7 new children’s non-fiction for the start of 2019

Hi Kids! Check out more new non fiction in the junior collection to read in 2019. Books featured in this post include information about Robots, the lady, (Spoiler: Mary Shelley), who wrote a famous novel about a zombie, (Spoiler: Frankenstein), and so much more!

Enjoy!

image courtesy of syndeticsHubots : real-world robots inspired by humans.

“Robots that look, act and think like humans are no longer the stuff of science fiction – they actually exist in the real world! Hubots explores the characteristics of 10 human-like robots, examines the challenges of integrating them into society and offers a sneak peek at the next generation.”–Page [4] of cover.


image courtesy of sydneticsDivorce is the worst.

“”How can you not love a children’s author who sees so clearly from her reader’s point of view?”–Julie Bowen, actress, Modern Family, “This book provides, through honest language and evocative imagery, a uniquely realistic view of how children experience divorce. While neither softening or white-washing this difficult topic, Higginbotham offers an ultimately comforting message to parents and children experiencing separation and divorce.”-Lisa Spiegel, LMHC, Soho Parenting, NYCKids are told, “it’s for the best”-and one day, it may be. But right now, divorce is the worst. With honesty and humor, Anastasia Higginbotham beautifully conveys the challenge of staying whole when your entire world, and the people in it, split apart. The first children’s book to tackle divorce from a child-validating point of view, Divorce Is the Worst is an invaluable tool for families, therapeutic professionals, and divorce mediators struggling to address this common and complex experience. Divorce Is the Worst is the first book in a series of feminist children’s books, Ordinary Terrible Things, which deals with common childhood crises and how children themselves find their own way to cope and grow. Anastasia Higginbotham is a writer and illustrator in Brooklyn, NY, whose childhood experience of divorce inspired this book”– Provided by publisher.


image courtesy of syndeticsGirls’ home spa lab : all-natural recipes, healthy habits, and feel-good activities to make you glow.

“For today’s active, plugged-in girls ages 9 to 13, finding healthy ways to unwind and de-stress is an important part of well-being. Girls’ Home Spa Lab is packed with all-natural recipes, activities, and tips for self-care and relaxation specially designed for tweens. From homemade facial steams and hair masks to foot soaks, tub teas, and body balms, the 50 head-to-toe recipes can be easily made from ingredients found in the kitchen cupboard, like honey, oats, and coconut oil. Girls will also learn how to soothe themselves with easy yoga poses, homemade sleep tea, and natural remedies for a headache, stuffy nose, or sore throat. Maya Pagán’s upbeat voice encourages girls to explore their creativity and develop self-confidence while having fun mixing up their own spa treatments.”– Provided by publisher.


image courtesy of syndeticsMary who wrote Frankenstein.

How does a story begin? Sometimes it begins with a dream, and a dreamer. Mary is one such dreamer, a little girl who learns to read by tracing the letters on the tombstone of her famous feminist mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, and whose only escape from her strict father and overbearing stepmother is through the stories she reads and imagines. Unhappy at home, she seeks independence, and at the age of sixteen runs away with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, another dreamer. Two years later, they travel to Switzerland where they meet a famous poet, Lord Byron. On a stormy summer evening, with five young people gathered around a fire, Byron suggests a contest to see who can create the best ghost story. Mary has a waking dream about a monster come to life. A year and a half later, Mary Shelley’s terrifying tale, Frankenstein: or, the Modern Prometheus, is published — a novel that goes on to become the most enduring monster story ever and one of the most popular legends of all time. A riveting and atmospheric picture book about the young woman who wrote one of the greatest horror novels ever written and one of the first works of science fiction, Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein is an exploration of the process of artistic inspiration that will galvanize readers and writers of all ages.


image courtesy of syndetics

Cool builds in Minecraft

Teaches players how to build fifty different objects in Minecraft, including houses, vehicles, farms, and castles.


image courtesy of syndetics2019 Game On!

Learn all about the hottest games like Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite and Spider-Man, how they were developed, and how to beat them in this annual gaming guide. Get ready for another awesome year of gaming with this ultimate guide to the best games including a definitive list of the biggest games of the past year and the new ones coming in 2019. Featuring Five Nights at Freddy’s and Hello Neighbor! Game On! 2019, the most comprehensive guide to all the best games, tech, and YouTube stars, features some of the year’s greatest moments including exclusive interviews with YouTube legends, top streamers and game developers. This complete guide is packed with information on all the latest gaming hardware, tech, and essential mobile games. Also including the best gaming secrets, stats, tips, and tricks to help unlock achievements and trophies on games like Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite, Spider-Man, GT Sport, Sea of Thieves, and so much more! All games featured in Game On! 2019 are rated T for Teen or younger keeping it appropriate for young gamers.


image courtesy of syndeticsRobotpedia.

Take an in-depth look at the history and cultural impact of robots through the years in this educational and interactive guide! Robots are everywhere-building cars, driving cars, performing surgery, helping soldiers and fire fighters, even vacuuming! From high up in space to the bottom of the ocean, robots are an instrumental part of how humans are learning about the world. This encyclopedic guide to robotics takes kids through the evolution of robotic technology: from the ancient Greek inventors, to the first robot at the World’s Fair, to nanotechnology already in use today, to D.I.Y. robotics, and even a peek into the robotic future as told by the scientists creating it. And keeping readers company along the way are many of our favorite robots from film and TV. Filled with interactive inserts, Robotpedia takes a fun approach to STEM learning.

Winter is officially here so no excuse needed to grab a blanket and read one of these great new kids fiction books from your library!

Image courtesy of Syndetics

A Boy called Bat by Elana Arnold

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises — some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

Image courtesy of SyndeticsBig & Little Questions by Julie Bowe

“Fourth grader Wren Jo Byrd questions lots of things–both little and big–when her parents decide to get a divorce, and learns a lot about the true meaning of family, home, and friendship”– Provided by publisher.

 

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsMatylda bright & tender by Holly McGhee

After a trip to the pet store, fourth-graders Sussy and Guy bring home a spotted lizard, and they name her Matylda (with a ‘y’ so it’s all her own). With Guy leading the way, they feed her and give her an origin story fit for a warrior lizard. A few weeks later, on a simple bike ride, there is a terrible accident. As hard as it is, Sussy is sure she can hold on to Guy if she can find a way to love Matylda enough. Eventually Sussy must discover what it means to grieve and heal and hope and go on, for her own sake and Matylda’s.

Image courtesy of SyndeticsNuggets; Dave Pigeon #2 by Swapna Haddow

Dave Pigeon is back and so is his side-kick Skipper. But trouble is afoot. When their Human Lady leaves to go on a ‘holiday’ (whatever that is), Dave and Skipper are horrified to find that their food supply quickly runs dry. With delicious biscuits on their minds, they set off in search of a new owner, but is Reginald Grimster all he seems? Why is he so keen on feeding them? And why does he have so many books about cooking?

 

Image courtesy of SyndeticsThe Enemy by Sara Holbrook

“Set in 1954, this compelling historical novel tells the story of a young girl’s struggles and triumphs in the aftermath of World War II. The war is over, but the threat of communism and the Cold War loom over the United States. In Detroit, Michigan, twelve-year-old Marjorie Campbell struggles with the ups and downs of family life, dealing with her veteran father’s unpredictable outbursts, keeping her mother’s stash of banned library books a secret, and getting along with her new older “brother”, the teenager her family took in after his veteran father’s death. When a new girl from Germany transfers to Marjorie’s class, Marjorie finds herself torn between befriending Inga and pleasing her best friend, Bernadette, by writing in a slam book that spreads rumors about Inga. Marjorie seems to be confronting enemies everywhere–at school, at the library, in her neighborhood, and even in the news. In all this turmoil, Marjorie tries to find her own voice and figure out what is right and who the real enemies actually are.”– Amazon.com.

 

Kids’ Review by Kate

Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson

It all starts off when Floss gets news from her Mum and her stepdad: they are moving to Australia!!!! But there is one problem: Floss won’t get to see her real Dad. Floss decides to move in with her Dad and leave her Mum. Floss and her Dad have a hard time trying to live together. Floss has stinky clothes, makes friends with a nerd, and leaves the most popular girl in school. Floss’ Dad loses his job and ends up working as a truckdriver and living at his old friend’s house. With this exciting book you will be reading it every night again and again. A very good book. 5 stars.

Review by Kate of Otago