Time for some book love once again! Here are my PB/MG/YA/adult #VickPicks for October! PB: “A gentle tale of inclusion and fairness that children will clearly understand.” (with 4 starred reviews!): TOGETHER WE GROW by Susan Vaught and Kelly Murphy. MG: Gorgeous writing, a captivating story, and again, four starred reviews! This book had me […]
Time for some book love once again! Here are my PB/MG/YA/adult #VickPicks for September! PB: A fabulous book about most important thing we can do for our future–and for our kids: VOTE FOR OUR FUTURE by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player. MG: An extremely important story that deals with abuse in such a thoughtful and […]
Time for some book love once again! Here are my PB/MG/YA/adult #VickPicks for August! Picture Book: The very best book for the end of summer or a new school year or anytime you have to do something a little scary: JABARI JUMPS by Gaia Cornwall. (The illustrations are a master class in perspective!) Middle Grade: […]
Time for some book love! Here are my PB/MG/YA/adult #VickPicks (yes, I just made that up) for July! Picture Book: We adore THE SECRET RHINO SOCIETY by Jonathan E. Jacobs and Samantha Cotterill — and check out this darling printable craft to go with it! Middle Grade: A WISH IN THE DARK, a gorgeous Les […]
Happy December! This is the season when everyone seems to weigh in on the best of everything. There are so many sites and sources listing their favorite books right now that I wanted to put them all in one place. Here are some lists of the best books for young readers (especially middle grade and […]
About the Book: “I bought the milk,” said my father. “I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road.”“Hullo,” I said to myself. “That’s not something you see […]
Science Connection: Colorful Milk Science
Happy December! I’ve decided to spotlight my top ten middle grade and chapter book reads from 2014. (Not all of these books came out in 2014, but all eighty-one MG and CB titles I read for the first time this year were contenders.) Five are highlighted here–the five with (sometimes small) elements of fantasy–and the […]
About the Book: When James accidentally drops some magic crystals by the old peach tree, strange things start to happen. The peach at the top of the tree begins to grow, and before long it’s as big as a house. When James discovers a secret entranceway into the fruit and crawls inside, he meets wonderful new […]
Science Connection: Bug Hunt and Rainbow Science
About the Book: World record fever grips the second grade, and soon Ivy and Bean are trying to set their own record by becoming the youngest people to have ever discovered a dinosaur. But how hard is it to find one? My Two Cents: Ivy and Bean are spunky and clever and appeal to both boys and […]
Related Activities: Making Fossils, Excavation Trivial Challenge, Backyard Book Club Overview
About the Book: One girl. One sketchbook. One week with the world’s most annoying relatives. When Ellie McDougal’s parents go out of town, she’s forced to go on a camping trip with her aunt, uncle, cousins, and baby brother, Ben-Ben. Ellie can handle mosquitos and poison ivy, but sharing a cabin with her crazy relatives? No […]
Related Activities: Sketch Journal, Leaf Hunt