Solid information presented in a sprightly manner that’s sure to appeal.
A breezy text and comic illustrations introduce middle-grade readers to their microbiomes—the trillions of microbes that live in them and on them.
The author of A World in Your Lunch Box (illustrated by Sa Boothroyd, 2012) turns her attention to the world of our own human bodies, making the point that microbes, the tiniest of living things—bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, protists, and mites—are vitally important in our lives. Topic by topic, one per double-page spread, Eamer introduces these microscopic "hitchhikers," describes their discovery, our "war" against them, and our subsequent realization that the majority are harmless and even beneficial. She goes on to present both harmful and helpful unseen inhabitants of our skin, lungs, mouth, gut, and even poop. And she goes into a little more detail about the human fight against bad bacteria and how bacteria have fought back by evolving. A final chapter describes ways young readers can attract a variety of different microbes to their personal microbiomes and then care for them. Sidebars feature a cartoon bacterium with a fondness for punny jokes and a series of “Did You Know?” factoids (and one urban legend). The unsourced text is lighthearted but briskly informative, and it has a considerable “eeuww!” factor. The jazzy design and plentiful, brightly colored illustrations add appeal.
Solid information presented in a sprightly manner that’s sure to appeal. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77138-332-5
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph.
Generations of human and animal families grow and change, seen from the point of view of the red oak Wishing Tree that shelters them all.
Most trees are introverts at heart. So says Red, who is over 200 years old and should know. Not to mention that they have complicated relationships with humans. But this tree also has perspective on its animal friends and people who live within its purview—not just witnessing, but ultimately telling the tales of young people coming to this country alone or with family. An Irish woman named Maeve is the first, and a young 10-year-old Muslim girl named Samar is the most recent. Red becomes the repository for generations of wishes; this includes both observing Samar’s longing wish and sporting the hurtful word that another young person carves into their bark as a protest to Samar’s family’s presence. (Red is monoecious, they explain, with both male and female flowers.) Newbery medalist Applegate succeeds at interweaving an immigrant story with an animated natural world and having it all make sense. As Red observes, animals compete for resources just as humans do, and nature is not always pretty or fair or kind. This swiftly moving yet contemplative read is great for early middle grade, reluctant or tentative readers, or precocious younger students.
A deceptively simple, tender tale in which respect, resilience, and hope triumph. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-04322-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
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