Chapter Book of the Day – Page 4

The White House for Kids

The White House for Kids: A History of a Home, Office, and National Symbol, with 21 Activities
by Katherine L. House (Author)

Booktalk: Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live and work in the most important house in the country, or what it’s like to grow up there?

Kids can:

* Build a model White House

* Design an official china pattern

* Play key passages of “Hail to the Chief”

* Practice signing a bill the way presidents do

* Make White House fruit punch

* Play an aerobic game designed for President Hoover

* And much more

Snippet:
The White House itself has six levels if you count its two-story subbasement. It boasts 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 12 chimneys. The president and his family live mainly on the top two floors. Only family members, invited guests, and employees have the privilege of seeing those floors.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own Town!

The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own Town!
by Brian Lyles (Author) and Jason Lyles (Author)

Booktalk: Snap together a few houses, shops, and apartment buildings to create your own neighborhood! (Complete, step-by-step instructions for four multistory buildings and dozens of inspiring ideas to use in your own models!)

Snippet:

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Pink & Green Is the New Black

Pink & Green Is the New Black
by Lisa Greenwald (Author)

Booktalk: Lucy Desberg is in eighth grade, and she’s determined to make this year perfect. Over the course of the year, though, her talents for makeup and problem-solving will be put to the test.

Snippet: My homework is done so I go upstairs to check my e-mail.

But as soon as I sign in, I see I there’s nothing new. I had hoped that Yamir would get in touch, but both my phone and e-mail are as I left them this morning.

Football (Fantastic Sports Facts)

Football (Fantastic Sports Facts)
by Michael Hurley (Author)

Booktalk: Discover some of the most fascinating and unusual facts about the sport.

Snippet:
Fun Fact
The Super Bowl was nearly named “The Big One.”

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

The Reluctant Time Traveller

The Reluctant Time Traveller
by Janis MacKay (Author)

Booktalk: If Saul and Agnes don’t do something their den will be destroyed. But the title deeds that could save it were lost in 1914. Good job they know the secret of time travel! Still, is travelling back in time to a world on the verge of war really a good idea? When Agnes disappears Saul has no choice — he can’t let her go to the past on her own. 100 years before their own time, Saul and Agnes meet a brother and sister, servants at a big house where a sinister visitor is expected. Together the new friends try to uncover the mystery but Saul and Agnes know time is running out.

Snippet: I had been here before — in the future. Playing hide and seek. It had only been yesterday for me, I think, but already time was feeling too messy to be sure. I shuddered, thinking how the house was ruin then, with craggy bits still standing — like this room. Different time, same place.

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology

From Butterfly Wings to…Display Technology
(21st Century Skills Innovation Library: Innovations from Nature)
by Josh Gregory (Author)

Booktalk: Have you ever noticed that is it more difficult to read an electronic display screen when you are in bright sunlight? Find out how butterfly wings inspired the invention of new digital display technology that solves this problem.

Snippet: The development of this remarkable new technology began when an engineer named Mark Miles read an article about the way butterfly wings reflect the sunlight in a special way. This reflection is what creates the wings’ bright colors as the insect flutters through the air on a sunny day. Miles realized that this process could provide important clues that might help him create a better kind of display technology. He knew he would need to not only re-create the butterfly’s wing structure using available materials but also find a way to make his invention change colors on demand.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight

Space Taxi: Archie Takes Flight
by Wendy Mass (Author), Michael Brawer (Author), and Elise Gravel (Illustrator)

Booktalk: It’s not every day a regular kid like Archie gets to wake up at midnight. But today is Take Your Kid to Work Day, and Archie is finally allowed to ride along in his dad’s taxi cab. He has been waiting eight years, eight months, and eight days for this moment to arrive.

But he’s about to discover his dad is no ordinary cab driver…In fact, he drives an intergalactic space taxi! All night long, he shuttles aliens from one corner of the universe to another. And being a space taxi copilot is no easy task: Archie must steer them into wormholes, keep them from crashing into planets, deal with a very unusual cat…and save the universe from an evil mastermind!

Snippet:
“Dad!” I shout. “Can you please tell me what is going on? I thought you were a taxi driver!”

“I am, son. Now this is gonna feel a bit strange, but trust me, you’re totally safe.”

I tighten my grip on the arms of my seat. Dad presses a red button and . . . BANG! BOOM! KA-BLAMMO!

Playing Pro Football

Playing Pro Football
by Paul Bowker (Author)

Booktalk: Playing professional football is a dream for many—but it’s also a high-pressure, grueling job. If you’re the pro player on the field, millions of people are scrutinizing your every play, expecting you to make your blocks, outsmart your opponents, move the ball to your end zone, and score. To play at 100 percent on Sundays, you are constantly preparing for the next game—practicing, lifting weights, going to meetings, or watching video. Throughout the year, you must also maintain your fitness through proper workouts, rest, and nutrition. Playing in the pros is an incredible challenge. But for those who suit up on Sundays, the journey is totally worth it.

Snippet: Getting to the NFL is one thing. Staying in the league is a whole other challenge. The NFLPA lists the average NFL career as approximately 3.5 seasons. The best and most consistent players often stay in the league much longer. However, many careers are cut short by injury and ineffectiveness. Athletes such as Peyton and Eli Manning who last for many years in the NFL must dedicate themselves to the sport. After all, football is their full-time job. They must stay fit, They must continue to improve and perform well. And, importantly, they must stay healthy. A badly timed injury or a poor performance can end one’s career in an instant.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle

Gabriel Finley and the Raven’s Riddle
by George Hagen (Author) and Scott Bakal (Illustrator)

Booktalk: How can twelve-year-old Gabriel find his missing father, who seems to have vanished without a trace? With the help of Paladin—a young raven with whom he has a magical bond that enables them to become one creature—he flies to the foreboding land of Aviopolis, where he must face a series of difficult challenges and unanswerable riddles that could lead to his father… or to his death.

Snippet:
Gabriel? Wake up!

Opening his eyes, Gabriel found himself high above a barren salt marsh extending for miles along a shore. His first assumption was that the eagle was carrying him, but then he realized that he was actually flapping his own wings. Apparently he and Paladin had succeeded in exchanging bodies in midair–a pretty extraordinary feat in itself–as well as escaping the vicious bird.

Kitchen Math

Kitchen Math (Math Everywhere!)
by Katie Marsico (Author)

Booktalk: Math is everywhere in the kitchen! See what’s cooking inside this book—and how we need math to finish the job! You’ll need your math smarts to help measure ingredients, calculate cooking times, add and subtract fractions, double and halve recipes, convert cups to ounces and back again, and more.

Snippet: Aunt Megan says that the roast’s size affects the cooking time. Overcooking meat makes it tough. Undercooking it can make people sick.

Tony studies the label. The roast weighs 5 pounds [2.3 kilograms]. The directions say to preheat the oven to 325F [163 C]. The beef needs to cook for 23-25 minutes per pound.

Tony and Aunt Megan need to figure our how long the beef should roast.

Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!