the unintentional adventures of the bland sisters + giveaway

If you’re a word maven with a penchant for adventure, this book is for you.  Even if you don’t quite fit that description, you might find the Bland Sisters an interesting—or shall we say uninteresting—pair.  The sisters lead dreary lives—they each eat a cheese sandwich on day-old bread and drink a glass of flat soda for lunch every day.  Their hobby is reading the dictionary and they darn socks for a living.  One day, intrepid adventure comes knocking at their door, literally.

The Bland Sisters’ heaps of wry humor made us laugh out loud more than a few times and is one reason why the book makes an excellent read-aloud.  Kudos to Kara LaReau and Jen Hill for the best idea for chapter header concepts/illustrations that we’ve seen in a long time.  Head over to Kara LaReau's blog to read about how quirky Jaundice and Kale came to life in this smart and terrific middle grade book for ages 8-12.

We’re giving away a copy of The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters: The Jolly Regina.  This giveaway is open to US residents and ends Thursday, February 22, at 11:59 PM PST.  Head over to this Instagram post to enter.

Science Comics: Dogs and Science Comics: Flying Machines

Science Comics: Dogs is an engaging combination of fiction and nonfiction, where readers get a detailed look at the origin of the dogs, how their species has changed over time and their inner workings.  Truly fascinating, and an innovative way for kids to consume more science and nonfiction in their reading diet.

Science Comics: Flying Machines takes readers on the Wright Brothers’ journey as they witness their seemingly crazy quest to build a flying machine, as retold by their younger sister Katharine.  Later when it came time to market their airplane, Katharine became their “public relations director” and incidentally was the only one of her five siblings to obtain a college degree.  It’s really well done and we’re impressed by how this graphic novel came together to present one of the most important inventions of all time in a creative mix of history and personal narrative.  An intriguing read.

Kudos to First Second for making science so accessible and enjoyable with this series.  The rest of the books in Science Comics cover the subjects of dinosaurs, volcanoes, coral reefs, bats, plagues  and publishing in March: robots and drones.

Science Comics: Dogs: From Predator to Protector was written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch.  Science Comics: Flying Machines: How the Wright Brothers Soared was written by Alison Wilgus and illustrated by Molly Brooks.  The Science Comics series is published by First Second.

The Terrible Two Go Wild

It’s shaping up to be a terrible weekend.  Insanely hilarious and smartly written, this prankster duo is back.  In the history of funny books, this one is pretty up there.  And I loved the prologue.  Can’t wait to deliver the third installment of The Terrible Two to Avery, who’s been asking for a while now when it will be published.

The Terrible Two Go Wild was written by Mac Barnett and Jory John, illustrated by Kevin Cornell and published by Amulet Books.

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Forty brave women, forty bold women, forty women who thought outside of the box, forty women who changed the world.  “In a society where being black and female meant being an outsider or sometimes invisible, these women dared to go after what they wanted, to demand what they deserved.  Some of them were reluctant leaders, while others were not even conscious of their bravery, but their legacies live on to pave the way for more of us to follow.  Many of them didn’t set out to be pioneers, but all of them were, and we can look to each one of them for inspiration.”

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History was written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison and published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say

This week we’re reading Stella Díaz Has Something to Say, an early middle grade novel written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.   It’s based on her childhood growing up Mexican American, and her note at the end explains similarities and differences between her and Stella.

Stella loves drawing, going to the library, and spending time with her best friend Jenny, who’s Vietnamese American.  She’s shy to speak out loud in class because she’s still learning to how to say certain sounds (which she’s working on with her speech teacher) and is sometimes misunderstood, which is frustrating.  Her goal is to make friends with the new kid in class, but the problem is she gets pretty nervous whenever Stanley’s around.  She’s also pretty worried about the big presentation she has to give in front of her class.  Stella’s story is about becoming comfortable with her differences, finding courage and her voice, and watch out when she does. ;) We also really love her supportive and loving mother and older brother and the roles they play in her life.

Published by Roaring Brook Press, Stella Díaz Has Something to Say will be out next Tuesday, January 16!