History Smashers: Earth Day and the Environment, by Kate Messner

 

Publication March 11, 2025

Earth Day is every day. In fact, it's been going on for much longer than the official proclamation of an Earth Day. As you'll discover, it's been going on for not just years but decades. Centuries, even. This book gives reference to more than just the happenings and reactions to an official Earth Day but takes us back to see where the idea of taking care of the earth we live on began. 

I won't try to summarize the history of the goal of saving the earth, obviously, but will say that Messner does her usual excellent job of combining fact, humor, and thought provoking bits of information and comments throughout. While I can't claim to have read the entire series, this one differed from some recent ones I've read in that it seems to be more wide-ranging. By that I mean it covers a vast array of time and place. We may think of Earth Day as a single event but its beginnings were wide spread and its impact felt for centuries before someone got around to making it an official day. I have Native American roots and was delighted to see their role given attention. Also, as someone who has always been fascinated by the Mayan culture, the reminder that the terraces and reservoirs that were used by the Maya people were some of the most visible means of cultivating our earth's resources while helping protect them for the long term, too. And these efforts are simply the tip of the iceberg. 

Bottom line, there is a great deal of info to be digested here as well as suggestions on how we as both individuals and groups can preserve our world for future generations. I mean, maybe you'd like to go live on barren Mars but I think I'll stick to good ol' planet Earth. Messner's writing style flows nicely and is easy to understand and digest. Even better, she documents her sources and there are lots of both fun and informative illustrations to help readers grasp what they are reading. The ample use of sidebars and color helps. There is certainly more to see, read, and learn. Thanks #RandomHoouseChildren's books for sharing this early copy with me. The retired teacher in me thoroughly enjoyed it and, yes, learned more than a few things.

Operation: Happy: A World War II Story of Courage, Resilience, and an Unbreakable Bond, by Jenni L. Walsh , Gail Shalan (Narrator), Brian Holden (Narrator)

 

Available April 2, 2024    Audio Book   4 h  54 m

Narrated by Gail Shalan and Brian Holden

While I was first attracted by the cover of the dog and his girl, the history buff/major/teacher in me was psyched to see the topic. Not only WWII but the Pearl Harbor attack through the eyes of a young girl who had to grow up much too fast. Happy the dog helped her along the way, living up to the motto he'd adhered to as a Marine sentry dog to protect and always be faithful. He'd come to live with Jody and her family after being retired but Jody's family is a Marine family, too. Bottom line, to them, especially Jody, that means they're all Marines and bound to do their duty. She finds out just how difficult that can be as the story progresses, battleship row is bombed, and her family is split up. Inspired by a true story, I found it a slow start but an excellent intro to not just the historic event but warfare's impact on all caught up by it, then and now.

I had the audio version and, quite frankly, I think I'd recommend to teachers that they do their best to get hold of an audio version of this. The narrators do an excellent job of conveying the often wildly swinging emotions and Jody's fear and panic during the bombing is chilling. Kudos to the narrators, of which there are two. The male voice is used for male voices and Happy's thoughts and reactions, ranging from a trip to the vet to helping his humans to shelter and protecting them from harm. 

Needless to say, dog lover that I am, I was relieved to see the author's note at the start that no harm would come to Happy. That was a relief. I honestly didn't pay attention but I believe all the chapter changes were announced in the Jody voice, her tone mirroring the mood as she shared the chapter title/focus. As noted, after a relatively slow start, the plot moved along nicely, including humor to break up some of the more intense, uncomfortable scenes. You'll love Happy, that's for sure, as he shines in his golden years and proves his worth over and over. Honestly, I felt like I knew Happy better than the humans, especially wishing we'd gotten a peek at Peggy's diary. Jody's thoughts are the narrative that moves the story along, including having to deal with new places and schools, including snotty classmates, and the sudden realization that even Japanese-Americans were suffering due to nothing they'd done. You'll also root for Jody's mom, who faces challenges Jody can only guess at. 

Bottom line, an excellent read/listen and one history/social studies teachers in particular should have available. Thanks #NetGalley and #Zonderkids for sharing this peek listen with me. It fed both my dog and history loving soul. Dog lovers will enjoy the premise of Operation Happy while learning some of our more painful history in the process. 

The Secret of Sweet Treats Kingdom The Board Game Chronicles: Book 1, by Kim Davis

 Publication January 30, 2024

Fun! Just plain ol' fun. A bit of a mix of Alice in Wonderland, albeit with a mint green rabbit, and Dorothy trying to find her way home from Oz, with maybe a bit of Wonka treats tossed in for good measure. It's a quick, easy read and I'm not sure I stopped grinning more than a time or two all the way through. Magical gingerbread characters, an enchanted horse, castles, kings and princesses, and Taylor Swift even gets a mention. Sorry about your Swiftie tee-shirt, Amber.

After starting out in a realistic bent, an older sister annoyed at missing her BFF's birthday party to babysit her little sister, things get interesting. Ava, the little sister, keeps insisting Amber play the Sweet Treats board game with her and, even worse, keeps beating Amber. In a fit of anger, Amber flings the board away, breaking it into pieces. That's when the fun begins. Sucked into a swirling vortex, Amber and Eva find themselves in a land ruled by an evil queen, one where they soft land on what appears to be a football-sized trampoline of .... jello? Nope, you're not in California any more, girls. That was no earthquake.

I stopped taking notes at that point and just enjoyed. We meet an array of characters, from the rabbit and gingerbread families, to an enchanted horse, not to mention a syrup swamp and tales of golden princesses. Amber just wants to rescue her sister and go home. First she has to find her, however. I won't ruin the story and share. It's much too much fun to start your journey with a blank slate just as Amber does after her sister is taken away by the evil queen. I honestly didn't intend to read it all in basically one setting but, well, once I started reading, I fell under the book's spell and next thing your know, "The End". How it got there is yours to discover. Enjoy the trip and don't eat too many sweet treats. Sugar highs can be rough, you know. Thanks #BookSirens and author #KimDavis for giving me this sneak peak at a brand new middle-grade series. I'm way past that age but I'll be back.

Growing Up Powerful: A Guide to Growing Up Powerful, Embracing Change, and Untangling Your World, from Rebel Girls

 

Author Nona Willis Aronowitz, illustrations by Caribay Marquina 

Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Wish I'd had this manual handy when I was the age of the target audience. While it's often hard to tread that fine line between a book containing tons of insightful, meaningful information and still keep it fun, Rebel Girls does their usual excellent job. The colors are bright and vivid, while the illustrations show diversity, movement, and emotion while still somehow retaining their direct simplicity. The info itself is nicely organized, frequently broken down into smaller bits via boxed text and captions. Thus, easy to read and navigate while maintaining it's goal of being there for pre-teen girls. As I said, where was this book when I needed it?

As I've become more familiar with the Rebel Girls world, I've found that I rarely simply sit down and read straight through. That was the case again this time. After settling in with much of the first chapter, which deals with girls as emotional human beings, talking about ways to deal with new friends, stress and the blues, it also delves with coping with the loss of a loved one. That's one topic often neglected and remembering my own adult emotions of dealing with death, one I was glad to see included. 

I found myself drawn to chapter five, however, as I flipped around using the contents and index as my guide. Given the uncertainties and fears even adults have felt over the last few years or turmoil and a worldwide pandemic, how could I not jump into that chapter's first section on coping with a scary world? The advice was targeted and while it offered no easy solutions, provided solid advice that can be used. That chapter also reminded us that epic fails along the way don't mean we're losers. Quite the contrary. It reminds young girls of the courage it took to simply try, building them up. You'll love the short scenarios throughout the book, btw, dealing with not just this topic but others. 

Bottom line, I recommend this book without hesitation. Even if you don't have a growing, ever changing pre-teen girl in your realm, it would make an excellent gift for those who might. Thank you so much #NetGalley and #RebelGirls for reminding me what it was like to navigate those scary years as an "almost teenager". I haven't clicked on all the QR codes yet but will definitely be doing so to see what other great advice is available.

Grizzly Bears: Guardians of the Wilderness, by Frances Backhouse

 

Publication Feb. 14, 2023

Thoroughly enjoyed this one, including entertaining friends with tidbits of "Did you know...?" about grizzlies. I remember my own first sighting of a grizzly in the wild. I was on a bus taking the wildlife tour of Alaska's Denali Park. We'd spotted lots of wildlife but not one glimpse of a bear of any kind. Then, as we neared the final loop back to the nature center, the driver slowed the bus and announced "Bear!" to our left. It was hard to see for the growth but it was like the bus tilted left as everyone grabbed their cameras and sought to capture that fleeting glimpse. Like everyone else, I was clicking away but wasn't sure I'd gotten anything worthwhile but, well, it was a grizzly, a grizzly in Alaska. Imagine my delight to get home and when the film was developed (that alone tells you how long ago this was), find I'd not only captured a few decent shots but one showed a cub on its mother's back!

In any case, that sense of wonder carried me through this book. I now live in Alaska, albeit not in bear territory, so was delighted to read about some of our bear habitats as well as elsewhere. One thing I particularly liked was that while introducing us to those who study and protect the grizzly, the book often shared their own earliest memory of a bear sighting or encounter. One told of when his father and he met a bear in a narrow trail and his six-year old fear of being eaten. Now he works to help preserve grizzly bears. I entertained friends by sharing the interesting bits of info I picked up as I read, which I think you'll find as intriguing as I did, like the oldest grizzly on record or what is frequently found in bear scat. No, it's not like in the joke and bear bells but you'll have to read the book to find out.  

There's facts galore, lovely photos, people to meet, and places you'll enjoy visiting in your mind. One of the things that impressed me, btw, was how hard national parks have worked to change their image from the ol' Yogi Bear cartoons, and, yes, how best to avoid or cope if confronted by a bear. Living in Alaska, there's frequently news stories about bears raiding trash cans, so that info was definitely pertinent. There's much more, so grab this book when it comes out and prepare to entertain your friends, too.

Thanks #NetGalley and #OrcaBooks for letting me safely enter the grizzlies world for awhile. The lengthy resources at the end were much appreciated and I think I spent as much time enjoying the ample photos as I did reading!

Ada Lovelace Cracks the Code, by Rebel Girls, Marina Muun (Illustrator), Jestine Ware (Editor)

 

Publication Jan.17,2023

First, About the Rebel Girls Chapter Book Series

"Meet extraordinary real-life heroines in the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls chapter book series! Introducing stories based on the lives and times of extraordinary women in global history, each stunningly designed chapter book features beautiful illustrations from a female artist as well as bonus activities in the backmatter to encourage kids to explore the various fields in which each of these women thrived. The perfect gift to inspire any young reader!"

As I read, I realized how little I actually know about Ada Lovelace. I mean, early on, I found myself wondering, "She was Lord Byron's daughter? For real?" A side- excursion to Google answered that question for me, "Yes, she was his only legitimate daughter." She seems to have been an intriguing combo of her father's more poetic, imaginative side and her mother's more math, reality based soul, with the remarkable intellect of both magnified in her. Sadly, it seems she really never knew her father. Anyway....

Although this series seems to be aimed at middle-grader level, I found it an intriguing, thoughtful read. Although I don't share any of Lovelace's analytical math abilities, it was fascinating to read about the early days of what we now consider computers/calculators. She was lucky enough to have an excellent teacher, Miss Stamp, who encouraged both imagination and study, and later find a friend and mentor who encouraged her work. This was Charles Babbage, who she met in 1833 when she was still in her teens, a man who was devising a calculator, albeit far from the small tool we now think of as a calculator. 

With his encouragement and that of friends, Ada Lovelace learned to fly, metaphorically speaking, of course, although she would have dearly loved to have solved the question of human flight. Trust me, she tried. Bottom line, this was an interesting look at one of the pioneers of computer programming, beginning with her early days of asking questions for which there were no answers yet, learning to harness her energy and diverse interests, and, yes, even marrying while pursuing those interests. 

I definitely recommend this book (and surely the entire series) to both young and older readers, like me, who will find there is still much to learn. Thanks to #NetGalley and #RebelGirls for giving me a more thorough introduction to this incredible woman. I'll definitely be checking out others in the Rebel Girls series.