Book Blitz and Givaway: The Law of Cavities (Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad #3) by Valerie Tripp

 

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Meet the characters, watch the book trailer and check out the Educator and Reader's Guides on the series website here!

The S.M.A.R.T. Squad is back to tackle more middle school mayhem with science, technology, engineering, math, and friendship!

In this third book in the S.M.A.R.T. Squad series, best friends Izzy Newton, Allie Einstein, Marie Curie, Charlie Darwin, and Gina Carver set out on a mystery-filled Outdoor Adventure Camp experience.

Now that Izzy’s finally found her voice in public speaking class and become an ice hockey star, she’s determined to conquer her “dizzy-Izzy-ness” in new situations―including caring for her brand-new braces on an outdoor education overnight and her friends’ good-natured teasing about her friend Trevor. But the forecast for fun turns cloudy when the girls discover their cabin chaperone is none other than Izzy’s tough public-speaking teacher, Ms. Martinez, and their junior counselor is eighth grade mean girl, Maddie Sharpe.

When an innocent exchange of harmless pranks with Maddie takes a turn for the worse, the Squad turns to science to prove their innocence. That’s nothing, though, compared with the terrifying swamp monster haunting their campsite, a catastrophe befalling Ms. Martinez, and a mysterious disaster threatening the future of camp itself.

With their very survival on the line, will science be enough to save the day?
 

Praise:

"Wholesome entertainment for preteens, offering positivity without didacticism."
― Kirkus

"It's one thing to have children's books about scientists or podcasts or stories about strong women in STEM, but it's another world entirely when your children get to feel represented by the characters they're reading about. The characters in the Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad series are diverse, smart, and sure of themselves the way all middle school girls are---through their dreams and newly acquired skills they're still getting used to."
― Romper 

About the Creators

VALERIE TRIPP is the co-creator of the American Girl book series that includes titles featuring Felicity, Josefina, Kit, Maryellen, Molly, and Samantha. Tripp also wrote American Girl's Wellie Wishers titles, Hopscotch Hill School titles, numerous leveled readers, songs, stories, skills book pages, and plays for educational publishers. Tripp is writer and editorial director of the Boys Camp series, and a writer, editor, and art editor for Sterling Publishing Company. Tripp received a B.A. and honors as a member of the first co-educated class at Yale University and a master's of education degree from Harvard University.

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MILLIE LIU was born in sunny Pasadena, California, and has been drawing ever since she could hold a pencil. It did start with color pencils on walls but after some scolding, she decided paper was much better. She graduated from Otis College of Art and Design and went into the field of toy design shortly after, designing colorful toys for children the world over. Her favorite subject to draw is story-driven fantastical locations with a touch of magic. When not drawing, she loves to read, experiment with cooking, and keep up with her fierce, growing collection of house plants. She also makes a conscious effort to buy secondhand or used products, and tries to reduce her use of single-use plastic.

 

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GIVEAWAY

• Three (3) winners will receive the complete 3-book Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad series: Absolute Hero, Newton's Flaw, and The Law of Cavities
• US/Canada only
• Ends 12/11 at 11:59pm ET
• Enter via the Rafflecopter below

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Dr Fauci: How a Boy From Brooklyn Became America's Doctor by Kate Messner, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Dr. Fauci: How a Boy From Brooklyn Became

America's Doctor

written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Alexandra Bye

Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2021, 48 pages

For a lot of people, it felt like the world turned upside down in March 2020 as cases of COVID-19 began to rapidly spread and sometimes it felt like no one in high places cared. But, there was one person who did care - Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But who exactly is this quiet unassuming man with the big smile and characteristic Brooklyn accent? Author Kate Messner apparently asked herself the same question and set out to find the answer and what she discovered was this...

Anthony Fauci was a curious boy, always asking questions about the things he observed in the world and how they actually worked. Lucky for him, Anthony's father was very supportive, helping him with homework when it was needed, and telling him to not get discouraged, to think carefully and try to work problems out. Important advice that Anthony carries with him to this day. His father owned a pharmacy and Anthony worked for him delivering prescriptions to neighborhood people. He also figured out speed was his friend, allowing him to join the older, tougher kids playing stickball in his Bensonhurst neighborhood and later to be on with his high school's basketball team, despite being shorter than most players. 

In high school, Anthony also decided to become a doctor. After graduating college and medical school (first in his class), Anthony went to work at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he studied new diseases as they emerged, searching for answers to help people who became sick. Aids, Sars, Ebola, West Nile were all new diseases that needed answers and either cures or vaccines. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 arrived in the United States. 

By now, an expert in his field, Dr. Fauci knew people wanted answers and they wanted them quickly. But, as COVID-19 spread and more and more people became sick, it seemed to were no answers. But, Dr. Fauci knew there had to be a solution. 

Pretty soon, there were guidelines for people to help contain the virus. Dr. Fauci consulted with researchers and doctors around the world. Finally, in less than a year, a vaccine was ready. Maybe life could get back to normal again...until the next challenge. But he was ready for it.

Dr. Fauci: How a Boy From Brooklyn Became America's Doctor is, to say the least, a very timely biography as well as one that is very accessible to young readers who might be worried about what they hear or experience with regard to COVID-19, given all the controversy surrounding mask wearing and vaccines. As always with a nonfiction book written by Kate Messner, it is well researched and thought out resulting in a very inspiring picture of a man we see so often on television, but don't really know.

The cartoon-style digitally rendered illustrations are colorful, diverse and have lots of kid appeal. Most are two page full-bleed spreads that contribute so much additional detail to the text. 

Messner has also included some important back matter including information on how vaccines work and their safety. My favorite part is "Dr. Fauci's Five Tips for Future Scientists" written by Dr. Fauci. There is also a Time Line of his life, recommended reading and Messner's list of Sources, as well as some of Dr. Fauci's personal photographs. She also had a Zoom interview with Dr. Fauci in November 2020.  

You can find a detailed, 9-page Educator's Guide for this book HERE

I'm a Brooklyn girl and a big fan of Dr. Fauci, so you know I really scrutinized this book and I found it to be an excellent biography. And even though I don't like needles one bit, I got pfizered on Dr. Fauci's recommendation. 

This book is recommended for readers age 4+

This book was provided to me by Audrey Gibbons at Simon & Schuster

The Third Mushroom by Jennifer L. Holm

I loved reading The Fourteenth Goldfish, in which Ellie Cruz's 76-year-old scientist grandfather, Dr. Melvin Sargarsky, holder of two PhDs, turned himself into a 13 year old boy. Needless to say, fun and some chaos ensured, but in the end, Melvin decided to leave and do some traveling.

Now 14, Melvin is back and enrolled as an 8th grader in the same middle school where Ellie is in 7th grade. Melvin hasn't changed much - he's still hungry all the time, as curmudgeon-y as ever, and still having difficulty dealing with "the Puberty," and still having trouble dealing with the fact that he can't drive a car. He's also brought home an axolotl from his travels which becomes the basis of a science fair project with Ellie (Axolotl are amphibians that have the ability to regenerate limbs). Getting permission to work after school in the new labs there, Melvin and Ellie experiment with feeding bits of the axolotl to fruit flies. When the fruit flies grow extra legs, they begin to wonder if their findings might lead to something important for humans.

Meanwhile, Ellie and her best friend Raj decide to see if they should take their relationship to the next level, and the two go on a date to the movies. When it doesn't work out, Ellie wonders if they have ruined the wonderful friendship they have. And speaking of friendships, Ellie's old best friend, Brianna, seems to be wondering back into Ellie's life. Does she want to be friends again?

At home, Ellie and her mother are really happy now that mom is remarried to Ben, who is kind absent for the most part in the book. Ellie's beloved cat Jonas has also found a companion in the neighboring cat and the two spend their days playing and roaming around. Sadly, though, Jonas is hit by a car, and even though Ellie and Melvin try to save him with a bit of axolotl, he is beyond saving.

Melvin (as a man) had never remarried or shown any interest in another woman after Ellie's grandmother passed away. To Ellie's surprise, she discovers her grandmother's love for romance novels, and begins reading through her collection, saved by Melvin. Now though, romance seems to be in the air again for Melvin when Ellie realizes he is flirting with the school librarian, Mrs. Barrymore - but how is that going to work out?

Ellie and Melvin are such great characters in this character-driven novel. They are well-developed, they have distinct personalities, problems, and interests, yet they handle what life throws at them so well. And what life throws at them are the same kinds to things that middle grade kids have to deal with everyday (well, maybe not their grandfathers transforming into teenage boys). Middle grade is a time a so much change and Holm really depicts it well here.

Since Melvin is a scientist (with 2 Phds), it is the ideal way to introduce some real STEM information into the book. First, by showing Ellie participating in a science fair project, even though she's a good math and science student already, and second, it gives Melvin a chance to tell Ellie about some important scientific discoveries and the people who made them. This is expanded at the back of the book under "Mellie's Gallery of Scientists" (Mellie = Melvin + Ellie) as well as Recommended Resources for Continuing the Conversation.

The Third Mushroom is such a fun book to read, and a worthy sequel to The Fourteenth Goldfish. I love the way the title doesn't make sense until you've almost reached the end of the book, and then wham! it all falls into place and makes sense. And I really hope there is a third novel, despite what happens at the end of this one.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

When Ken Nedimeyer was a boy, his father's job at NASA meant living in Florida, and, for Ken, that meant exploring the ocean.

Influenced by underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, Ken learned how to scuba dive and as he swam around the ocean, observing the world of fish and sea stars, he also began noticing the beautiful coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

Made up of countless tiny sea creatures, Ken found them to be just beautiful, and wanted to know everything about them - how the reefs grew so large, why they were different colors and shapes.

But, one hot summer, Ken noticed that the reefs were beginning to lose their color, and the sea urchins, who made sure algae did overtake the coral reefs, were beginning to die, and consequently, so were the massive coral reefs. But Ken just didn't know what to do for the dying reefs.

'The reefs of the Florida Keys teemed with life."

As an adult, Ken operated a rock farm in the Florida Keys, growing rocks full of sea life to help keep the ocean water safe and healthy for the other forms of sea life. One day, a coral colony spawned and attached itself to one of Ken's rock on his farm. And it grew! So Ken and his daughter began attaching corals onto other rocks and they also grew.

If you could grow corals on rocks, Ken wondered, could you transplant them onto a dying reef? Ken decided to test out this theory. Ken founded a group called the Coral Restoration Foundation, staffed by volunteers. As the corals grew, the volunteers transplanted these coral colonies, attaching them (with glue) in places on the reefs where they hoped the corals would take hold and flourish.

Did the transplanted corals survive? Yes, they did and now Ken's group travels around the world, teaching others how to grow and transplant healthy corals in order to save their dying corals.

Messner begins and ends the The Brilliant Deep with one tiny coral spawn and how it can grow into a new colony. And what feels to be a simple story in between is in actuality a wonderful lesson about ocean life. Readers learns how coral reefs are formed, why they are important to the not just the ocean's environment, but also to ours, and that sometimes, it takes just one person with an idea to make a difference.

The Brilliant Deep has been a favorite of my young readers right from the beginning. Not only is it interesting and informative, it is also quite beautifully illustrated. Forsythe's colorful, batik-style, gouache and watercolor washed illustrations are done in a watery pastel palette of mainly blues, greens. and sunny yellows give the perfect effect needed for a book about the ocean and its colorful reefs.

"It starts with one."

Messner cleverly brings the story of coral reefs and the story of Ken Nedimeyer full circle with to a satisfying ending that connects them back to the beginning of the book - spawns to coral reefs, a young boy to the man he became. She also includes more information about coral reefs in the back matter, including ways kids can help, online ways to explore attempts to save the coral reefs, and vocabulary words used through the book.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Chronicle Books

The Mummy Makers of Egypt written and illustrated by Tamara Bower

We don't tend to take mummy's very seriously nowadays, especially not since they have become the stuff of Halloween and horror movies, but in ancient Egypt, mummifying the body of a deceased person of high stature was not only a very serious business, but also a surprisingly complicated and lengthy process.

In her newest book about ancient Egypt, Tamara Bower introduces readers to the embalmers of the Egyptian royal house, Paneb, the "Overseer of Mysteries" and his son Ipy.  Paneb's job was to care for the bodies of Egypt's royal family after they passed away and to "preserve them for eternity.  Ipy was being formally trained to someday take over his father's job.

To help readers understand the embalming process, Bower takes them through the procedure step by step, beginning with the death of Yuya.  Yuya was a nobleman, a respected official and the father of Queen Tiye, and the great grandfather of King Tut.  As Paneb and Ipy begin the embalming process on Yuya body, each stage in the procedure is carefully explained in detail that includes not just what and why certain things are done to the body, but also the religious beliefs and rituals associated with death.  For example, the heart, not the brain, was considered to be the center of intelligence and the house of the soul, so it was to be protected and not to be disturbed while the lungs were removed.  Organs removed from the body were carefully dried and put into jars to accompany the deceased into the afterlife.  Nothing was simply discarded.

Each page of The Mummy Makers of Egypt with beautifully illustrated, done very much in the classic style of ancient Egyptian art, and includes hieroglyphics with translation, examples of the tools used by the embalmers, artifacts of what the deceased would need in the afterlife.  Most of the illustrations run along the bottom of each page, and rather than include explanations of who is who and what is what, Bower simply puts the persons name or occupation in them.  This makes for a lot of white space above and enables the reader to focus more closely on what is being described on each page (click image to enlarge):

Pages 6  and 7- In the court of Osiris, god of the afterlife and judge of the dead, Yuya's heart is
weighed to see if it is light as a feather, or heavy with evil.

If Yuya's heart is light as a feather, he is welcomed into the
Fields of the Blessed.

The back matter for The Mummy Makers of Egypt consists of a map, a Note About the Story by Bower, suggestions for Further Reading, and Yuya's Family Tree.  There are also photographs of the Yuya and his wife taken after their tomb was discovered in 1905 in almost pristine condition.  The tomb had been plundered, but not completely and yielded much information about ancient Egypt.

I have to be honest and say that beyond going through the ancient Egyptian exhibits at museums, I never had a great deal of interest in mummies, but after reading The Mummy Makers of Egypt, my interest is peaked.  I had no idea what went into the embalming process, but I did know that it was kept secret by the embalmers, and passed down verbally to keep it that way.  To this day, the whole process remains a mystery.

The Mummy Makers of Egypt is sure to please young readers, especially those interested in Egyptology, archaeology, and science.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+

This book was purchased for my personal library

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge is a weekly celebration of 

nonfiction books hosted by Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy

The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

Imagine your mom coming home one day with a snarky 13 year old boy in tow that turns out to be your grandfather.  Well, that is just what happens to 11-going-on12 year old Ellie Cruz, and it couldn't have happened at a worse time.  Her parents are divorced, albeit amicably.  She misses 5th grade and is facing 6th grade without her best friend Brianna, who has discover volleyball and now hangs out the other girls on the team.  And she misses her miracle goldfish that has finally died after 7 years, the fish that was supposed to teach her about the cycle of life.  Now, she finds out that her mother has simple replaced her goldfish with another each time it died - 13 goldfish in all.

The last thing Ellie needs right now is a 13 year old grandfather, but that is what she gets.  It seems grandpa, Dr. Melvin  Sagarsky, 76 and with 2 PhDs to his credit, has discovered the secret to reverse aging thanks to a rare jellyfish.  Now he is stuck in middle school with Ellie and is being forced to read The Catcher in the Rye ("All this Holden kid does is whine.  He should just get a job").

So imagine how Dr. 2PhDs middle schooler Melvin Sagarsky feels when a goth kid named Raj calls him a quack while riding the school bus.  It seems that, despite his many published articles, grandpa's lifetime of research trying to find the secret to the fountain of youth isn't widely admired by the rest of the scientific community, even if he does have a fan club in Finland.

Now imagine Ellie's surprise when Raj, who, it turns out, is very much into science, shows up at her house, newly hired as Melvin's lab assistant.  Their goal: to break into the lab where Melvin used to work and steal the rare jellyfish that helped him reverse the aging process.  Natually, Ellie wants in.

Sounds easy enough, right?  Wrong!

You've probably already figured out that this book is pretty funny.  And it is, but at its heart is a rather serious question - what happens if Melvin's discovery works out and people stop aging, what does that do to the cycle of life?

The Fourteenth Goldfish is a character/action driven coming of age novel fueled by science and I really enjoyed reading it.  I liked watching Ellie grow and change, and seeing how she coped with everything going on around her.   It was particularly nice to read about a girl who learns a lot about science and the for-better-or-worse life-changing work of people like Galileo, Issac Newton, Robert Oppenheimer and Jonas Salk from her grandfather.  It's through her many conversations with Melvin that Ellie discovers she also has a real interest in science.  And a real interest in the ethical questions scientific discoveries can generate.  Oddly enough, despite regressing to a snarky 13 year old while still remaining as curmudgeony as ever, even Melvin grows as a character for the same reasons.

It was also nice to read a book that has parents that get along after divorce and a father who is still welcomed in his daughter's home.  And it was nice to see an ex-husband who got along with his wife's new, serious boyfriend.  Perhaps that is why Ellie was able to handle her own age appropriate problems so well.  For example, she and Brianna may have drifted into different interests, but they remained friends.

The Fourteenth Goldfish is a fun, quirky easy to read novel about life, friendship, science and possibility.  Definitely not a novel to miss.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an E-ARC received from NetGalley

Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzley Bears in America's Own Backyard by Mary Kay Carson, photographs by Tom Uhlman

If you have ever visited one of America's national parks, you know how beautiful they truly are.  But did you know that they are also, as Mary Kay Carson writes, natural laboratories and living museums, places where you can find all sorts of interesting and unique animals, plants and other wonders of nature?

In her new book, Park Scientists, Mary Kay Carson introduces us to three very different national parks, and to the work that scientists and researcher carry on in them all year long to make sure they continue to be healthy places to visit.  Scientists study the ecosystem particular to each park, as well as measuring temperatures, tracking populations of animals and plants and devising ways to care for them, when they are sick or simply to keep them healthy.

First up is Yellowstone National Park, so large, it takes up land in three states - Montana, Wyoming and  Idaho.  Carson explains how Yellowstone's famous geysers happen, why they erupt to faithfully (hence the name of the most famous geyser in the park - Old Faithful) and why scientists study them and monitor their temperatures so closely.

Yellowstone is also home to the famous and scary grizzly bear.  Carson explains how bear scientists can now track bear populations using a special GPS collar.  Readers will also find out why it is important to sturdy these big bears so they don't disappear because of hunger and how their enemy, the grey wolf, can both hurt and help the grizzly.

Saguaro National Forest is the second park visited.  This desert park is located in the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, near Tucson, and is my personal favorite.  Scientists here study the Saguaro cacti, measuring its growth and doing a census of these desert giants.  They are especially concerned with what might cause a Saguaro to die.  To date, they believe it is a serious of freezes, but they keep studying the problem.

Also found in the desert are Gila monsters.  These are the largest lizards in the US and they have been around since the age of the dinosaur.  Though not too large, they are very powerful, so watch out for them if you see one in the desert.  They are tracked like the grizzly, wearing a specially designed GPS, so they can be monitored.

From the desert, Carson takes us to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.  Here, scientists study salamanders and fireflies, trying to determine what effect climate change may have on them.  The salamander requires a moist climate, so the question is could it adapt to a warming climate.  Carson introduces us to an evolutionary researcher, who studies the adaptation of salamanders using their DNA.

Ever wonder how a firefly lights up the night?  Carson explains it all and then tells us about what firefly researchers do.  Fireflies are difficult to protect, but they are in decline.  Researcher want to find out why.  I remember when I was growing up in NYC, there were fireflies everywhere at night, then one summer they were gone.  Temperature change?  Maybe.

Carson's text is clear and concise, and is complimented with beautiful  colorful photographs by Tom Uhlman.  His close up shots provide informative pictorial detail enhancing our appreciation of the work of the scientists and researchers.  And his more panoramic views give us a bigger picture so that we can really marvel at the beauty and difference of each park.

I hope these few interesting facts from Park Scientists about what goes on in these national parks have whet your appetite for finding out more about what science does to help protect and prolong the natural wonders that are found in each.

Park Scientists is part of the Science in the Field series and is every bit a excellent and informative as all the other books in the series.  This is a welcome addition to the library of the curious reader or the budding scientist, not to mention in classrooms and for home schooling.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

There is an in-depth 7 page discussion guide perfect for teachers that can be downloaded for free from Scribd

This is book 5 of my 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Reading Challenge hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy