booktalk Archives - Page 229 of 1358

Looking Up
by Stephan Pastis (Author / Illustrator)
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Booktalk: Living alone with her mother in a poorer part of town, Saint–a girl drawn to medieval knights, lost causes, and the protection of birthday piñatas–sees the neighborhood she has always known and loved disappearing around her: old homes being torn down and replaced by fancy condos and coffee shops. But when her favorite creaky old toy store is demolished, she knows she must act.

Enlisting the help of Daniel “Chance” McGibbons, a quiet, round-faced boy who lives across the street (and whose house also faces the wrecking ball), Saint hatches a plan to save what is left of her beloved hometown.

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Beulah Has a Hunch!: Inside the Colorful Mind of Master Inventor Beulah Louise Henry
by Katie Mazeika (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon* | Bookshop*

Booktalk: Growing up in the 1890s, when Beulah Louise Henry spotted a problem, she had to find a solution, turning it around and around in her mind until..aha! She had a hunch–what she called the inventions she came up with to solve the puzzles she saw all around her.

Beulah’s brain worked differently. She had hyperphantasia, which meant she saw things in extreme detail in her mind, as well as synesthesia, which caused words and numbers and even music notes to show up as different colors in her brain. Beulah’s unique way of seeing the world helped her think up vivid solutions to problems–Her hunches came to her fully formed with gears whirring and wheels spinning. She invented everything from a new and improved parasol to cuddly stuffed animals and from ice cream makers to factory machinery. Beulah’s inventions improved daily life in lots of ways, earning her the nickname “Lady Edison,” and she became one of the most prolific inventors in American history.

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Nonfiction Monday

It’s Nonfiction Monday!