Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!

Title: Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself

Geared Towards: 4th Grade and Up

Origami meets amazing creatures in a book of paper craft fun!

Papertoy Glowbots introduces 46 robots that have the added cool factor of lighting up, whether using glow-in-the-dark stickers that come with the book or light sources like flashlights, Christmas tree lights, and electric tea lights.

The 46 die-cut paper robots are created by Brian Castleforte, author of Papertoy Monsters, along with the hottest papertoy designers from around the world. Meet the robots and read about their entertaining backstories in the front, then turn to the card stock section in the back to build them. The templates are die-cut and ready to pop out, fold, and glue. Bold, colorful graphics ensure the robots look as amazing in the daytime as they do with the lights off.

This is a great book for kids who like to build things.  The book starts out with great large pictures of each robot along with instructions on how to assemble it.  With each picture there is a model name, so you know who are you are building, as well as some facts about it.  What's also neat is that each robot also as a paragraph description of its story.  These paragraphs gave each little robot its own personality! I loved that! 

To comment on the actual building portion.  The paper the parts are made out of seems really durable, and the pieces aren't so little that they will be super difficult to work with.  I've seen some where the pieces are tiny! Everything is clearly labeled and really colorful.  Lastly there are stickers you add to make them glow-in-the dark! A fun added extra.  

Like to be active when they read (there is reading in this book!!)

Like robots

Like to create fun little toys to play with later

Media Center Thoughts: Although I think this is a great book, it is not one I could buy for the media center because it has tear out pages etc.  I will however set it out for kids who want to build for me! 

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National Dog Day Celebration with Max's Secret by Lynn Plourde +GIVEAWAY

Today in celebration of National Dog Day, I'm very excited today to share with you a new book I was introduced to.  It's titled:

I love dogs - I have two! So when I saw this book I was immediately drawn to it.  

About the Book
When a BIG, lovable, does-it-her-way dog wiggles her way into the heart of a loudmouth pipsqueak of a boy, wonderful things happen that help him become a bigger, better person. 
 
Timminy knows that moving to a new town just in time to start middle school when you are perfect bully bait is less than ideal. But he gets a great consolation prize in Maxi—a gentle giant of a dog who the family quickly discovers is deaf. Timminy is determined to do all he can to help Maxi—after all, his parents didn't return him because he was a runt. But when the going gets rough for Timminy, who spends a little too much time getting shoved into lockers at school, Maxi ends up being the one to help him—along with their neighbor, Abby, who doesn’t let her blindness define her and bristles at Timminy’s “poor-me” attitude. It turns out there’s more to everyone than what’s on the surface, whether it comes to Abby, Maxi, or even Timminy himself.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The author of more than 30 picture books, MAXI'S SECRETS is Lynn Plourde’s debut middle-grade novel. She writes of her switch: “At sixty years of age, why write my first middle grade novel? To bring my dog Maggie back to life, of course. When my beloved Maggie died three years ago, I got greedy. I wanted more time with her… Maggie gave me permission to sprinkle make-believe on her truth. To add, take away, change whatever I needed to in order to make the best story I could. And so I did. I turned my medium-sized, black, Irish-setter-mix Maggie into a giant, white, Great Pyrenees Maxi.”

I said I have two dogs - Lexi (right) and Griffin (left).  

They are both little dogs around 13 pounds each. Griffin is a poodle/bichon mix.  He's cute, adorable and not to bright! We love him to pieces. Then there is Lexi our 13 lb BEAST! We've only had her since the end of May.  

I have to tell you the story of how we got Lexi. 

I had been bugging my husband about wanting another pet and showing him pictures of dogs at the humane society.  This one little dog - Lexi - showed up one day.  He was smitten with her.  Her description said that she had a health issue and to call for more information.  I called and found our she is blind.  That made us only want to her more.  We planned to go in that night to meet her. But then - she was adopted! We were so sad because we missed her.  My husband and I agreed that if she came back she was ours knowing full well that chance of that was slim at best.  The next night I was scrolling through the animals again and THERE SHE WAS! We freaked! It was already closed, so we had to wait for the next day.  My husband rushed there to be there when it opened as I went to church for my son.  He got her on hold and after church we rushed back and fell more in love with her.  It was scary a bit to bring home a blind dog but now to watch her she does nothing but amaze us.  She runs - literally runs - full out into the world trusting in everyone around her.  She's the fiercest, bravest, most stubborn dog I know! Now hearing that the dog in Maxi's Secret is death - I have to read it! 

To celebrate this book and dogs everywhere I have a copy from the publisher as well as a print of the cover art (done by New Yorker artist, Maira Kalman!).

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GIVEAWAY! Curse of the Were-Hyena

The Full Moon of the Were-Hyena Howling Good Giveaway! 

I reviewed this book back a bit.  You can see the review HERE.

Now it's your chance to win a copy! 

About the Book

What do you do when your favorite teacher starts turning into a were-hyena? 

a) Flee in terror? 
b) Try to cure him? 
c) Bring him carrion snacks? 

Mr. Chu, the coolest teacher ever, has developed some very unusual habits, like laughing hysterically for no reason, sniffing people's homework, and chasing chickens. When best friends Carlos and Benny decide to find out what's happening to him, they get caught up in some moonlight madness. And it looks like just the beginning of the weirdness that has arrived in the town of Monterrosa. . . . This first entry in a silly, sassy, and suspenseful new series will leave readers howling with laughter.

Ten winners will receive a copy of Bruce Hale's THE CURSE OF THE WERE-HYENA. 

Four Grand Prize winners will receive THE CURSE OF THE WERE-HYENA plus an advance reading copy of the second book in the series, MUTANT MANTIS LUNCH LADIES! 

And as a bonus, Grand Prize winners will also get a signed photo of Bruce Hale disguised as a were-wolf! 

One entry per person, please. 

Entries are due by September 30, 2016. 

Prizes can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

ENTER HERE!!

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Real or Fake? Far-Out Fibs, Fishy Facts, and Phony Photos to Test for the Truth

Title: Real or Fake? Far-Out Fibs, Fishy Facts, and Phony Photos to Test for the Truth

Author: Emily Krieger 

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Geared Towards: Elementary+ (really anyone!)

Can you tell the truth from a tall tale? Spot a phony photo a mile away? Figure out a fib in five second flat? Then Real or Fake? is the book for you! Put your amateur detective skills to work in this fun and wacky book and see if the truth triumphs as you encounter suspicious stories, fishy facts, lying lists, and more. You'll even play interactive games that will leave you second-guessing everything you've ever read. Complete with awesome photos and hilarious collage art, this is one book that you have to read to believe . . . or disbelieve.

This is a fun little book that kids will enjoy guessing their way through.  It's arranged so that on the front page is the story, picture etc and then the back page tells you whether it's true or not.  Very fun! I know my son who is 9 thought it was fun! The only thing - you have to be careful to not skip a page because it will give away the answer to the next story! I can see this being a book you might have sitting out for kids to look at when they have down time or when they finish work before the rest of the class.  

Like interactive books

Like nonfiction

Enjoy shows on the National Geographic Channel

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Phoebe G. Green: Lunch Will Never Be the Same by Veera Hiranandani

Title: Phoebe G. Green: Lunch Will Never Be the Same
Author: Veera Hiranandani
Series: Phoebe G. Green

Geared Towards: Early to mid-elementary

Phoebe loves her pet fish, Betty #2 (named after Betty #1, may she rest in peace), making lists, and her best friend Sage. But when Camille, a tall French girl, arrives at school with unusual lunches, Phoebe’s friendship with Sage doesn’t seem so important anymore. Thanks to Camille, Phoebe discovers goat cheese, butter lettuce, and cilantro (although she’s convinced that’s not a real word). She’s determined to get invited to her new friend’s house for dinner to see what other mysterious food Camille eats. But what about Sage? Can Phoebe make a new friend and keep an old one?

You gotta love Phoebe G. Green.  And this book takes Phoebe through a good lesson on thinking about people not just yourself.  First though one of the things I really liked about this book was that Phoebe thought Camille's food was cool. I liked that it didn't have her finding it weird or odd.  It was a good example of being open and accepting.  But for Phoebe she carries this a bit too far and only focuses on her wants - she wants to see what Camille eats at home, she wants to try the food, she wants to make her dinner at home different.  With all these wants, she forgets that other people are involved and may have different wants or different thoughts.  She gets so involved with her wanting to go to Camille's house that she pushes her friend Sage aside! And she forgets about Camille's feelings as well.  It's a great book to remind kids not to do that!  Well done.  I can't wait to learn more about Phoebe!

Kid appeal:

• Kids who like to try new foods.
• Girls
• Kids struggling with their friends

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Roscoe Riley Rules: Never Swipe a Bully's Bear by Katherine Applegate

Title: Never Swipe a Bully's Bear
Author: Katherine Applegate
Illustration: Brian Biggs
Series: Roscoe Riley
Geared towards: Early elementary

Pig-napped!

When Roscoe's stuffed pig goes missing, he is convinced that Wyatt, the class bully, is responsible. When Roscoe finds out where Wyatt keeps his teddy bear, he decides to give that old bully a taste of his own medicine. That will fix everything. Won't it?


What a super cute book! As usual the story has Roscoe learning a lesson.  In this book he learns to no jump to conclusions and that it is not nice to do mean things to someone - especially if you would not like it done to you.  I also liked that it showed it was ok to have a stuffed animal that is special to you - that many kids do.  Some young kids worry they would be made fun of, and this would help them see that it's ok!

Kid Appeal: 

• If they like other Roscoe books they'll like this one.  
• They have a special stuffed animal
• Boys

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