All in a Drop by Lori Alexander - ADVISABLE

All in a Drop : How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger, 93 pages. NON-FICTION Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. $18.

CONTENT: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Antony van Leeuwenhock was a self taught scientist. He built his own microscope and studied the living things he found under his lens. Academics like the Royal Society didn't believe his research because he was not well educated, however, once other scientists could replicate his findings, he was made a fellow of the society. Before van Leeuwenhock, people thought the world was only what we could see with our eyes, these discoveries changed everything. 

Alexander's biography is full color illustrated with the occasional captioned photograph. I learned a lot in this short chapter book, perfect for the 3rd to 5th grade reader, and a great STEM connection, but also accessible for middle school students.  What would you look at if you had a microscope? Includes a timeline, glossary and source notes. 

Lisa Librarian

The Day the Universe Exploded My Head by Allan Wolf - ESSENTIAL

The Day the Universe Exploded My Head by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Anna Raff.  POETRY PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2019.  $18.  9780763680251

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Wolf has written and Raff has illustrated a host of very clever poems about the objects, forces, and people in our solar system.  Included are two voice, three voice, and even four voice poems for group performance, but really every poem in here begs to be read aloud, sung aloud, rapped aloud. I can’t imagine a science class that wouldn’t be enhanced by these poems.  And what a great idea for a cross-curricular activity.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by Curtis Manley - ADVISABLE

Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by Curtis Manley, illustrated by Jessica Lanan. NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK.  Roaring Brook (Macmillan), 2019.  $19.  9781250155337

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Since the beginning of recorded history, mankind has wondered if there are other planets with life on them somewhere out in the stars.  How do we search for these planets?  What would life on them look like?

Manley gives us a detailed, but accessible look at the different ways scientists are looking for other planetary bodies throughout space.  Detailed enough that it will work best with older students – any class that discusses space exploration could use this.  The explanations of how the different methods work was very clear – clear enough for this non-scientist to get a good grasp.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Flower Talk by Sara Levine - ESSENTIAL

Flower Talk: How Plants Use Color to Communicate by Sara Levine, illustrated by Masha D’yans. PICTURE BOOK.  Millbrook Press, 2019. $20. 9781541519282 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

A purple cactus has information for us humans.  Flowers’ colors aren’t for us humans to enjoy, they are to signal the pollinators to help them. 

The slightly annoyed tone of the purple cactus is a great voice for this book.  The information is actually relayed very simply and understandably.  I think middle school teachers will like this for science class just as much as elementary teachers.  Wherever they talk about pollination.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks - ADVISABLE

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks, 240 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL Disney Hyperion, 2018 $21.99

Language: PG (5 swears 0 'f'); 

Mature Content: G; 

Violence: PG (blood and guts described) 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Sanity and Tallulah live on a space station with their parents. Sanity is a talented scientist and has (illegally and without permission) bioengineered a kitten with 3 heads named Princess Sparkle, Destroyer of Worlds. But when the kitten escapes, the girls need to search everywhere to find her, because bad things are happening at the space station and it may be the kitten's fault! 

This was an exciting adventure with some interesting twists. While I'm not sure the age of the girls because they dress younger than they act, I think this would be enjoyed by both the elementary and middle school graphic novel readers. Lots of good things to recommend STEM, multicultural, strong girl characters and science fiction! 

 Lisa Librarian 

Goldie Blox Rules the School by Stacy McAnulty - ADVISABLE

Goldie Blox Rules the School by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Lissy Marlin, 124 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Random House, 2017.  $13. 

Language: G (0  swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Goldie’s small school, owned and operated by her mother, has been closed by the mayor due to safety concerns after Goldie accidentally sent the top floor into orbit. After spending just a few days at a new school known as HiBo, Goldie has disastrous encounters with three students and decides she must figure out a way to reopen her mom’s school as soon as possible. By enlisting help from her BFFND Li (best friend from next door) and these same three students (they are the ones most interested in having her leave), Goldie devises a plan that will work only if they pool their expertise. But it doesn’t work out like she, nor her helpers, expect. 

Different ethnic groups are represented by the friends, as well as different STEM skills, such as inventing and computer programming. While this is definitely a chapter book with a straight-forward storyline and uncomplicated characters, it contains lots of outrageous fun as well as moments of honest interactions, and a plot that will keep new readers moving along. Don’t let the fact that this series is based on a line of successful STEM toys scare you away from recommending it widely to your younger or more reluctant readers. 

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian

Goldie Blox and the Three Dares by Stacy McAnulty - ADVISABLE

Goldie Blox and the Three Dares by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by, 120 pages. CHAPTER BOOK. Random House, 2017. $13.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Goldie is always up for a challenge or dare. Next to her favorite thing, which is inventing stuff, this is what she loves the most. One day, after consuming a hot chili pepper, speed-eating an ice cream sundae, and sending her BFFND (best friend from next door) Li soaring on a rocket-powered skateboard of her own design, she is back at her BloxShop (workshop) with her friends, the Gearheads. Rummaging through boxes for some needed materials, she comes upon a locked journal that belonged to her late gran. It lists close to a hundred dares that her grandmother mostly completed. When Goldie learns that her gran wanted to finish the last three before her seventy-seventh birthday, and that this birthday is only three days off, she resolves to finish them in her gran’s place.

This is the second book in the Goldie Blox series. Five have been published since 2017. Similar to the first book in the series, this one features outrageous inventions, a close group of interracial friends, and silly humor. It sure makes inventing, problem-solving, and extreme risk-taking look like loads of fun. Don’t let the fact that the series is based on a successful toy line prevent you from feeling good about giving these to your students. The writing is solid for its intended audience without being completely unbearable for the adult reader as well. 

P. K. Foster, teacher-librarian