Kindle Deals for January 26, 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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How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler, by Ryan North, $4.99. Paging through this book is the most fun I’ve ever had learning about civilization and technology. This book is fairly high concept; North has created a comprehensive guide to everything a time traveler would need to survive if they were to end up stuck in the past. He covers major areas of human achievement, such as language, music, medicine, science, and philosophy, with lots of humor and useful information. Go read the preview! You’ll be hooked. (Content note: this is generally appropriate for all ages but does contain some information about sex and birth control.)
The Book of Boy, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, $1.99. This Newberry Honor Book follows the medieval quest of Secundus and Boy. Boy has always been an outcast and is pleased when Secundus asks him to become his servant on a long pilgrimage. Their adventures take many turns, some humorous, others dangerous.
City of Light, City of Poison: Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris, by Holly Tucker, $2.99. Do you enjoy riveting true crime with a hearty helping of history? This true tale of court intrigue in 17th century Paris may fit the bill! When two magistrates are killed, King Louis XIV tasks Nicolas de la Reynie with restoring order. Reynie discovers a network of conspiracy with threads all over Paris.
STILL ON SALE
Big History: From the Big Bang to the Present, by Cynthia Stokes Brown, $3.99. The Big History movement combines science with history to study Earth from the moment of the big bang all the way through current events. Brown does a remarkable job finding through lines in the vast sweep of history. Each era is necessarily brief, but readers will be pleased to see that the history is not overly focused on Western civilization.
Emily Out of Focus, by Miriam Spitzer Franklin, $1.99. A few of my friends have recently completed international adoptions, so books that address the topic are more on my radar. Here’s the publisher’s description of a middle-grade book that caught my eye: “Twelve-year-old Emily is flying with her parents to China to adopt and bring home a new baby sister. She’s excited but nervous to travel across the world and very aware that this trip will change her entire life. And the cracks are already starting to show the moment they reach the hotel—her parents are all about the new baby, and have no interest in exploring. In the adoption trip group, Emily meets Katherine, a Chinese-American girl whose family has returned to China to adopt a second child. The girls eventually become friends and Katherine reveals a secret: she’s determined to find her birth mother, and she wants Emily’s help. New country, new family, new responsibilities—it’s all a lot to handle, and Emily has never felt more alone.”
Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George, $1.99. Amy did a wonderful full review of this book. Here are some highlights: “Creel is not your typical heroine. When her impoverished family decides to sacrifice her to the local dragon in the hopes that a wealthy knight will rescue her, marry her, and allow the whole clan to prosper, Creel discovers that the local dragon has zero interest in holding damsels hostage or battling questing knights. She seizes the opportunity, borrows a pair of mysterious blue shoes from her reluctant captor, and sets off for the capital with only a bit of embroidery thread and her wits to guide her. This is a delightful, girl-powered story—and one in which the heroine doesn’t have to become a warrior to save the day. Creel is consistently, awesomely herself throughout this book—she changes and grows, of course, but in normal, everyday ways that normal, everyday people change and grow. She’s intelligent and resourceful, good at her job, and willing to stick her neck out when she believes in something, whether it’s dealing with a mean girl at work or coming up with a plan to get the dragons on the right side of the coming war.”
100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names, by Diana Wells, $1.99. This book is a lovely combination of several genres. It’s a gardening book with lovely and careful botanical drawings. It’s a book about words, etymology, and history. And because so many flowers got their names from Latin and Greek gods, this book ends up being a crash course in mythology as well. Every flower tells a story.
The Annotated Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott and John Matteson, $2.99. This former English major is a sucker for annotated classics. I love reading through a book and finding little nuggets of information about historical events, the author’s life, unusual word usage, and more. Little Women has returned to the spotlight this winter, so now would be a great time to look at it with fresh eyes.
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, by Maria Konnikova, $4.99. Sherlock Holmes's prodigious mind has fascinated readers for more than a century. In this clever and fascinating book, psychologist Maria Konnikova examines Sherlock’s powers of observation and deduction to show readers how the brain works and what steps those of us who are not master detectives can take to improve our abilities.
Inside Biosphere 2: Earth Science Under Glass, by Mary Kay Carson, $2.99. The Scientists in the Field series aims to show tweens and teens the interesting places where scientists do their research. Biosphere 2 is an earth science research lab in rural Arizona that contains replicas of several major ecosystems. Scientists use this space to research climate change and other environmental science topics. This book is full of photos, facts, and stories of scientists pursuing their research interests.
Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World’s Richest Museum, by Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino, $1.99. Do you love a good scholarly scandal as much as I do? Learn about the Getty museum’s history of buying artifacts looted from historic sites and how the discovery of this malfeasance led other museums to return more than 100 artifacts to their native countries.
Snow, Glass, Apples, by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran, $2.99. This graphic novel is Snow White like you have never seen her before. Doran’s breathtaking illustrations are a twist on medieval illuminated manuscripts, with a dark, otherworldly feel. Gaiman’s creepy story is nothing like the Disney version!
Rejected Princesses: Tales of History’s Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics, by Jason Porath, $1.99. This gorgeous book is must-read for anyone who doesn’t feel like the princess trope represents them. Porath has collected mythical and historical women who have discarded social norms to accomplish great (and sometimes terrible) things. There are amazing, colorful illustrations of each woman. Not all of these stories are appropriate for young children, so each tale has a color-coded maturity guide and content warnings for violence, sex, and other tricky issues.
Caraval, by Stephanie Garber, $2.99. This atmospheric YA trilogy is now complete, so it’s the perfect time to start reading! Scarlett and Tella have always dreamed of seeing Caraval, an elaborate yearly performance with audience participation. When they finally make it to the show, Tella is kidnapped and whisked into the performance. Rescuing her becomes a game for the whole audience, but if Scarlett does not get to her first, Tella might be lost forever. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games and like fantasy elements, this might be the perfect series for you.
A Crazy-Much Love, by Joy Jordan-Lake, $1.99. This sweet picture book tells the story of an international adoption and many milestones that follow in a young girl’s family.
George, by Alex Gino, $3.99. George may look like a boy, but she knows she is really a girl. Determined to win the role of Charlotte in her school play of Charlotte’s Web, she sets out to make sure everyone else can see her the way she sees herself. Books that address the experiences of transgender tweens are rare, and this one does it well, so snag it for your middle-grade reader.
The Benefits of Being an Octopus, by Ann Braden, $1.99. I haven’t had a chance to read this middle-grade book yet, but I’ve been seeing it on “Best of” booklists for two years. Here’s an excerpt from the publisher’s decription: Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer. At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them. Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses. Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.
That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means: The 150 Most Commonly Misused Words and Their Tangled Histories, by Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras, $2.99. Ross and Kathryn are coming to your rescue! They have collected a group of words and phrases that are commonly misused. Do you know the difference between abrogate and arrogate? What about mitigate and militate? The short histories of the words or phrases will keep you interested and help to make the differences stick in your mind. The tone is just right, not condescending or stuffy.
Challenge Accepted! 253 Steps to Becoming an Anti-It Girl, by Celeste Barber, $1.99. You may have seen Australian actor and comedian Celeste Barber’s hilarious Instagram photos attempting to copy ridiculous celebrity poses. If you’re interested in her take on childbirth, what it’s like to share so much of her life on the internet, body image, and more, this book is a breezy, laugh-out-loud read. Note: If you are squeamish about crude language, this may not be the book for you.
The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley, $1.99. From our Adventure and Suspense reading list: Orphaned girl Harry Crewe is living a perfectly ordinary life — until the day she is kidnapped by the king of the Hillfolk to fulfill a destiny she never imagined. Is Harry really a true warrior who can wield the legendary blue sword? And even if she is, will she believe in herself enough to seize her fate?
Waiting, by Kevin Henkes, $1.99. This sweet picture book captures the emotional essence of childhood. Five toys sit by a window, each waiting for something different to happen. Simple, but resonant text and warm illustrations make this a delightful read.
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.
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.
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.
From the Corner of the Oval, by Beck Dorey-Stein, $4.99. 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?
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.”
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.