Last minute gifts? I’ve got even more suggestions for you this week that will make middle-graders’ heads spin. The best part about this list is that it’s full of beautifully packaged educational books that make learning fun. From sports to creepy monsters to the 100 scariest things on the planet, these brainy titles are 2011’s cream of the crop.
100 Scariest Things on the Planet by Anna Claybourne – Did you know that in 2000, a school of fish fell from the sky in Ethiopia? How about the fact that there’s a frighteningly narrow, 50-mile-long gravel road in the Yungas region of Bolivia with 3,000-foot cliffs, that’s known as the deadliest road in the world? (Believe me, it’s scary. I’ve driven on it and had my eyes closed the whole time!) This slim but super fascinating book is packed with trivia about all things terrifying and photos that will spook you, but good! From a haunted network of underground passageways in Edinburgh, Scotland, to a supposed alien abduction in 1961, middle-graders should “prepare to be terrified” when perusing these pages. (Want a double dose of the fear factor? Try Phobiapedia, a photo-filled dictionary of freaky things that go bump in the night (and are sometimes hairy with many creepy-crawly legs).
Total Sports – This encyclopedic compendium of more than 75 sports, from soccer and cricket to the lesser-known luge and snooker, is the perfect gift for sports lovers and promises hours of reading pleasure. Chapters are broken up into team sports, racket sports, combat sports, extreme sports, water sports, and others, with two-page spreads devoted to each highlighted sport, plus 6 quarter-page descriptions of similar sports in each category. A helpful glossary of sports terms (like “smash” and “half-pipe”) is included, as well as a section dedicated to the Olympic Games, listing host cities, gold-medalists, and more. (For even more sports-related facts and figures from this year, try the annually updated kid-favorite Scholastic Year in Sports 2012.)
100 People Who Made History by Ben Gilliland – More than anyone else, kids need heroes and heroines in their lives . . . people they can look up to and aspire to be like. There’s no shortage of true visionaries from the past and present and this well-stocked book highlights just a few of them from across the globe. Five lofty categories consisting of even loftier individuals both well-known and semi-obscure (to American kids, at least) include Daring Discoverers (Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Mary Leakey, etc.), Inspirational Inventors (Johann Gutenberg, Alfred Novel, Mark Zuckerberg, etc.), Thoughtful Thinkers (Confucius, Mother Theresa, Aung San Suu Kyi, etc.), Leading Leaders (Alexander the Great, Simon Bolivar, Nelson Mandela, etc.), and Clued-up Creatives (Alexsandr Pushkin, Frida Kahlo, Ali Akbar Khan, etc.). As if that wasn’t enough, a list of 30 runners-up is also included, plus a glossary of possibly tricky terms defined.
The LEGO Ideas Book by Daniel Lipkowitz – I stunk at playing with Legos when I was a kid (do we have to build another castle with a catapult?) but even I can see how exciting it would be to receive a book full of model ideas, complete with photos of the finished product. A swampboat? Check. A country barn? Check. A Viking longship and neighboring village? Check. Kids can even construct a chess board out of Legos using this book. The only thing missing from this super-cool collection is step-by-step instructions. But, I guess that takes all the fun out of it, doesn’t it? Silly me.
Zoom In, Zoom Out – If it were possible to publish a one-volume book for middle-graders about, well, everything . . . this would be it. Readers can “zoom in and out” by looking at details presented in one double-page spread (say, information about mollusks), and connecting what they learn to the larger picture presented on the next spread (say, information about ecosystems). Plump chapters covering science and technology, space, art and culture, history, people and places, Earth, the human body, and nature are full of interesting factoids about a wide variety of subjects (diets, maps, quality of life compared around the world). Big Ideas (such as how different religions came to be and how they are interconnected) are explained in an easily digestible manner. This compendium of knowledge is a fine example of an integrated approach to learning that helps kids make sense of the world around them. (For an excellent companion book with even more fascinating trivia and eye-popping photographs, try NG Kids Ultimate Weird but True.)
Monsters in the Movies by John Landis – This doorstopper of a coffee table book is pure freak-show awesomeness, right down to the beady orange eyes and terrifying sharp-fanged maw popping out from the cover. Compiled by legendary filmmaker John Landis (of American Werewolf in London and Michael Jackson’s music video “Thriller” fame), it explores the origins of vampires, werewolves, and zombies; includes interviews with make-up artist Rick Baker and famed horror filmmakers such as Guillermo del Toro, David Cronenberg, Sam Raimi, and Christopher Lee; and gives readers an exhaustive (but so very interesting) tour of the genre through the silent era up through today. *Note: While ghouls of all ages will most definitely love flipping through this book, it’s probably best reserved for more mature middle-graders as there’s a ton to digest and more than a few (amazing) photos that could seem scary to a younger, more sensitive reader.
You've Got Talent – Do you know a child who’s constantly performing, whether s/he’s in the shower, at the dinner table, or actually on stage? If so, this flashy hardcover dedicated to music, dance, and drama will be an immediate hit for the star-to-be. With practical advice on how to audition (Never consume dairy before singing! Stand with your feet firmly planted! Project!), perform simple dance steps (the Charleston), and fake a wound using makeup; lists of amusing on-stage bloopers and mishaps (like the time U2’s set malfunctioned at a concert, locking them inside a large lemon); and zillions of references to shows, bands, and dance styles through the ages, the book does more than shine . . . it simply dazzles.
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster – As if you didn’t adore this classic book enough already, now there’s not only one, but two new editions available in celebration of the book’s 50th anniversary. (Check out the fancy new The Phantom Tollbooth 50th Anniversary Edition.) While reading a paperback that could fit in a back pocket might be easier for kids the first time around, the experience of reading this annotated version is so much more enriching. Detailed textual notes based on Juster’s earlier drafts and Marcus’s interviews with the author and illustrator are included on practically every page, as well as Marcus’s own interpretation of what’s happening in the novel. The introduction that describes how Juster and Feiffer met in Brooklyn, New York, and tells the story of how The Phantom Tollbooth came to be is an especially attractive bonus.
Like most bookworms, Alexis Burling has loved reading since she could crawl. She has worked for over a decade in the publishing industry and has reviewed both children's and adult books for prominent media outlets such as teenreads.com, Publishers Weekly, and the Washington Post
