Tag Archives: science

Review: What Breathes Through Its Butt by Dr. Emily Grossman

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , , , , , ,
What Breathes Through Its Butt by Emily Grossman and Alice Bowsher

What Breathes Through Its Butt: Mind-Blowing Science Questions Answered
Dr. Emily Grossman
Illustrated by Alice Bowsher
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published November 10, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About What Breathes Through Its Butt

A funny and interactive book that explains the surprising science behind everyday kid questions.

Why is your elbow called your funny bone? How could you escape the grip of a crocodile’s jaw? Which animal can breathe through its butt? This book uncovers the amazing scientific explanations behind all sorts of questions that can pop into our heads. Can an egg bounce? How can a giraffe’s ridiculously long neck contain the same number of bones as a human’s? How much does the Internet weigh? With delightful interactive features that invite readers to guess answers to questions and make links between different scientific concepts, this is a great book for reluctant readers and STEAM lovers alike.

My Review

Okay, so I’m kind of embarrassed that it took me so long to review this book. I received a copy of WHAT BREATHES THROUGH ITS BUTT from the publisher, but I hadn’t asked for it. This past year I’ve really struggled to keep up with reading and posting reviews in ways that I never struggled before between the pandemic, family stuff, and my own health issues. I’m trying to get caught up, though, and so here I am, posting about this book at last.

One of the reasons it took me SO LONG to read this book is that, to be honest, I found the format of it kind of off-putting. The font is more of a handwriting style font and while it’s broken up into different sections with drawings alongside, I felt like it looked chaotic.

Now that I’ve read the book, I think the font choice might have been designed to support the book’s informal, conversational feel, which if true is a cool idea. I just… yeah. For me, it made the book harder for me to read.

Things I Really Liked

Apart from that, though, I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. The conversational style that Dr. Grossman uses kept the pages feeling fun and light. Each section begins with a multiple choice question, like, “How much does the whole of the internet weigh?”, or “Which animal alive today has the strongest bite?” The reader sees four possible answers to pick from, and then the text begins to explore each of the possible answers.

The questions are a bit all over the place, so it’s not a book that focuses on any single topic. There are questions about space, animals, the human body, light, and more.

I’ve never seen a format like this before, but I’m a huge fan now. It made the book feel really interactive, and I found myself invested in reading the answers every time. I thought the illustrations were really fun and cute and definitely matched the tone of the book.

I haven’t read tons of juvenile nonfiction, but of what I’ve read, this book does the best job showing science in action. Each section starts with a question. Then it invites the reader to form a hypothesis. Then it looks at and compares evidence. I’ve never seen a book kind of just DO science the way this one does, and in such a friendly, fun way!

Honestly, I expected to like this book about 25% as much as I actually like it. I’m still not a huge fan of the font choice, but I love the way it makes science accessible and fun. It’s easily the kind of book you can get carried away reading. I think it’s a great pick for a school or classroom library or a budding science lover.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Illustrations show a racially diverse group of kids.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
As you already guessed from the title, this book has some mildly crude language and explores animal behaviors including pooping, burping, and passing gas and the science behind why they happen or their impact on the environment.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of WHAT BREATHES THROUGH ITS BUTT in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Environment: Explore, Create and Investigate by Jonathon Litton

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, , , , , , ,

The Environment: Explore, Create and Investigate
Paul Litton
Illustrated by Pau Morgan
QEB Publishing
Published September 22, 2020

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Environment

THE ENVIRONMENT is a simple first introduction to the environment—the air, soil, water, plants, and animals. How do we as humans slot into the natural world around us and how do our actions affect the environment? What on Earth can we do about it?

The book contains three different types of pages: Explore, Investigate, and Create. This structure provides a child-led and hands-on way for children to learn about the world around them. Create pages consist of fun crafts and activities to give children a chance to play and have fun while learning.

My Review

One of the things I really liked about THE ENVIRONMENT is the broad reach of the information it offers and pairs with experiments and activities. While it covers the basics– how important the environment is, how it’s our home as well as home to plants and animals around us– but also pushes beyond that to talk about things less often discussed, like pollution from the fashion industry.

The only thing that I felt was lacking was more definitions/explanations within the text. For example, there’s a project that’s meant to attract “minibeasts,” and I’m not sure what the term minibeasts means. Later on, there’s a section about the Greenhouse Effect which talks about how it’s just like a greenhouse but doesn’t explain what a greenhouse is.

I think this book would be a great companion to an elementary grade environmental science unit or a really cool book to use as a frame for summer projects, since there are a lot of activities and experiments to support the information in the chapters.

Readers interested in learning about caring for the earth or who enjoy interactive activities will enjoy this book.

If you have slightly older readers looking for information on how humans can cause harm to the environment, I also recommend Trashing the Planet by Stuart A. Kallen.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 6 to 12.

Representation
Illustrations show a diverse group of children interacting with experiments, projects, and the environment.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
One section includes information about an indigenous group in New Zealand who believe rivers and mountains are our relatives.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: The Metric System by David Adler

Book Review and Content, Nonfiction, , , , , ,

The Metric System
David Adler
Holiday House
Published November 3, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About The Metric System

Think metric! A fun illustrated primer on the internationally recognized metric system for kids.

Used in almost every country in the world, the metric system is an easy-to-use way of calculating length, distance, weight, and volume. Look at the label of a soft drink. You’ll see both ounces and milliliters or gallons and liters listed. For kids who love to interact with their environment and measure and build things, knowledge of the metric system is a must.

Filled with do-it-yourself activities, bright illustrations, and valuable kid-friendly information on how to convert inches into centimeters, pounds into kilograms, and much more, this latest from trusted STEM creators David A. Adler and Edward Miller will have kids thinking in metric in no time. Each book includes a ruler with metric and imperial measurements that can be cut out from the jacket flaps.

David A. Adler and Edward Miller have collaborated on over 10 math books for children, many of which have received praise from educators and starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal.

My Review

This is a cute, straightforward book that briefly discusses the history of the metric system and how different types of quantities are measured with the system. The Metric System shows weight, liquid measurements and length or distance measurements as well as how to convert to and from feet, miles, pounds, or ounces into Metric measurements.

It’s a super quick read, and the text encourages kids to follow directions to make a ruler and a box to practice measurements and better understand the concepts. It seems like a great pick to have in a classroom library for a teacher or homeschool family.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 10.

Representation
Characters pictured include a brown-skinned girl and white boy.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of The Metric System in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Mary Underwater
Shannon Doleski
Amulet
Published April 7, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indiebound | Goodreads

About Mary Underwater

Mary Murphy feels like she’s drowning. Her violent father is home from prison, and the social worker is suspicious of her new bruises. An aunt she’s never met keeps calling. And if she can’t get a good grade on her science project, she’ll fail her favorite class.

But Mary doesn’t want to be a victim anymore. She has a plan: build a real submarine, like the model she’s been making with Kip Dwyer, the secretly sweet class clown.

Gaining courage from her heroine, Joan of Arc, Mary vows to pilot a sub across the Chesapeake Bay, risking her life in a modern crusade to save herself.

Mary Underwater is an empowering tale of persistence, heroism, and hope from a luminous new voice in middle-grade fiction.

My Review

Special thanks to Dahlia Adler from LGBTQReads for inviting authors to list their debut novels in a thread on her Twitter account, which I think is how I learned about this book.

The cover and description of MARY UNDERWATER totally had me hooked. I am super interested in stories that show young women and STEM, and a girl building a submarine seemed too cool to pass up.

This book has so many things I love. I love Mary’s character. The way her timidity blossoms into confidence. The celebration of St. Joan of Arc both in her narrative and in biographical snippets between chapters. I love the relationships between Mary and her teachers, Sister Eu and Mr. Fen, and her mentor, Ford. I love the way her aunt steps into her life, building a safe relationship, and encouraging Mary, but also talking straight.

I read MARY UNDERWATER in one sitting because I couldn’t stop. Without meaning to, I pretty much one-more-chaptered myself all the way to the end and I have zero regrets about that. It’s a heartwarming, inspiring story, with a strong, positive representation of both women and faith. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that combination done so well before, and I really, truly loved it.

I think readers who enjoyed THE QUEEN BEE AND ME by Gillian McDunn or CHIRP by Kate Messner absolutely need to read this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Mary’s aunt has a female partner.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
References to cursing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Mary attends a Catholic school and makes lots of references to the nuns praying. She also takes courage from the story of St. Joan of Arc and imagines herself being brave as she was. Mary prays the Hail Mary prayer while distressed.

Violent Content – Possible trigger warning for domestic violence
Mary and her mother have bruises from her father abusing them. The abuse happens off-scene. Her father also breaks something important to Mary and attacks one of her friends. (Both these incidents happen off-scene.)

Drug Content
Mary’s dad drinks a lot of alcohol.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog.

Review: The Queen Bee and Me by Gillian McDunn

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

The Queen Bee and Me
Gillian McDunn
Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Published March 3, 2020

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About The Queen Bee and Me

Meg has been friends with confident, self-assured Beatrix since kindergarten. She’s always found comfort in Beatrix’s shadow—even their families call them Beatrix-and-Meg. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. Upsetting Beatrix means risking The Freeze—or worse.

Meg gets into a special science elective and wants to take the class, no matter what Beatrix thinks. But when quirky new girl Hazel becomes Meg’s science partner, Beatrix sets her sights on Hazel. At first, Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: What’s it really like to be the Queen Bee? And more importantly: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?

My Review

You know how some books have really great layering, where there are things happening between the adults that sort of bleed over into what’s happening with the kids, but the kids don’t always 100% get what’s happening between the adults?

I thought THE QUEEN BEE AND ME showed that kind of layering really well. Meg recognizes some of the pressure and manipulation in the way Beatrix treats her as being the way Beatrix’s mom speaks to others and wonders if Beatrix realizes she’s even copying that way.

Another thing that I really liked was that the message in the story wasn’t, “Beatrix is a bad friend, Meg just needs a new, better friend.” Instead, she has an opportunity to have a new friend, but that doesn’t fix all of what’s become so toxic in her relationship with Beatrix. Meg needs to learn to change how she behaves, not just change who she hangs out with. And I felt like that was a critically important, deeply insightful lesson.

As a mom with kids where there’s a huge age gap, I really appreciated this positive portrayal of a family with a big age gap between kids. I also thought Meg’s relationship with her mom felt very realistic and complex– definitely captured some of the kinds of struggles that can happen between parents and middle school kids.

If you can’t tell, I simply loved this book. I wish I could go back in time and give myself this book in late elementary school. THE QUEEN BEE AND ME is perfect for fans of books by Kate Messner or THE LIST by Patricia Forde.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white. Meg deals with anxiety and specifically a fear of bees that can result in her fainting.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
None. There are a few instances of verbal manipulation and verbal bullying.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support the costs of running this blog. I received a free copy of THE QUEEN BEE AND ME in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

The Gilded Wolves
Roshani Chokshi
Wednesday Books
Published on January 15, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About The Gilded Wolves
Set in a darkly glamorous world, The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence, and dangerous but thrilling adventure.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance.

To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts: An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

My Review
If you’ve read other books written by Roshani Chokshi, you remember the lush magical settings and rich, Indian culture. The unforgettable characters main characters with quirky companions and delicious banter between them.

Gilded Wolves is a whole different kind of story. From the setting in late nineteenth century France to the complex alternate history and magic system, Gilded Wolves took some getting used to for me.

I really enjoyed the characters. There’s something incredible about creating a cast of six with relationships as close and complex and realistic as this group had. I loved the Ocean’s Eleven style heist the group sets up. It created a lot of tension and danger, which kept me turning page after page.

The magic system and politics between the houses of power were a little hard for me to keep track of at first. The prologue and opening chapter felt a bit heavy with history and setting details, but once the real story begins and we meet Séverin and his crew, I found it really easy to connect with them. If you loved the close character relationships and the high stakes of the heist in Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, you want to check out Gilded Wolves.

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Cultural Elements
Séverin and Hypnos have one white parent and one black parent. (They aren’t related.) Laila is from India. Enrique is Spanish and Filipino. Zofia is Jewish and probably on the Autism spectrum, though Gilded Wolves doesn’t label her. The cast includes openly gay and bisexual characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex. Descriptions of kissing between two boys and a boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
Gilded Wolves includes some references to the biblical story of the tower of Babel. It’s not a strict biblical interpretation of the story, though. In Gilded Wolves, when the tower falls, pieces of it remain which contain powerful, civilization-ending magic.

Additionally, four families rule houses of power. Some people have abilities to change the characteristics of objects with magic. Like creating a desk which traps the hands of anyone who touches it besides the owner. One character has the ability to sense the history of an item which hasn’t been magically altered.

One character states that his goal is to become a god and remake the world. He believes that if we are made in God’s image, that makes us gods also.

Another character has an unusual origin and was created using bits of bone and the spirit of a child who’d died.

Violent Content
Séverin describes experiences with his foster parents. One tormented him and his foster brother, even torturing them by using a magic helmet to replay their nightmares. One of his foster fathers died by suicide. One died during a robbery.

Drug Content
Séverin’s foster father drinks wine. Characters drink wine and champagne at parties. Hypnos drinks wine while the team tries to solve a puzzle. He jokes about needing it to help him think.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.