The Spider Strikes will make young readers become book lovers

There’s an almost impossible point of believability to accomplish between Scooby-Doo, The Hardy Boys, the authentic enthusiasm of teens and realistic fiction. But wait, you want to successfully thread that needle through an opening further complicated by setting the book in 1930’s Germany? Somehow, The Spider Strikes, the third book in The Web of the Spider book series, navigates that 1%. It deftly tells an age-appropriate story about teenagers in 1931 Germany. I was skeptical too. However, during the book I was enthralled at the way it balanced everything. I was also bummed that the first two books in the series had slipped past my radar.

The Spider Strikes is realistic fiction with adventure that makes the story plausible and enjoyable, without being too real.
Young readers unite in their love of this book series

Unfunny Bunny is about a kid finding his personality and his ‘true’ self

I had to re-read The Unfunny Bunny to see if my adult brain missed something. Ah, I did miss a small nuance. It happens on the first two pages. That fact was certainly comforting, to an extent. I was expecting great things from Unfunny Bunny. It’s from Kenan Thompson and Bryan Tucker, two SNL veterans. Thompson has been a face on SNL for decades, in addition to dozens of voice-over and movie roles, whereas Tucker is a 16-time Emmy-nominated writer for the show. Adults have seen Thompson in something that they’ve liked, and that fact will bring a large amount of goodwill towards the book.

Unfunny Bunny will produce laughs from the kids, but needs a little adult help to get the point of the book across.
Star power. cute-ish book. what’s not to like?

Earth Clock, an illustrated book on the history of the planet

“It’s criminal how cheap this is”, I said when I was checking out. I was a Mojo Vinyl (no relation) looking through some albums when I found the debut, eponymous album from The Producers. I couldn’t believe it was only $5, not that I wanted to pay more. However, it’s always worth talking to the record store employees so that they know what you’re looking for. Speaking of criminal behavior, I can’t believe that Earth Clock: The History of Our Planet in 24 Hours is only $8.23 on Amazon. Also, it says that it was released in 2022? What book vortex was I engulfed in to miss this one?

Earth Clock is the engaging STEM book that counts down a timeline of our planet that you didn’t know your library needed.
You know what time it is

How a Bear Became a Book, a perfect book on partners, production and Pooh

A book doesn’t have arms. It can’t hug you. How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaborations That Created Winnie-the-Pooh does have the aura of a comforting hug. It’s the smell of a kitchen after Snickerdoodles have just been made. The very subtle off-kilter letters in the book’s title evoke a playful nature. This aspect is magnified by the translucent bear running across the pages of a book, whose words are jumbled, incomplete, and utterly Pooh-esque.

How This Was Made meets classic children’s literature in How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-Pooh that’s as entertaining as it is educational, without trying to be the latter.
You won’t say “oh bother” while reading this book

Burn the Water, mglit/YA that sets a higher water mark for the genre

Oh dystopian mglit and YA, you vex me so. Burn the Water is by Billy Ray. He’s the Oscar-nominated writer of the screenplay for Captain Phillips. Ray has also had his screenwriter or writing fingerprints all over The Hunger Games, Richard Jewell, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Text is not a stranger to him. Ironically, Burn the Water is his first novel, but he’s obviously cut his teeth on tense projects that have a taut narrative. Even if you didn’t know his pedigree, you’d suspect that something was higher than usual within the first couple of pages of Burn the Water.

Burn the Water is YA/mglit that blazes a unique path through a world that you think you know, but will certainly want to read more about.
YA/mglit/book people, c’mon in, the water’s fine

Winnie-the-Pooh: 100th Anniversary Edition, a bit aged, still as awesome

I thought it was a velvet cover. But no, the cover to Winnie-the-Pooh: 100th Anniversary  (Winnie-the-Pooh; The House at Pooh Corner) (The Winnie-the-Pooh Collection) is a flocked cover. Flocking is a process where short fibers are glued to a surface and feels like velvet, but it is much cheaper. If the question was, how do make reading Winnie-the-Pooh more adorable, the answer would certainly be to provide it with a flocked cover.   

Winnie-the-Pooh: 100th Anniversary Edition brims with life, energy, fun and doesn’t look a day over 100.
Pooh sticks at dawn!

Why Space Will Freak You Out knows what young (STEM) readers want

There’s a template that the irresistible non-fiction, reference books have. They cater to elementary school audiences. However, they’re enjoyable enough for older audiences to read them without being ashamed, as if they were caught reading Peppa Pig. They’re also smart enough to teach them facts they legitimately didn’t know. These are the cool facts they can share with family and friends like, “Did you know that the red spot on Jupiter is a massive storm that’s been happening for hundreds of years-at least?” Why Space Will Freak You Out got a copy of that template. It’s the planetary version of ‘things that go bump in the night’. This book baits the hook for science kids, as well as, reluctant STEM kids who avoid non-fiction, but love unusual or disgusting things.

Why Space Will Freak You Out takes the scary and odd path to entertaining, and educating kids aged eight and up.
In space, they can’t hear you scream because of this

Mint to Be, charming and smile-inducing teen rom-com

This looks like one of mom’s books, our 16-year-old said when he saw Mint to Be on the table. Of course, he was trolling mom, as well as, me, but the books that she likes are very distinctive. They’re known for their pastel colors on the book’s cover and spine. If it’s a pastel color on the spine then it’s almost sure to be that this is a book that will be her jam. Mint to Be is mint green and adheres to that plan to the letter. Moreover, Mint to Be takes the formula that makes books like this so successful and dependable, but makes it relatable for mglit and high school audiences.

Mint to Be is feel-good mglit that lives in romance, small town, Christmas celebrations and the growth of two teens who might be more than friends.
The water….err…the coffee’s fine, c’mon in

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