Book Review: Mouse Guard by David Petersen
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, the first book in David Petersen’s graphic novel series about a band of warrior mice reads like a cross between Jill Barklem’s Brambly Hedge and Brian Jacques’ Redwall.
Read articleBook Review: Mister Monday by Garth Nix
Mister Monday, the first book in Garth Nix’s The Keys to the Kingdom fantasy series is an extraordinary fantasy novel of competing agendas, time-bending experiences, and mysteriously fatal epidemics.
Read articleBook Review: Sorcery & Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Cecelia & Kate #1)
Sorcery & Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (Cecelia & Kate #1) By Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer Harcourt, 2004 Age Range: Middle Grade and up The events in Sorcery & Cecelia, or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot play out over a series of letters between two cousins in Regency…
Read articleWhat’s The Eight-Year-Old reading this week?
Our mostly-weekly survey of the tidbits that cross The Eight-Year-Old’s desk. This week, The Eight-Year-Old boards Howl’s Moving Castle, travels by airship in The Journals of Thaddeaus Shockpocket, and provides friendly encouragement to Kenneth Graham’s Reluctant Dragon.
Read articleWhat is a Victory Garden and do I need one to survive 2020?
Recently I’ve realized that the only thing worse for my mental health than Political Twitter is Coronavirus Twitter. To cheer myself up, I’ve started reading post-apocalyptic dystopian novels. I haven’t read that many yet, but I have read enough to notice that the just-in-time food supply rarely survives the first few chapters. That made me wonder… what if my best strategy for surviving an apocalypse is not merely to stockpile food, but to learn how to grow it?
Read articleWhat’s a parent to do about Facebook?
I joined Facebook a very long time ago as a way to reconnect with old friends, keep my extended family up to date on funny stuff The Youngest Howell said, and of course, post cat pictures. It was fun and seemed harmless at the time. But my daughter is older now, and it’s time to re-examine my social media use.
Read articleBook Review: What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
One of the few books I’ve read that deals with what happens in a WWII concentration camp after liberation, Vesper Stamper’s beautifully illustrated book, What the Night Sings, is essential reading for our times.
Read article“How much did that plastic bottle shrink in the dishwasher?”
I got lazy this week so ran my daughter’s plastic (I know) reusable water bottle through the dishwater. It did not survive the experience. (I know.) But it did make for a fabulous opportunity to do a little science (and math — ssh!). Join my daughter and I as we figure out why our plastic water bottle melted in the dishwasher, and by how much.
Read article50 States of Public Art: CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour in Mankato, Minnesota
It’s summertime, and therefore, peak public art touring season in the United States. In the current installment of our ongoing series, The 50 States of Public Art, we visit Mankato, Minnesota, which has launched its ninth annual CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour.
Read articleBook Review: Pack of Dorks
If I could change one thing about parenting, it would be to have it commonly accepted that parents & kids should keep reading books together well into middle school. My fifth grader and I both read Beth Vrabel’s Pack of Dorks this past weekend and it opened up so many excellent conversations about friendship, bullying, and having the courage to be your own person.
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