booktalk Archives - Page 1256 of 1353

magneticmagic
Magnetic Magic
by Terry Catasús Jennings (Author) and Andrea Gabriel (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Dena loves using magnets to perform magic tricks for the kids at the pool. When Enrique arrives in town, he doesn t like that Dena is fooling the others. He gives her a century-old treasure map and Dena uses her compass and tools to plot the location of the treasure. To her surprise, the treasure is not where it should be!

Snippet: She spread out her town map. She placed one straight edge of the ruler on the compass rose to find northwest (315 degrees). Then she slid the other straight edge so that one end touched the location of the old elementary school’s door. She used the map’s scale to plot a position about 1000 feet from the door.

This “faction” story includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 30-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online.

It’s Nonfiction Monday!

S.M.A.R.T.S. and the Invisible Robot
by Melinda Metz (Author) and Heath McKenzie (Illustrator)

Booktalk: The S.M.A.R.T.S. can’t wait for the local high school’s Art of Science exhibition. It’s sure to be a great show, except for one problem–the centerpiece necklace has vanished!

Snippet: “Okay, everyone, listen up! I have a surprise for you,” Mrs. Ram–short for Mrs. Ramanujan–called to her students. All eleven kids in the makerspace–the community area at the back of the school’s media center where students could meet to collaborate on ideas, robotics, science, and computers–turned towards her. Mrs. Ram patted the sheet covering a large table next to her. Something lumpy and bumpy was hidden underneath.

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