Kindle Deals for December 11, 2019
Today’s deals include space battles, building activities, and Scrooge!
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.)
Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids, by Christina Herkert Schul, $1.99. Do you need some fresh ideas for STEM activities? This book is designed for kids and gives them clear step-by-step instructions for creating fun projects. While some (like the ones on the cover) are pretty standard engineering activities, others (e.g., Solar Water Distiller) are pretty unique!
The Stars Now Unclaimed, by Drew Williams, $2.99. My husband really enjoyed this book and recently recommended it to one of his favorite teens. Unfortunately, he’s not here to give me his summary so we will have to defer to the publisher: “Jane Kamali is an agent for the Justified. Her mission: to recruit children with miraculous gifts in the hope that they might prevent the Pulse from once again sending countless worlds back to the dark ages. Hot on her trail is the Pax--a collection of fascist zealots who believe they are the rightful rulers of the galaxy and who remain untouched by the Pulse. Now Jane, a handful of comrades from her past, and a telekinetic girl called Esa must fight their way through a galaxy full of dangerous conflicts, remnants of ancient technology, and other hidden dangers.”
The Afterlife of Holly Chase, by Cynthia Hand, $1.99. This YA reimagining of A Christmas Carol will intrigue adults and teens alike. When Holly is visited by ghosts who tell her to change her ways, she doesn’t listen. And then she dies. Now she must serve as a Ghost of Christmas Past. Her afterlife isn’t going well, but there may be an opportunity for a second chance.
STILL ON SALE
Problem Solving 101, A Simple Book for Smart People, by Ken Watanabe, $4.99. Ken Watanabe wrote this book for Japanese school kids to get them practicing decision making and problem solving instead of just memorization. Through a series of interesting adventures and challenges, Watanabe teaches the readers how use logic, trial and error, and teamwork to solve complicated problems. The examples and illustrations are fun for all ages; this book became a Japanese bestseller popular with business leaders!
Ivy and Bean, One Big Happy Family, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. This is the 11th book in the delightful Ivy and Bean series, but each one stands alone. This is a hilarious and heartwarming book for early chapter book readers. Ivy is worried that she is spoiled because she is an only child. How can she fix it? By getting a little sister, of course. And Ivy and Bean know just where to find one.
Your Inner Fish, a Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Yea History of the Human Body, by Neil Shubin, $4.99. We know humans share common ancestors with pretty much all creatures on earth if you go far back enough. Paleontologist Neil Shubin walks us through the fossil and DNA records to show which parts of our body we share with other current and extinct animals. This book brings ancient history to life by showing how the traces are still visible in our own hands, heads, and more.
Hanukcats, and Other Traditional Jewish Songs for Cats, by Laurie Loughlin, $1.99. Do you love the holidays, humor, and also cats? This might be your lucky day. This collection of funny Hanukkah-themed songs are written from the perspective of your household cat. Funny, charming illustrations make this book fun for all ages. If your family or your cat celebrates Christmas, you might want to check out Catmas Carols by the same author.
The Poisoner’s Handbook, Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, by Deborah Blum, $4.99. We take CSI shows completely for granted now. Of course there will scientific experts carefully examining the scene of the crime, right? Surprisingly, forensic science was not a major part of law enforcement until approximately one hundred years ago. Poisoning was a nearly undetectable crime until a pair of scientists systematically studied the effects and traces of poisons. This is fascinating, if dark at times, history.
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea, by Ellis Weiner, $0.99. This new series has delightful Lemony Snicket feel. The publisher’s description gives you a great sense of the book’s tone: “Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometime confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Now in paperback, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't?!).”
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas, $3.99. Magic is in short supply in Conn’s world. When Conn attempts to pick the pocket of a wizard, the wizard decides to make Conn his apprentice. As Conn learns to navigate the world of magic, he must find his own power and help his master discover who or what is draining the city of its magic. This is the first in an exciting middle-grade series.
We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal, $2.99. The Best Books of 2019 lists are rolling in, and this YA fantasy novel has been on several of them. The publisher’s description looks pretty exciting: “Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.”
Something in Between, by Melissa de la Cruz, $2.99. Melissa de la Cruz is a prolific YA author known largely for vampire novels, Alexander Hamilton stories, and the Descendants novels. In Something in Between, she veers into more realistic fiction to tell the story of a young Filipino girl who discovers that her parents overstayed their visas, and that everyone in their family is an illegal immigrant. The story encompasses both her legal journey and a romance plot. This is a feel-good story about a difficult situation that may be more optimistic than realistic, but it could be a good way to introduce and personalize the topic of illegal immigration for middle and high school readers.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
Kindle Deals for December 10, 2019
Today’s deals include problem solving, ancient creatures, and a funny early reader book!
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.)
Problem Solving 101, A Simple Book for Smart People, by Ken Watanabe, $4.99. Ken Watanabe wrote this book for Japanese school kids to get them practicing decision making and problem solving instead of just memorization. Through a series of interesting adventures and challenges, Watanabe teaches the readers how use logic, trial and error, and teamwork to solve complicated problems. The examples and illustrations are fun for all ages; this book became a Japanese bestseller popular with business leaders!
Ivy and Bean, One Big Happy Family, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. This is the 11th book in the delightful Ivy and Bean series, but each one stands alone. This is a hilarious and heartwarming book for early chapter book readers. Ivy is worried that she is spoiled because she is an only child. How can she fix it? By getting a little sister, of course. And Ivy and Bean know just where to find one.
Your Inner Fish, a Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Yea History of the Human Body, by Neil Shubin, $4.99. We know humans share common ancestors with pretty much all creatures on earth if you go far back enough. Paleontologist Neil Shubin walks us through the fossil and DNA records to show which parts of our body we share with other current and extinct animals. This book brings ancient history to life by showing how the traces are still visible in our own hands, heads, and more.
STILL ON SALE
Hanukcats, and Other Traditional Jewish Songs for Cats, by Laurie Loughlin, $1.99. Do you love the holidays, humor, and also cats? This might be your lucky day. This collection of funny Hanukkah-themed songs are written from the perspective of your household cat. Funny, charming illustrations make this book fun for all ages. If your family or your cat celebrates Christmas, you might want to check out Catmas Carols by the same author.
The Poisoner’s Handbook, Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, by Deborah Blum, $4.99. We take CSI shows completely for granted now. Of course there will scientific experts carefully examining the scene of the crime, right? Surprisingly, forensic science was not a major part of law enforcement until approximately one hundred years ago. Poisoning was a nearly undetectable crime until a pair of scientists systematically studied the effects and traces of poisons. This is fascinating, if dark at times, history.
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea, by Ellis Weiner, $0.99. This new series has delightful Lemony Snicket feel. The publisher’s description gives you a great sense of the book’s tone: “Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometime confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Now in paperback, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't?!).”
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas, $3.99. Magic is in short supply in Conn’s world. When Conn attempts to pick the pocket of a wizard, the wizard decides to make Conn his apprentice. As Conn learns to navigate the world of magic, he must find his own power and help his master discover who or what is draining the city of its magic. This is the first in an exciting middle-grade series.
We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal, $2.99. The Best Books of 2019 lists are rolling in, and this YA fantasy novel has been on several of them. The publisher’s description looks pretty exciting: “Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.”
Something in Between, by Melissa de la Cruz, $2.99. Melissa de la Cruz is a prolific YA author known largely for vampire novels, Alexander Hamilton stories, and the Descendants novels. In Something in Between, she veers into more realistic fiction to tell the story of a young Filipino girl who discovers that her parents overstayed their visas, and that everyone in their family is an illegal immigrant. The story encompasses both her legal journey and a romance plot. This is a feel-good story about a difficult situation that may be more optimistic than realistic, but it could be a good way to introduce and personalize the topic of illegal immigration for middle and high school readers.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
Kindle Deals for December 9, 2019
Silly songs, deadly science, and a clever new children’s series!
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.)
Hanukcats, and Other Traditional Jewish Songs for Cats, by Laurie Loughlin, $1.99. Do you love the holidays, humor, and also cats? This might be your lucky day. This collection of funny Hanukkah-themed songs are written from the perspective of your household cat. Funny, charming illustrations make this book fun for all ages. If your family or your cat celebrates Christmas, you might want to check out Catmas Carols by the same author.
The Poisoner’s Handbook, Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York, by Deborah Blum, $4.99. We take CSI shows completely for granted now. Of course there will scientific experts carefully examining the scene of the crime, right? Surprisingly, forensic science was not a major part of law enforcement until approximately one hundred years ago. Poisoning was a nearly undetectable crime until a pair of scientists systematically studied the effects and traces of poisons. This is fascinating, if dark at times, history.
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea, by Ellis Weiner, $0.99. This new series has delightful Lemony Snicket feel. The publisher’s description gives you a great sense of the book’s tone: “Suppose there were 12-year-old twins, a boy and girl named John and Abigail Templeton. Let's say John was pragmatic and played the drums, and Abigail was theoretical and solved cryptic crosswords. Now suppose their father was a brilliant, if sometime confused, inventor. And suppose that another set of twins—adults—named Dean D. Dean and Dan D. Dean, kidnapped the Templeton twins and their ridiculous dog in order to get their father to turn over one of his genius (sort of) inventions. Yes, kidnapped. Wouldn't it be fun to read about that? Oh please. It would so. Now in paperback, this is just the first in a series perfect for boys and girls who are smart, clever, and funny (just like the twins), and enjoy reading adventurous stories (who doesn't?!).”
STILL ON SALE
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas, $3.99. Magic is in short supply in Conn’s world. When Conn attempts to pick the pocket of a wizard, the wizard decides to make Conn his apprentice. As Conn learns to navigate the world of magic, he must find his own power and help his master discover who or what is draining the city of its magic. This is the first in an exciting middle-grade series.
We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal, $2.99. The Best Books of 2019 lists are rolling in, and this YA fantasy novel has been on several of them. The publisher’s description looks pretty exciting: “Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.”
Something in Between, by Melissa de la Cruz, $2.99. Melissa de la Cruz is a prolific YA author known largely for vampire novels, Alexander Hamilton stories, and the Descendants novels. In Something in Between, she veers into more realistic fiction to tell the story of a young Filipino girl who discovers that her parents overstayed their visas, and that everyone in their family is an illegal immigrant. The story encompasses both her legal journey and a romance plot. This is a feel-good story about a difficult situation that may be more optimistic than realistic, but it could be a good way to introduce and personalize the topic of illegal immigration for middle and high school readers.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
Kindle Deals for December 6, 2019
Today’s deals will bring you science facts, magic, and a look at immigration.
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.)
Ask a Science Teacher, by Larry Scheckel, $1.99. Larry Scheckel has been a science teacher and columnist for a long time, and he loves to answer questions about how the world works. You’ll find out burning questions like “how do you salt peanuts in the shell?” or how are bumblebees able to fly with such small wings and a big body?”
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas, $3.99. Magic is in short supply in Conn’s world. When Conn attempts to pick the pocket of a wizard, the wizard decides to make Conn his apprentice. As Conn learns to navigate the world of magic, he must find his own power and help his master discover who or what is draining the city of its magic. This is the first in an exciting middle-grade series.
Something in Between, by Melissa de la Cruz, $2.99. Melissa de la Cruz is a prolific YA author known largely for vampire novels, Alexander Hamilton stories, and the Descendants novels. In Something in Between, she veers into more realistic fiction to tell the story of a young Filipino girl who discovers that her parents overstayed their visas, and that everyone in their family is an illegal immigrant. The story encompasses both her legal journey and a romance plot. This is a feel-good story about a difficult situation that may be more optimistic than realistic, but it could be a good way to introduce and personalize the topic of illegal immigration for middle and high school readers.
STILL ON SALE
We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal, $2.99. The Best Books of 2019 lists are rolling in, and this YA fantasy novel has been on several of them. The publisher’s description looks pretty exciting: “Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.”
Springfield Confidential, by Mike Reiss and Matthew Klickstein, $1.99. The Simpsons has been a mainstay of American culture for 30 years. Reiss, a writer on the show for it’s entire run, shares behind-the-scenes details on how episodes get made, memorable guests, and more.
The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners, by Margaret Visser, $2.99. I love a good hyper-specific social history, and this book does not disappoint. Visser examines societies around the world and throughout history to discover how humans come together to eat, including the origins of tableware, food-related rituals, and the economic effects of dining practices.
Dinosaurs Without Bones, by Anthony J. Martin, $2.99. I love a good historical investigation. When you think of dinosaurs, you probably envision a museum full of skeletons. But did you know that much of what we know about dinosaurs comes from trace fossils? Trace fossils include footprints and imprints of teeth, claws, skin texture, waste, eggs, and more. It’s forensic science on a long-range scale!
The Selection, by Kiera Cass, $1.99. I’ve been meaning to read this YA vaguely fairytale series for years. Here’s what the publisher says: “For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want. Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.”
Veronica Mars and Philosophy, by George A. Dunn, $3.49. I love it when philosophy and popular culture intersect. This collection of essays explores such categories as criminal nature, the power and limits of memory, trust, what we owe to our friends, and more. If Veronica Mars isn’t thing, The Office and Philosophy is also on sale.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, by Alice Schertle, $2.99. I’ll be bringing you a few sweet Christmas books for kids over the next few weeks. Here’s what the publisher says about this one: “It's the most wonderful time of the year! Little Blue Truck is spreading cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends. Can you help count each green tree from one to five and back again? Don’t forget to save one for Blue! Beep! Beep!”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
Math with Bad Drawings, by Ben Orlin, $2.99. Here’s what Amy says about this fun math book: I love the Math with Bad Drawings blog, so it’s not surprising that this book is one of my favorite math books ever. From the publisher: “A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world.”
The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Guy Off the Bridge?, by Thomas Cathcart, $1.81. Head’s up, fans of The Good Place! This short book is an in depth look at the Trolley Problem, a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. Cathcart considers the problem from many philosophical perspectives, always with good humor.
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkein, $2.99. Own the whole series in Kindle format for less than the price of one book! Follow Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring before it can fall into the hands of evil.
Renegades, by Marisa Meyer, $2.99. This YA scifi series is a big hit. Here’s the publisher’s description: The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun, by Amanda Kingloff, $1.99. The weather is turning frightful, so some crafts would be delightful. This collection includes dozens of activities that are mostly created from common household objects. Break this out on your next snow day!
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for December 5, 2019
From social science to The Simpsons, we have nonfiction that is sure to pique your interest.
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.)
We Hunt the Flame, by Hafsah Faizal, $2.99. The Best Books of 2019 lists are rolling in, and this YA fantasy novel has been on several of them. The publisher’s description looks pretty exciting: “Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the sultan. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. Both Zafira and Nasir are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.”
Springfield Confidential, by Mike Reiss and Matthew Klickstein, $1.99. The Simpsons has been a mainstay of American culture for 30 years. Reiss, a writer on the show for it’s entire run, shares behind-the-scenes details on how episodes get made, memorable guests, and more.
The Rituals of Dinner: The Origins, Evolution, Eccentricities, and Meaning of Table Manners, by Margaret Visser, $2.99. I love a good hyper-specific social history, and this book does not disappoint. Visser examines societies around the world and throughout history to discover how humans come together to eat, including the origins of tableware, food-related rituals, and the economic effects of dining practices.
STILL ON SALE
Dinosaurs Without Bones, by Anthony J. Martin, $2.99. I love a good historical investigation. When you think of dinosaurs, you probably envision a museum full of skeletons. But did you know that much of what we know about dinosaurs comes from trace fossils? Trace fossils include footprints and imprints of teeth, claws, skin texture, waste, eggs, and more. It’s forensic science on a long-range scale!
The Selection, by Kiera Cass, $1.99. I’ve been meaning to read this YA vaguely fairytale series for years. Here’s what the publisher says: “For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want. Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.”
Veronica Mars and Philosophy, by George A. Dunn, $3.49. I love it when philosophy and popular culture intersect. This collection of essays explores such categories as criminal nature, the power and limits of memory, trust, what we owe to our friends, and more. If Veronica Mars isn’t thing, The Office and Philosophy is also on sale.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, by Alice Schertle, $2.99. I’ll be bringing you a few sweet Christmas books for kids over the next few weeks. Here’s what the publisher says about this one: “It's the most wonderful time of the year! Little Blue Truck is spreading cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends. Can you help count each green tree from one to five and back again? Don’t forget to save one for Blue! Beep! Beep!”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
Math with Bad Drawings, by Ben Orlin, $2.99. Here’s what Amy says about this fun math book: I love the Math with Bad Drawings blog, so it’s not surprising that this book is one of my favorite math books ever. From the publisher: “A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world.”
The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Guy Off the Bridge?, by Thomas Cathcart, $1.81. Head’s up, fans of The Good Place! This short book is an in depth look at the Trolley Problem, a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. Cathcart considers the problem from many philosophical perspectives, always with good humor.
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkein, $2.99. Own the whole series in Kindle format for less than the price of one book! Follow Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring before it can fall into the hands of evil.
Renegades, by Marisa Meyer, $2.99. This YA scifi series is a big hit. Here’s the publisher’s description: The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun, by Amanda Kingloff, $1.99. The weather is turning frightful, so some crafts would be delightful. This collection includes dozens of activities that are mostly created from common household objects. Break this out on your next snow day!
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for December 4, 2019
Dinosaurs, Veronica Mars, the first in a YA series, and a fun picture book!
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.)
Dinosaurs Without Bones, by Anthony J. Martin, $2.99. I love a good historical investigation. When you think of dinosaurs, you probably envision a museum full of skeletons. But did you know that much of what we know about dinosaurs comes from trace fossils? Trace fossils include footprints and imprints of teeth, claws, skin texture, waste, eggs, and more. It’s forensic science on a long-range scale!
The Selection, by Kiera Cass, $1.99. I’ve been meaning to read this YA vaguely fairytale series for years. Here’s what the publisher says: “For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want. Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.”
Veronica Mars and Philosophy, by George A. Dunn, $3.49. I love it when philosophy and popular culture intersect. This collection of essays explores such categories as criminal nature, the power and limits of memory, trust, what we owe to our friends, and more. If Veronica Mars isn’t thing, The Office and Philosophy is also on sale.
Little Blue Truck’s Christmas, by Alice Schertle, $2.99. I’ll be bringing you a few sweet Christmas books for kids over the next few weeks. Here’s what the publisher says about this one: “It's the most wonderful time of the year! Little Blue Truck is spreading cheer by delivering Christmas trees to his animal friends. Can you help count each green tree from one to five and back again? Don’t forget to save one for Blue! Beep! Beep!”
STILL ON SALE
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
Math with Bad Drawings, by Ben Orlin, $2.99. Here’s what Amy says about this fun math book: I love the Math with Bad Drawings blog, so it’s not surprising that this book is one of my favorite math books ever. From the publisher: “A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world.”
The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Guy Off the Bridge?, by Thomas Cathcart, $1.81. Head’s up, fans of The Good Place! This short book is an in depth look at the Trolley Problem, a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. Cathcart considers the problem from many philosophical perspectives, always with good humor.
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkein, $2.99. Own the whole series in Kindle format for less than the price of one book! Follow Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring before it can fall into the hands of evil.
Renegades, by Marisa Meyer, $2.99. This YA scifi series is a big hit. Here’s the publisher’s description: The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun, by Amanda Kingloff, $1.99. The weather is turning frightful, so some crafts would be delightful. This collection includes dozens of activities that are mostly created from common household objects. Break this out on your next snow day!
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for December 3, 2019
Math, philosophy, and chocolate can all be found in today’s deals!
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.)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, $1.99. This vivid and delicious, though sometimes dark, novel is a children’s classic. Kids everywhere will relate to Charlie’s adventure at the chocolate factory and take delight in the terrible mishaps that befall the misbehaving children on the tour. I loved this book as a child; Dahl has the perfect balance of joy and the kind of dark humor kids love.
Math with Bad Drawings, by Ben Orlin, $2.99. Here’s what Amy says about this fun math book: I love the Math with Bad Drawings blog, so it’s not surprising that this book is one of my favorite math books ever. From the publisher: “A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world.”
The Trolley Problem, or Would You Throw the Fat Guy Off the Bridge?, by Thomas Cathcart, $2.99. Head’s up, fans of The Good Place! This short book is an in depth look at the Trolley Problem, a classic dilemma in moral philosophy. Cathcart considers the problem from many philosophical perspectives, always with good humor.
STILL ON SALE
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkein, $2.99. Own the whole series in Kindle format for less than the price of one book! Follow Frodo on his quest to destroy the One Ring before it can fall into the hands of evil.
Renegades, by Marisa Meyer, $2.99. This YA scifi series is a big hit. Here’s the publisher’s description: The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies—humans with extraordinary abilities—who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice—and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to the villains who have the power to end them both.
Project Kid: 100 Ingenious Crafts for Family Fun, by Amanda Kingloff, $1.99. The weather is turning frightful, so some crafts would be delightful. This collection includes dozens of activities that are mostly created from common household objects. Break this out on your next snow day!
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for December 1, 2019
Today’s a great day for fiction deals!
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.)
Swing, by Kwame Alexander, $1.99. This YA novel in free verse is the story of best friends Walt and Noah, who are trying to make the world a better place and become cool in the process. It’s a story of baseball, jazz, love, and racial issues. The nontraditional storytelling may hook some more reluctant readers. The book’s message, “You can either uphold the status quo, or you can see what’s wrong and try to change it,” is something we all need to hear.
Sled Dog School, by Terry Lynn Johnson, $2.99. When 11-year-old Matt is assigned a project to create his own business, he struggles to know what he should should make or sell. He decides to focus on what he loves, dogsledding, and create his own training program. This is full of lively details about sled racing and small business accounting.
How to Listen to Jazz, by Ted Gioia, $2.99. Jazz up your music study this year with Ted Gioia’s comprehensive guide. Here’s what the publisher says: Award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively introduction to one of America's premier art forms. He tells us what to listen for in a performance and includes a guide to today's leading jazz musicians. From Louis Armstrong's innovative sounds to the jazz-rock fusion of Miles Davis, Gioia covers the music's history and reveals the building blocks of improvisation.
Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs, by Lisa Randall, $2.99. Lisa Randall is an theoretical physicist who peppers her work with pop culture references and good humor. In this book, she takes the reader on a tour of the universe and its deep history to show how dark matter may have influenced everything currently in existence. This is not a light read, but it is worth digging in.
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser, $2.99. HSL is currently recommending the third book in this series in our “HSL Recommends” sidebar. This is the book that started it off. The Vanderbeekers are a charming and very large family (including pets!) who live in a Harlem brownstone. They go on lots of small adventures as they try to find a way to convince their landlord to renew their lease so that they can stay in their beloved house. If you enjoyed The Penderwicks or The Lotterys Plus One, you’ll love The Vanderbeekers.
STILL ON SALE
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 29, 2019
A double portion of deals for your Black Friday reading!
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.)
Black Friday means big Kindle deals! I’m keeping this very brief because I am out of town visiting family, but I didn’t want you to miss these excellent deals.
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, $2.99. This YA fantasy heist novel takes place in the “Grishaverse” of Bardugo’s other YA series, which begins with Shadow and Bone (also on sale, but you don’t need to have read those first). A team of six outcasts must band together to pull off the ultimate crime.
The Bad Seed, by Jory John, $2.99. This kid’s book about a bad seed who reconsiders his path in the world is sure to entertain kids of all ages.
The Martian, by Andy Weir, $1.99. One of the best realistic scifi novels I have ever read! The Martian is the story of a man accidentally left behind on Mars; he must find a way to feed himself and communicate with Earth if he wants to survive.
Just Jaime, by Terri Libenson, $2.99. My tween daughter really likes the books in this series of illustrated novels, which are great for fans of Raina Telgemeier. In this one, Jaime struggles when her friend group wants her to conform or go away. With support from adults and other friends, Jaime is able to stay true to herself.
Notorious RBG, by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, $2.99. This is a thorough, respectful, and still irreverent biography of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Legal scholarship has never been so interesting!
Circe, by Madeline Miller, $4.99. This is one of the biggest literary books of the year. This retelling of Greek mythology through the eyes of Circe will captivate readers, especially mythology fans.
STILL ON SALE
The Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 27, 2019
Book deals on travel, working, and mythology.
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 Joys of Travel, by Thomas Swick, $1.99. In honor of Thanksgiving, I bring you a collection of essays about travel. Swick divides the book into sections based on elements of the journey: anticipation, novelty, break from routine, etc. The book is filled with personal reflections, travel tips, and more.
Working, by Studs Terkel, $2.99. I read this book as a teen/young adult and was absolutely fascinated. Studs Terkel traveled around the U.S. in the 1960s to interview hundreds of people about their jobs. This is a massive collection of their words, grouped by theme. You will discover jobs you never knew existed (and a few that have gone extinct in the last 50 years). Working is an eye-opening look at what it means to work in America.
Odd Gods, by David Slavin, $1.99. What happens when you combine Greek mythology and middle school hijinks? You get Odd Gods, a delightfully wacky and, yes, downright odd book that is sure to delight your middle-grade reader. Meet Oddonis, Adonis’s strange twin brother, who is determined to escape his brother’s shadow. When he decides to challenge his brother for class president, he will need the help of his entire gang of (also odd) friends.
STILL ON SALE
My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 26, 2019
Great fiction for kids and teens, plus a remarkable nonfiction story for adults.
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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My Jasper June, by Laurel Snyder, $1.99. I just bought this one for my daughter, who said, “It’s probably going to make me cry, but I’ll like it anyway.” Here’s how the publisher describes this moving middle grade story: The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone. Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, $1.99. I haven’t read this award-winning YA fantasy series yet, but I have heard so much about it. Here is the very intriguing description from the publisher: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
The Tunnels: Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, by Greg Mitchell, $1.99. As soon as the Berlin Wall went up in the 1960s, German families started searching for ways to see relatives on the other side. Two groups began digging tunnels under the wall in order to smuggle people out of East Berlin. U.S. TV channels discovered this effort and started to document the dangerous process. At the height of the Cold War, President Kennedy demanded that the documentaries not be released. This is the wild, largely unknown story of the tunnelers, documentarians, and politicians at the heart of this remarkable event.
STILL ON SALE
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $3.27. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy, $3.99. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 25, 2019
Don’t miss these great deals for kids, parents, and history lovers.
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 is having a big “countdown to Black Friday” sale. All of these deals are for today only, but they were so good that I wanted to share them all with you ASAP.
Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier, and More, by Mallika Chopra, $2.99. This is a lovely book for elementary and middle school readers about how to manage emotions and find strength in tough situations. In short, easily digestible sections, Chopra describes why we feel emotions, choices we can make when dealing with feelings, and proactive steps we can take to improve our happiness and relationships. Beautiful, diverse illustrations enhance the reading experience.
The Parenting Project: Build Extraordinary Relationships With Your Kids Through Daily Conversation, by Amy Alamar and Kristine Schlichting, $2.99. I scooped this one up before I even started writing up today’s deals. The idea behind The Parenting Project is that frequent and intentional conversations with tweens and teens are the foundation of a healthy relationship. The book provides conversation starters to help parents get to know their children better. The second half of the book provides helpful guides for talking about specific tricky issues, like bullying, self-harm and suicide, sexuality, healthy friendships, future planning, and more.
New Kid, by Jerry Craft, $2.99. This middle grade graphic novel won the Kirkus Prize for Young Reader’s Literature. Here’s what the publisher says: Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II, by Liza Mundy. Did you know that the U.S. government recruited thousands of women to break codes during WWII? This massive group of women was moved to Washington, D.C., to aid in the war effort, but their existence was kept mostly secret. This fast-paced, well researched book tells the challenging and sometimes thrilling story of WWII from the homefront.
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.
STILL ON SALE
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 23, 2019
Today’s deals cover medicine, pet care, and momentous books.
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.)
BIG NEWS! We now have an email list to send you a reminder each time we post new deals to the website. If you’d like to make sure you never miss a deal, sign up here.
Counting Backwards: A Doctor’s Notes on Anesthesia, by Henry Jay Przybylo, $1.99. Anesthesia is a mystery to most people. The idea that a doctor can put you into such a deep sleep that you don’t feel pain is amazing and alarming to consider. Przybylo, a practicing anesthesiologist for more than 30 years, explains how anesthesia works and the daily highs and lows of helping people (and animals!) in pain.
Dog Training for Kids, by Vanessa Estrada Marin, $1.99. My family has some severe dog allergies, so I can’t tell you whether these tips actually work. This is a comprehensive guide to what your kids will need to know about dog care, training, and having a good time with their canine friends.
The Books that Changed My Life, by Bethanne Patrick, $0.99. Who loves a book about books? I sure do! Bethanne Patrick asked 100 notable people with a wide variety of talents to write a short essay about the books that helped to make them who they are today. The celebrities range from Al Roker to R.L. Stine, and the books include Green Eggs and Ham as well as The Odyssey. This is a great book to read in small chunks when you have a few moments of down time.
STILL ON SALE
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communities and the country that would grow from them.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 22, 2019
Check out today’s deals for books about pilgrims, personalities, and Potter.
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.)
BIG NEWS! We now have an email list to send you a reminder each time we post new deals to the website. If you’d like to make sure you never miss a deal, sign up here.
The Science of Harry Potter, by Mark Brake and Jon Chase, $1.99. Any magician will tell you that it’s best not to ask how the magic works, and in general I agree. This book takes on all of the magic in the wizarding world and attempts to explain how spells could be accomplished with science. If you’ve wondered how an invisibility cloak or a snitch would work in real life, this book will tickle your fancy.
Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything, by Anne Bogel, $1.99. Anne Bogel, host of the fantastic What Should I Read Next podcast, has written a really interesting book about personalities. She considers many of the most popular personality classification systems to discover what each can teach us about the humans in our lives, including ourselves. Along the way, Bogel shares personal insights about the ways her findings shape her relationships, parenting, work life, and spirituality.
Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, $2.99. It’s Thanksgiving season, so it seems only appropriate to share Nathaniel Philbrick’s award-winning history of the early settlement of America. Here’s what the publisher says: As Philbrick reveals in this electrifying history of the Pilgrims, the story of Plymouth Colony was a fifty-five year epic that began in peril and ended in war. New England erupted into a bloody conflict that nearly wiped out the English colonists and natives alike. These events shaped the existing communites and the country that would grow from them.
STILL ON SALE
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $3.27. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Kindle Deals for November 21, 2019
Today’s deals feature Scrabble players, shrunken heads, and dolphins!
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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Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players, by Stefan Fatsis, $2.99. I love crosswords, but can’t get into Scrabble. Fortunately, you don’t have to love the game to enjoy this look at the fast-paced world of competitive Scrabble. Fatsis follows several of the top players, and it becomes clear that the only thing they have in common is a deep love for words. Fatsis rounds out his character profiles with fascinating facts about memory, the nature of competition, and more.
Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head, by Lauren Oliver and H.C. Chester, $3.99. If you loved The Series of Unfortunate Events, this may be the next series for you! Written in a style full of asides and fascinating words, Curiosity House is the Edgar-nominated tale of four orphans who live in a museum of sorts. Lush, somewhat creepy illustrations enhance the reading experience. Here’s the publisher’s description: The book is about, among other things: the strongest boy in the world, a talking cockatoo, a faulty mind reader, a beautiful bearded lady and a nervous magician, an old museum, and a shrunken head. Blessed with extraordinary abilities, orphans Philippa, Sam, and Thomas have grown up happily in Dumfrey’s Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders. But when a fourth child, Max, a knife-thrower, joins the group, it sets off an unforgettable chain of events. When the museum’s Amazonian shrunken head is stolen, the four are determined to get it back. But their search leads them to a series of murders and an explosive secret about their pasts.
Voices in the Ocean, by Susan Casey, $4.99. When author Susan Casey encountered a pod of dolphins in the wild, she became determined to learn as much as she could about these creatures. This is the story of her globe-trekking research. She travels from Hawaii to Ireland to Crete to discover the ways humans and dolphins have interacted throughout history. She also looks at the troubling businesses of hunting dolphins for food or to sell to into captivity. Casey is a lyrical author who combines beautiful descriptions with scientific details and in-depth reporting. This book is perfect for teens and adults interested in the mysteries of the ocean.
STILL ON SALE
The Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, $1.99. What happens when a middle-grade action story is told from the villain’s perspective? And what happens when that villain is a 12-year-old boy? Artemis Fowl is the only child of a criminal mastermind who is missing, presumed dead. His mother isn’t coping well. Artemis decides he needs a LOT of gold to take care of himself and his family, and the best way to get it — kidnap a fairy. The action shifts between Artemis and the elite LEPrecon unit of mythical creatures tasked with retrieving the missing fairy. This book reads like an action movie, and in fact was made into a movie earlier this year.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $1.99. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
The Isle of the Lost, by Melissa de la Cruz, $1.99. I really enjoy Melissa de la Cruz, and I find the Disney Descendants concept intriguing even though my family hasn’t really gotten into it. Here’s the what the publisher says: Evil tree. Bad Apple? Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost--a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world. Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon's Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the Dragon's Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”
Kindle Deals for November 20, 2019
Today’s deals range from classics of American literature to the unusual retelling of a classic SciFi film.
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 Short Novels of John Steinbeck, by John Steinbeck, $2.99. They’re all here! This is a collection of six of Steinbeck’s most famous works, all at an the price of one. Steinbeck tells realistic stories of people facing tough challenges, both those who still have hope and those who have given up. I remember reading The Pearl in high school, and like the others in this collection, it is short but packs a literary and emotional punch in few words. Grab this one to round out your high school reading list.
Stupid Wars: A Citizens Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions, by Ed Strosser and Michael Prince, $1.99. War books are generally not my area of expertise, so I will defer to the publisher’s description: When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more.
From a Certain Point of View, by various authors, $4.99. What happens when you ask 40 big-time authors to write a Star Wars short story? You get this fun and fascinating collection that retells major events in Star Wars from the perspective of supporting characters. You’ll find out what was going on in Aunt Beru’s mind as Luke headed off, all you ever wanted to know about the creature in the trash compactor, and more. This is a must for any big Star Wars fan, but it’s also an interesting read for anyone who is intrigued by more than one way to tell a story.
STILL ON SALE
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, $1.99. What happens when a middle-grade action story is told from the villain’s perspective? And what happens when that villain is a 12-year-old boy? Artemis Fowl is the only child of a criminal mastermind who is missing, presumed dead. His mother isn’t coping well. Artemis decides he needs a LOT of gold to take care of himself and his family, and the best way to get it — kidnap a fairy. The action shifts between Artemis and the elite LEPrecon unit of mythical creatures tasked with retrieving the missing fairy. This book reads like an action movie, and in fact was made into a movie earlier this year.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $1.99. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
The Isle of the Lost, by Melissa de la Cruz, $1.99. I really enjoy Melissa de la Cruz, and I find the Disney Descendants concept intriguing even though my family hasn’t really gotten into it. Here’s the what the publisher says: Evil tree. Bad Apple? Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost--a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world. Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon's Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the Dragon's Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”
Kindle Deals for November 19, 2019
Today’s deals feature behavioral economics, Dutch parenting, and a villainous tween.
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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Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, $1.99. Richard Thaler won the Nobel Prize for Economics last year, but that doesn’t mean this this a dry book of economic theory. Thaler specializes in behavioral economics, the factors that influence our day-to-day actions. We make dozens of choices every day, but humans aren’t always good at judging the most healthy or advantageous options. The “nudge” of the title is the small change in thinking that can help a person to make difference choices and create new habits. This is a fascinating and helpful read.
Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer, $1.99. What happens when a middle-grade action story is told from the villain’s perspective? And what happens when that villain is a 12-year-old boy? Artemis Fowl is the only child of a criminal mastermind who is missing, presumed dead. His mother isn’t coping well. Artemis decides he needs a LOT of gold to take care of himself and his family, and the best way to get it — kidnap a fairy. The action shifts between Artemis and the elite LEPrecon unit of mythical creatures tasked with retrieving the missing fairy. This book reads like an action movie, and in fact was made into a movie earlier this year.
The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids by Doing Less, by Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison, $1.99. I am always fascinated by cultural differences in everyday life. Here’s what the publisher says: Imagine a place where young children play unsupervised, don’t do homework, have few scheduled “activities” . . . and rank #1 worldwide in happiness and education. It’s not a fantasy—it’s the Netherlands! Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison—an American and a Brit, both married to Dutchmen and raising their kids in the Netherlands—report back on what makes Dutch kids so happy and well adjusted. Is it that dads take workdays off to help out? Chocolate sprinkles for breakfast? Bicycling everywhere?
STILL ON SALE
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $1.99. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
The Isle of the Lost, by Melissa de la Cruz, $1.99. I really enjoy Melissa de la Cruz, and I find the Disney Descendants concept intriguing even though my family hasn’t really gotten into it. Here’s the what the publisher says: Evil tree. Bad Apple? Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost--a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world. Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon's Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the Dragon's Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”
Kindle Deals for November 18, 2019
A kid lit classic, a guide to fun activities, and the first in a YA series.
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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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, by Ian Fleming, $1.99. Did you know that Ian Fleming wrote more than the James Bond novels? He is also responsible for this charming and strange book about a magical car and the family who loves it. This is a high adventure children’s classic. It’s also SO different from the movie that you can have an interesting discussion with your kids about what it means to adapt a novel to film.
The Out-Of-Sync Child Has Fun, by Carol Kranowitz, $4.99. Many of us know or have children in our lives who struggle with sensory issues. This book is a fantastic collection of activities for kids of all ages that can help to “develop and organize a child’s brain and body.” This could be a helpful resource for planning co-op classes, scout meetings, etc. Most of these ideas would appeal to neurotypical kids, so they are perfect for creating a welcoming and fun space for all.
The Isle of the Lost, by Melissa de la Cruz, $1.99. I really enjoy Melissa de la Cruz, and I find the Disney Descendants concept intriguing even though my family hasn’t really gotten into it. Here’s the what the publisher says: Evil tree. Bad Apple? Twenty years ago, all the evil villains were banished from the kingdom of Auradon to the Isle of the Lost--a dark and dreary place protected by a force field that makes it impossible for them to leave. Stripped of their magical powers, the villains now live in total isolation, forgotten by the world. Mal learns from her mother, Maleficent, that the key to true darkness, the Dragon's Eye, is located inside her scepter in the forbidden fortress on the far side of the island. The eye is cursed, and whoever retrieves it will be knocked into a deep sleep for a thousand years. But Mal has a plan to capture it. She'll just need a little help from her "friends." In their quest for the Dragon's Eye, these four kids begin to realize that just because you come from an evil family tree, being good ain't so bad.
STILL ON SALE
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”
Kindle Deals for November 15, 2019
Today we have a literary cookbook, a funny novel about motherhood, and a guide to woman warriors!
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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A Literary Tea Party, by Alison Walsh, $1.99. The only thing cozier than snuggling up with a book is snuggling up with a book, a cup of tea, and a themed treat. This literary cookbook is filled with recipes for sweets, savories, and beverages, mostly inspired by children’s literature. You’ll want to try such recipes as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s Ham Sandwiches (Narnia), Candied Nuts with Meadowcream (Redwall), and Hundred Acre Hot Chocolate (Winnie-the-Pooh).
Confessions of a Domestic Failure, by Bunmi Laditan, $3.99. This over-the-top novel is hilarious and familiar in many aspects. From the publisher: There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop?
The Encyclopedia of Amazons: Women Warriors from Antiquity to the Modern Era, by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, $1.99. I was excited to see this historical and mythological reference book pop up on sale. From the publisher: This is an astounding collection of female fighters, from heads of state and goddesses to pirates and gladiators. Each entry is drawn from historical, fictional, or mythical narratives of many eras and lands. With over one thousand entries detailing the lives and influence of these heroic female figures in battle, politics, and daily life, Salmonson provides a unique chronicle of female fortitude, focusing not just on physical strength but on the courage to fight against patriarchal structures and redefine women’s roles during time periods when doing so was nearly impossible.
STILL ON SALE
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”
Kindle Deals for November 14, 2019
Excellent, brand new nonfiction and two fun fantasy reads in today’s Kindle deals.
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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Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About People We Don’t Know, by Malcolm Gladwell, $4.99. Grab this one today, folks! It’s brand new, really good, and has a mile-long library wait list. Gladwell looks at the assumptions and interactions people have when they encounter strangers. As usual in Gladwell’s work, he draws from business, crime, pop culture, and science to make his observations. This deal is for today only, so don’t miss it. If you love podcasts, also consider checking out the audiobook for this book. Gladwell has created it in a podcast format, with interview tape for every quote, music and sound effects, and even a theme song.
Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones, $1.99. Read the book that inspired the Miyazaki film! Here’s how Amy described it: Sometimes a curse can be just what you needed, as Sophie discovers in this delightful fantasy about a hat maker's daughter who's cursed to premature old age by the Witch of the Waste. To break the curse, Sophie will need to team up with the mysterious wizard Howl, who happens to be stuck under a curse of his own—but first, she'll have to get to his castle, which has a habit of wandering around. I love this as a readaloud, on its own, or (of course) a companion piece to the equally wonderful (though often quite different) movie adaptation.
Warriors: Into the Wild, by Erin Hunter, $1.99. Does your kid love adventure and fantasy… and maybe also cats? This may be the perfect series for your middle grade reader. Here’s the publisher’s description: For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their ancestors. But the warrior code has been threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying—and some deaths are more mysterious than others. In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary housecat named Rusty… who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.
STILL ON SALE
Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, $1.99. This is the original of all Rick Riordan’s mythology-based novels. Percy is a tween who sees monsters no one else can see. He is expelled from school and sent off to Camp Half-Blood, where he discovers that he is a demigod and that the Greek gods are real. Percy must go on a quest through the underworld to prevent a war between the gods. This is a high adventure, entertaining read, and is a great pathway into the extensive world of Riordan.
The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste, $1.99. This is another mythology-based book, but grounded in Haitian folklore. Corinne doesn’t believe that jumbies, tricksters that live in the forest, are real. But when a mysterious woman arrives in her town, it is up to Corinne to save the entire island from being taken over by jumbies. This spooky, action-packed adventure will appeal to middle grade readers.
The Planets, by Dava Sobel, $4.99. Sobel is a beautiful writer who breathes life into scientific subjects. Here she takes on the planets, looking at how they were discovered, the roles they have played in mythology and astrology, the impact they have had on literary culture, and more. Sobel balances careful scientific detail with beautiful language.
The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger, $1.99. From Booklist: "Tommy and his friends think that Dwight is a weirdo who’s 'always talking about robots or spiders or something.' In true Dwight fashion, he shows up at school one day brandishing a little origami Yoda finger puppet. The really weird thing is that it doles out very un-Dwight-like bits of wisdom, and the mystery is whether the Yoda is just Dwight talking in a funny voice or if it actually has mystical powers." Hand this to your 4th to 6th grader who loves the Wimpy Kid series.
Lost in Translation: An Illustrated Compendium of Untranslatable Words from Around the World, by Ella Frances Sanders, $4.99. Each language has words that are uniquely specific to their geography or culture. These words don’t translate easily or simply into other languages. This book collects 50 such words from around the world. You’ll learn commuovere (Italian: to be moved to tears) and glas wen (Welsh: a smile that is mocking or sarcastic). Word nerds will be fascinated.
Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100, by Michio Kaku, $4.99. What will the world look like in 80 years? Physicist Michio Kaku looks at trends in today’s science research to speculate on the impacts of technology. Kaku discusses the likelihood of hovercars, mind control of electronics, antimatter rockets, and more. The science is rigorous — Kaku interviewed more than 300 scientists in dozens of fields to research book — but it also feels fanciful and fun.
In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, by Lauren Graham, $4.99. In 2017, Gilmore Girls actress Lauren Graham was invited to give a commencement address at her former high school. This book is an expansion of that speech. It’s funny and moving and features advice like this, “Whatever path you choose, whatever career you decide to go after, the important thing is that you keep finding joy in what you’re doing, especially when the joy isn’t finding you.”
The Art of the Wasted Day, by Patricia Hampl, $4.99. This is an unusual travelogue. Hampl travels around the world to places where people have retreated for solitude and relaxation. She visits the homes of recluses Gregor Mendel, Michel Montaigne, and others. Interspersed throughout are stories from Hampl’s own life. This is a musing on relaxation, solitude, adventure, and loss.
Home of the Brave: 15 Immigrants Who Shaped U.S. History, by Brooke Khan, $4.99. Learn about the contributions immigrants have made to America, from Madeleine Albright to Carlos Santana. Spanning many eras and realms of achievement, this book will introduce elementary readers to more than a dozen notable Americans. Each biography includes ideas for related activities and additional reading.
Accidental Medical Discoveries: How Tenacity and Pure Dumb Luck Changed the World, by Robert W. Winters, $1.99. I love to learn about the circumstances of invention. What happened to inspire someone to come up with a new innovation? What were they trying to accomplish? This book is a fun dive into 25 medical discoveries, from contact lenses to dental implants to blood pressure medication.
Little Free Libraries and Tiny Sheds, by Philip Schmidt, $2.99. Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries have popped up all over my area. These little huts provide a place for people to donate and pick up books and/or food items. This book offers detailed instructions for how to create your own! Enjoy a fun family project that will also benefit your larger community!
World of Geekcraft: Step-by-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects, by Susan Beal, $1.99. Do you have people in your life who appreciate scifi, fantasy, video games, or science? This is the book for them, or for you. The holiday season is approaching, and this collection of DIY projects is perfect for creating unique gifts.
How to Raise Successful People, by Esther Wojcicki, $2.99. This guide to parenting by a beloved teacher focuses on building independence and resilience in children and young adults. By focusing on TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, and Kindness, Wojcicki asserts that we can raise individuals who can change the world.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley, $1.99. Readers will fall in love with the precocious 11-year-old heroine of this grown-up mystery novel. Flavia loves chemistry and has a strong interest in poison. When an old acquaintance of her father dies in her yard, it is up to Flavia to find out who killed him and why. Though it may appeal to younger readers, this book was not written for a middle-grade audience.
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame and Grahame Baker-Smith, $3.32. The classic tale of Mole, Rat, and Mr. Toad has been reinvigorated with some truly gorgeous illustrations. These charming adventures are funny and oh-so-very British.
How to Read Nature, by Tristan Gooley, $1.99. I thought I was generally knowledgeable about the natural world, but I learned SO many things from this book! For instance, did you know that moss and algae are most likely to grow on the north side of trees or structures? Tristan Gooley has spent years studying nature and shares all his secrets for way-finding, foraging, and more in the short but densely fact-filled book.
Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet, by Charlie N. Holmberg, $1.99. I’ve read other YA books by Holmberg, and I’m pretty taken with this description: “Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from. When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.”
Chalk, by Bill Thomson, $0.99. This is a picture book with no words, perfect for kids who would like to make up the story on their own. Or, if you have a kid like mine, who really loves words and reading, it may be deeply unsettling. Use your best judgment. Told through gorgeous, realistic illustrations, Chalk is the story of what happens one day when kids’ chalk drawings come to life.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, $1.99. You’re either going to love this or hate it. Seth Grahame-Smith has expanded Austen’s classic novel to add in scenes of a zombie plague in Meryton. More than 80% of Austen’s original text remains, with modern and gruesome enhancements. This is an over-the-top parody that also seriously addresses some of the interesting details and side plots of the original work. It’s ridiculous, yes, but also fairly entertaining and fodder for an excellent discussion about literary adaptations. If this sounds like your kind of thing, you may also want to check out Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble, by Marilyn Johnson, $1.99. Indiana Jones is by far the most famous and exciting archaeologist, running through the jungle digging up bones and fighting off Nazis. But what does the job a real archaeologist look like? Johnson spends time with archaeologists doing work around the world to discover the sweat, cultural discussions, and technology that shape modern research.
Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers as Kids, by Elizabeth Haidle, $2.99. This charming graphic novel tells the stories of many famous authors when they were kids. The backgrounds are varied and interesting, and the illustrations look both cute and historical. This stories will inspire kids and make them consider whether they could become famous writers too.
Other Words For Home, by Jasmine Warga, $1.99. This middle grade story about a Syrian girl moving to Cincinnati is a tough but lovely read. Told in lyrical verse through Jude’s eyes, Other Words For Home traces her path from Aleppo to the U.S., her confusion about the differences in American customs, and her path to how she will fit into her new home. Read this book for a great opportunity to see the world from a new perspective.
A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers, $1.99. This is the award-winning second book in a scifi series, but it can be read as a standalone. Chambers writes space opera scifi that really focuses on relationships between the characters. The plot is complicated, so I’ll let the publisher describe it: “Lovelace was once merely a ship’s artificial intelligence. When she wakes up in a new body, following a total system shut-down and reboot, she has no memory of what came before. As Lovelace learns to negotiate the universe and discover who she is, she makes friends with Pepper, an excitable engineer, who’s determined to help her learn and grow. Together, Pepper and Lovey will discover that no matter how vast space is, two people can fill it together.”
Don’t Know Much About Mythology, by Kenneth C. Davis, $2.99. I’m sure my HSL readers know a lot of things about mythology, but this book is pretty comprehensive. Davis looks at myths from around the world. Dig deeper than Greeks and Romans to learn about Druid myths, Incan gods, and more.
Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional, by Dale Archer, $4.99. I have not read this, but the concept sounds intriguing. Dr. Archer looks at 8 common behavior traits that can be problematic when extreme to discover the ways they can also be beneficial. He suggests that attentiveness, anxiety, shyness, and other issues lie along a spectrum. Everyone’s personality is shaped by one or more of these traits, and Archer offers ways to harness them to work for you.
Raising a Sensory Smart Child, by Lindsey Biel and Nancy Peske, $4.99. This recently revised book is a great resource for parents of children with sensory sensitivities. The authors provide detailed information on the science behind sensory issues, then offer practical tips for dealing with the challenges that can come with sensory avoidance or seeking. Practical suggestions about the learning environment will be helpful to homeschoolers and those trying to partner with a school to meet a child’s needs.
A History of the World in 100 Objects, by Neil MacGregor, $4.99. This book is fantastic! I own the giant doorstop that is the print edition, and it sits in my living room at all times as a handy reference or exploration guide. The title is fairly descriptive. MacGregor has gathered a collection of artifacts from all over the world that illustrate some major stops in the human journey of innovation. From early jewelry to cookware to the modern credit card, each object’s significance is carefully described. This is the kind of book you can read sequentially or dip into when curious about a time period or geographic area.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, $1.99. This is a classic of coming-of-age literature found on many high school curricula. A group of boys is stranded on an island after a school trip gone horribly wrong. With no adults to guide them, they must govern themselves and find a way off of the island. They have some remarkable successes and some very memorable failures. Read this book to start a discussion of human nature.
How to Be a Happier Parent, by KJ Dell’Antonia, $4.99. I’ve really enjoyed Dell’Antonia’s New York Times parenting column. This book collects and connects some of the recurring themes about how to find a greater sense of happiness and peace through the parenting journey. From the publisher: In this optimistic, solution-packed book, KJ asks: How can we change our family life so that it is full of the joy we'd always hoped for? Drawing from the latest research and interviews with families, KJ discovers that it's possible to do more by doing less, and make our family life a refuge and pleasure, rather than another stress point in a hectic day. She focuses on nine common problem spots that cause parents the most grief, explores why they are hard, and offers small, doable, sometimes surprising steps you can take to make them better.
Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea & of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists & Fools Including the Author Who Went in Search of Them, by Donovan Hohn, $4.99. A few years ago, an entire shipping container full of rubber ducks went missing in transit. The ducks were carried along by ocean currents and began showing up on beaches around the world. Donovan Hohn decided to track down some ducks and find out more about the natural forces behind the story. He learned way more than he expected. This book follows him on what became an epic adventure into ocean currents, shipping conglomerates, global economics, and more.
The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, by Peter D’Amato, $4.99. No, we are not talking about the ‘90s band, we are talking about plants that eat insects and other small creatures. My kid has been fascinated by meat-eating plants for years; they go against the basic biology we teach small children. This book describes in great detail the most common types of carnivorous plants and how you might grow them at home. With a chapter called “Other Savage Plants from the Demented Mind of Mother Nature,” this book feels perfect for some spooky fall reading. The well-researched plant descriptions and beautiful photos make this book an interesting pick even if you have no intention of growing your own carnivorous plants.
Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, $3.99. From our Great Epistolary Novels list: It’s problematic, of course, to pretend that we can understand what might have gone on in the head 14th century girl, but Cushman makes a solid effort here, and this novel — which takes the form of Catherine’s journal — paints a fascinating (and well researched) picture of medieval life. Catherine doesn’t have a lot of agency: She’s going to have to do what her father says, including marrying the man he’s picked out for her, however much she might rebel against the idea in her diary. That rebelling feels a little anachronistic, but I’m not sure a middle grades reader would be able to identify with Catherine at all without it so I think it’s an understandable conceit. If you’re studying the Middle Ages any time soon, you will definitely want to have this one on your list.
Daughters of the Night Sky, by Aimie K. Runyan, $4.99. This novel highlights a lesser known story of WWI, that of the Russian Night Witches. This all female regiment of pilots terrorizes the Nazis, flying dangerous but crucial missions. Runyan takes readers along on the harrowing flights, then considers how life must change once the war is over.
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives and 25 Food Products, by Dwight Eschliman and Steve Ettinger, $0.99. What is really in the food we eat? What is caramel color, anyway? What does xanthan gum actually do, and where does it come from? This fascinating collaboration between a photographer and a science writer will answer all of these questions and more. They break down all the ingredients in more than two dozen common foods to explain how all the pieces fit together. You may never look at Cool Ranch Doritos the same way, but you’ll enjoy learning about the process!
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.
Bliss, by Kathryn Littlewood, $3.99. The Bliss family runs a popular bakery with a secret: many of the recipes come from the family’s magic “Cookery Booke,” an ancient and powerful resource. Rosemary Bliss is looking after her siblings while her parents go out of town, leaving strict instructions not to open the book without supervision. When mysterious Aunt Lily shows up unexpectedly, the kids don’t think it would be too problematic to make some recipes from the book for her. What could possibly go wrong? This middle grade book is warm, funny, and packed with delicious details.
Guitar Zero, by Gary Marcus, $4.99. You’re never too old, or too young, to learn music. Gary Marcus was nearly 40 when he decided he wanted to learn the guitar despite having little musical experience or skill. Marcus is a scientist, and he describes both his personal musical journey and the science behind how the brain integrates new skills.
The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease, $4.99. Every household should have a copy of this book, a guide to awesome books to read with children. The first half of the book explain why you should read aloud to the children in your life. There are sections on problem solving for reluctant readers or listeners, as well as a section specifically on getting dads involved in the reading process. The second half of the book is a giant compendium of read-aloud books. Each book listed has a short summary, suggested age group, notes about any sensitive topics, and a list of related books. This edition was released in 2013; an updated version was just published, but it is not on sale.
Ivy and Bean Books 1-3, by Annie Barrows, $1.99. These sweet and funny stories are perfect for your new reader. My daughter has moved far beyond this series, but still often picks up one of these books to reread in a single sitting. From my junior reviewer: “I really love these books because the characters are believably drawn with just the right amount of humor. They tie in hilarious and unusual circumstances, including magic sometimes, with things I have experienced. They have a very specific sense of humor, which I share, and I can relate to almost all of the characters.”
The House in Poplar Wood, by K.E. Ormsbee, $1.99. When I saw this book described as “Haunted Mansion meets Stranger Things,” I was totally hooked. The publisher has written a better summary than I possibly could: “For as long as the Vickery twins can remember, Lee and his mother have served Memory, while Felix and his father assist Death. This is the Agreement. But one Halloween, Gretchen Whipple smashes her way into their lives. Her bargain is simple: If the twins help her solve the murder of local girl Essie Hasting, she'll help them break the Agreement. The more the three investigate, however, the more they realize that something's gone terribly wrong in their town. Death is on the loose, and if history repeats itself, Essie's might not be the last murder in Poplar Wood. Simultaneously heartwarming and delightfully spooky, The House in Poplar Wood is a story about a boy's desire to be free, a girl's desire to make a difference, and a family's desire to be together again.”
Emily’s Runaway Imagination, by Beverly Cleary, $4.99. This is a charming but lesser-known middle grade book from beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Emily reminds me of Pippi Longstocking without the clearly impossible situations. From the publisher: “Spunky Emily Bartlett lives in an old farmhouse in Pitchfork, Oregon'at a time when automobiles are brand-new inventions and libraries are a luxury few small towns can afford. Her runaway imagination leads her to bleach a horse, hold a very scary sleepover, and feed the hogs an unusual treat. But can she use her lively mind to help bring a library to Pitchfork?”
Tangled in Time: The Portal, by Kathryn Lasky, $1.99. This charming middle grade novel is a time travel story. Rose finds a time portal in her grandmother’s greenhouse that transports her to the the court of Henry VIII. She befriends the young Princess Elizabeth and discovers a mysterious locket that may hold a secret connecting Rose to the Tudor world.
Dear Data, by Giogia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec, $2.99. This book has a fascinating concept: two friends in different countries sent each other a postcard every week for a year. Every week had a theme, and the two friends recorded data about their lives and created a way to represent it visually. The result is more than 100 postcards illustrating the details of their lives. You’ll find this a great discussion starter about ways to visually represent ideas.
Talking Across the Divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World, by Justin Lee, $4.99. I run a large homeschool co-op, which puts me in the position to get to know a wide variety of people. Books like Talking Across the Divide in invaluable in the current political climate for helping people find ways to connect.
The Mermaid’s Sister, by Carrie Anne Noble, $3.99. I haven’t read this YA fantasy novel yet, but it’s definitely on my To Read list. Here’s the publisher’s summary: In a cottage high atop Llanfair Mountain, sixteen-year-old Clara lives with her sister, Maren, and guardian Auntie. By day, they gather herbs for Auntie’s healing potions; by night, Auntie spins tales of faraway lands and wicked fairies. Clara’s favorite story tells of three orphaned infants—Clara, who was brought to Auntie by a stork; Maren, who arrived in a seashell; and their best friend, O’Neill, who was found beneath an apple tree. One day, Clara discovers iridescent scales just beneath her sister’s skin: Maren is becoming a mermaid and must be taken to the sea or she will die. So Clara, O’Neill, and the mermaid-girl set out for the shore. But the trio encounters trouble around every bend. Ensnared by an evil troupe of traveling performers, Clara and O’Neill must find a way to save themselves and the ever-weakening Maren.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, by Christopher Healy, $1.99. You think you know the classic fairytale stories, but they are usually centered around the princesses. This fun middle grade series focuses on the princes. After the “happily ever after” the princes discover that their kingdoms are in danger, and they set off take on all kinds of mythical monsters. This fun and funny book is the first in a series that your middle-grade reader will love.
The Mind’s Eye, by Oliver Sacks, $4.99. What would your life be like if you lost a fundamental part of your sensory experience? Neuroscientist Oliver Sacks explores what makes us who we are in this collection of profiles. From the concert pianist who loses the ability to read music to the woman who finds herself unable to speak, Sacks deftly recreates the breadth of human experience.
Cut in Half: The Hidden World of Everyday Objects, by Mike Warren, $2.99. The cover says it all. This is a book of objects cut in half by a high-powered waterjet cutter. If you’ve ever wondered what was going on inside a telephone or a waffle maker, this book is for you. All the parts are labeled, with brief information about what each element does. I was completely fascinated by all of the inner workings, and I suspect you will be too. (This book really needs to be viewed in color for full effect.)
Art Before Breakfast: A Zillion Ways to be More Creative No Matter How Busy You Are, by Danny Gregory, $2.99. My daughter loves doing art, and fills lots of her spare time making things. I’ve never considered myself an artist and struggle to find time to develop my skills. This book is a great place to start. Danny Gregory has created short, fun activities that take 10 minutes or less. They will encourage you to make art a regular part of your life. This book is a great way to add some art education to your homeschool, or to carve out a bit of time for your own creativity.
50 Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy, by Tim Harford, $4.99. I love this kind of book, a history through specific objects. Here’s how the publisher describes it: “Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy paints an epic picture of change in an intimate way by telling the stories of the tools, people, and ideas that had far-reaching consequences for all of us. From the plough to artificial intelligence, from Gillette’s disposable razor to IKEA’s Billy bookcase, bestselling author and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford recounts each invention’s own curious, surprising, and memorable story.”
A Glorious Freedom: Older Women Leading Extraordinary Lives, by Lisa Congdon, $1.99. This one’s for all the homeschool parents pondering what they are going to do with their lives once this season of schooling is over. Lisa Congdon has profiled dozens of women over 40 who are creating fulfilling lives on their own terms. Each woman has taken a unique path, and many feature fascinating twists and turns. Congdon’s beautiful illustrations make this book something special. (The glorious hardcover version is something you might want to keep in mind as a gift this holiday season.)
Hamstersaurus Rex, by Tom O’Donnell, $1.99. Is this another creepy book for Halloween? Yes and no. This wild middle school story will entertain and delight while still addressing some tougher emotional issues. From the publisher: “When a mysterious growling hamster appears at the back of his class, Sam knows just what to call him: Hamstersaurus Rex. Sam tries to protect Hammie from an overzealous Hamster Monitor, and from the meanest bully in the history of Horace Hotwater Middle School. The bully isn’t afraid of some weird little class pet. But maybe he should be. Hamstersaurus Rex is no ordinary hamster.”