A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Books for Upper Elementary

Super Mazes in Space

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Who does love the fun of a good maze.  Super Mazes in Space has us trying to catch Reducto before he gets away with the Galaxy Vacuum.  Can you catch him?   Follow his path through 10 mazes in space. 

Super Mazes in Space

What I am Reviewing

Super Mazes in Space.
Loic Mehee (artist).
Twirl.
26 pages, Hardcover
1-4th grade, ages 6-9.
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Mazes, Space, Activity Book, Adventure, Elementary

Ten incredible mazes combine with a space adventure to provide a stellar game book for every puzzle-solving kid! Comics artist Loic Mehee, who created the fantastic pop-up seek-and-find book The Great Escape, has come up with yet another impressive display of well-constructed, intricate mazes, and a thrilling space story involving Reducto, a supervillain who snacks on planets! It’s up to the reader to help intergalactic detectives Celeste and Neutrino stop him . . . before it’s too late! The mazes will entertain and challenge kids’ brains while improving their problem-solving and visual-perception skills. It’s a mind-bending must-have for hours of engaging play!

Super Mazes in Space

Details on Super Mazes in Space

This has got to be the most hands-on maze book I have ever seen.  Flaps to lift. 

Super Mazes in Space

Pages to fold out. 

Super Mazes in Space

Page elements to lift, look through, and work through. 

Super Mazes in Space

So many adventures are packed into this 26 page book.  Lots of great colour and interesting mazes to do. 

Thoughts/Recommendations

Maybe I am slow at mazes, but I found these mazes a challenge to do. I can’t see a 6 year old doing them, but a 8 or 9 year old… for sure!  Do not limit yourself to the youngsters though, I can easily see upper elementary youth thoroughly enjoying this hardcover book. 

Super Mazes in Space would be a fun addition to any space, apollo 11, or moonlanding study.   You may find these books helpful

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Space On Earth

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Did you know that space technologies don’t cost as much money as you might think? And they create lots of spill off jobs?  I know… that last was a shocker to me. How would space tech affect earth?  That’s the question that Space on Earth answers.

Space on Earth review

What I am Reviewing

Space on Earth: intergalactic facts about the world around you!
Dr. Sheila Kanani
Del Thorpe (illustrator)
Alma Junior
128 pages, trade paperback,
Grades 3-4
Reviewed for Raincoast books.

Have you ever looked up into the sky and wondered about space, astronomy and the universe? Perhaps you have. But you’ve probably never looked around you – at the sunglasses you wear or the selfies people take – and thought about space. The truth is, there is more of space on earth than you realize. . . 
Full of amazing facts about everyday innovations inspired by space travel and sections on the people who brought them to us, Space on Earth is an entertaining and fascinating look at space and the untold relationship with the planet we live on, helping children not only to feel the awe and wonder of the universe, but also to understand the reasons why space is relevant to us here on Earth.

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Details on Space on Earth

Three categories are discussed on how space tech interacts with the world at large.   Technology, health and fashion. 

One example of technology is solar power.  This was used for space travel.  Fuel weighs a lot so if they had to haul batteries up to space as well… the load would be too heavy.  Solar panels are a lot lighter and let the space craft create electricity.   Over many years the technology was adapted for use by anyone. 

Space on Earth

As you learn about the different technologies such as cochlear implants you also get to meet scientists and learn amazing facts.  Each example comes with a short biography on the scientist involved. Since there are all these details, I find this a great book. 

You’ll find simple black and white illustrations throughout.  You will find these illustrations work well with the text.

Space on Earth

Thoughts/Recommendations

I’m told that Space to Earth is for children 8 and up.  I think it would be great for students from grade 3-6.   To discover the wonderful things that space exploration has given us.  Who would have thought baby blankets for premmies would be developed, or that patients with dementia be helped, or our sound systems be improved.   Space tech making our lives better, creating jobs for people that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. 

I love that we told about the scientists and doctors who helped develop the technology. It’s a great way to expand the learning you know?  Learn about the tech, research the developer. 

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Stargazing by Jen Wang

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I wasn’t expecting much when I opened this book.  The story initially struck me as odd, but the further I got into Stargazing by Jen Wang, the more interested I became.  Humour and friendship filled the pages. 

Stargazing by Jen Wang

What I am Reviewing

Stargazing.
Jen Wang (author and illustrator)
First Second.
Graphic Novel.
Ages 8-12.
224 pages.
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
Received Advanced Reader Copy.
Friendship, Asian, China, Children’s Illness, Asian American, Graphic Novel, Middle School,

Moon is everything Christine isn’t. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they both grew up in the same Chinese-American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known.
But after Moon moves in next door, these unlikely friends are soon best friends, sharing their favorite music videos and painting their toenails when Christine’s strict parents aren’t around. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she has visions, sometimes, of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn’t where she really belongs.
Moon’s visions have an all-too-earthly root, however, and soon Christine’s best friend is in the hospital, fighting for her life. Can Christine be the friend Moon needs, now, when the sky is falling?

Stargazing by Jen Wang

The Details

Jen Wang brings to life of Chinese-American youth who, just like other youth, sometimes have strict parents, or more lenient ones. And so a friendship blooms between two unlikely girls. 

The first 10 pages in my copy were done in colour.  The pastel hues bring to life these two girls and their families.  Even without the colour though, the careful outlines told the story well.   We see the pain, the hurt, the hope, the laughter, and the full-on friendship between girls. 

Stargazing by Jen Wang

My Thoughts

Pushing their own boundaries, learning to trust, and to become people they need to be. Protective and at times afraid, jealousy and anger raise their heads.  But in the end.. friendship holds true.   Stargazing by Jen Wang is a good story for upper elementary to middle school readers.   

If you enjoy graphic novels, this book might well appeal for itself humour and it’s friendship themes.  A good read, I would happily read more books by Jen Wang.  Stargazing is worth your youth’s time. 

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Peter & Ernesto: the Lost Sloths

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Okay, this book is just fun. Graham Annable writes a fun story about friendship and overcoming trials with Peter & Ernesto the Lost Sloths. The question asked throughout the book is : Can Peter and Ernesto save the day? Can they find the sloths the home they so desperately need?

Peter & Ernesto: the Lost Sloths

What I am Reviewing

Peter & Ernesta: the Lost Sloths.
Graham Annable
FirstSecondBooks.com
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
128 pages, jacketed hardcover, ages 6-10
Friendship, overcoming trials, perseverance, cooperation

Peter and Ernesto loved their tree.
Then a hurricane came and blew it away!
Now, Peter, Ernesto, and the rest of their sloth friends must venture into the jungle to find a new – great – tree. But the jungle is full of dangers, including angry ants, slithering snakes, and a ravenous jaguar!
Can cautious Peter and confident Ernesto work together to keep their tribe safe? They’ll have to, if they want to find the perfect tree to call home!

Peter & Ernesto: the Lost Sloths

Details About this Book

Peter and Ernesto are friends living in a tree with all their friends. A hurricane happens. Their tree… well.. a hurricane happened! Whatever would they do?!?!?! Peter and Ernesto to the rescue!

Through a graphic novel format we watch as Peter and Ernesto make new friends and discover all the life in their forest.

Humour is abundant throughout (watch out for the peccaries). Teamwork is important, and problem solving dangers is real.

The text is larger than normal for a graphic novel, making this a great introduction to elementary students to the graphic novel format. The story is carried along nicely from frame to frame, predominately using a conversational format. I enjoyed the use of colour in the illustrations and how it fit with a forest theme and rainy weather.

Peter & Ernesto: the Lost Sloths

Recommendation

The story is simple, the forest fraught with danger, but friendship holds true. It’s a fun read. Go borrow it from your library or order it for your book shelves. 🙂

Peter & Ernesto: the Lost Sloths
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The Giant From the Fire Sea

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Once in a while I meet a book that totally surprises me. The Giant from the Fire Sea is one such book. The premise didn’t intrigue me, but once I started reading, I very much wanted to know what was going to happen with Jat and Newton.

What I am Reviewing

The Giant from the Fire Sea.
John Himmelman
Jeff Himmelman (illustrator)
Henry Holt and Co.
Trade Paperback, 256 pages, 8-11 years.
Friendship, bullying, coming of age,
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Jat is a boy who wants more from life than collecting coal from the Fire Sea.
Newton is a misfit giant, cast out of his homeland for his love of science and reading.
Brought together by chance, the two become the best of friends. But when enemy giants threaten to ruin everything, it’s up to Jat and Newton to defend Jat’s village, leading to the journey of a lifetime.

My Review

I don’t know why I put off reading The Giant from the Fire Sea, after all. my lad kept asking me what it was about. Maybe I was trying to wait him out? He knows he can read my review books. Anyways, once I started it, I had this need to finish it. I was glad that I did.

Jat and Newton make an unlikely pair of friends. Like all friends they need to learn when to stay out of each other’s business AND when to get right in the middle of it. Their determination to do what is right and to stick together was excellent.

I loved the development of the characters, watching how they matured through difficult times. The bad characters were a mixed lot, which honestly surprised me. It’s SO good to be surprised in a book, especially one meant for the younger years.

Some bad things happen, but nothing I think that should alarm your average upper elementary youth. The story sets itself up nicely for a sequel which, I think, would be interesting to read. I have questions I want answered.

I liked the illustrations that introduced each chapter. They fit, sometimes rather sadly, but were appropriate for the chapter. Overall, an excellent book for upper elementary students. Some laughter, a good story, with children making friends and learning how to be good friends.

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The Miraculous

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Miracles surround Wunder. A miracle baby who saw the wonderful and the miraculous every where he went. Just happy, ordinary lad who saw the good in life. Then tragedy struck and Wunder was lost, his whole family is lost. What is to happen with Wunder? In The Miraculous we see the help that Wunder receives.

The Miraculous

From the Cover

Eleven-year-old Wunder Ellis is a miracologist. In a journal he calls The Miraculous, he records stories of the inexplicable and the extraordinary. And he believes every single one. But then his newborn sister dies, at only eight days old. If that can happen, then miracles can’t exist. So Wunder gets rid of The Miraculous. He stops believing.
Then he meets Faye – a cape-wearing, outspoken girl with losses of her own. Together, they find an abandoned house by the cemetery and a mysterious old woman who just might be a witch. The old woman asks them for their help. She asks them to believe. And they go on a journey that leads to friendship, to adventure, to healing – and to miracles.

The Miraculous

My Thoughts

When I started The Miraculous I was hooked. I wanted to know what would happen with Wunder, and what’s with the weird house? Then odd-ball Faye showed up, and old friends made decisions and I just wanted to know what would happen.

I enjoyed most of the story, the pain and confusion, the muddling through grief, the aloneness of a child lost in grief with parents lost in their grief. So many different faces of grief seen throughout the pages of this quiet reading tome.

I do need to offer up a caution. Some of the views on death and heaven are a bit… odd. If you are of the Protestant or Catholic faith you might want to read the book before handing it to your children. Discussions with family members over matters of faith are always good to have. 🙂 It made me feel good, to read over the couple of pages I found troublesome with my lad, and he was able to articulate clearly what my concerns were.

It’s a quiet, solemn read with moments of laughter. Oh.. some of the lines made me hoot! But overall, how a person handles grief is very individual to them. Sometimes in the process a person gets a bit lost, and when a whole family grieves, sometimes they need to grieve together to bring healing. A tender, quiet reading book that had me interested from start to finish.

The Miraculous

The Miraculous.
Jess Redman
Farrar Straus Giroux
Trade Paperback, 320 pages
Upper Elementary
Death, Miracles, Grief, Child Loss
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

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All of Me

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A novel in the form of a bunch of connected poems, that when I finished reading said “that was an interesting story”. All of Me made me feel all quiet inside of myself, and pleased with a boy learning who he was. I am so pleased Raincoast sent this one to me as a review.

All of Me

About the Book

Ari has body-image issues. After a move across the country, his parents work selling and promoting his mother’s paintings and sculptures. Ari’s bohemian mother needs space to create, and his father is gone for long stretches of time on “sales” trips.

Meanwhile, Ari makes new friends: Pick, the gamer; the artsy Jorge, and the troubled Lisa. He is also relentlessly bullied because he’s overweight, but he can’t tell his parents – they’re simply not around enough to listen.

After an upsetting incident, Ari’s mom suggests he go on a diet, and she gives him a book to help. But the book – and the diet – can’t fix everything. As Ari faces the demise of his parents’ marriage, he also feels himself changing, both emotionally and physically. Here is a much-needed story about accepting the imperfect in oneself and in life.

All of Me

My Thoughts

I started this book just wanting to get a feel for it, before I knew it an hour had passed and I had it mostly done. It was such a simple, quiet read. The angst of Ari clearly felt, the upset and realness of Pick, Lisa’s genuine love, and the quiet steadiness of Jorge.

The story moves forward through a series of poems that lead one from another. Brief titles, short poems for the most part with longer ones interspersed, gently, steadily telling the story.

Anger, pain, frustration, joy, pride, all spelled out in poetic form.

All of Me

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would.

The question I have, would middle schoolers? That’s the target market. I had my 13 year old read a few pages. Just to see if he would get hooked the way I was when I started reading it. He wasn’t. The poetic style completely through him off.

So I’ve mixed thoughts when I think of a recommendation. I want people to enjoy it as much as I did, but I tend to think of it appealing more to an older crowd than a younger one. I could be wrong though, for the right 8-12 year it might be just what they need and, more importantly, want to read.

All of Me

All of Me.
Chris Baron
Feiwel & Friends.
Trade paperback, 8-12 years, 320 pages
Poetry, Growing up, Middle School, Bullying
Received: arc copy
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

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