THE HUMAN BODY: AN ALIEN'S GUIDE: A Graphic Novel Review by Guest Blogger Brooke Leela-Ann White

The human body… more like the heroic body!

The Human Body: An Alien’s Guide, written by Ruth Redford and illustrated by Leandro Cunha, is a graphic novel about human biology. This book features two aliens, Zag and Zog, who go on an adventurous mission to learn about the human body. 

I read it to my 5-year-old brother, Noah-Austin.

 REVIEW

I recommend this book for kids in grades 3-4 since it is interesting, fun, and an easy read. Zag and Zog break down the human body into percentages:

“The alien has three big eyes and the other guy looks like an oval!”- Noah-Austin White

The aliens fly through seven systems of the body on their spaceship.

In the skeletal system, the curious aliens learn about the bones of the body, cartilage, how bones can heal themselves, and the joints' functions. 

I taught Noah-Austin about his funny bone.

In the muscular system, Zag and Zog learn about the different types of muscles and their location.

 

“Why is an alien in the body? They should be on the moon right now!”

- Noah-Austin White

 

Zog talks like an alien: "That’s it? Do they ever just feel zorpy?” he says when the two learn how many muscles the face uses.

The two aliens discover the nervous system and learn about electric signals sent to the brain notifying the brain what action it needs to perform. They also discuss how nerves are needed in different places for different movements.

In the circulatory system, these cool little monsters learn about blood, blood cells, germs, blood vessels, arteries, the heart, and blood clots.

 

The cells mistake them for enemies and start to attack them! Luckily, the extraterrestrials escape. 

In the immune system, they learn about oxygen, carbon dioxide, lungs, mucus, viruses, and, infected cells. But real trouble awaits in the digestive system. 

“The stomach mush looks like poop.”-Noah-Austin White

In the digestive system, the one-eyed and three-eyed aliens are educated about the process of how the body digests food, the small intestine, the large intestines, feces, heartburn, stomach ache, urination, infections, and lots more! Then, the aliens start to get trapped by the stomach acid made when the human experiences heartburn, but they find a way out (phew!) without any chaos, or digestion drama in the mix.

      ”Why does he have so many arms?” Noah-Austin asked.

Lastly, in the endocrine system, the spacelings learn about puberty, hormones, the pituitary gland, the pineal gland, the parathyroid, the thymus gland, the pancreas, the adrenal glands, and the thyroid glands. I had no idea these were such things--I can’t even pronounce them! The octopus-like aliens also discover how emotions affect hormones.

I find this story fascinating because the facts are formatted in a way that’s easy to understand. This story differs from other biology books because it is a graphic novel and kid-friendly. I also enjoyed how in each system the aliens don’t only learn about the parts of the body, but they also have an adventure/exploration!

I recommend THE HUMAN BODY: An Alien's Guide to any kid who wants to learn about human biology. I love this book because it helped me learn a lot of important information quickly. The illustrations helped me better understand what the parts of the body look like, and the cartoony art style gave it a fun feel. 

Brooke Leela-Ann White is an 11-year-old 5th grader who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has written two books, “ Cupcake the Lying Unicorn” and “Cookie Cat and the Tagalongs”. When Brooke isn’t reading or writing you’ll probably spot her sewing, scootering, swimming, or studying. This is Brooke’s fourth book review, She has been dreaming about becoming a book reviewer ever since she could read!

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in adding this book to your home or school library, leave me a comment by March 19. If you are new to my blog, make sure you leave your email address. If you are a new subscriber to my blog or an educator or librarian, I'll put your name in twice. 

Don't forget to check out Greg Pattridge's great MMGM blog every Monday!  

STELLA: A Middle Grade Book Review by Guest Blogger, Josie Murdock + A Giveaway

REVIEW

Stella (Shadow Mountain, September 2022) is the story of a security service dog with trauma issues. Due to an error while sniffing out bombs at an airport, Stella’s handler was tragically killed in an explosion. Stella survived but is now afraid of everything. A kindly trainer takes her home and entrusts her to the care of her own daughter, Cloe. 

Cloe suffers from epilepsy, but she and Stella form a bond of love and trust. Stella gets a chance to help protect Cloe when some unscrupulous neighbor boys light firecrackers and start a forest fire. When Cloe has a seizure and is in severe danger, Stella comes to her rescue. She finds a new purpose in being Cloe’s medical service dog as well as her friend.  

I really enjoyed this book because the story was well paced and very exciting.  The characters were both believable and relatable. I loved how the story was told from a dog’s perspective, but it was still easy to read and never got confusing. The book deals with some very serious and intense topics without sugar-coating them. It speaks carefully and thoughtfully about these issues.    

The book was very sad. Although it does have a good and happy ending, the events described were quite serious, and might even be considered a little frightening for younger readers. It is important however  for kids to understand these grown-up topics like death, illness, bullies, forest fires, emotional pain, and loss.  I benefitted from discussing some of the issues the book brought up with my older siblings and my mom.  

I would absolutely recommend this book for anyone who wants an engaging, easy-to-read story.  Stella teaches many important lessons in words appropriately geared towards a younger audience.  This book would also make an excellent read-aloud for a group discussion or with a trusted adult. The author includes some excellent questions for further discussion.   

    

Josie Murdock is 10-years-old and lives with her family on a research farm in South Carolina.  She is homeschooled and loves reading, drawing, and foxes.  This is her first time writing a book review.   

 

 

GIVEAWAY 

I am giving away McCall Hoyle's debut lower middle grade through the July issue of Talking Story. To enter, please leave a comment with your name and email address or email me and I'll enter your name. The giveaway ends July 28. PLUS: If you leave a comment here AND through the newsletter, I'll enter your name twice! U.S. addresses only. 

Congratulations to Dannielle Hammelef who won Franz's Phantasmagorical Machine. 

PREORDER

As I mentioned before, authors really appreciate pre-orders! 

Here's the book trailer and a video of McCall speaking about empathy.

Make sure you check out other MG books on Greg Pattridge's blog.

 

 

  

UPSIDE DOWN MAGIC -Part II by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta

In May Elliott Kurta reviewed the first four books in the lower middle grade series, Upside Down Magic. In this post, he shares his thoughts on the second four books written by Sarah Mlynoski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins.

If you missed the first part, you can find it here. This is Elliott's introduction to the series: 

"The Upside-Down Magic series spreads a message of positivity and acceptance by using magic as an analogy for individuality. Perfect for upper elementary and middle-school students, these novels capture a fifth-grade class as they make friends, confront bullies, and define themselves in today’s world. Each book features the protagonist, Nory, and one of her friends."

REVIEW

With four new additions to their series, Mlynowski, Myracle, and Jenkins continue to explore each of the eight students of the UDM (Upside Down Magic) class, with each book bringing in a new character’s perspective. As the UDM class’s magic begins to grow stronger, their adventures begin to grow more and more spectacular. In the second half of the Upside-Down Magic series, Nory and her friends become more audacious. A school protest, invisible owls, a skunk stampede, a magically salvaged parade, and, finally, a new student will bring the friends even closer.

Weather or Not (Book 5)

            Nory’s excited to celebrate Bing Day, a holiday dedicated to Zeponiah Bing, a town hero. The class is being grouped into pairs to make their Bing Day presentations. But when Nory is paired with Willa, her happy mood evaporates. Willa and Nory are complete opposites; Nory is friendly and loud, while Willa is shy and quiet and, in Nory’s opinion, a crybaby. Willa’s equally upset about who she’s been partnered with, but for a different reason. Nory’s been mean to her ever since Willa started spending time with Nory’s best friend, Elliott. Willa’s getting tired of how Nory’s been controlling their project and mocking her magical flare-ups. With Bing Day at stake, can Nory learn to be a better friend and can Willa learn how to manage her emotions? Or, will their fighting ruin the celebration for everyone?

 

The Big Shrink (Book 6)

            In The Big Shrink, Nory and Marigold team up to make big changes. Marigold’s powers are upside-down, even for the UDM class. She has the ability to shrink things, but can’t make them big again. Fortunately, her teacher, Ms. Starr, may have found a solution. Marigold’s excited to meet her new tutor, who also has shrinking magic. Unfortunately, Layla Lapczynski isn’t the ideal tutor. She’s irresponsible and reckless, but Marigold is too mesmerized by her new tutor’s rebellious nature to notice. Meanwhile, Nory’s discovered a wonderful new toy: Dreggs! Short for dragon-eggs, Dreggs are plastic eggs that release a tiny dragon when squeezed. When Nory goes to bring her Dreggs to school, she realizes that the principal has banned all Dreggs. With Marigold’s help, Nory starts a protest; the UDM class is going to hold a shrink-in! While Marigold is at first delighted to cause some change, she quickly realizes that things might have gotten out of control.

 

Hide and Seek (Book 7)

            Lately, Nory’s been conflicted. Last year, she failed to test into Sage Academy, where her father is the headmaster. But last week, Nory was offered the chance to retake her entrance exam and she passed! But Nory’s grown to love her new friends, and she doesn’t know if she wants to leave. Luckily, a happy coincidence gives Nory the opportunity to sample both worlds. As a blizzard storms through town, damaging Dunwiddle middle school, the entire UDM class will have to continue learning to control their magic at Sage Academy for a week. But Sage Academy is full of ordinary students who have never seen Upside-Down Magic. How will the UDM class readjust? For Nory, this trip is just another reminder of how Sage will never measure up to Dunwiddle. Her friend Elliott, on the other hand, is excited to be a part of Sage. The Flare teacher, Dr. Vogel, has been helping Elliott work on his Upside-Down magic. Each day, Elliott’s magic seems to be getting stronger and stronger. Nory’s magic, however, has been acting differently since she arrived at Sage. Coincidence? Now, Elliott is determined to find a way to stay at Sage, while Nory will stop at nothing to get herself expelled. And she already has a plan…

 

Night Owl (Book 8)

Big Night is here! Nory is ready to celebrate the longest night of the year by having a sleep-over at Dunwiddle Middle School, where she’ll make her Big Night resolutions. And, of course, she is looking forward to participating in the main event: a school-wide scavenger hunt. Even more exciting is the prize to the scavenger hunt—a key to a secret room in Dunwiddle Middle School. Divided into two teams, the UDM class is determined to win, one way or another. Sebastian, now a rival teammate, is ready to win the scavenger hunt. His magic lets him see invisible things, like soundwaves. That’s perfect for a scavenger hunt! But his teammates are too busy leaving the actual work to him to take advantage of his powers. As the night goes on, Sebastian’s head is beginning to hurt from too many loud noises. His magic has been getting stronger and more annoying, but none of his teammates are concerned about him. Meanwhile, Nory doesn’t understand why none of her teammates understand that they have to win. With all of the fifth grade competing for access to the secret room, Nory and Sebastian will have to make things right with their teams before they can win the scavenger hunt. Finally, an unforeseen element will make Big Night even more exciting: next semester, a new student will join the UDM class!

                                        *****

Remember to stop by Greg Pattridge's MMGM blog post on Monday for more MG reviews.

 

UPSIDE DOWN MAGIC- Part I by Guest Blogger, Elliott Kurta

Please welcome back Elliott Kurta with his evaluation of an 8-book series by Sarah Mlynoski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins.

        

REVIEW

    The Upside-Down Magic series spreads a message of positivity and acceptance by using magic as an analogy for individuality. Perfect for upper elementary and middle-school students, these novels capture a fifth-grade class as they make friends, confront bullies, and define themselves in today’s world. Each book features the protagonist, Nory, and one of her friends. Read ahead for a review of the first four books, and be sure to come back later for a review of the remaining four!

 

Upside-Down Magic (Book 1)

            

      Upside-Down Magic follows Eleanor Boxwood Horace, aka Nory, as she tries to control her magic. Nory is a Fluxer, one of five types of magical abilities, which means she can turn into different animals. However, unlike most fluxers, Nory doesn’t turn into one animal at a time. Her kitten, which is the first form young Fluxers learn, often ends up being half-beaver, half-goat, or on one memorable occasion, half-dragon. Nory’s father has been waiting for Nory’s chance to test into Sage Academy, where he happens to be the headmaster. So, when Nory flunks the entrance exam for Sage Academy, her world crumbles around her. Her father isn’t speaking to her, and her brother and sister don’t want to be seen with her.

In a whirl, Nory is sent to live with an aunt and finds out she’s going to a different school, one that offers a special program for kids who are “wonky” like her. As Nory readjusts to her new life, she realizes that the Upside-Down magic, or UDM program, isn’t that bad. Ms. Starr, her teacher, doesn’t mind Nory’s mixed-up transformations, and neither do her classmates. Still, Nory feels ashamed of her magic. When she tries to test out of her UDM class along with a classmate, Nory thinks she has a shot at being “normal”. However, a prank that ends with one of her classmates in danger convinces Nory that wonky doesn’t mean worse and normal doesn’t mean better.

 

Sticks and Stones (Book 2)

Nory is happy at the Dunwiddle Magic School, and she loves her new friends. Unfortunately, not all of her classmates feel the same way. Lacy Clench has had it out for the Upside-Down Magic class since one of their students shrank her to the size of a doll for a few hours. And now, she’s started a petition to end the Upside-Down magic program! Worse, objects all over the school have been turning to stone, and fingers are being pointed at the UDM class. The most likely culprit, Bax, has Upside-Down magic that makes him flux into a boulder when he’s mad or stressed. But Bax has his own things to worry about, and he’s already tired of all the accusations.

While the suspicion builds, Nory decides to join the Kittenball team, where her advanced fluxing means she might have a chance to be good at something. Her classmates have agreed to attend her first-ever Kittenball game. However, Nory’s friends are anxious about keeping their magic under control in front of a large, noisy stadium. With Lacy’s petition gaining interest, a mysterious plague of objects turned to stone, and the incoming Kittenball match, the UDM class needs to shape up, and fast!

 

Showing Off (Book 3)

The Dunwiddle Show Off is here, and Nory is excited to perform with her classmates! The Show Off is a school-wide talent show, and the other fifth-grade classes have already picked out their acts. None of the UDM kids can agree on a performance, and they’re considering opting out. 

Nory has other plans. Her father has decided to visit for the first time and chose the weekend of the Show Off.  Nory sees the trip as the perfect opportunity to convince her father that she can come back home and go to a normal school. Unfortunately, one of Nory’s classmates doesn’t share her enthusiasm. Pepper, whose upside-down magic makes every animal nearby deathly afraid of her, is worried that performing will just cause trouble. Ms. Starr, the UDM teacher, has been teaching Pepper how to pause her magic. Still, Pepper isn’t sure that she can hold her magic off while her friend, Nory, fluxes into a flamingo for the musical performance. Will Pepper be able to control her powers, or will she ruin Nory’s chance at impressing her father?

 

Dragon Overnight (Book 4)

 

Nory is ecstatic to take a field trip to Dragon Haven, a dragon rehabilitation center. She’ll get three days off of school, and those three days will be spent petting dragons and eating smores with her friends! But even before Nory and her friends get to Dragon Haven, things go awry. Andres, whose upside-down magic makes him float upwards permanently, is almost left behind. Once Nory and the rest of the class arrive safely at Dragon Haven, they discover something that might ruin their field trip: another school will be visiting at the same time as them. The Sage Academy, where Nory’s father is the headmaster, will be next to the UDM class at every turn. While Nory is thrown off-kilter by her father, she’s still determined to enjoy the dragons. Soon, Andres’ desire to impress the kids from Sage Academy ends up putting him in danger, while Nory’s obsession with dragons ends up endangering a young hatchling.

You can find some classroom activities here. Recommended by the publisher (Scholastic Kids) for ages 8-12. 

JUST BETWEEN SAM AND ME: A Review and Giveaway

 Congratulations to Susan Rice who won Memoirs of a Tortoise from last week's blog.

                                                            ******

Ever since August, I've been sharing Cat Michaels and Rosie Russell's co-publishing journey. Now, it's time to review this novel for 8-12-year-old girls and for you to win a copy of Just Between Sam and Me! 

REVIEW

Right from the beginning, the reader discovers the reason for the title.  As Olivia opens a brand new journal and starts pouring out her feelings about sixth grade, she writes as if she is talking to her cat, Sam. At the end of the first chapter she writes, "Remember Sam, it's just between you and me."

On the first day of school, Olivia meets the new girl, Candace, who makes it clear that she thinks Olivia's town of Spring Hope should be re-named Spring Hopeless. Although Olivia is put off by Candace's spangly sequined jacket and fancy phone, she has more empathy for her when she discovers Candace's realtor father works all the time, her parents are divorced, and she recently lost her beloved grandmother.

But problems start. Olivia, Candace, and Isabella, Olivia's BFF, string bracelets that Olivia plans to sell to save money to buy a new halter for her horse, Star, at the next Spring Daze competition.  Soon after Olivia consigns the bracelets, the ones which Candace made break.  The weak ties of friendship between the two girls fall apart too. 

The tension between the two girls escalates and Candace starts bullying Olivia. She begins doubting herself and her friendship with Isabella but refuses to confide her fears to anyone--except to Sam.

Springtime brings Spring Daze and an essay contest. When Candace makes fun of Olivia's essay, their teacher steps in. "We have zero tolerance in this school for children who make fun of others or who are cruel in any way." Although Olivia appreciates her teacher's kindness, she refuses to snitch and reveal all the ways Candace has been tormenting her.

She finally divulges Candace's bullying to Isabella. "I figured if I didn't talk about them [the mean notes she had received], it would be like they weren't real and never existed."

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Olivia finally confronts Candace. Although she feels like blowing up, she realizes that she would end up sounding as mean as Candace. Instead, she quietly tells her, "No more lying. No more bullying. I've had it with you, Candace. Everyone is on to you. You won't have any more friends in Spring Hope unless you stop."

It takes a tornado tearing through the town for Olivia to learn a lesson about priorities and for the truth to come out about Candace. 

My other favorite part is the last chapter. But, no spoilers here. Buy this book for the 8-12-year-old reader in your life and read it with her. I think you'll agree that Sam is the real Star of the show. 

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

The back matter not only includes directions for making friendship bracelets and a recipe for queso dip (mentioned in the book) but also excellent notes to the reader about ways to handle bullying and websites for more information.

GIVEAWAY

To enter this giveaway, please leave me a comment or send me an email. If you are new to my blog, make sure you leave me your email address. U.S. residents will receive an autographed copy; overseas residents will receive the e-book. Giveaway ends at 6 PM on Friday, December 4. For an extra chance to win the book, share my blog on social media or start following my blog. Just let me know which you do in the comments. 

Cleo Edison Oliver in Persuasion Power: A Review and Giveaway

Cleopatra Edison Oliver is a fifth grade force to be reckoned with. Her superpower is the art of persuasion and she is convinced that she can not only create and market personalized hair clips ("Tell the world who you are!") to every girl in her grade, she's sure that her idol, talk show host, Fortune A. Davies, will endorse her. Following the pervious book, CLEO ADDISON OLIVER: PLAYGROUND MILLIONAIRE, PERSUASION POWER by Sundee T. Frazier (Scholastic Books, 2017) will appeal to 4th-6th grade girls.  

In one of the initial scenes Cleo's teacher, Mr. Boring, rebukes her for not focusing on their language arts lesson. Cleo admits that she can't imagine how metaphors or similes could be useful. Mr. Boring points out she used a metaphor in the ad copy for her passion clips. Like an inside joke, for the rest of the book Sundee Frazer sprinkles flavorful similes and metaphors into Cleo's thoughts and speech. For example, when Cleo thinks about another girl who became quickly popular she thinks, "The girl was all whipped cream and no pudding." 

Although this is a book about how Cleo translates her passion for hair clips into big sales, it is equally about Cleo wanting to find her birth parents. 

Her parents loved her. A lot. And yet lately she'd felt a growing desire to know more about her birth parents. To have a relatives list of her own. To see herself in her family. To have some clues about what she might look like all grownup. (p.73)

The author uses an apt simile to describe Cleo's feelings about her adoption: 

She had her parents. But something else--a gnawing, like hunger, except it wasn't in her stomach--told her that something was missing. She just wanted to know: Did they [her birth parents] remember her, wonder about her too? (p.82)

Cleo comes up with a foolproof plan to find her birth mom. She'll become a "kidpreneur" on Fortune's show, her birth mom will see her and contact her. When her mother warns against getting her hopes up too high, 

Cleo lets the words slide off her like grease on a non-stick pan. She was a seed in dirt, a dog chasing a scent, a dentist with a scaler! Nothing--not even her overly cautious mom--could stop her from trying to reach Fortune. (p.107)

Despite anxiety over meeting her birth father, she tells him, "I'm a girl with big dreams who won't let anything stop her. I may be young, I may be small, but I'm as persistent as the Itsy-Bitsy Spider." Her birth father gets a funny look on his face and she's worried that she said something wrong until he says, "That's exactly how I was when I was your age."

Suddenly, she was flinging her arms around his middle and hugging him as hard as she could. His arms hovered above her, then slowly he embraced her, ...and the feeling of her birth dad's arms around her mingled together and became a memory she would never forget--a coin in the piggy bank of herself that she would never, ever spend. (p. 228)

And even though Cleo never appears on Fortune's television show, the ending leaves the reader with a satisfied smile. I have just two points of critique. As much as I enjoyed this fast-paced contemporary novel, I would have liked if better if Caylee, Cleo's "business partner" was a little more developed and provided more push-back. It seemed as if Caylee was always hard at work creating the passion clips and worried over Cleo taking on more orders than they could manage--but there didn't appear to be consequences of Cleo's choice to turn over the majority of the "manufacturing" to her best friend. Similarly, Cleo spends a lot of class and homework time daydreaming about her business passions without any  consequences to her grades. 

This book will entertain the lower middle grade crowd and I have a paperback copy to give away. (My apologies in advance; the book arrived from the publisher with creases in the cover.) Leave me a comment by May 26 and your email address if you are new to my blog, and I'll enter your name in the giveaway. It would be a great book for your daughter, granddaughter, or to add to your classroom library.