This debut picture book by Nell Cross Beckerman, with illustrations by Kalen Chock, is absolutely stunning!
Kids are, of course, fascinated by caves, but this book isn’t just informational, Beckerman’s text invites the reader in, making them feel like real cave explorers and Chock’s gorgeous illustrations are dying to be explored!
The question to the reader of “Do you dare?” reminded me of THE BERENSTAIN BEARS AND THE SPOOKY OLD TREE, probably because I read it like a million times to all my kids when they were little, and it’s still one of our favorites!
The premise works in both books equally well. Curious readers and future spelunkers, alike, experience the thrill of adventure as they turn each page to peek into unbelievable caves found around the world, like the Glowworm Grotto in the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand.
This book came out in 2022 and won all kinds of awards, for good reason! I highly recommend!
This book is a must read! Two of my teenagers read it, as well as me, and we all are big fans!
My daughter said she woke up too early one morning and instead of being sad that she didn’t get enough sleep, she was happy she could read more of this book. 🙂
And I totally understood! Shields did a remarkable job creating the perfect atmosphere for the story. This book is so immersive–you open it up and you’re in a glamorous and magical world of illusions and fantasy.
“The Splendor” is the name of a hotel where the guests have their most closely-held fantasies become reality (through illusion) during the length of their stay.
Juliette manages to get her beloved sister, Clare, a stay there for her birthday, but when she returns home, she is a changed person-distant, cold, and uncaring.
So, Juliette sets off to experience it for herself and unravel the mystery of what has happened to her sister.
If you like THE NIGHT CIRCUS and CARAVAL, you will definitely love this book. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
The magical realism genre is a middle grade favorite, and THE ELEPHANT’S GIRL doesn’t disappoint!
The story starts with Lex, a girl who doesn’t remember her past. All she knows is that when she was little, a tornado swept her away from her home and into the elephant enclosure at the Lexington Zoo. Roger, the zoo’s train engineer, finds her and takes on the role of foster father.
This beautiful story plays on the mystique of elephant communication, only taken one step further–a very special elephant in the zoo, named Nyah, begins to send images directly to Lex’s mind!
The images start Lex on an adventure that involves ghosts, treasure, and the unraveling of secrets.
It’s a charming story of friendship and found family, and Rimington brings out all the feels with her delicate handling of the main character’s emotional journey.
I love this book and highly recommend it!
And…once you’ve peaked your child’s curiosity about elephants, I also recommend THE ELEPHANT SCIENTIST by Caitlin O’Connell & Donna M. Jackson!
This middle grade nonfiction book takes you on a journey with elephant scientist, Dr. O’Connell, as she makes awesome discoveries about how elephants really do communicate. It’s won many, many awards, including a Sibert Honor, and it’s a fun way to learn more about these incredible animals!
And, yes! This was a two-for-one book recommendation. 😊 There are just so many incredible books out there to share!
Winnie the Pooh is such an adorable, lovable character, and until I read FINDING WINNIE, I had no idea he was based on an actual bear! And it’s an absolutely charming story.
Basically, a veterinarian from Winnipeg enlisted in the military and by chance, while stopping at a train station, came across a trapper with a bear cub on a leash. The trapper had killed the bear’s mother and didn’t want the cub. The vet bought the bear for $20 and named it Winnipeg. Everyone at the army post called the bear “Winnie” for short, but then, when they had to ship overseas, the vet arranged for Winnie to stay at the zoo.
Now, because Winnie was so tame, and because this was over 100 years ago, the zoo allowed children to play with him! One of the kids was no other than Christopher Robin! His father, A. A. Milne, watched them play and used them for inspiration for all the stories that the world knows and loves today. How cool is that?
The illustrations by Sophie Blackall won this book a Caldecott Medal and the author, Lindsay Mattick, is actually the great granddaughter of the vet!
She writes the book as a story in a story, where she is telling the story to her son, who is the vet’s namesake. This structure is difficult to do in a picture book, where you have such limited space, but Mattick pulls it off beautifully. The real photographs of Winnie with the soldiers and with Christopher Robin are such a treasure, too!
The same year that FINDING WINNIE came out (2015), so did WINNIE: THE TRUE STORY OF THE BEAR WHO INSPIRED WINNIE-THE-POOH by Sally M. Walker! Basically, that’s a writer’s worst nightmare to have the story you’ve been researching and laboring over for years go out with a different publisher at the exact same time, but I think the world is better off with both of these versions.
The story is much the same, but there’s more fun details and photographs that you wouldn’t know from just the one. The illustrations by Jonathan D. Voss are beautiful as well.
Whether you’re a fan of Winnie the Pooh, or not, these stories are fascinating pieces of history that are definitely worth checking out.
It’s a sweet romantasy, meaning it’s both a romance and a fantasy, and the romance is of the chaste, slow-burn variety. The Casters are those who are born with the ability to wield magic, but magic is highly feared and even outlawed by the Crown.
In an effort to prove herself to her father, the crown princess tries to negotiate for peace with the Casters, but ends up getting herself cursed. If she doesn’t find a way to break the curse, she will die, followed by every member of her royal family, one by one.
A certain handsome Baron, who is loyal to the Crown, but also happens to be a Caster, has to overcome his own fears in order to help her find a way to unite her kingdom.
There’s elements of fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and 12 Dancing Princesses, but this book really has a feel all its own. I loved the antics of the Baron’s younger siblings, the love letters being delivered by bird, and the ending surprised me in the best kind of way!
You might be familiar with author/illustrator Grace Lin from when her middle grade book, WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON, won the Newbery Honor in 2010 for its contribution to children’s literature. And it is a beautiful book! It reads like a Chinese fairytale adventure story with Lin’s own beautiful full-color illustrations along the way.
Lin is truly talented and has many not-to-be-missed reads, like her very first book, THE UGLY VEGETABLES, or her delightful chapter book, LING & TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. But my very favorite of all is her middle grade debut, THE YEAR OF THE DOG.
This heartwarming book is truly a must read! The main character is a young Taiwanese-American girl who begins the books celebrating the Chinese New Year with her family. Since it is the Year of the Dog, her mother explains that this is the year she should try to find herself.
And that’s exactly what the book’s about. As the year progresses, Pacy navigates family and friendship dynamics, all while working to discover who she is, what she values, and what she’s good at. Because there are very few Asians where Pacy lives, it is often extra challenging as she faces unintentional (but hurtful) microaggressions along the way that are heartbreaking and eye-opening. (Click on the images below for examples.)
I loved the intergenerational aspect to the storytelling with her parents’ and grandparents’ stories within stories and the cute little doodle-like illustrations scattered throughout. Lin’s humor is spot on, too. There were many times where I laughed out loud!
This is an earlier middle grade novel, designed for 8-10 year olds, and while that’s the perfect age, it really is enjoyable for any age. I read it to my boys when they were that age and every day they begged for more.
If you are new to Grace Lin’s beautiful books, I encourage you to give her a try!
Do you know any kids who love dinosaurs? How would they feel if they found real dinosaur bones right in their own backyard!? Well, that’s what happened to Ruth Mason, only she didn’t know what they were at first!
This is an incredible true story that took place in South Dakota in 1905. I love the beautiful illustrations by Alexandra Bye and that the story is about a girl! Girls can love dinosaurs and paleontology, just as much as boys!
This is a great book to give as a gift or pickup for your own collection.
In honor of Halloween, here is a true story for you and/or your older teens that will give you all the chills! 👻
Candace Fleming is an incredibly talented author and she has taken mountains of primary source material and crafted it into a true crime tale that feels like a thriller.
Back in the 1920s in Chicago, two teenagers decided to brutally murder an innocent child in order to collect ransom money. More than the money though, their main motivation was to prove they could pull off the perfect crime and never get caught.
And they might have gotten away with it, but for one little mistake–a dropped pair of prescription glasses. 👓
The first part of this book is about the actual crime and capture, and then moves on to the boys’ confessions and the ensuing courtroom battle.
The part I found most compelling was the courtroom arguments regarding mental health. This was a landmark case because there wasn’t a lot of precedent at this time for pleading insanity or for trying teenagers for murder.
This book isn’t for the weak of heart! That being said, Fleming keeps the violence matter-of-fact and the focus of the book is really on the psychology of the boys and the legal system of the time. She addresses relevant contributing factors like police corruption, anti-semitism, the boys’ homosexual relationship, nature vs. nurture, and wealth & privilege with exquisite care, which makes for great discussion starters for you and your teens.
If you’re feeling brave, go ahead and give this thought-provoking book a try.
I read this beautiful little book all in one sitting last night. It was delightful! The story is primarily told from “Odder’s” perspective, so, of course, it is fictional, but it is based on real sea otters who have been rescued and rehabilitated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California.
Sea otters are an endangered species, and they are also a keystone species, which means they are vitally important to the balance of their ecosystem. I learned so much about sea otters from this book, and now my kids are eager to get their hands on it!
The illustrations of Charles Santoso make you want to reach out and cuddle the little cuties–baby sea otters, what could be better?
This book is ideal for a first experience in verse novels, as well. The prose is clear and straightforward, there is a short glossary in the back, and most of all, the free verse format can inspire kids to play with words on the page in their own writing.
Now that I’ve read it, I really want to take a trip out to Monterey Bay and see this remarkable program in action!
I hope you pick this up and give it a try. Happy reading!
I posted earlier about reading the Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution with my boys. What I didn’t anticipate was how it opened up their desire to learn more about the war. I love seeing it, and I was quick to take advantage with Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales graphic novels.
While these books have a fictional storytelling framework, most of the information is nonfiction. These two are about the Revolution, and my boys swallowed them whole, as well as some of his others. They’re funny and silly, all while teaching about real events.
I pulled out my copy of 1776 by David McCullough, and they loved all the handwritten letter, map and newspaper reproductions. It was interesting to see the difference between the maps the Americans had, with the poorly drawn ones in the hands of the British.
Books for Curious Kids 