Kindle Deals for December 1, 2021
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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The Carols of Christmas, by Andrew Gant, $1.99. Get ready to dig into the history of the familiar but sometimes strange songs of the holiday season. Who was Good King Wenceslas? Gant is both a historian and composer, and he packs this book full of interesting details.
The Beatles Lyrics: The Stories Behind the Music, Including the Handwritten Drafts of More Than 100 Classic Beatles Songs, by Hunter Davies, $2.99. I was the child of Beatles fans, and I have passed along their music to my own child. If you are curious about how an octopus came to have a garden or what Lucy was really doing up in the sky, you’ll want to check this book out. Even if you are not a Beatles superfan, you will find lots to learn about the songwriting process.
Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop, by Adam Bradley, $3.99. Rap artists show tremendous creativity in their use of rhythm and rhyme. Instead of focusing on controversial content (here’s your language, sex, and violence warning), Bradley looks at modern rap classics as examples of poetry, exploring their word choice, meter, and more. This is a fine addition to both your music and language resource collection.
From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars, by Virginia Hanlon Grohl, $4.99. What’s it like to have a rock star in the family? Virginia Hanlon Grohl, mother to the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, knows! She shares some of her experiences and seeks out the mothers of other famous musicians to find out what it was like to raise these unique children, what the moms think about their kids’ high-profile lifestyles, and more.
STILL ON SALE
All That Remains, by Sue Black, $1.99. If you’ve ever watched Bones and wondered what a real forensic anthropologist does, you’ll want to read this book. Sue Black has had a long career in the UK helping to solve crimes, identify bodies after disasters, and teaching a new generation of forensics professionals. This is more of an autobiography than a forensics guide, but it contains lots of interesting scientific tidbits.
Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey Through the World’s Strangest Brains, by Helen Thomson, $1.99. If you enjoy Oliver Sacks, you’ll appreciate Helen Thomson. From the publisher: “Helen Thomson has spent years travelling the world, tracking down incredibly rare brain disorders. In Unthinkable she tells the stories of nine extraordinary people she encountered along the way. From the man who thinks he's a tiger to the doctor who feels the pain of others just by looking at them to a woman who hears music that’s not there, their experiences illustrate how the brain can shape our lives in unexpected and, in some cases, brilliant and alarming ways. Story by remarkable story, Unthinkable takes us on an unforgettable journey through the human brain. Discover how to forge memories that never disappear, how to grow an alien limb and how to make better decisions. Learn how to hallucinate and how to make yourself happier in a split second. Find out how to avoid getting lost, how to see more of your reality, even how exactly you can confirm you are alive. Think the unthinkable.”
Fifteen Hundred Miles From the Sun, by Jonny Garza Villa, $3.99. This queer Latinx romance takes on big issues while still working toward a happy ending. Jules is biding his time in Texas, dreaming of going off to college where he can feel free to come out. When he accidentally outs himself on Twitter, he faces rejection from his family but also finds new community in person and online. The characters are heartfelt, snarky, and relatable.
We Are Not Free, by Traci Chee, $2.99. This YA novel about second generation Japanese teens who are sent to an internment camp during WWII is loosely based on the experiences of Chee’s relatives. The story comes together through multiple narrators, providing a lot of character depth. This is a must read for high schoolers studying American history.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, by James Patterson, $1.99. I read this series way back in 2005, but my daughter picked it up a few months ago and loved it, so I think it holds up to modern readership. Max is part of a band of misfit mutants who are trying to get to the bottom of how they got their amazing powers… and who wants them all dead. This is classic Patterson: short chapters, high action, cliffhanger ending. Be prepared to pick up the next book as soon as you put this one down.
Pea, Bee, and Jay: Stuck Together, by Brian “Smitty” Smith, $1.99. Meet a wacky trio of friends in this early reader graphic novel. Pea is, well, a pea, Bee is a super-smart Bee, and Jay is a blue jay who doesn’t know how to fly yet. Together, they are on a quest to get Pea back home. Kids will love all the word play and action in this funny, comic-style book.
Hand-Me-Down Magic: Stoop Sale Treasure, by Corey Ann Haydu, $1.99. Are you ready for a new early chapter book series like Ivy and Bean? You’ll love the adventures of best-friend-cousins Del and Alma, who live together in the city and have lots of adventures with just a hint of magic. Spanish words and Latinx traditions are seamlessly woven into the story. The language is simple, but the emotions are real. Alma is new to the city and struggles with missing her old lakeside home.
The Fire Within, by Chris D’Lacey, $0.99. This British middle-grade book is great for kids who like their fantasy grounded in reality. When David moves in with a new family, he is surprised to discover a surprising element to their pottery business. They make and sell clay dragons, but some of those dragons are more than they seem. This charming read is more magical realism than sweeping fantasy.
The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World and Its Ecosystems, by Rachel Ignotofsky, $4.99. This is a really cool book full of beautiful illustrations. Ignotofsky covers major topics in geography and earth science, including sections on all the major biomes on Earth. Infographic fans will love the way she breaks down all the relevant facts into whimsical but fact-filled diagrams.
DK Readers: Welcome to China, by Caryn Jenner, $2.99. DK Readers are great introductions to nonfiction topics! This Level 3 reader is full of maps and photos that really bring China to life. Vocabulary is moderately challenging, and there’s about a paragraph of text per page.
How to Make Hand-Drawn Maps, by Helen Cann, $1.99. There are so many ways to make a map, and so many different things that can be mapped. Helen Cann has put together an excellent guide book for making beautiful creations that blur the line between geography and art. She includes tips for artistic flourishes and making creative connections. A selection of sample projects includes mind maps, family trees, city maps, and maps plotting the course of books and movies.
Black Tudors: The Untold Story, by Miranda Kaufmann, $0.99. If the only Black person from the Tudor era that you know about is Shakespeare’s Othello, you need this book. From the publisher: “A black porter publicly whips a white Englishman in the hall of a Gloucestershire manor house. A Moroccan woman is baptised in a London church. Henry VIII dispatches a Mauritanian diver to salvage lost treasures from the Mary Rose. From long-forgotten records emerge the remarkable stories of Africans who lived free in Tudor England… They were present at some of the defining moments of the age. They were christened, married and buried by the Church. They were paid wages like any other Tudors. The untold stories of the Black Tudors, dazzlingly brought to life by Kaufmann, will transform how we see this most intriguing period of history.”
Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture, by Sudhir Hazareesingh, $2.99. I did not learn about Toussaint Louverture in school, but I was fascinated to discover him as an adult. Louverture is the founding father of modern Haiti, having led the revolution that resulted in the country’s independence from France. He is a complicated character, born a slave but ultimately a member of Caribbean and European high society.
8 Things Every Boy Should Know About Being a Man, by Horace Hough, $2.99. Hough worked for many years in a middle school, and he has seen the struggles facing today’s teenage boys. He has put together what he has learned into this short book of advice. Here’s the publisher’s description:
”8 Things Every Boy Should Know About Being a Man is an essential roadmap you can share with your child or teen to expand his mind during the critical stages of middle or high school. Featuring chapters like ‘You’re Not as Mad as You Think You Are’ and ‘Man Up; Get Help!’ the book teaches your young man how to avoid self-pity, emotionally unhealthy habits, and damaging decisions. As he reads Hough's rarely-discussed conversation topics, he'll learn how to rise above the negativity to become a strong, influential adult.”
On Your Mark, Set, Grow: A “What’s Happening to My Body?” Book for Younger Boys, by Lynda Madaras, $3.49. Lynda Madaras has been writing books about puberty for decades. She brings a matter-of-fact, informational tone to these sensitive topics. More recently, Madaras has written books designed for younger readers. This particular volume is designed for boys ages 8-10 and covers everything from shaving to circumcision to bullying.
I’m a Boy — Hormones! by Shelley Metten and Alan Estridge, $2.99. Puberty and sexual health is a big topic, and this book series does an excellent job of breaking the information into short, age-appropriate chunks. This book is intended for middle school boys who are starting to experience hormonal changes. The other books in the series talk about basic anatomy (for the younger age group) and sexual function (for older teens).
DK Readers: LEGO Women of NASA, Space Heroes, by Hannah Dolan, $2.99. My family was delighted when LEGO put out their women of NASA kit. This book provides background information for each of the women featured: Sally Ride, Mae Jemison, Margaret Hamilton, and Nancy Grace Ronan. If you’ve got a kid who loves LEGO or science in your household, this book is worth checking out. Vocabulary is a little bit advanced for an easy reader, but you’ll find only one or two sentences per page.
Step into Reading: My Journey Into Space, by Scott Kelly, $4.99. This easy reader autobiography is great for kids who are interested in what it takes to get to space. Both Scott Kelly and his twin brother, Mark, trained to become astronauts. Kelly describes the lengthy process from boyhood school struggles to his time commanding the International Space Station. This level 3 reader has approximately 4 sentences per (illustrated) page.
Nefertiti the Spidernaut, by Darcy Pattison, $3.99. Nefertiti was a real spider who went on an extraordinary adventure. Scientists wanted to learn more about the effects of gravity (or lack thereof) on animal behavior, so they sent a jumping spider into space for 100 days to observe how the animal would adapt. Amazingly, she adapted to microgravity and developed new hunting routines. This picture book is high on science content with a sprinkling of whimsy.
Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story, by Ursula K. Le Guin, $2.99. Le Guin really knows her way around a good story, as readers young and old can attest. This is her attempt to condense what she had learned in a long literary career into a short, pithy work. Here’s the publisher’s description: “Le Guin lays out ten chapters that address the most fundamental components of narrative, from the sound of language to sentence construction to point of view. Each chapter combines illustrative examples from the global canon with Le Guin’s own witty commentary and an exercise that the writer can do solo or in a group. She also offers a comprehensive guide to working in writing groups, both actual and online.”
Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World, by Yee-Lum Mak and Kelsey Garrity-Riley, $1.99. This is a beautiful little book, full of moody illustrations. Mak has collected words from all around the world that describe very specific things. Come find out the meanings of gezellig, resfeber, and hoppipolla!
Find Your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic, by Lisa Congdon, $2.99. This isn’t so much a technique book as a it is a handbook for developing your own technique. Congdon is a working artist and illustrator known for her bold, simple, but moving style. With lots of questions and examples, she encourages budding artists to think about what elements define their own personal style. If you are ready to move from copying other people’s styles to creating original work, this book will steer you in the right direction.
Look at That! Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching, by Bobbie Herron, $4.99. I like this book’s playful approach to noticing the world around you. Here’s the publisher’s description: “Explore this new, lighthearted approach to looking, seeing, and finally sketching. So-called ‘non-artists’ will quickly develop an artist’s eye. Artists will rediscover the joy of ‘beginner mind,’ back before perfectionism set in. You will come to love those five minutes of ‘Look-at-That’ practice which have the power to relax and reinvigorate you at a moment's notice. Best of all, when your sketchbook is filled, you will also have a travelogue of your recent adventures seeing your world for the first time. You will be amazed.”
Agatha Oddly: The Secret Key, by Lena Jones, $3.99. Get to know a new mystery heroine! Agatha is a 13-year-old London girl who has been waiting to crack her first case as a detective. When the city’s water supply is contaminated, Agatha decides to find out exactly what is going on.
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane, by Julia Nobel, $1.99. Amy really liked this one when she read it earlier this year. Here’s her review: Emmy’s dad is MIA, and her mom is so busy explaining how other people can be great parents that she never has time to just be Emmy’s parent. Emmy is crushed when her mom ships her off to a fancy British boarding school — until she gets pulled into a mystery involving a super-secret order that may involve her long-missing father. It’s true that I’m a sucker for a boarding school book, but this is the kind of middle grades book I like best: It assumes a smart reader who can connect the pieces, and there’s plenty of action to keep the plot moving and mostly likable, individual characters who make you care about what’s happening. I recommend this one!
Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen, by Debbie Michiko Florence, $2.99. Get ready for a mouth-watering adventure for fans of Ivy and Bean! Jasmine is annoyed that her older sister gets to help the grown-up women make mochi for their New Year celebration. She wants to be involved too, so she devises a plan to help the men pound the rice to make mochi flour. But will the adults agree to this unconventional plan, and is Jasmine strong enough to help? I love this multicultural chapter book series for beginning readers.
You Can’t Judge a Cookie by its Cutter: Make 100 Cookie Designs with Only a Handful of Cookie Cutters, by Patti Paige, $4.99. I was blown away by how cleverly Paige re-envisions classic cookie shapes. If you’ve ever wanted thought about decorating seasonal cookies but thought it would be too complicated, you’ll want to check this book out. She gives a few classic recipes, but the real excitement is in the way she uses her imagination to creatively adapt the shapes.
Hear the Beat, Feel the Music, by James Joseph, $4.99. Are you looking for ways to explain the basics of music to a complete beginner? James Joseph is a rhythm coach who specializes in training dancers how to move with the music. This book, combined with his YouTube videos, will help you learn to identify the beat, meter, and musical phrases in any piece.
Monsters You Should Know, by Emma Sancartier, $1.99. This is the cutest book about horrifying monsters that you will ever see. Truly creepy monsters from folklore around the world are illustrated in a scary but still somehow charming style. This is a picture book, but probably best for ages 8+. You could shape an interesting unit study around researching these monsters.
Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire, $2.99. From Amy’s review: “This book—it’s really a gorgeous little novella, so it’s a quick read—hit all the classic fantasy sweet spots: imaginary worlds, lonely girls longing for home, boarding school camaraderie, and a note of wistfulness running through the whole thing. I always wonder what happens to people like Alice after Wonderland, and this book suggests some answers: They’re always looking for the next rabbit hole or magic mirror and wishing to go back.”
Ivy and Bean and the Ghost the Had to Go, by Annie Barrows, $0.99. Readers ready to venture into chapter books will love Ivy and Bean, two friends who get into strange predicaments and have to find their way out. These books are funny enough to entertain adult readers as well! In this one, the girls are investigating a ghost they think is haunting a bathroom in their school.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: A Graphic Novel, by Mark Twain and Daniel Strickland, $2.84. If you’d like a fun way to introduce the classic Mark Twain story, this graphic novel version hits all the high points. The introduction provides information about the author, and a section at the end contains discussion questions.
How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide, by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay, $4.99. The last year has been particularly divisive and challenging for a lot of people. If you are finding yourself in conflict with people you care about (and/or just can’t avoid), this book may be for you. From the publisher: “In How to Have Impossible Conversations, Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay guide you through the straightforward, practical, conversational techniques necessary for every successful conversation—whether the issue is climate change, religious faith, gender identity, race, poverty, immigration, or gun control. Boghossian and Lindsay teach the subtle art of instilling doubts and opening minds. They cover everything from learning the fundamentals for good conversations to achieving expert-level techniques to deal with hardliners and extremists. This book is the manual everyone needs to foster a climate of civility, connection, and empathy.”
Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set, by Tony Bill, $1.99. As you are waiting for the post-credits scene of the latest blockbuster, you may find yourself thinking, “What is a best boy? What does a key grip actually grip?” You’ll find the answers to these and many other show business questions in this handy guide.
A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee, by Chris Van Dusen, $0.99. Kids will love the wild and wacky adventures of Mr. Magee and his little dog, Dee. Chris Van Dusen is a master at using impressively funny rhymes to tell a story. In this book, Mr. Magee and Dee are off on a camping trip in their trailer. Things don’t go as planned when the trailer breaks free and starts rolling down the mountain! My daughter absolutely loved the Mr. Magee books (there are three) when she was younger; the rhymes and charming illustrations give this one high reread potential.
Steam Train, Dream Train, by Sherri Duskey Rinker, $4.74. All aboard the Dream Train! This bedtime story is the perfect balance of wacky action and soothing repetition. In the dream world, the train is staffed by animals — giraffes, kangaroos, monkey, and more — who load each car with unusual items. Tom Lichtenheld’s drawings are perfect as always.
The Rescue Rabbits, by Eric Seltzer, $1.99. These rabbits are always ready to hop to aid their fellow animals. This crew of intrepid first responders uses specialized equipment (like the Super-Chopper 9000) to come to the aid of elephants, kangaroos, and others. There’s high action, comic-style text bubbles, and a lot of humor.
Marvel Indigenous Voices #1, by Various Authors, $4.99. This fun collection from Marvel features Indigenous creators and characters from the Marvel Universe. Big names in literature like Rebecca Roanhorse and Darcie Little Badger contribute stories illustrated by Native artists!
Bare Minimum Parenting: The Ultimate Guide to Not Quite Ruining Your Child, by James Breakwell, $4.99. This is obviously a tongue-in-cheek parenting guide, designed for laughs. That doesn’t mean it is short on the useful tidbits, though. If you are ready to laugh about the parenting journey, pick up this entertaining book.
Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Haunted House, by Doug Cushman, $1.99. Meet Dirk Bones, a detective and journalist who happens to be a skeleton. When a house is filled with weird noises, it is up to Dirk to find out what is going on.
Lulu Goes to Witch School, by Jane O’Connor, $1.99. The little witch in this story from Fancy Nancy creator Jane O’Connor is precious. Lulu is starting witch school, where she will learn to do magic and use her broom. She loves everything about the new school, except for one kid who seems intent to show off. It’s more of a day-in-the-life story than something with an exciting plot, but the adorable illustrations and simple language make it a good choice for young readers.
At the Old Haunted House, by Helen Ketteman, $0.99. Get ready for a fun remake of the classic song “Over in the Meadow.” This spooky twist on a counting song will be perfect for your Halloween math lessons. Count up the monsters, cats, goblins, witches and other creatures. There are lots of classic horror characters, but don’t worry — they are all having a good time and aren’t very scary.
In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories, by Alvin Schwartz, $1.99. Some kids just LOVE to be creeped out, and it’s never too early to get a delightfully spooky book into their hands. This is a collection of scary stories for beginning readers. Turn down the lights and let your child give a haunted story hour. The vibrant and twisted illustrations add to the fun.
Three Cheers for Kid McGear! by Sherri Duskey Rinker, $1.99. I’ve read Rinker’s construction site books more times than I can count. In the latest addition, Kid McGear is the newest team member looking to prove herself. Kid is smaller than the other machines, but that doesn’t mean she can’t save the day when needed!