Three books to celebrate Canada150 – Happy Birthday, Canada

Happy Birthday, Canada. Canada turns 150 July 1 and what better way to celebrate it then with books. C is for Canada, A Canuck ABC Primer by Trish Madson ($17.99, Raincoast Books, Familius) offers a alphabetized field trip of the...

New ideas for STEM projects in DK Books’ Scratch Challenge Workbook

Since my older brother got my eight-year-old son a book about Scratch, a free online coding program where you can design projects for yourself or to share, he has done a lot of projects – both his own, using variations...

20th anniversary of Harry Potter: guest review by eight year old

Hi J.K. Rowling, I loved the Harry Potter series, movies and books. One scene, the one in the Philosopher's Stone with the mirror when Ron said he won the Quidditch Cup, I pictured it in my head, like it was...

STEM, trains and imagination in these picture books for children

Enjoy one of these four picture books perfect for those with imagination. Charlotte the Scientist is Squished Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros ($23.99, Raincoast Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) was a wonderful book about Charlotte, who is a...

Star Scouts graphic novel is a fun read with a great message

Star Scouts by Mike Lawrence ($20.99, Raincoast Books, First Second) was a fun graphic novel about Avani, the new kid in town, whose father signs her up for the Flower Scouts, a group of girls who think Avani is weird...

Harry Potter house editions released in celebration of 20th anniversary of J.K. Rowling series

I figured I would be in Hufflepuff, but the first Hogwarts quiz I did put me in Ravenclaw, then two tests after that put me in Gryffindor while, finally, Buzzfeed told me I was a Hufflepuff. “You’re undeniably a Hufflepuff,...

DK Books’ My Amazing Body Machine offers great information about our bodies

On the weekend, my eight year old was coughing and sputtering at the dinner table and I asked him if his food went down the wrong tube. It's something I have always said, likely because my parents always said it....

Just a Normal Tuesday looks at suicide and the grief of those left behind

Just a Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi ($18.95, KCP Loft) was frightening. It was frightening because 16-year-old Kai receives a handwritten letter from her beloved older sister, Jen, in the mail, telling her that if Kai is reading the note,...

DK Books’ Super Cool Tech offers a look at the current and future technology inventions in a super cool format

When I saw DK Books' Super Cool Tech - Technology Invention Innovation ($30.99) , I thought my eight-year-old son would be all over it. It's a silver book that looks like a laptop and opens like one. How cool is...