Pick 6: early chapter books

To my mind, choosing the right book for a child who is just beginning to read independently can be vital. Luckily, there is a wide range of choices available for such children. This list includes series and standalone books. Here are six books for kids just beginning to read chapter books published in the last six months.

6 new early chapter books

1. Wolfie and Fly: Band on the Run by Cary Fagan 
2. Ellie Engineered by Jackson Pearce
3. Good Night Sleep Tight by Kristina Andres
4. Gracie Laroo by Marsha Qualey
5. The Bolds on Vacation by Julian Clary
6. Superhero Harry by Rachel Ruiz

Book review - The Future Will Be BS Free

Title: The Future Will Be BS Free
Author: Will McIntosh
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Data Runner by Sam Patel
                      The Silence of Six by EC Myers
Rating:

could have been better

Summary (provided by publisher): In this terrifyingly timely tale for fans of The Eye of Minds, a teen and his group of friends find themselves on the run after using a genius lie-detector contraption to expose their corrupt government.
In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They're all in it for the money--except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it's about creating a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.
Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all lies and holding everyone accountable.
But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a BS-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

My opinion: I wanted this book to be political intrigue and technological advancement and fighting against big shadow government. That seems to be what McIntosh wants as well, but it doesn't really get there. Theo's death, the inciting incident, doens't have much emotional impact. We're TOLD that the group is devastated but we don't really see it. We don't experience that devastation with them. Really, Theo existed only to die and fulfill a sort of "too good for this world" role. He never feels like a real person, but rather an ideal. The lack of connection is the basis of most of my complaints. We see events but they never really matter to the reader. 
McIntosh does raise some interesting ideas. We've got a severely economically depressed future, funding cuts to vital services laws governing who can work, totalitarian govenrment. All of this is fairly standard. The more interesting part is the exploration of truth and lies, of kindness and cruelty, of honesty and etiquette. The idea of radical cultural change and how something meant to help can cause immeasurable harm. These ideas make it worth reading, especially in a group setting.

More information: The Future Will Be BS Free releases July 24.

Don't make her angry

My quest to make super hero peg dolls has served to reintroduce me to some more obscure female superheroes. This week I rediscovered She-hulk. She makes a great peg.

 

Picture books for everyone

A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade
Pluto is Peeved by Jacqueline Jules

Picture books can be a great way to introduce social and scientific concepts to young readers. They allow kids to engage with the text and concepts at their own level. These two picture books address the same topic: Pluto's demotion from planetary status. Pluto is Peeved takes more of a social angle. Jules's Pluto goes through a museum, comparing itself to other planets and feeling as if it no longer matters. A Place for Pluto is more scientific, examining how we define a planet, the ways in which Pluto fails that definition, and the other space objects that have a similar status in our solar system. 
 
More information: A Place for Pluto releases July 1.
Advanced Reader Copies provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - National Parks of the USA

National Parks of the U.S.A. by Kate Sider

I'd wager most of us can't name more than one or two national parks. This book is a nice introduction to a few of those parks. It's a curious selection, some well known some more obscure. The selected parks get a short overview, a brief description and a few animals, plants, and natural features one might see at the park. Parks are organized by region, allowing the reader to see the spread across the country, which may lead the curious to look into how each park was founded.

More information: National Parks of the U.S.A. releases July 3.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Book review - Kid Normal

Title: Kid Normal
Author: Greg James and Chris Smith
Genre: sci-fi
Similar books: School for Sidekicks by Kelly McCullough
                      Earthling by Mark Fearing
Rating:

superhero fun

Summary (provided by publisher): When Murph Cooper begins his new school several weeks into the year, he can't help but feel a bit out of his depth. And it's not because he's worried about where to sit, making friends, and fitting in. It's because his mom has accidentally enrolled him at a school for superheroes. And unlike his fellow students, who can control the weather or fly or conjure tiny horses from thin air, Murph has no special abilities whatsoever.
But Murph's totally normal abilities might just be what the world needs. Because not far away is a great big bad guy who is half man and half wasp, and his mind is abuzz with evil plans . . . and when he comes after the best and the brightest, it's up to Murph to be the real hero.
With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this laugh-out-loud story proves that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

My opinion: Exploring the realities of being a non-powered kid in a world of superheroes isn't an unheard of concept in kid's fiction. As is the idea of having limited or strange powers. Authors ask us to consider if having super powers automatically makes you better than others. James approaches the subject with a fair dose of humor, making this quite reeadable in spite of being ultimately predictable.

More information: Kid Normal releases June 19th.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

Note cards

A few weeks ago I shared an image of some cards I'd drawn for a craft fair. Here's most of the rest of the cards I designed, with varying degrees of detail and quality of image.

That racoon looked really horrible in early stages but came together surprisingly well in the end