Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow
About the Book: Jacob Wonderbar is used to detentions, but when a spaceship crashes near his house, he finds himself in a whole new level of trouble. After swapping a corn dog for the ship, he and his two best friends, Sarah Daisy and Dexter, take off on a madcap adventure. They accidentally cause an epic […]
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Drum Talking
In Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, Steven is crazy about drumming. Rhythm and percussion are great ways to express yourself, and not just if you’re a pro like Steven! I asked my fabulously talented friend Chelsea Gardner (who happens have a degree in music therapy) to give us a guest post this week, and she came […]
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Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie
About the Book: Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven’s world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with […]
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Snow Treasure
About the Book: In the bleak winter of 1940, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lindstrom’s tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated–until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars […]
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The Science of Ice
In Matthew Kirby’s Icefall, there is an abundance of ice. It become almost a character, sealing the fjord, groaning and growing, and it certainly plays a tremendous role in the climax of the book. And there’s no shortage of ice in Mr. Popper’s Penguins either! Let’s take a look at ice from a scientist’s perspective and explore some of […]
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Magnifying Glass Magic
In The Magic Half, Miri uses a magic lens to put things right. In this science activity, we’ll explore with a not-so-magic lens called a magnifying glass, then use our lens to turn a picture upside-down and backwards! Materials needed: magnifying glass white piece of paper or card stock computer or TV screen in a dark room First, examine your […]
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The Not-So-Alien Language
Today we’re taking a break from science activities and doing a language activity! Rosalyn Eves, a talented writer and an English professor, is here to teach us why the alien language in What Came From the Stars might not be as alien as you think… One of first things I notice about Gary Schmidt’s novel What Came From the […]
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The Magic Half
About the Book: Miri is the only single child in the middle of a family with two sets of twins–older brothers and younger sisters. When the family moves to an old farmhouse Miri accidentally travels back in time to 1935 only to discover Molly, a girl in need of a real family to call her own. […]
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Mr. Popper’s Penguins
About the Book: The Poppers unexpectedly come into possession of a penguin, then get a penguin from the zoo who mates with the first penguin to have 10 baby penguins. Before long, something must be done before they eat the Poppers out of house and home! A classic of American humor, this story of a gentle […]
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Weight and Mass
I have a feeling Ramona Quimby grew up to be a scientist. Here are a couple of reasons why: If Ramona drank lemonade through a straw, she blew into the straw as hard as she could to see what would happen. “Ramona, what did you have to go and do a thing like that for?” Beezus demanded […]