Boss the Bestseller List Like J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter fans, rejoice!  A new picture book biography about J. K. Rowling was published this week.  It’s geared towards middle grade readers, is illustrated with cut-paper art, filled with details about every stage of Rowling’s life, and includes famous quotes, key lessons from her life and additional resources.  Not only informative, but completely inspiring and perfect for International Women’s Day.

Boss the Bestseller List Like J. K. Rowling was written by Caroline Moss, illustrated by Sinem Erkas and published by Lincoln Children’s Books.

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World

Where would we be without these fifty women — these artists, writers, doctors, teachers, scientists, mathematicians and leaders whose lives, deeds, dreams, persistence, bravery, commitment, innovation, creativity and tireless work changed history?  May we all be inspired by them to always press forward, live our best lives possible, do the most good that we can and raise the next generation to do the same.  Don’t miss this remarkable collection of biographies.

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World was written by Katherine Halligan, illustrated by Sarah Walsh and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Kid Scientists

Before they were great scientists, they were curious kids who played, experimented, wondered, made messes and asked questions.  Vera Rubin would stay up all night watching meteor showers from her bedroom window, Jane Goodall would hide worms under her pillow and George Washington Carver would talk to his plants.  The individuals featured in the book are Albert Einstein, Jane Goodall, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, Temple Grandin, Nicola Tesla, Ada Lovelace, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Rosalind Franklin, Sally Ride, Rachel Carson, George Washington Carver, Vera Rubin and Katherine Johnson.

We’ve read some of the other titles in the Kid Legends series and find it to be a really engaging way to help readers branch out into biographies and nonfiction.

Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars was written by David Stabler, illustrated by Anoosha Syed and published by Quirk Books.  It’ll be out on October 9.  Check out the other titles in the Kid Legends series: Kid Artists, Kid Athletes, Kid Authors and Kid Presidents.

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker: Incognito

“Chaos is a spy’s best friend.”

Our favorite upside down thinker is back, and this time she’s hatched a super secret plan called Operation Upside.  She and her best friend and “partner in trouble” Lenny Santos hit a few snafus on the way and have to think quick in order to save the mission.  And keep a low profile, which is a bit hard for our topsy-turvy spy. ;)  We enjoyed the original Beatrice so much that we donated a copy to Avery’s class last year and are donating another copy to the school library.  She’s one of those lovably quirky characters that kids connect with almost instantly and we can’t wait to get her second story into kids’ hands.

Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker: Incognito was written and illustrated by Shelley Johannes and published by Disney Books.  It'll be out on September 18.

The Baby-Sitters Club Retro Set

What I’ll be reading all this long weekend.

For me, seeing the original covers of The Baby-Sitters Club evokes such nostalgia — the little cracking noise a new paperback would sometimes make when it was first opened, the wooden block chapter header illustrations (!) and the seemingly endless wait for the next installment in the series to come out.  And the unparalleled excitement on the day the monthly book order would arrive in class.  Anyone want to divulge their favorite babysitter of the five?  Happy long weekend, all.

The Baby-Sitters Club Retro Set, published by Scholastic, includes books 1-6 and was written by the one and only Ann M. Martin.