Poetry Builders: Ana and Adam Build an Acrostic by Victoria Peterson-Hilleque, illustrated by Winifred Barnum-Newman Ana and Adam Build an Acrostic is part of the Poetry Builders Series to teach kids about all sorts of poetry types. This one, by Victoria Peterson-Hilleque, focuses on acrostics. These poems take a word and use each letter of […]
Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood is a kid’s historical fiction novel about the sinking of the SS City of Benares by a German U-Boat. Among the passengers were children being sent from London to Canada to keep them safe from the bombings. We see the story through the eyes of a survivor, 13yr old Ken […]
Sharky Malarkey by Megan Nicole Dong is a random collection of sketches and cartoons divided into several chapters. Chapter One was called ‘Malarky’ and consisted of bizarre stream of consciousness-like sketches of people in odd situations, and/or doing odd things. The second chapter is ‘A Shark in Los Angeles, a series of cartoons about Bruce […]
Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel is a darkly magical re-imagining that fuses two great classics- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice– into a seamless narrative. A chance encounter between Mary Bennett and Victor Frankenstein sets in motion a series of relationships that will leave them both forever changed. Victor is travelling […]
The Ultimate Guide to Chakras by Athena Perrakis is a beautiful, in-depth guide to learning to work with your chakra system. In addition to the seven well-known physical chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, crown), Perrakis includes two others that I found fascinating- the Earth Star and Soul Star chakras. These two, […]
Atlas of the Unexpected by Travis Elborough is broken into several sections, helping to define the strange and unusual aspects of the sites mentioned. Each site is accompanied by black and white photos. ‘Accidental Discoveries’- includes places such as Cahokia and Pompeii. The latter, of course, is the famed city in Italy buried by the […]
30 Animals That Share Our World collated by InkThinkTank Chock-full of fascinating facts, 30 Animals That Share Our World takes a look at a variety of animals in the world around us such as spiders, horses, cats, and more. Each essay is written by a different author, providing a host of different ‘voices’ to engage […]
Rosario’s 500 Words or Less is a poignant, raw look into the heart of one young woman’s senior high school year. Told entirely through free verse poetry, Nic Chen’s story is one of unbearable loneliness and devastating loss. Two years ago, Nic and her best friend Ben became more than just friends. In one drunken […]
Pause, Breathe, Smile by Gary Gach offers a simple, yet highly effective method for cultivating mindfulness wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing. It’s as simple as the title says, taking time to pause, breathe deep, and smile. This is a beneficial tool alone, and Gach teaches how to turn it into […]
Worry Says What? by Allison Edwards is an adorable picture book for kids about anxiety and how to deal with it. Worry is a fluffy monster who lives in the mind, and Whispers fretful things like ‘you can’t do this’ or ‘people don’t like you’. The more you listen options worry, the bigger it gets. […]
