Kids are inherently curious and that’s a fact that applies to every child regardless of age. Rare is the book that makes middle school and elementary school students equally curious. Either the book is too simple for older readers, too advanced for younger readers, has content that’s in-between the two demographics or simply just is not interesting. Inside In is a book that immediately grabs the attention of kids aged six through 14 and even north of that. It’s a coffee table book for STEM-minded folks, as well as, those who simply like to take their mind on a trip. The subtitle of the book, X-Rays of Nature’s Hidden World, gives you the immediate reason as to why kids will be engrossed in it.
Art by another nam is just an x-RayBirdie’s Billions, realistic fiction ages 9 and up already think about
You need to read this book. I love it when our 12 year-old says something like that. When he does, he usually follows it up with some sort of qualifier like, it’s really good, the chapters are funny or some other attribute before going off to find his phone. He read Birdie’s Billions in just under a week before saying that to me. My inner-dad voice was telling me to be wary of his recommendation.
MGLIT that makes kids think, even if they don’t admit itScary Stories for Young Foxes: The City is must-read mglit
Scary Stories for Young Foxes was one of our favorite books from 2020. It crackled with tension and age-appropriate scares in a way that classic books do. Using a storyteller as a means of breaking the dire circumstances that mglit characters encounter can be an awesome and effective way to make things real, but also very relatable. It’s also notable that the book did not immediately feel like it led to another one in a series. That’s what’s so surprising about Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City.
One of the years’ best, in any yearSing 2 runs the same game plan for ages 5-9
When Sing came out in 2016 it was a pleasant treat. The story about a group of underdog, singing animals seemed earnest, cute, and was genuinely entertaining. Granted a majority of the ‘earnest’ label was provided by Buster Moon, voiced by Matthew McConaughey. That character’s can-do, optimistic demeanor still delivers in this film’s sequel, Sing 2. Actually, most of Sing 2 will still deliver, assuming that the audience is in fourth grade or younger. That’s not meant to be a slam or a pejorative, it’s just the way it is, especially having just seen the film with a fourth and sixth-grader.
Sing 2, if you want to,Fox, A Circle of Life Story is timeless, illustrated book gold
Think of one of Salt N’ Pepa’s biggest hits, but replace the word ‘sex’ with the much less salacious word ‘death’. Now, let’s talk about death. Then, make the book as much, if not more about life, and you’ve got a great overview of one of the best-illustrated books of the year, Fox: A Circle of Life Story. Also, much like D.J. Spinderella song, its misdirection makes people think it’s mainly about one thing but instead gets them thinking, or talking about something that otherwise might be challenging or off-putting.
Timeless,-and an easy entry into your ‘forever’ librarySea Lions In The Parking Lot, empty space through the eyes of animals
That sounds like some code or warning that big box stores have, doesn’t it? In reality, Sea Lions In The Parking Lot is an illustrated book that looks at some of the ways that wildlife was affected during the height of the COVID pandemic. It’s a large book that sets up each scene with a half of a page to a page of text that vividly describes what it’s normally like for the animals. The next two pages are big, realistic illustrations of these otherwise wild animals in situations that are urban and strange.
Exactly how did the height of the COVID pandemic affect otherwise wild animals?Cat Ninja: Time Heist, a graphic novel purrfect for elementary ages
How elementary schools receive their books is a fascinating world. I’m in a different elementary school library almost every school day and the fact that I don’t see some series is quite surprising. One of them that is top of mind is the Investigators series. That series of graphic novels is one that every kid aged eight and up would love. In other cat-egories, Cat Ninja is a graphic novel series that elementary schools (and their readers) would laugh at, share, talk about, and would be constantly checked out by an eager queue of boys and girls alike. The second book in the series, Cat Ninja: Time Heist rips through the psyche of a typical nine-year-old-like catnip that’s been teasing placed on the back of a tiny revolving toy mouse.
This book, and this series is peferct for ages 8 and upThe Stories Behind The Stories, more than just history for book wonks
Back in the day, there was something on MTV or VH1 known as “a can’t miss show on cable”. Behind The Music took a look at the history of musical groups or artists and managed to do it with such an addictive flair that the Surgeon General should’ve issued warnings before the program. The Stories Behind The Stories is a book that looks at the things that inspired authors who’ve written some of the classic children’s books that people know today.
It’s the worm that feeds young book worms or curious kids








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