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Abracadabra: The Story Of Magic Through The Ages, Aylea Stephens
Abracadabra: The Story Of Magic Through The Ages, Aylea Stephens
Children's Book and Media Review
Even from the earliest recorded history, people have been performing magic to fool, inspire, educate, and entertain. In this nonfiction book, it summarizes the history of magic from the beginning to the modern day. Nequist explains how the most famous magic tricks were created, how the most influential magicians got started and developed their craft, how magic went from being punishable by death to requested by world leaders, and many things relating to how magicians perform tricks and astound their audiences every day. The book contains instructions to perform eight of the most common and oldest magic tricks, sections on …
My Lady Jane, Aylea Stephens
My Lady Jane, Aylea Stephens
Children's Book and Media Review
Lady Jane Grey didn’t have a happy ending in real life, but the narrators in this book are determined to give her a better story. Her cousin, King Edward, has decreed that she should marry a stranger so that her child can be their heir to the throne instead of his sister Mary who is bloodthirsty towards the group of people who have the ability to turn into animals. Shortly after Jane marries Lord Gifford (or G, as he prefers to be called) and discovers that her husband spends most of his time as a horse, she finds out that …
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen And The Churchill Club, Carlie Smith
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen And The Churchill Club, Carlie Smith
Children's Book and Media Review
Knud Pedersen and the nine other schoolboys of the Churchill Club are Danish national heroes. Initially frustrated by their countrymen’s acceptance of the Nazi occupation, they secretly sabotage German war efforts. Winston Churchill and the Royal Air Force are their inspiration. For more than a year they destroy property and steal weapons. The Club is eventually discovered and imprisoned for more than two years. They face this challenge just as bravely and even orchestrate several escape attempts. When they are released, they find that their sacrifices have inspired nationwide resistance that severely hampers the German occupation. The war concludes with …
Based On A True Story: John Lincoln Clem, Civil War Drummer Boy, Leah Christopher
Based On A True Story: John Lincoln Clem, Civil War Drummer Boy, Leah Christopher
Children's Book and Media Review
Drummer boys in the Civil War are typically ages 14 and up—but the patriotic nine-year-old John Clem secretly jumps on a train to join the Union army. Marching endlessly through the heat of the South, John directs troops with his drum and makes friends with unlikely folks—even a runaway slave. Based on a real account, the book follows John’s three-year stint in the military, including his run-in with General Ulysses S. Grant, who asks him to drum at the Battle of Shiloh, and his success in playing dead at the Battle of Chickamauga. After being captured and later shot in …
Super Social Studies Infographics: Us History Through Infographics, Robyn Lee
Super Social Studies Infographics: Us History Through Infographics, Robyn Lee
Children's Book and Media Review
This nonfiction picture book takes young readers through significant moments in US history in an easily absorbed graphic format. The book breaks down the early native people, discovery and colonization, slave trade, independence, westward expansion, The Civil War, Industrialization, immigration, Japanese Interment, and The Space Race. After inviting the young reader to come on a journey to discover more about their history as an American, the book walks through these events using maps, charts, graphs, and images. Final pages also include a glossary, index, and sources for additional information on the topics discussed throughout the book.
We Are America: A Tribute From The Heart, Lee Crowther
We Are America: A Tribute From The Heart, Lee Crowther
Children's Book and Media Review
In We Are America, Myers and Myers commemorate the United States by sharing stories of America from pre-Columbian times to the present day. The text pairs Walter Dean’s free verse with quotations from America’s history. Christopher’s mural-like illustrations juxtapose events from distinct epochs and locales to highlight the plural nature of the American experience. For the reader who wishes to learn more, the end matter provides further context for the quotations and drawings.
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story Of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, Jess Verzello
The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story Of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, Jess Verzello
Children's Book and Media Review
Benedict Arnold is known for being the first great traitor against the United States of America, but few know he also played a role in saving the American Revolution. Arnold is wild, intelligent, daring, abrasive, and most definitely indelicate. He first led the Americans to victory in defining battles such as at Saratoga and vehemently argued for what he felt would end the fighting. After numerous conflicts with politics and Congress, Benedict Arnold believed the only way to stop the fighting and reinstate peace was to help the British end this terrible war. However, Arnold only met disappointment and resentment …
The Three Musketeers, Carlie Smith
The Three Musketeers, Carlie Smith
Children's Book and Media Review
Though he sets off on his adventure on an embarrassingly yellow horse, the feisty and gallant D'artagnan is determined to find dignity by joining the French king’s special guard, the Musketeers. Initially, his chances seem limited when he challenges the legendary Athos, Porthos, and Aramis to duels his first day, but he later gains their friendship. Together they fight the schemes of Cardinal Richelieu for the king and honor. The foursome become entangled in a plot involving the Queen of France and her English lover, the Duke of Buckingham. D’artagnan falls in love with the queen’s maid Constance Bonacieux, and …
Code Quest: Atlantis: The Search For The Lost City, Aylea Stephens
Code Quest: Atlantis: The Search For The Lost City, Aylea Stephens
Children's Book and Media Review
This code-cracking book lets kids take part of an adventure while learning some non-fiction facts about the lost city of Atlantis. The main character, Amy James, explorer, asks for the reader’s help to put together clues to find out what happened to Atlantis. Amy hides away on the Neptune, a ship in 1885, to find the lost city. When Amy gets caught, she and the captain realize that their same goal might lead them to the lost city. They explore many places and think they found the lost ruins, but a storm prevents them from too much exploration of their …
No Better Friend: A Man, A Dog, And Their Incredible True Story Of Friendship And Survival In World War Ii (Young Readers Edition), Liz Kazandzhy
No Better Friend: A Man, A Dog, And Their Incredible True Story Of Friendship And Survival In World War Ii (Young Readers Edition), Liz Kazandzhy
Children's Book and Media Review
World War II began in the Pacific as a result of Japan’s imperialist desire to conquer its surrounding nations. In 1942, after sweeping through Siam and Malaya, Japanese forces unexpectedly overtook Britain-occupied Singapore. It was at this point that the stories of Frank Williams, a radarman in Britain’s Royal Air Force, and Judy, a loyal and talented pointer, began to collide. Having both been on ships that were attacked by the Japanese, they found themselves stranded for a time until finding a way to journey across the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the city of Padang. Unfortunately for them, Padang …
Cleopatra: Queen Of Egypt, Aylea Stephens
Cleopatra: Queen Of Egypt, Aylea Stephens
Children's Book and Media Review
Many stories are told about Cleopatra and the exciting life she led, but sometimes it is hard to tell fact from fiction. This book is a mix of fictional and nonfictional things about her life. The double spread pages focus on an aspect or event in her life, detailing her birth, childhood, path to becoming a paragraph, falling in love, war, and her final death. Each page also has flaps to include extra details about life in Rome and Egypt at the time of Cleopatra. Each page is covered in illustrations, small paragraphs of text, and usually has a fictional …
The Blackthorn Key, Tessa Mcmillan
The Blackthorn Key, Tessa Mcmillan
Children's Book and Media Review
Several apothecaries have been murdered and apprentice Christopher Rowe fears for the life of his kindly master, Benedict Blackthorn. After a randomly abusive episode with Master Blackthorn, Christopher returns home to find Blackthorn murdered and their shop ravaged. In the midst of the mess, Christopher finds an encrypted note left by Blackthorn. Christopher takes the message and tries to solve its contents with the help of his best friend, Tom. However, the authorities pass the blame of Blackthorn’s death onto Christopher. Now on the run, Christopher unearths Blackthorn’s involvement in a secret alchemist society where they pursue the Prima Materia, …
The Impossible Rescue: The True Story Of An Amazing Arctic Adventure, Tessa Mcmillan
The Impossible Rescue: The True Story Of An Amazing Arctic Adventure, Tessa Mcmillan
Children's Book and Media Review
In September 1897, eight whaling ships get iced-in just off the northern coast of Alaska. Word spreads to the White House of the plight awaiting the 265 marooned whalers. President William McKinley orders the captain of the Bear, a ship in the Revenue Cutter Service, to send three officers overland to gather reindeer herds and drive the animals 1,000 miles to the whalers’ location near Point Barrow, Alaska. Three men are chosen for the mission: First Lieutenant David Jarvis oversees the Overland Relief Expedition, along with Dr. Samuel Call, and Second Lieutenant Ellsworth Bertholf. The icy ocean conditions cause the …
The Ugly One, Liz Kazandzhy
The Ugly One, Liz Kazandzhy
Children's Book and Media Review
Micay is a 12-year-old Incan girl known in her village as “The Ugly One” because of a large scar that runs along the right side of her face. Because of being bullied relentlessly by the boys in the village, she has become secluded and tries to avoid others so as not to shame them with her ugliness. But all that changes one day when a stranger comes to town and gives her the gift of a baby macaw. As the macaw (named Sumac) grows bigger and more handsome (and also occasionally defends Micay from her bullies), Micay also grows in …
Book: My Autobiography, Aylea Stephens
Book: My Autobiography, Aylea Stephens
Children's Book and Media Review
Book: My Autobiography is the story of books as told from the perspective of a unique character, Book itself. Between black and white illustrations and an occasional quote about books, Book describes its history from the days of storytelling before writing was invented to the burning of books. It discusses the invention of paper and the alphabet, the evolution of copying books to the printing press, the development of libraries, and the potential future of books in the digital age. All of these things help provide a broad, simple overview of the history of books, writing, and storytelling.
Bo At Ballard Creek, Sydnee Burr
Bo At Ballard Creek, Sydnee Burr
Children's Book and Media Review
When Mean Millie asked a gold miner for a favor, he had no idea she would hand him a swaddled, blond haired, tiny bundle and recite the name of an Alaskan orphanage. Outside the orphanage gates, the two gold miners who agreed to the task fell in love with the baby's charm, were disappointed by the strict damp look of the place, and enthusiastically decided to raise the child themselves. They named her Bo, and set out on their way to raising a child on the Alaskan frontier.
Beyond Courage: The Untold Story Of Jewish Resistance During The Holocaust, Liz Kazandzhy
Beyond Courage: The Untold Story Of Jewish Resistance During The Holocaust, Liz Kazandzhy
Children's Book and Media Review
If someone thought that Jews went to their deaths “like lambs to the slaughter” during the Holocaust, this book will certainly prove them wrong. From the very beginning when Hitler first introduced anti-Semitic legislature, to the very end when WWII came to a close, Jews throughout Europe resisted physically, mentally, and even spiritually in order to stay alive and put an end to the evil that was being perpetrated around them. This book presents story after story of courage and resistance of Jewish men, women, and even children throughout Europe during the Holocaust. It includes accounts about hiding and fleeing …
Historium, Whitney Troxel
Historium, Whitney Troxel
Children's Book and Media Review
The Historium is an entire museum located in the pages of a book. The first few pages, or entrance to the museum, include a brief explanation of Archaeology and an invitation to learn from the past. The museum features six different galleries: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, The Middle East, and Oceania. Each gallery features a summary of each region, illustrations of artifacts found in those regions, and descriptions of each artifact. There is also a timeline of all the artifacts included in the museum to help visitors visualize what time period the different artifacts came from.
Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories Of Survival, Liz Kazandzhy
Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories Of Survival, Liz Kazandzhy
Children's Book and Media Review
As the title alludes, this book is a compilation of survival stories that are similar to Anne Frank’s. These true stories are told by the survivors themselves, all Jews from the Netherlands, who were forced into hiding during World War II when they were just children. Each recollection is unique, since backgrounds, experiences, and outcomes differed for every individual, but they are bound together by a common culture (both Dutch and Jewish), a tragic history, and themes of courage and kindness of countless people that allowed these children to survive.
A Death-Struck Year, Amy Miner
A Death-Struck Year, Amy Miner
Children's Book and Media Review
A Death-struck Year tells the story of Cleo Berry, a seventeen-year-old Oregon resident who finds herself in the midst of the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918. Based on true events, the devastation affecting hundreds of men, women, and children are experienced through Cleo’s perspective and conscious decisions to leave no one “unattended.” As a child once left behind when both of her parents were killed in a carriage accident, Cleo takes great risks to find and save those too sick to get care. Driven by the events of the influenza occurring over a four-month period, and propelled in her quest …
Soldier's Secret: The Story Of Deborah Sampson, Pat Frade
Soldier's Secret: The Story Of Deborah Sampson, Pat Frade
Children's Book and Media Review
Deborah Sampson wanted more out of life than child rearing and household duties. She wanted to read, to travel, and to have adventures. She never had any desire to be a man, but when her family abandons her and her country needs her, she determines to do everything she can to be able to fight like a man. She enlists in the army to support General Washington in the War for Independence, disguising herself and battling as a young man—and fooling everyone for over a year. She learned the hardships of the War first hand and kept her identity hidden …
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, Pat Frade
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, Pat Frade
Children's Book and Media Review
Killing Lincoln is a non-fiction (though it reads like historical fiction) account of the end of the Civil War, the assassination of Lincoln, and the capture of John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators (time period between March 4, 1865 thru July 7, 1865). The book is divided into 4 parts: total war, the ides of death, the long good Friday, and the chase. Part 1 describes the final days of the Civil War as Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant are locked in battle. John Wilkes Booth is introduced as a Northerner who is a southern sympathizer and is …
Dead End In Novelt, Pat Frade
Dead End In Novelt, Pat Frade
Children's Book and Media Review
Twelve-year-old Jack Gantos has big plans for his summer vacation until he is grounded because of a feud between his parents. He resigns himself to a summer of reading history books and digging a bomb shelter for his dad. His only freedom away from the house is to help his elderly neighbor, Miss Volker. Miss Volker has arthritis in her hands and has an unusual task for Jack—writing and typing the obituaries for the town newspaper. Any time Jack gets nervous, scared or excited, his nose would bleed, which happens quite often. The two make quite the team: Jack driving …
What's New? The Zoo!: A Zippy History Of Zoos
What's New? The Zoo!: A Zippy History Of Zoos
Children's Book and Media Review
Where did zoos come from? This book takes you on a journey through history, from the first zoo 4400 years ago in present-day Iraq, to zoos all around the world that expanded throughout the last several centuries until just recently. Little snippets of zoo history are presented with the year and place of the event as well as illustrations.