Tag Archives: space

Review: I Like Space… What Jobs Are There? by Steve Martin and Tom Woolley

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , ,
I Like Space... What Jobs Are There by Steve Martin

I Like Space… What Jobs Are There? (That’s a Job? Series)
Steve Martin
Illustrated by Tom Woolley
Kane Miller Publishing
Published January 1, 2020

Kane Miller Website | Bookshop | Goodreads

About I Like Space… What Jobs Are There?

Explore a day in the life of 25 people whose jobs involve working with space. While it takes all kinds of jobs to put an astronaut in space, there are also space lawyers and space weather forecasters! Learn how to turn your fascination with space into a career.

For children who have a passion for something but don’t know how they can turn it into a job, this new series helps them along the way.

My Review

As the granddaughter of an engineer who worked for NASA, I grew up watching rocket launches and hearing about some of the projects at Cape Canaveral. It was really fun to read this book and think about the people working there now in some of the careers mentioned in this book.

The book focuses on 25 different career options for someone who likes space. Options include astronaut, space lawyer, computer engineer, technical writer, space weather forecaster, and nutritionist. Some careers work more closely with the public, such as a public affairs officer, planetarium educator, or space center manager. Others, like astrobiologists, astrophysicists, astronautical engineers, neuroscientists, and scientific researchers, depend on higher math and science education and skills.

Each page spotlights a career, giving a sample overview of the person’s day and highlighting the best and worst parts of the job. It also tells what kind of degree or background someone with this job might have.

One feature readers are sure to appreciate is the “Your perfect job match” spread, which shows a visual flow chart with circles asking questions about the reader and offering different career suggestions for different answers. For example, one question asks, “What are your interests and goals?” One possible answer is “helping people.” The chart points these readers to careers like nutritionist, flight surgeon, and neuroscientist. It connects preferences and personality to jobs that utilize those skills, which I love.

Conclusion

I have completely fallen in love with this series. I love that it exposes kids to so many different career options and gives clues about their educational background. This is a great place to start for a kid who is just starting to wonder what jobs are out there and has a larger interest (space or machines or art, etc) and isn’t sure what career options exist in those fields.

Age Recommendation

For readers eight to twelve.

The cartoony style probably makes this better suited to fourth or fifth-grade level, but the pages have so much information that I think older kids would benefit, too.

Content Summary

The pages show inclusive cartoon images of the workers. The astronaut lists the worst part of the job being that they have to wear a special diaper, which takes getting used to.

Additional Titles in the That’s a Job Series

I Like Machines… What Jobs Are There? (Review to Come)

I Like Helping People… What Jobs Are There? (Review to Come)

I Like The Performing Arts… What Jobs Are There? (Review to Come)

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: A Song for the Cosmos by Jan Lower and Gary Kelley

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , , ,

A Song for the Cosmos
Jan Lower
Illustrated by Gary Kelley
Creative Editions
Published August 9, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About A Song for the Cosmos

Blues guitarist Blind Willie Johnson led a hardscrabble life, but in 1977, NASA’s Voyager spacecrafts were launched, each carrying a golden record to introduce planet Earth to the cosmos, and his song “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” became the defining anthem.

Weaving together elements of Johnson’s biography with an account of how a team of astrophysicists, writers, and artists created the golden record for the Voyager mission, Jan Lower and Gary Kelley craft a tale that is itself A SONG FOR THE COSMOS.

Gary Kelley’s compelling, graphic-style art shares the poignancy of Johnson’s life and music. Kelley is an award-winning illustrator. His books include NEXT YEAR, HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS, and VIRGINIA WAS A SPY published by Creative Editions.

My Review

I like the way this book tells these two stories– the story of the Voyager mission, and the biography of Blind Willie Johnson’s life– together. At first I wasn’t sure how well they’d fit together, but I think both the writing style, which I loved, and the artwork pull the stories together to create echoes from one to the other.

The illustrations are striking, at times feeling a little but otherworldly or haunting as they show scenes from Johnson’s life or representations of other records included in the Voyager mission. By the end of the book, I was such a fan of the artwork and the idea of juxtaposing two stories together as one that I had to look up the other books by Gary Kelley. I really want to check out BACH AND THE BLUES: PABLO CASALS AND ROBERT JOHNSON, since it looks a bit similar.

In the back of the book, there’s a more detailed account of Johnson’s life as well as more information about the Voyager’s journeys. You can also find out where to listen to the sounds and music included on the record.

I think this would make a really great addition to a science or music curriculum. Readers who love biographies or music or space history definitely want to check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 9 to 12.

Representation
Offers biographical information about Black singer/songwriter Blind Willie Johnson. Briefly references that greetings in many other languages and music from a variety of cultures are included in the golden record, as it’s purpose was to represent the whole world.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Mentions that Johnson married.

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 this blog. I received a free copy of A SONG FOR THE COSMOS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Book Review and Content, Romance, Sci-Fi, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

The Kindred
Alechia Dow
Inkyard Press
Published January 4, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Kindred

To save a galactic kingdom from revolution, Kindred mind-pairings were created to ensure each and every person would be seen and heard, no matter how rich or poor…

Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.

Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.

Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too. Meeting in person for the first time as they steal a spacecraft and flee amid chaos might not be ideal…and neither is crash-landing on the strange backward planet called Earth. But hiding might just be the perfect way to discover the true strength of the Kindred bond and expose a scandal—and a love—that may decide the future of a galaxy.

My Review

I really enjoyed Alechia Dow’s debut, THE SOUND OF STARS, so I was really excited about reading this book. The first chapter was a bit rough for me. I felt like there was a LOT of worldbuilding that kind of got squeezed into a busy scene, and I didn’t always feel like I understood the connections. Like, it outlined Felix’s connection with the ruling Qadin family, but at that point, I wasn’t sure what exactly that meant. By the end of the first chapter, I wasn’t sure about the book.

In the second chapter, we meet Joy, who is joined to Felix as his Kindred, and shares a connection to him through her mind. I immediately adored her. She’s a bright, determined girl raised on a planet where women’s primary worth comes from their ability to bear children. More than anything, Joy wanted to be seen and valued. I couldn’t help but identify with that.

The storytelling smoothed out a lot from there, too. Felix learns about the assassination just before realizing he’s the number one suspect. Immediately, he sets out to find Joy (whom the authorities will target for her ability to communicate with and locate him) and escape to a place he can set about proving his innocence.

Once that happened, I felt like the story picked up pace and the characters became all the more compelling. I liked their encounters on earth and the way those relationships shaped their decisions going forward.

All in all, I thought this was a super fun read, and I’m glad I had the chance to review it. I think readers who enjoyed WE LIGHT UP THE SKY by Lilliam Rivera will enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Both Joy and Felix have brown skin. Joy identifies as demi-ace. Felix is pansexual. One minor character is gay. Another is nonbinary.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. Brief references to other things.

Spiritual Content
Most people in Felix and Joy’s worlds worship Indigo, a creator god, or Ozvios, a god of chaos.

Violent Content
Battle scenes and some brief descriptions of torture.

Drug Content
Felix drinks a lot of alcohol to numb his feelings. Later, at a party with a lot of teenagers, a girl announces that there’s beer.

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

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

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Nonfiction, , , , , , , , , ,

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 Captain’s Daughters by Doreen Berger

Book Review and Content, Middle Grade 8-12, Sci-Fi, , , , ,

The Captain’s Daughters
Doreen Berger
Published April 16, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Captain’s Daughters

For most adolescents, growing up is hard enough when one has both feet planted firmly on the ground. But for mischievous, twelve-year-old sisters Diane and Robin, life is complicated further by the fact that their father, Captain William Marsh, is the commander of the Starship Polaris. Living among the stars provides a never-ending realm of creative possibility for the free-spirited girls’ pranks and adventures.

When aliens bent on profit and revenge kidnap Diane and Robin, only their indomitable spirit, ingenuity, and a common love of trouble allow the pair to escape the alien vessel. Finding their way home seems assured until the sisters realize they have been taken further from home then they could ever have imagined, and that they must evade an enemy who will stop at nothing to get them back into his evil clutches. Blocked by interstellar battles, malevolent creatures, and overwhelming obstacles, the sisters fear they may never find a way to return to their own universe and to the father they love.

“A cozy family adventure…” — Kirkus Reviews

My Review

I liked that the two girls, Diane and Robin were quirky and fun and full of mischief. The relationship they share with their dad, Captain Marsh, is really sweet, too. Though they’re close with their dad, they’re also pretty independent and free-spirited.

The writing style really fits middle grade literature, so I felt like that was really spot-on. One thing I struggled with, though, was that there were not that many scenes from Robin and Diane’s perspective. I think the majority of the scenes were from Captain Marsh’s perspective, and after a while it felt more like his story to me.

I also struggled with a couple of the plot elements– one is difficult to describe without spoilers, but based on the story’s setup, I don’t think one of the critical information-gathering moments would have been possible. So that hung me up a bit, too.

On the whole, though, I thought it was really cool to see a sci-fi story for middle grade readers. That’s something I haven’t seen done very often, so I think that’s super cool. Apart from the hiccups I experienced, I enjoyed reading THE CAPTAIN’S DAUGHTERS. The writing style and the fun characters made it a pretty easy read.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Not a lot of race details given.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
The story explores the idea of parallel universes.

Violent Content
Some brief descriptions of physical altercations. Situations of peril. Descriptions of children being kidnapped. Vague reference to a man who wants children for unsavory reasons.

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 THE CAPTAIN’S DAUGHTERS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Last of Her Name by Jessica Khoury

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

Last of Her Name
Jessica Khoury
Scholastic Press
Published February 26, 2019

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Goodreads

About Last of Her Name

Sixteen years ago, rebellion swept the galaxy known as the Belt of Jewels. Every member of the royal family was murdered–down to their youngest child, Princess Anya–and the Union government rose in its place. But Stacia doesn’t think much about politics. She spends her days half-wild, rambling her father’s vineyard with her closest friends, Clio and Pol.

That all changes the day a Union ship appears in town, carrying the leader of the Belt himself, the Direktor Eminent. The Direktor claims that Princess Anya is alive, and that Stacia’s sleepy village is a den of empire loyalists, intent on hiding her. When Stacia is identified as the lost princess, her provincial home explodes into a nightmare.

Pol smuggles her away to a hidden escape ship in the chaos, leaving Clio in the hands of the Union. With everything she knows threading away into stars, Stacia sets her heart on a single mission. She will find and rescue Clio, even with the whole galaxy on her trail.

My Review

Okay, wow. I really wanted to read this book after reading and loving FORBIDDEN WISH by the same author. It’s so different, though, that I kept hesitating to read it, but I’m glad I finally jumped into LAST OF HER NAME

I think my favorite part is the story world. The belt of planets named for jewels with different environments and different humans adapted to life on those planets made it seem really believable and unique. It felt like Star Wars meets Anastasia, and I loved that.

Some parts of the story felt a little slow to me, especially toward the middle of the book. I felt like it took a long time for Stacia to come into her own and begin to make strategic moves and become an active player in her story. Early in the story especially, she seemed to look to others a lot for what to do. I think I really got hooked on the book once she began to take charge and make decisions herself.

On the whole, though, I think the characters are really memorable and well-developed. I loved the way Stacia ended up with a team around her, and I loved each of those characters. I think fans of Claudia Gray’s DEFY THE STARS and Beth Revis’s ACROSS THE UNIVERSE will want to read LAST OF HER NAME.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Stacia is white and human. Other characters are adapted humans (some have horns or can manipulate gravity or have other abilities) and face prejudice from unadapted humans.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Intense kissing between a boy and girl while they lie side by side on a bunk. Two minor female characters appear to have romantic feelings for one another.

Spiritual Content
Space travel is based on the use of a prism, which contains energy. Each prism is connected to other prisms.

Violent Content
Some scenes show characters being executed by military personnel. Some scenes imply that torture or execution happens off-scene. Situations of peril occur throughout.

Drug Content
Some adults consume alcohol.

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 LAST OF HER NAME in exchange for my honest review.