Books | Page 10 of 86

Mile Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel like no other-for the better

In a very simple overstatement in the world of books, there are books for the genre fans, books for the general audience, and those that target the niche. Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel, yet it’s unlike any web-slinger book, graphic novel or story that you’ve read before. “You” could be a Spider-Man fan who thinks that they’ve seen every vehicle that the character can entertain from. Miles Morales: Suspended is the most unlikely of superhero novels. We often point out to educators, parents or students the merits of reading graphic novels or comic book. This book takes that, turns it on its head, and literarily invites Spidey fans to go someplace that they’ve never been before.

Miles Morales Suspended: A Spider-Man novel that combines prose and any conceivable narrative caffeine to entertain readers.

Spidey has many forms and this one is just as engaging

How Do You Live?, the timeless Japanese classic translates effortlessly

After reading How Do You Live? you understand the book’s title on a much deeper level. On the surface one could surmise that How Do You Live? is a reflective book encouraging readers to take stock in their lives. It does have elements of that, but it’s not a personality Rorschach Test. Instead, How Do You Live? is one of the most popular Japanese books ever and has been a children’s book staple for generations. It’s scheduled to be the final anime film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli and was initially published in Japan in 1937. It’s also a very intelligent book that encourages thinking, introspection, and observations on various aspects of world culture. From an American teacher’s perspective, How Do You Live? is the book that you want your middle and high school students to read, but you know that less than 5% of them dig into the book for leisure reading, but more on that in a moment.

How Do You Live?, wow-it’s mglit that’s smart, timeless, inspiring and makes you a better person for reading it. It’s also challenging to describe and potentially frustrating for middle school readers.

For the smart kids, or those that want to be

Outside Nowhere is something great for mglit readers

The adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” exists for a reason. Outside Nowhere is another book that exemplifies why it’s important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Now that I’ve got two potentially outdated metaphors out of my system, let’s get on with the process of talking about a book that grades six and up will love, if they give it a chance. The book’s cover throws up a potential roadblock to mglit readers in that it shows a teenage kid, wearing a suit, with his back to the reader, looking at a farm. Every young reader knows that nothing fun ever happens on a farm so what’s the point in reading Outside Nowhere anyway? But gird your loins mglit readers, hold on because once you dig into Outside Nowhere you’ll discover a novel that brims with comedy, has snappy dialogue with jokes and one-liners that you wish you could say in real time, and a surprising science-fiction twist that reveals the heart of the book.

Outside Nowhere uses snappy, funny dialogue, a sense of wonder, mystery and ultimately redemption in this mglit home run.

don’t judge a something by its something something…..

Tell Me About Space is proof that a board book can extend where you think it is

One of my favorite family photos is of our oldest son, who was approximately 18 months old at the time, lying on his stomach while reading a board book. In that case it was one of the classic Eric Carle books in board book form, but it was the format of the book and not necessarily its content that captivated our child. The only constant about board books are their thick pages, which is just a defense mechanism against teething small creatures. Tell Me About Space is a board book, but it has more in common with the STEM-based books that we’ve previously talked about than the Carle book that our child was gnawing on.

Tell Me About Space is the smart, STEM board book that wanted read to you when you were two-years old.

Smart board books are great for us all

The Tale of Despereaux has a reason to celebrate its 20th Anniversary

Why should books celebrate their anniversary? Every book is not worthy of celebrating its initial publishing date. The mere passage of time doesn’t make most books better; however, in some cases, it can celebrate their timelessness. Originally published in 2003 The Tale of Despereaux has a newly available Deluxe Anniversary Edition available now. There’s nothing magical that makes twenty years special, it’s the fact that The Tale of Despereaux crackles as kidlit. Moreover, it’s written and presented in a manner that makes those mid-elementary school students want to read it.

The Tale of Despereaux turns 20 and celebrates with a new short story and a chance to introduce this modern classic to kids who didn’t know.

Don’t call it a comeback, this book has always been a classic

The Real Story is a very funny illustrated book on intentional tall tales

You can tell the children’s authors or illustrators that can inhabit the soul of their books. It’s those books or characters that ooze effortless charm. They can jump into the psyche of their young audience and create a book they, themselves, would want to read if they could travel back in time. They are the books that all but read themselves to young audiences. Sergio Ruzzier creates children’s illustrated books that saddle up to emerging readers in the most charming of ways. Initially, his illustrations might seem like a rip-off because you’ll feel as if you’ve seen them before. However, such is the nature of a timeless creation that’s so utterly comfortable with its audience. The Real Story is one of those examples in that its characters; even from looking at them on the book’s cover feel like they’re having a conversation that a three through eight-year-old might be having.

The Real Story is a sublime illustrated book that uses its intelligence and creativity to be funny, really laugh-out-loud funny for ages three and up.

This book is an instant classic yo

Merry and Hark: A Christmas Story, ‘non-fiction’ seasonal “who” dunnit

The rub about a children’s non-fiction illustrated book that’s “inspired by” a real-life happening is that it helps to have some bearing on how much of the story is true. That’s because the audience that you’re reading it to is more than likely to have questions about the characters or a tangential story that they want to share. I was unaware of the true story behind Merry and Hark: A Christmas Story, yet when I finished reading it my first thought was that this seems like it could be a true story. However, thinking like any good attorney does, I’m not prepared to ask a question unless I already know the answer.

Merry and Hark: A Christmas Story is ‘inspired by the true story’ of a tree, its original inhabitant, and what happened when it moved.

Kids will find it cute, but beware the questions…..

The Quest of Danger is the skeleton key for reluctant readers

I know Spy School. That is the go-to mglit book series written by author Stuart Gibbs that makes kids want to read. I knew of the Once Upon A Tim book series that’s also written by him. In the liner notes for all of those books, it lists all the author’s other books, which I had also read, except for that series. The Quest of Danger is book number four in the Once Upon A Tim series and I understand the hype now.

The Quest of Danger is book 4 in the Once Upon A Tim series that is custom made, in a skeleton key manner, for ages 7-14. — The Quest of Danger is the skeleton key for reluctant readers

What fun to read, ages 7 and up will not be able to put it down