Kindle Deals for February 2, 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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Amazon has great deals on science books today! Blurbs will be brief so that I can get more titles out to you. Keep in mind, most of these will go up in price tomorrow, so don’t delay!
Rotten!: Vultures, Beetles, Slime, and Nature’s Other Decomposers, by Anita Sanchez, $2.99. This fun and fact-dense book about decomposers will thrill upper elementary or middle school readers. Lots of funny illustrations bring the scientific portions to life.
This is Your Brain on Parasites, by Kathleen McAuliffe, $2.99. A parasite needs a compliant and useful host, and it may evolve ways to adjust the host’s behavior. This book is full of fascinating details about how microbes affect the brains of animals (yes, including humans).
Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes, by Nathan H Lents, $2.99. I’ll be honest, I lost Library Chicken on this one and had to return it only partway read. But I was really enjoying Lents’s collection of the odd bit and pieces of human biology. Why are humans so likely to catch colds? Why do so many of us have terrible eyesight? Lents explains these and many more with information from medicine, engineering, and evolutionary biology.
The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery, by Sam Kean, $3.99. Sam Kean is a fantastic science writer who brings a lot of humanity to his topics. In this book, he delves into how medical science came to understand how the brain works by focusing on individual cases.
My Penguin Year: Life Among the Emperors, by Lindsay McCrae, $2.99. Wildlife lovers will enjoy McCrae’s account of the year he spent observing emperor penguins through an entire breeding cycle. McCrae shares the extraordinary details of both human and penguin life in earth’s most extreme environment.
Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives, by Mark Miodownik, $2.99. The author of the brilliant Stuff Matters is back with a deep exploration of the liquids that make modern life possible. This book will take you from LCD displays to the magma flowing underneath the ground.
Science in Seconds: 200 Key Concepts Explained in an Instant, by Hazel Muir, $1.99. This illustrated guide to scientific concepts explains everything from thermodynamics to the Doppler effect. It’s an excellent resource for when you need a refresher or a way to answer a homework question.
Wonders of the Solar System, by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen, $2.99. This book companion to the impressive BBC series is full of amazing images. Brian Cox is very much like Carl Sagan — his science is rigorous but filled with lyricism and wonder.
Detective Science: 40 Crime-Solving, Case-Breaking, Crook-Catching Activities for Kids, by Jim Wiese, $2.99. This fun introduction to forensic science will have your kids analyzing lip prints, tracking down footprints, and chemically analyzing liquids.
Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, from Arsenic to Zinc, by Hugh Aldersley-Williams, $1.99. I love science, but I’m also a social science person; I applied to college as a biochemistry major and graduated with an English degree. Periodic Tales is the best of both worlds. Aldersley-Williams explains not just what each element does, but how it got discovered and what roles it has played in history and modern society. This is a great companion for a high school chemistry course.
The Tornado Scientist: Seeing Inside Severe Storms, by Mary Kay Carson, $2.99. These middle-school level books about scientists in the field offer kids a great chance to see how and where modern science is being done. This book follows the fascinating and dangerous work of a storm scientist. Color photos break up the text.
The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake, by Steven Novella, $2.99. I bought this book last year when I kept wanting to refer to my library copy after I returned it. Start the new year with a fresh look at fake news, real science, and how to tell the difference. This is a perfect book to introduce teens to media awareness, critical thinking, and today’s current scientific debates (e.g., vaccines, global warming, radio waves).
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life, by Ed Yong, $1.99. This book absolutely fascinated and disturbed me. Ed Yong’s extensive book is a guide to the millions of microbes that live in and on all creatures. You will learn about how microorganisms improve the lives of their hosts — making squid invisible, leading mice right to the cats who want to eat them, and defending humans from disease. This will change your outlook on the many lives around you.
STILL ON SALE
In Progress: Seeing Inside a Lettering Artist’s Sketchbook and Process, from Pencil to Vector, by Jessica Hische, $2.99. I love to learn about how things are made, and this peek into a lettering artist’s work process is really fascinating to me. This is a great introduction to the terminology, tools, and business of lettering. You’ll enjoy this look behind the scenes even if you, like me, have no talent for fancy handwriting.
Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe, by Tim Leong, $1.99. If you love comic books, this is the book for you. If you know very little about superheroes but enjoy infographics, this is also the book for you. Tim Leong breaks down the world of superheroes and supervillians by color, geographic area, height, weight, and more.
Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt, by Barbara Mertz, $1.99. You may know Barbara Mertz by her pen name, Elizabeth Peters. She has written a very enjoyable mystery series about Egyptologists. Mertz is actually a well-known Egyptologist herself, and brings her vast knowledge to a general audience in this book. History is shared with humor and context.
Gmorning, Gnight! Little Pep Talks for Me and You, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, $4.99. This book is purely charming. Miranda’s pairs of short poems bookend a day, one for the morning and one for bedtime. They read like the offspring of Mr. Rogers and Shel Silverstein. Funny illustrations round out the experience.
Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor, $1.99. This sci-fi novella introduces an exciting new universe. Binti, a Himba tribeswoman, is the first of her people to gain admission to a galactic university. Against her family’s wishes, she leaves her desert home to pursue higher education. A disaster on her transport ship has profound impacts on Binti’s future. This book is beautifully written and a whirlwind of activity. It’s short, but it packs a punch.
Awesome Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 50 STEAM Projects You Can Eat, by Megan Olivia Hall, $1.99. Need a little bit of science inspiration? This book is here to help. With adventures in carbonation, bioluminescence, chromatography, and many others, there is plenty to keep kids busy. Key scientific concepts are clearly highlighted for each experiment. The book is designed as a workbook and comes with instructions on how to input notes.
We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson, $1.99. From our Spooky (and Not-So-Spooky) Book guide: “After the rest of their family dies suspiciously of arsenic poisoning, Merricat and Constance live an isolated life in their family's grand old house. Jackson manages her usual balance of macabre humor and growing unease in this story that slowly grows more and more un-put-down-able as you read.”
The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments, by George Johnson, $2.99. This collection of experiments is a crash course in the history of science. What makes an experiment “beautiful,” in Johnson’s view, is not flashiness but simplicity and clarity. From Galileo’s experiments with gravity to Millikan’s work with electrons, each chapter highlights a major breakthrough in science and the creative and persistent scientists (unfortunately, not a very diverse group) who made it happen.
How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps: Step by Step Cartography for Gamers and Fans, by Jared Blando, $4.99. I’m a big fan of meeting kids where they are to sneak in some meaningful learning. In creating a fantasy world and building an accurate map, budding cartographers will have a crash course in geography. The book offers good starting points for discussion of geographic features, cities and transportation, political history, and heraldry. The excellent and varied illustrations break the complex process into manageable steps.
Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker, $1.99. This is a great deal on a massive, informative book, so snap it up! It is very easy to get stuck in thinking about all of the problems and disasters facing the modern world. Pinker uses meticulous sociological research to show that human conditions have been steadily improving since the Enlightenment. Far from resting on laurels, Pinker encourages readers to continue embracing reason and science to defend the world against the ever-encroaching tribalism, demagoguery, and fatalism that also seem to be a persistent part of human nature.
Paperback Crush, by Gabrielle Moss, $2.99. Calling all women in their thirties and forties! Did you go through a horse book phase in middle school? Did you morbidly rubberneck the doomed romances of terminally ill teens? This book is a love letter to the mass market teen paperbacks of the 1980s and 1990s. Revisit the extremely specific genres of books you loved but have probably forgotten.
Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel, by Michio Kaku, $2.99. Renowned physicist Michio Kaku takes on science fiction to determine which fictional technologies are possible and which violate our current understanding of the laws of physics. This could be a good book to get a sci-fi fan more interested in the science aspects of popular TV and movies.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.