Showing posts with label middle grades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label middle grades. Show all posts
Award Winning New Picture Books Perfect for Black History Month
Finding Family Treasure -- a Middle Grades Novel about Family History & More -- Review & Giveaway
Have you ever looked into your family history? Perhaps you have gone onto Ancestry or Family Search and looked up your relatives. Did you discover anything? Or perhaps your child needed to share a bit about the country your family comes from. Do you come from just one country? As what I call an American mutt, I cringe at those assignments. How do I pick one of the countries my family is from? When Hazel got that assignment, we went with Steven's family history since he is Italian American. Today I am going to share a middle grades book with you that a diverse class begins researching their own history. It is a tale of genealogy, family, connections and so much more. The book is Finding Family Treasure by K.L. Knight and Jane R. Wood. Oh, and there is a giveaway at the end of the post!
Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen -- a Multicultural Children's Book Day Review
Today I get to share another book for Multicultural Children's Book Day. It is a middle grades novel that has a main character who is the child of an Indian-American father and Jewish mother. Then at the end of fifth grade is diagnosed with dyslexia. The book is Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen by Kate McGovern.
Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm -- Review & Giveaway
Disclosure: I am working with The Children's Book Review and Lori Adams for this review. I was sent a digital copy of the book and will receive a small stipend. All opinions are my own.
Have a middle grade reader ready to step into a fantasy and/or perhaps a pirate ship? Today's book is for you! It is the first book in a series for middle grades readers and it brings the reader into the secret world of pirates filled with magic and more! The book is Avalina Jones and the Eye of the Storm by Lori Adams.
Learning Black History Prior to Slavery
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Have you seen the Facebook meme about learning about Black history before slavery? It discusses how Black people have the longest history of humans and how there is beautiful history well before slavery. Today's book will help you do just that. The book is African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History by Tracey Baptiste and illustrated by Hillary D. Wilson. It is recommended for ages 10+.
Call and Response: The Story of Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter are three words that seem to stir up a lot of emotions and controversy. After the murder of George Floyd, #blacklivesmatter went viral and so did the conspiracy theories. My conservative husband told me that I didn't know the truth behind Black Lives Matter and that the organization had some bad plans and people. Others responded with "blue (police) lives matter" or "all lives matter." A few weeks ago I shared the meme below on the Crafty Moms Share Facebook page. I was shocked when I got a comment from a white woman sharing a gif of black people saying "This is bullsh*t."
Zeus the Mighty -- a fun twist on Greek Mythology for Middle Grades
Do you kids know anything about the Greek myths? Have you ever thought it important to study them and why? There are several fun ways to learn about them without actually reading the myths these days. There are books like the series from Rick Riordan, The Treasury of Glorious Goddesses, and even fun versions like Thundercluck. Today I am going to introduce you to another series with a fun take on the myths. This series comes from National Geographic Kids and is the Zeus the Mighty series. Today I get to share the third book from the series, Zeus the Mighty: The Trials of Hairy-Clees by Crispin Boyer. It is suggested for ages 8 to 12.
The Brave -- a Native American Novel with a special look at life's problems
Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
We are continuing our celebration of Native American Heritage Month with a middle grades novel today. This novel delves into Native American life but it also has important messages for everyone to learn. It is such an interesting story and has fascinating characters. The book is The Brave by James Bird.
Protest! --Book Review and sharing about some of the Native American protests in the book
Protest! What comes to mind when you hear the word? There have been so many protests throughout history and many in recent times even during the world pandemic. Some protests are peaceful and some are not, but today's book will focus on peaceful ones. The book is Protest! How People Have Come Together to Change the World by Alice and Emily Haworth-Booth. This book is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Powerful Latinx Novels for Hispanic Heritage Month
Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in exchange for honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
Hispanic Heritage Month ends Friday and I wanted to share two new Latinx books with you to help celebrate. One is a graphic memoir. The author was in middle school living in New York City when 9/11 occurred. The other is a young adult novel that deals with ethnicity as well as rape and more. We will start with Big Apple Diaries by Alyssa Bermudez. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12.
Violets Are Blue -- New Middle School Novel about Friends, Family, Divorce and More!
Today I am sharing Barbara Dee's newest novel. Barbara's novel seem to always capture the emotions and actions of middle school students. This one is no different. It is Violets Are Blue. It is recommended for grades 4 to 8.
Latinx Books to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a Focus on Immigration
Hispanic Heritage Month started September 15th and ends on Friday. I have four Latinx books to share with you this week in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Each book has its own focus and don't necessarily relate to one another besides having Latinx main characters, so I am going to share two of them today and two later in the week. The two today focus a bit on immigration. One is a more modern picture book and the other is a middle grades novel about a middle schooler immigrating from Cuba in the 1960s. We will start with the picture book. It is I Wish You Knew by Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrated by Magdalena Mora. It is recommended for ages 4 to 7.
The Hideaway -- a new middle grades novel
Today I get to share a new middle grades that is perfectly eerie and haunted with a special All Souls Day celebration. It has a boy who witnesses his mother being abused by her boyfriend and he runs away to a graveyard. It is coming out today just in time for the spooky month of October! It is set in the United Kingdom. It is called The Hideaway by Pam Smy.
The Wolf's Curse -- New Middle Grades Fantasy Novel -- Review & Giveaway
What do you believe about death? Is there an afterlife? Does death come to steal your soul? These questions are ones that may pop into your head as you read the book I'm sharing today. The book is a new fantasy novel recommended for ages 8 to 12. It is The Wolf's Curse by Jessica Vitalis.
The Book of Amazing Trees
Life has gotten a bit crazy this week. I was hoping to share two new books with you that both came out this week, but I'm still reading the other one. So today I get to share with you a beautiful and amazing book all about trees. It is recommended for ages 8 to 12. It is The Book of Amazing Trees by Nathalie Tordjman and illustrated by Isabelle Simler and Julien Norwood.
NEW this week--Middle grade books Plus a GIVEAWAY!
Yesterday I shared two new this week picture books and today I have two new this week middle grade novels to share. Middle grade novels have a recommendation for ages 7 to 12. One of the books is a mystery having to do with sports and the other is a multicultural book about family, friends, and math. Plus there is a giveaway for one of them. We are going to start with Danny Chung Sums It Up by Maisie Chan and illustrated by Natelle Quek. This book is recommended for ages 8-12.
Rhinos in Nebraska -- a scientific look at the changes in the USA
How much do you know about the history of our Earth? Did you know part of the United States use to be a savanna and have animals like rhinoceros and elephants roaming around? I know I certainly didn't. Today I get to share a middle grades book (ages 8-12) that takes us through the science of discovering the history of our land. The book is Rhinos in Nebraska: The Amazing Discovery of the Ashfall Fossil Beds by Alison Pearce Stevens.
The Last Super Chef -- New Middle Grade Novel About Family, Food & Friendship
Have you watched any of the cooking competitions? How about the ones with kids as contestants? Hazel and I love them. I am always amazed with how much these kids can do in the kitchen. They are better cooks and/or bakers than me. Today's book is about a boy who enters one such competition. It has twists and turns that involve family and more. It is The Last Super Chef by Chris Negron.
The Formation of the Iroquois League
Do you know what the oldest living participatory democracy on earth is? It is the Iroquois League or Iroquois Confederacy. It was formed in 1142 and some of our Founding Fathers like Benjamin Franklin actually learned from them and used ideas of their set up when forming the United States. They even have a constitution that was recorded and kept alive on a wampum belt. (Source) Today I am going to share a new picture book that shares the story of the formation of the Iroquois League. It is written for ages 10-14, so it is not your typical picture book. The author and illustrator are both Native American. The book is A Peacemaker for Warring Nations: The Founding of the Iroquois League by Joseph Bruchac and illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden.
Kyle's Little Sister -- Review of New Middle School Graphic Novel
Do you have siblings? Where do you fall in the order? I am the youngest of three girls. I went through my elementary school being called my middle sister's name and then in middle school one of the art teachers kept calling out my oldest sister's name for an end of the quarter review and when he finally used our last name I realized he meant me. He had never taken the time to learn my first name and my oldest sister is truly an artist so he remembered her. (She earned a degree in art.) So I can completely relate to today's book. The book is Kyle's Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong. It is a graphic novel for middle school ages (age 8-12).
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