Non-fiction book review - 50 American Heroes Every Kids Should Meet

50 American Heroes Every Kids Should Meet by Dennis Denenberg and Lorraine Roscoe

This book has a few really strong points.
1. Brevity. The profiles are brief, no more than 2-3 pages apiece. Just a quick introduction to who the hero is/was and the heroic thing they did/are doing.
2. Variety. The heroes included span a variety of time periods and types: politicians, athletes, musicians, entrepreneurs, philanthropists.
3. Resources. Not only is the reader introduced to each hero, each section has recommended reading. Biographies, websites, and ways to get involved.
Those things combined create a book that could serve a number of purposes and reach a wide variety of audiences.

50 American Heroes Every Kids Should Meet releases September 1.

Book review - Secret Coders: Paths and Portals

Title: Paths and Portals
Author: Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes
Genre: sci-fi/graphic novel
Similar books: Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks
                     Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker
Rating:

A solid second offering

Summary(provided by publisher): There's something lurking beneath the surface of Stately Academy—literally. In a secret underground classroom Hopper, Eni, and Josh discover that the campus was once home to the Bee School, an institute where teachers, students, and robots worked together to unravel the mysteries of coding. Hopper and her friends are eager to follow in this tradition and become top-rate coders. But why are Principal Dean and the rugby team suddenly so interested in their extracurricular activities?
From graphic novel superstar (and high school computer programming teacher) Gene Luen Yang comes the second volume of Secret Coders, a wildly entertaining new series that combines logic puzzles and basic programming instruction with a page-turning mystery plot!

My opinion: These books are a great way to teach kids the basic skills and philosophies associated with computer programming. Each program the characters learn builds on the skills they've learned previously. With each new idea, there is space left for the reader to work out a programming solution to a new problem.
And it's not just instruction. There is a larger plot, a purpose for the programming the characters are learning, as well as sub-plots related to character development. The art is eye-catching. 
My only complaint is that each book ends with an unsolved programming challenge. If you read these books as they are published, that means there are six months or more between writing a program and seeing the author-provided solution. This also means that when I started reading this volume, I was somewhat lost for the first few pages, not having access to the first book to reference the program in question.

More information: Paths and Portals releases August 30. 
See my review of the first Secret Coders book here.
Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley.

A super jar

Today's craft is one I've actually done before. Previously, I'd decorated some baby food jars with plastic animals and paint and sold them at craft fairs. For myself, I had something a little different in mind. I've had some little superhero figures around for a while with a vague plan to use them in some sort of craft, especially since I had duplicates of Hawkman and Daredevil. When I found myself in possession of an empty jelly jar I knew right away what to do with it. My new Hawkman jar now holds flash-drives.

Book review - Tales From the Haunted Mansion

Title: Tales From the Haunted Mansion: The Fearsome Foursome
Author: John Espisito
Genre: horror
Similar books: A Dog's Breakfast by Annie Graves
                     The Doll Graveyard by Lois Ruby
Rating: 

not particularly scary

Summary(provided by publisher): Welcome, foolish mortals, to Disney Press' spookiest chapter book series yet: Tales from the Haunted Mansion! Based on the attractions from the Disney Parks, each new book tells the story of one of the Haunted Mansion's 999 ghosts. With eerie illustrations throughout and a beautiful three-piece cloth cover, the books are designed to look like they came straight from the library in the Haunted Mansion.
Tales from the Haunted Mansion is a fun, spooky ride, just like the attraction from the Disney Parks. And if readers are familiar with the ride, they'll see elements of it throughout the entire story, from items straight of the Mansion (are those pictures stretching?) to lyrics from the narration that is heard in each Doom Buggy.
In this bone-chilling book, you will hear the terrifying tales of the Fearsome Foursome--four kids who look to out-scare each other. But just wait until they hear my spooky stories. Who am I? I am Amicus Arcane, your librarian and host. Your Ghost Host. So read on... if you dare!

My opinion: My first reaction to this book is mild boredom. It's neither scary nor surprising. There's an emotional distance throughout that keeps the reader from really caring about the plot. Without jump scares or strong sense of atmosphere we really have to care about the characters and their welfare for monsters to be truly scary. The emotional distance is not helped by narrative asides that pull us out of the moment every few pages. These were meant to add to the spooky atmosphere. Mostly I found them annoying. Add in a style that consistently tells more than it shows. True fans of horror needn't bother with this one.
Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Picture books for everyone

Too Many Moose by Lisa M. Bakos

Normally I'm not a fan of rhyming picture books. I generally find them tiresome, the effort to maintain the rhyme obvious. This book not only rhymes, it is alliterative. Yet the writing is nearly effortless. IT reads well and is funny to boot. Not only that but the illustrations are varied and dynamic, entertaining in their own right. Kids of all ages will enjoy this book at different levels and it is a great example of a number of literary elements so it would work well in and English classroom too.

Non-fiction book review - Like a Bird

Like a Bird: The Art of the American Slave Song by Cynthia Grady

This short book is an ideal example of interdisciplinary or integrated education. Grady brings together art, music, history, religion, and visual interpretation and critical thinking skills in just 40 pages. For each song example in the book, Grady provides a brief history and description of how the artist has portrayed the concept. Then she asks the reader to evaluate both the lyrics and the painting, to judge the representation of the song, to find symbols, to interpret the emotions. Just an introduction to the subject, this would be a great choice for homeschoolers or a small classroom setting.

Like a Bird releases September 1.
Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Book review - Click Here to Start

Title: Click Here to Start
Author: Denis Markell
Genre: adventure
Similar books: The Lost Cipher by Michael Oechsle
                     Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Rating:

some nice elements at play here

Summary(provided by publisher): Young fans of Ernie Cline's Ready Player One will love this classic video game inspired mystery filled with elements of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
What if playing video games was prepping you to solve an incredible real-world puzzle and locate a priceless treasure?
Twelve-year-old Ted Gerson has spent most of his summer playing video games. So when his great-uncle dies and bequeaths him the all so-called treasure in his overstuffed junk shop of an apartment, Ted explores it like it's another level to beat. And to his shock, he finds that eccentric Great-Uncle Ted actually has set the place up like a real-life escape-the-room game!
Using his specially honed skills, Ted sets off to win the greatest game he's ever played, with help from his friends Caleb and Isabel. Together they discover that Uncle Ted's “treasure” might be exactly that—real gold and jewels found by a Japanese American unit that served in World War II. With each puzzle Ted and his friends solve, they get closer to unraveling the mystery—but someone dangerous is hot on their heels, and he's not about to let them get away with the fortune.

My opinion: This novel is a great variation on a standard puzzle novel. It incorporates video games, history, literature, and science. The gaming elements are necessary for the plot to be believable. Otherwise, these kids finding obscure clues in strange places would have been a real stretch. The plot already had believably issues. It is a very elaborate puzzle requiring a lot of set up in a number of places, nearly impossible for and elderly and ailing man to accomplish. And for all of these complex clues in place for who knows how long, to go undisturbed, even one in a hospital room. There were a number of questions that remained unanswered at the end of the novel, including the questions I found most compelling. So, it's not a perfect novel. I found it a bit frustrating at times. But if you're a fan of puzzles and books that celebrate different kinds of intelligence this is a good choice.
Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.