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Balls! by Michael J. Rosen, a fun look at the facts about sports balls, including their interior construction. There is also a good “For Further Reading” addendum, with books and websites related to sports and balls in general, sorted by information about specific sports. Ages 8–adult (my grandson’s dad loved this book despite the fact that it is obviously meant for kids). The publisher is Darby Creek, a small firm in Ohio and it's a Junior Library Guild Selection.
The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses.There are six books in this series of biographies about Hatshepsut of Egypt; Artemisia of Caria; Qutlugh Cerkan Khatum of Kivman; Isabella of Castile; Nur Jahan of India. The book jacket says ages 9-13, but I’d put that even younger, if you have an advanced reader of 7. These are nicely-done biographies of real girls/women, complete with colorful art, maps, time lines, and sidebars with things like “What she wore” or “What she ate” as well as an occasional page called “The not-so-nice” part of the story (e.g. Isabella’s persecution of the Moors, and her support of the Inquisition). I found that these books triggered some good discussions with a youngster I know.
Grammar Girl Presents the Ultimate Writing Guide for Students by Mignon Fogarty, a hip and accessible paperback that covers the ins and outs of using our complex English language. You have to love a book with chapter titles like “Quick and Dirty Tips” (complete with memory devices to help you decide which word to use and when to use it, e.g. “Hens lie down to lay eggs.”) Ages 12 – forever. I had to buy my granddaughter another copy, because I couldn’t part with the one I bought for her.
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? Ages approx. 4-10. This is a good book for a grownup to read to a child in the fall, when pumpkins are ripe and in the stores. It offers lots of pumpkin-y facts, and an especially good lesson for child who is small for her or his age.
Half Magic by Edward Eager, N. M. Bodecker (Illustrator) by Edward Eager
Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
Below the Root and The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel) by Ellen Raskin by Ellen Raskin
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers
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