middle grade Archives - Page 260 of 370

The Everyday Journeys of Ordinary Things
by Libby Deutsch (Author) and Valpuri Kerttula (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Young children are full of questions about how the world works; the processes and machinations behind the scenes. Why does a light come on when you flick a switch? How can cheese from the supermarket have come out of a cow? What happens when you send a text? Where does your poo go when you flush?(!) All very good questions, and all explained–along with many more–with flowing illustrations and chunks of text from the early beginnings to the very end.

Snippet:

See the book trailer.

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

Waste of Space (Moon Base Alpha)
by Stuart Gibbs (Author)

Booktalk: Tensions are running high when multi-billionaire Lars Sjoburg is poisoned and demands to go home and everyone is looking to Dash Gibson to solve the case in this third and final book in the Moon Base Alpha series.

Moon Base Alpha was supposed to be an exciting place to live, but Dashiell Gibson didn’t expect for it to be this exciting. He’d already had to solve a murder (in Book 1 is Space Case) . . .

and locate a missing moon base commander (in book 2 Spaced Out).

Now, he just wants to have a calm, quiet thirteenth birthday. But, of course, trillionaire (and total pain) Lars Sjoburg ruins it–by being poisoned.

Now there’s another potential killer loose on Moon Base Alpha, and Dash is forced to identify the most likely suspects. Suddenly Dash finds himself with a target on his back. Whoever poisoned Lars will stop at nothing to keep his–or her–identity a secret.

Snippet:
Lunar day 252
Still very early in the morning

It was cyanide poisoning to be precise.

Nina had hoped to keep it a secret, because she didn’t want to start a panic. However, Roddy also knew exactly what the yellow box with the skull and crossbones meant. Before I could stop him, he announced to the entire moon base, “Someone poisoned Lars Sjoburg!”

The base immediately erupted into chaos. Everyone spoke at once, insisting they couldn’t believe anyone would have done such a thing–and then quickly professing their innocence.

I understood exactly why they felt the need to do this. Every single one of them had probably wished Lars Sjoburg dead at some point. Lots of them had even said it out loud in public. (I know I had. Plenty of times.) The man had been absolutely horrible to every one of us.