Kids Music Friday: "Dynamite" by the Alphabet Rockers

Everybody get up and get moving to "Dynamite" by the Alphabet Rockers! It's a fresh new take on "Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and features some pretty fun dance sequences. So get your groove on!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Dewey Discoveries: "Bike Safety: A Crash Course" by Lisa J. Amstutz

Learning to ride a bike opens up a whole new world for a child!  But it's important to know the rules of the road before you hop on and ride away.  "Bike Safety: A Crash Course" by Lisa J. Armstutz  is a helpful guide for beginning riders. It explains how to properly wear a helmet, dress for high visibility and use hand signals.  I love the photos of children and families riding and smiling!  This is a great read for children in preschool through first grade.


Dewey number J 796.6

--Angie RH, Headquarters

Staff Review: "The Beatles" by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

I always say that you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite Beatles album.  My Mom's is Abbey Road, but my Dad's was the White Album: evidence that opposites attract. Personally, my go-to is Rubber Soul. It's their sixth alum with songs you might recognize: Michelle, In My Life, Drive My Car, Nowhere Man.  I was raised with the songs of John, Paul, George, and Ringo.  

"The Beatles" by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom is a great introduction for children who want to learn about the band.  It starts with their childhoods, how they met, and the humble beginnings of The Beatles.  The format reminds me of a scrapbook with comics and historical background information in the sidebars.  The author describes the history and eventual breakup of the band in a way that children can understand without talking down to them.  There is a glossary in the back to define words they are unfamiliar with such as "record" and "hippie".  I like the soft lines and bold colors of the illustrations, but the one thing that would have made this book better is photos in the back.  

School Library Journal recommends this book for grades 3-5.

--Angie RH, Headquarters

War Dogs

Your dog might know a trick or two, but there are dogs who work in the military.  For more than 150 years, dogs have had important specialized jobs to help humans on and off the field.  Here are a few books to learn all about these dog heroes.

"War Dogs" by Meish Goldish

Learn what it's like for dogs Sasha, Rufus, and Target in the U.S. military.  Their sharp senses are used to guard weapons and soldiers.  A dog's excellent sense of smell can sniff out bombs or a missing person.  They're trained to attack anyone who might harm their troops.

"Patriotic Pals: Tails of Civil War Dogs" by Chris Stuckenschneider 

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of two doggie friends who take a road trip to learn more about dogs in the Civil War.  Readers learn about Brutus who is rumored to chase bullets to play fetch.  Also, read about General Stonewall Jackson's brave terrier and President Lincoln's trusty dog, Fido.

"Dog Heroes" by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

This is a Magic Tree House non-fiction companion to "Dogs in the Dead of Night" by Mary Pope Osborne.  It has lots of information about jobs dogs might have like therapy dogs, search and rescue dogs and acting dogs.  Chapter five is all about Famous Dog Heroes.  Stubby is the most decorated dog in World War I and went into battle with soldiers over seventeen times.  

These brave pooches deserve to be honored for their hard work, dedication and bravery!  

--Angie RH, Headquarters

Book Trailer: "Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla" by Katherine Applegate

She won the Newbery Award in 2013 with "The One and Only Ivan," a tender tale of a shopping mall gorilla and the friends who rescued him. Now Katherine Applegate has written "Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla," which is sure to please all those who loved her Newbery book. Be sure to have tissues on hand!

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Kids Music Friday: "Wired" by Recess Monkey

Grab a bag of your favorite sugary treat (but feel free to eat veggies instead!), hop on your Segway, and join Recess Monkey in their latest music video, "Wired." Keep your eyes peeled for their new album of the same name, to be released soon.

--Andrea W., Headquarters

Schools for Unusually Gifted Students

The new school year is just around the corner!  Soon you'll be buying school supplies, meeting your teacher and choosing your first day of school clothes.   What if instead of math worksheets, you were saving the world from a criminal mastermind?  Here are a few books about students who get a much different education than you.   

"The Hypnotists" by Gordan Korman

Twelve-year-old Jackson Opus is descended from two powerful hypnotist bloodlines, but he has just begun to realize that he can control other peoples' actions with sometimes frightening results--especially when the head of the Sentia Institute plans to use Jackson for his own benefit.

 

"The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trent Lee Stewart

After passing a series of mind-bending tests, four children are selected for a secret mission that requires them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

"Ordinary Magic" by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

In a world where everyone possesses magical abilities, powerless twelve-year-old Abby, an Ordinary, is sent to a special school to learn how to negotiate a magical world with her unmagical "disability"--and to avoid becoming a victim of kidnappers, carnivores, and goblins ready to prey upon the Ords.

 

"School For the Insanely Gifted" by Dan Elish

Eleven-year-old musical genius Daphna Whispers embarks on a global journey to find her missing mother, only to uncover a shocking secret about the Blatt School for the Insanely Gifted where she is a student.

  







"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

  



  

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Wizards and Witches.

--Angie RH, Headquarters