Category Archives: Recommendation

Acadia National Park

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Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Acadia National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.

Leaf gives basic facts and visuals on Acadia National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Acadia National Park was the 6th most visited national park in 2021.

Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how ice breaks down granite (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.

Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Acadia National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).

More information on the Acadia National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Grand Canyon National Park

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Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Grand Canyon National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.

Leaf gives interesting basic facts and visuals on Grand Canyon National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Grand Canyon National Park was the 4th most visited national park in 2021.

Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how river erosion happens (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.

Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Grand Canyon National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).

More information on the Grand Canyon National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Yosemite National Park

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Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Yosemite National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.

Leaf gives interesting basic facts and visuals on Yosemite National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Yosemite National Park was the 8th most visited national park in 2021.

Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how geologic intrusions formed (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.

Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Yosemite National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).

More information on the Yosemite National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Rocky Mountain National Park

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Christina Leaf takes on an impressive undertaking of providing elementary age readers with the who, what, where, when, and why of the Rocky Mountain National Park in 32 pages of color photos and text.

Leaf gives basic facts and visuals on Rocky Mountain National Park while not being a vacation travel advertisement. Rocky Mountain National Park was the 5th most visited national park in 2021.

Leaf includes: plants and animals (p 12-15), history of peoples in the area (p 16-21), how geologic uplift happens (p 8-9), top sites (p 22-23), and perhaps most importantly protecting the park (p24-27) from too many visitors and climate change.

Leaf also includes graphics of 6 Rocky Mountain National Park facts, food web, and a timeline (p28-29).

More information on the Rocky Mountain National Park can be gotten safely through Factsurfer.com..

Submitted for Annette McQueen by Mary Pong

Trapped in Terror Bay: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Franklin Expedition

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Personal rule: a book that starts with a map is going to be great.  Trapped in Terror Bay is no exception to that rule, although it takes some skill and attention to navigate, much like the poor sailors on the lost Franklin expedition to the Arctic.  Written almost in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure, this non-fiction book puts the reader in the doomed shoes of Captain Francis Crozier, sailing through imagined accounts of events onboard the ship, tracking the voyage across the Atlantic, around Greenland and eventually into the maze of ice and islands between the North American continent and the North Pole.  As weather worsens, disease rampages, and nature triumphs over the technology of 1848, the reader explores this tragedy and its mystery in short, engaging chapters.

Within each chapter are subsections that include modern forensic research into the expedition, sidebars about characters, politics, nautical technology, and knowledge from the native peoples who have lived on the Arctic ice since time immemorial.

It took me a while for me to notice subtle changes in fonts, page color or border, or headings to denote these different sections, but once I did I read this like a textbook, skipping around to follow the parts I was interested in, then doubling back to read the sidebars that explained something in the main storyline.  With that in mind, this is a great book to teach some textbook reading skills. Readers will love the inevitable doom, perfectly captured by the author, the fascinating facts and insights into life in the mid-1800’s, and the modern quest to understand the events of the past.

Moon Dark Smile

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A sequel of sorts to Night Shine, this book takes place in a captivating fantasy world with an interesting social structure and engaging magical forces that shape the world and its people.  Characters are vibrant and complex, and I was definitely curious with each chapter to learn more about who or what was at work in the lives of the characters.

Names and gender identity play an important part in the story, and this was often distracting.  I found myself frequently having to flip back to previous chapters to trace a complex name to figure out who a character was or why they were significant, and while I enjoyed the gender-fluid pronouns and descriptions I had trouble tracking who was sword fighting, wielding magic or even simply speaking, sometimes even within a single paragraph. Readers will enjoy the rich magic of this world, the poetic mythology that shapes its cultures, and the unflinching and comfortable representations of LGBTQIA+ characters – but keep a character list handy!

The Noh Family

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The Noh Family by [Grace K. Shim]
Family mysteries, clashing cultures, and long… dramatic… pauses… The Noh Family tells the story of 18-year-old Chloe Chang and her sudden discovery of the Korean family she never knew she had.  The SUPER RICH Korean family she never knew she had.  With all the haunting secrets and plot twists of a K-drama, this book is a fun dive into another culture and the process of becoming an insider while still being an outsider.  Chloe’s struggle to define herself as a young adult is honest and engaging, and the exploration of what love and loyalty within a family really mean is surprisingly sweet and genuine.  Readers will enjoy the Korean language, customs, and foods (yum!), as well as the high fashion, glamorous lifestyles, and insider scoop on the lives of the rich and famous.

Countries of the World: Russia

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By Rebecca Sabelko

Russia covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of the expansive Russian country as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: kasha, pirozhki, and borscht. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.

The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”

Countries of the World: Mexico

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By Monika Davies

Mexico covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of Mexico as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: pozole, chilaquiles, and dulce de leche. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.

The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”

Countries of the World: Japan

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By Rebecca Sabelko

Japan covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. Readers will be interested in the unique animals of the Japanese Islands as well as some of the exotic items the people eat including: miso soup, sushi and sashimi. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.

The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”