darker as the glitzy prosperity of the Roaring Twenties screeches to a halt.

Enter a cast of familiar characters: a young girl, Samantha White, returning after being sent away by her cruel stepmother, the Queen of the Follies, years earlier; her father, the King of Wall Street, who survives the stock market crash only to suffer a strange and sudden death; seven street urchins, brave protectors for a girl as pure as snow; and a mysterious stock ticker that holds the stepmother in its thrall, churning out ticker tape imprinted with the wicked words: “Another . . . More Beautiful . . . KILL.”
*****

The storyline is perfect and Phelan’s drawings evoke plenty of emotion with minimal text. I loved the film noir atmosphere of the drawings, the high stakes of the fairy tale, and the perfect pacing. This was a page-turner that neither my kids nor I could put down!

You’ll want to read it over and over again. Order a copy today, and, as always, happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: FLOWER TALK: HOW PLANTS USE COLOR TO COMMUNICATE by Sara Levine – Nonfiction Picture Book

This is one of my all-time favorite picture books! While you will find it shelved with nonfiction, technically, it’s “informational fiction” because it is narrated by an adorable little cactus with a prickly attitude!

No matter how you categorize it, FLOWER TALK is both informational and highly entertaining!

Here’s the official BOOK PROMO:

*****
Pssssst! Did you know plants can talk?

It’s true! Plants use the colors of their flowers to communicate with animals. But why animals? Because they help plants make seeds by moving pollen from one flower to another. Learn the secrets of flower talk from a narrator with an inside scoop!

This new book from Sara Levine features a cantankerous talking cactus as a narrator, revealing to readers the significance of different colors of flowers in terms of which pollinators (bees, bats, birds, etc.) different colors “talk” to. A fun nonfiction presentation of science info that may be new to many kids―and adults!
*****

The voice in this book is brilliant and makes for SUCH a fun read-aloud! And the illustrations! I can’t tell you how much I love them!! Masha D’yans manages to make the little cactus guy so adorable and so cranky, all at the same time. I love her gorgeous, whimsical style.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book today!

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: GIRL FROM NOWHERE by Tiffany Rosenhan – Young Adult Thriller

If you like spy stories, this is the one for you! The pacing is right on the money, and who doesn’t love living the fantasy of having all the language, self-defense, and survival skills that the main character, Sophia, has by the time you’re a teenager? 😊

Honestly, I am kind of obsessed with espionage stories, so I was an easy sell, but if you or your teenagers are looking for a bit of pure entertainment, look no further!

Here’s the official BOOK PROMO:

*****
Ninety-four countries. Thirty-one schools. Two bullets. Now it’s over . . . or so she thinks.

Sophia Hepworth has spent her life all over the world–moving quickly, never staying in one place for too long. She knows to always look over her shoulder, to be able to fight to survive at a moment’s notice. She has trained to be ready for anything.

Except this. Suddenly it’s over. Now Sophia is expected to attend high school in a sleepy Montana town. She is told to forget the past, but she’s haunted by it. As hard as she tries to be like her new friends and live a normal life, she can’t shake the feeling that this new normal won’t last.

Then comes strong and silent Aksel, whose skills match Sophia’s, and who seems to know more about her than he’s letting on . . .

What if everything Sophia thought she knew about her past is a lie?

Cinematic and breathtaking, Tiffany Rosenhan’s debut stars a fierce heroine who will risk everything to save the life she has built for herself.
*****

I’ve had the privilege of meeting Tiffany, and she is as delightful as her book! And while she hasn’t traveled to all of the countries that Sophia has, she has traveled extensively, and it adds a wonderful note of authenticity to the novel.

Make sure you can afford to neglect all your responsibilities for a good day or two before you dive into this one because you won’t want to put it down. 😂

Happy reading!

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Today’s book recommendation: HERO DOGS! True Stories of Amazing Animal Heroes! by Mary Quattlebaum – Nonfiction Chapter Book

I admit it. I was one of those kids poring over all the gorgeous photos in National Geographic magazines–that distinctive yellow border always caught my eye, and then I was hooked!

I recently discovered that National Geographic Kids has a whole series of chapter books that feature true stories about animals and outdoor adventures. And they have the traditional yellow border, as well, so yay! 😊

🐶 Here’s the official book summary of HERO DOGS!:
Calling all dog lovers! Join the adventure as National Geographic Kids Chapters presents a trio of true stories about incredible acts of canine heroism. From Glory the bloodhound, who saves lost pets, to terriers who help raise orphaned hippos, these brave pups are sure to inspire young animal lovers.

The photos are super fun and high-quality (of course!) and the author, Mary Quattlebaum, has done her research well. The three main dog stories she found for this book are amazing and she knows how to keep it clear and engaging for young readers.

The simple fact that these are TRUE stories is awesome. This book is primarily for the upper elementary grades, ages 7-10. At this age, many kids love to learn about the world around them–things that have really happened have more meaning for them, so really, it’s perfect!

Check out this book series if you have a child that age. It would make a fantastic stocking-stuffer!🎄

And, as always,
happy reading!