Kindle Deals for January 9, 2020
Today's Best Book Deals for Your Homeschool
(Prices are correct as of the time of writing, but y'all know sales move fast — check before you click the buy button! These are Amazon links — read more about how we use affiliate links to help support some of the costs of the HSL blog here.)
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ABCs of Art, by Sabrina Hahn, $1.99. This charming alphabet book is organized around famous paintings by Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and many others. Each letter gets a short poem, a work of art to explore, and a question about what is going on in the art.
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, by Steven Pinker, $4.99. This book is fascinating and long. I bought it when I couldn’t finish my library copy in time (and I wanted to be able to refer to it again). Word nerds and anthropology fans will love this genre mashup. Find out what the words people use for swearing, humor, and metaphor say about us as human beings.
Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome, $2.99. From our 12 Great Book Series to Read Together list: Homeschoolers have helped rediscover this old-fashioned British series about two groups of families who bond over a shared love of sailing in an idyllic countryside where kids are perfectly safe setting up camp on an island for the summer.
STILL ON SALE
A People’s History of the Supreme Court, by Peter Irons, $4.99. In the spirit of Howard Zinn, Peter Irons brings a fresh perspective to major court decisions in American history. This book is dense, but fascinating. I don’t expect many people would read it straight through, but it is an excellent resource for when you encounter a reference to a court case.
The Essentials: 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter, by Jeremy Arnold, $3.99. Grab some popcorn and get ready to dig into this brief history of film from the silent era to the 1980s. For each movie, the book explains what makes it “an essential,” what elements of film-making or society mark it as a classic. There’s also a “what to look for” section for each film highlighting cinematography tricks.
The Time Traveler’s Handbook: 18 Experiences from the Eruption of Vesuvius to Woodstock, by James Wyllie, David Goldblatt, and Johnny Acton, $0.99. This is a high-concept read. It presents itself as a series of travel brochures for a time travel company. For each trip back in time, there is a briefing on local customs, foods, etc. You’ll also find sight-seeing guides and a day-by-day itinerary for each historic moment. It’s a lot of fun and might pique further interest in some historical study. This is marketed as a book for adults, but it should appeal to teens as well.
Just Breathe: Meditation, Mindfulness, Movement, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. I’ve talked about Mallika Chopra’s other wellness book for young people, Just Feel (also on sale this week!). In Just Breathe, Chopra focuses on calming and centering practices. She offers basic meditation instructions, as well as guided meditations for sleep, test anxiety, and more.
The Little Book of Lykke, by Meik Wiking, $2.99. Wiking is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, and he has spent years traveling the world to learn more about happiness in different cultures. Here, he has consolidated what he has learned into a charming little book. Tackling the topics of togetherness, money, health, freedom, trust, and kindness, Wiking draws on tips from all over the world. His other book, The Little Book of Hygge, is also on sale this week.
My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag… and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha, by Jolie Kerr, $4.99. Most of us have at least one cleaning horror story (mine involves toddler poop on a popcorn ceiling). Jolie Kerr, author of the “Ask a Clean Person” column, is here for you! This collection of cleaning tips and the occasional disaster is an entertaining read that will have you actually WANTING to clean things.
Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person, by Shonda Rimes, $2.99. Shonda Rimes is the mega-successful producer of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and other popular shows. She also is extremely introverted and struggles with anxiety. This is the memoir of the year she spent saying “YES!” to all the things that scared her.
New Boy: William Shakespeare’s Othello Retold, by Tracy Chevalier, $4.99. Historical fiction author Tracy Chevalier has taken on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Othello. This time she has transplanted the story to 1970s Washington, where the son of a African diplomat enters a new private school and immediately befriends a popular white girl. Another boy, jealous with the friendship and uncomfortable with the way it challenges his racial beliefs, begins a campaign tear them apart. Note: this is a story about kids, but not for kids.
Spies, Code Breakers, and Secret Agents, by Carole P. Roman, $0.99. Learn about WWII from the perspective of spies! With chapters on gear, famous spies, how spies helped win the war, and much more, this book would be a fun addition to a WWII study. The engaging and accessible language will keep middle-grade readers interested. Helpful illustrations and maps enhance the text.
The Story Behind: The Extraordinary History Behind Ordinary Objects, by Emily Prokop, $1.99. Have you ever wondered who invented the lollipop, hula hoops, or the Comic Sans font? This collection of stories from podcaster Emily Prokop will answer all your burning questions. This is a great one to dip into for a little hit of trivia.
The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery, by Rick Beyer and Elizabeth Sayles, $2.99. I am not usually much of a military history fan, but this story is so crazy that I find it fascinating. The US Army created a division of artists and other creatives designed to confuse the enemy by moving decoy tanks and other equipment to strategic locations.
From the Corner of the Oval, by Beck Dorey-Stein, $1.99. This dishy political memoir describes the Obama White House from an unusual perspective, that of one of his twenty-something stenographers. Dorey-Stein came to the job with no political experience and got thrown into the deep end. The New York Times called this “Bridget Jones goes to the White House” — how can you pass that up?
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green, $2.99. Hank Green, of Sci Show, Crash Course, and Vlog Brothers, has written a novel, and it’s an interesting one! When April and Andy discover a strange sculpture, they upload a video about it. The video goes viral, and April becomes and a public figure overnight. This is simultaneously a fast-paced mystery of the sculpture’s meaning and origin and a thoughtful consideration of the highs and lows of social media fame.
The Genius of Birds, by Jennifer Ackerman, $1.99. It’s time to abandon the term “bird brain.” New research shows that some birds may be as smart as primates! Ackerman tells the fascinating story of research into bird intelligence and will make you understand how much scientists are still discovering. The evocative writing will keep you eagerly reading on.
Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai, $1.99. From our big immigration stories reading list (winter 2017): “When Hà’s family flees Vietnam to escape the war there, she finds it difficult to adjust to a very different kind of life in Alabama. Told in spare, simple verse, this book packs an emotional wallop and allows kids to slip inside the first person experience of being a stranger in a strange land.”
The Only Woman in the Room, by Marie Benedict, $1.99. This fast-paced, info-packed book is a somewhat fictionalized account of Hedy Lamarr’s years in Austria. Hedy Lamarr is famous as an actress, but she was also a scientist who developed a frequency hopping technique that was instrumental in cell phone technology. Hedy’s position in Austrian society made her privy to secrets of the Third Reich’s plans, which she shared after her dramatic escape from the country. This book is whirlwind and is an excellent read for lovers of classic film, WWII history, or women in science!
All Souls Trilogy, by Deborah Harkness, $1.99. This price is way too good to pass up! When Diana Bishop finds a long-lost manuscript in an Oxford library, she is drawn into an unexpected supernatural world that has been hiding in plain sight for centuries. If you liked Outlander but also maybe wished it had a vampire, this is the series for you.
Greystone Secrets: The Strangers, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, $1.99. I haven’t read this middle-grade novel yet, but it seems perfect for the long, dark evenings of winter. The publisher’s description is thrilling and chilling: “The Greystone kids thought they knew. Chess has always been the protector over his younger siblings, Emma loves math, and Finn does what Finn does best—acting silly and being adored. They’ve been a happy family, just the three of them and their mom. But everything changes when reports of three kidnapped children reach the Greystone kids, and they’re shocked by the startling similarities between themselves and these complete strangers. The other kids share their same first and middle names. They’re the same ages. They even have identical birthdays. Who, exactly, are these strangers? Before Chess, Emma, and Finn can question their mom about it, she takes off on a sudden work trip and leaves them in the care of Ms. Morales and her daughter, Natalie. But puzzling clues left behind lead to complex codes, hidden rooms, and a dangerous secret that will turn their world upside down.
This Book is Grey, by Lindsay Ward, $1.99. The other colors aren’t always friendly to Grey, and he just wants to fit in. He decides to make his own book of awesome things that are grey (hippos, clouds, kittens, etc.), but the other colors are not so enthusiastic. This is a story about fitting in, being true to yourself, and a little bit of color theory.
A Good Kind of Trouble, by Lisa Moore Ramee, $1.99. This middle-grade novel has been compared to The Hate U Give. Shay is a 12-year-old girl who hates trouble and doesn’t want to stand out. When a tragedy moves her to stand up for what she believes in, she finds out that some things are worth a bit of trouble.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, $2.99. If you or your teen hasn’t read this fast-paced dystopian series yet, what are you waiting for? Join Katniss on her fight for survival in the epic, televised fight to the death. There’s lots to discuss here about politics, media, morality, and more.
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, by Noelle Stevenson, $3.99. My tween absolutely loves this comic series about a group of unusual girls at a summer camp. In addition to having a great time doing your typical camp activities, this gang face off with some supernatural creatures and go on a classic fantasy quest. This is girl power all the way! If you like this one, most of the other books in the series are also on sale right now.