Welcome to the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop! I’ve got an amazing group of books to share with you. Thanks to the sponsor, one of you will win this National Geographic Kids Books Home Learning Essentials Grand Prize Giveaway!
Thanks to our hosts, Chatty Patty’s Place and Review Wire Media
As millions of kids (and their parents!) embark on distance learning, what’s on the family bookshelf has never been more important. Nat Geo Kids Books has always been the gold standard when it comes to providing educational, fun, engaging books for kids, and this fall is no different. They’ve got five books that will help you with your home learning! Even if your little ones aren’t distance learning, these are books that they’ll enjoy.
National Geographic Kids Books Home Learning Essentials
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Beginner’s United States Atlas, Third Edition
Grade Level: 2 – 5
Publisher: National Geographic Kids; 3rd Edition (July 14, 2020)
Reading level: 7 – 10 years
The fully updated edition of this popular atlas introduces young readers to the wonders of all of America’s states and territories, with maps, fun facts, geographical features, and more. It’s accessible design showcases what’s unique about each state and territory and every profile starts with a colorful map and essay and includes capital cities; population; important land and water features; state birds, flowers, and flags. It’s all packaged in a bigger format, with a refreshed design, and bold, bright photos and illustrations.
National Geographic Kids U.S. Atlas 2020
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Kids; 6th Edition (July 14, 2020)
Reading level: 8 – 12 years
Current, authoritative, and produced by the expert cartographers at National Geographic, this best-selling United States atlas is newly updated with all the latest info and is packed with maps, stats, facts, and pictures. National Geographic’s world-renowned cartographers have paired up with education experts to create maps of all 50 states, U.S. territories, and Washington, D.C., that pinpoint the physical features, capitals, and other towns and cities.
Discover the latest data along with colorful photography of each state and the people who live there. Key points reflect the latest information about land and water, people, and places. Essays cover each region of the country while eight specially themed maps on nature, population, economy, energy, climate, and more delve deeper into key issues. State birds and state flags add to the high visual interest.
5,000 Awesome Facts (About Everything!)
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Kids; Illustrated Edition (August 14, 2012)
Reading level: 8 – 12 years
This book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super, sensational topics that kids love. Who knew that there were so many sweet things to learn about chocolate or that a dozen delicious details about peanut butter would show up on a page with a few splotches of jelly to whet our appetites? Keep turning and a terrifyingly toothy shark tells you all about himself, while other spreads lay out tons of tips on toys and games, mysteries of history, robots and reptiles, sports and spies and wacky words. A visual feast of colorful photographs surrounded by swirling, tipping, expanding, and climbing bits of information in a high-energy design, this book will satisfy both the casual browser and the truly fact obsessed.
Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Under the Stars; Illustrated Edition (September 8, 2020)
Reading level: 8 – 12 years
A brand new series from the author of many beloved American Girl books, Valerie Tripp! Join Izzy Newton and her friends at Atom Middle School in the first adventure of this new middle-grade fiction series. A crowded new school and a crazy class schedule is enough to make Izzy feel dizzy. But for the S.M.A.R.T. Squad, it’s all about relying on the value of friendship and the power of science to help them think their way through all kinds of sticky situation. Science and tech reign supreme when these five brainy buddies put their heads together! Read the first chapter and meet the characters at https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/smart-squad/.
Review of Izzy Newton and The S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero
Izzy Newton and The S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero is the first book in a new series that checks all of the boxes for today’s middle school girls. It’s about navigating the waters of sixth grade and meeting lots of new faces and having new experiences. Izzy and her friends are now expected to change classes, learn locker combinations, keep track of changing schedules, and sign up for extra curricular activities.
Since the book is aimed toward girls in late elementary and middle school, it’s not a difficult book to read. Though there is a bit of middle school drama, it just scratches the surface of the relationships among these girls. Perhaps since it’s the first book, girls are just given a few facts about each girl, and in subsequent books, maybe they’ll delve deeper into their personalities and families.
I’ve given the book 3 stars because it’s a good introduction to the series, and I think girls will enjoy the “girl power” portrayed in the book. However, as an adult reader, I just feel like it ticks off the content boxes that today’s books are supposed to contain. The characters include girls from different ethnicities, and their families display diversity in their makeup. One character has two moms. One is raised by her Jewish grandmother since her mom is an archaeologist who is not home much. And so on…
It’s basically similar to many of the books written for today’s girls. That makes me feel like someone is behind the scenes telling authors that any book written now has to be “woke” or no deal. I just want one new series that doesn’t feel like it’s got to fit this new formula.
If your daughter enjoys reading books that have a group of math and science loving girls, she will likely enjoy reading Izzy Newton and The S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero.
Side note: My now 25 year old daughter loved reading the American Girl books when she was the age that this book is aimed toward, so I know Valerie Tripp is a wonderful writer. I’m just ready for an outside of the box book for girls in 2020.
Little Kids First Big Book of Science
Grade Level: Preschool – 3
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Kids; edition (March 26, 2019)
Reading level: 4 – 8 years
This lively introduction to the fascinating world of science explores the different kinds of science, what scientists do, and the amazing things that scientists study: animals and plants; oceans and space; earthquakes and volcanoes; sound and light; inventions and more! Fun activities, games, and simple experiments encourage interactive learning, showing kids that anyone can use scientific observation and experimentation to be a scientist and discover new things. With bright images and age-appropriate text, this book inspires kids to be curious, ask questions, and explore the world around them and maybe even grow up to be a scientist one day, too! Topics include astronomy, botany, paleontology, malacology (that’s the science of clams, snails, and other animals with shells!), zoology, and more.
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* National Geographic Kids Books twitter – @NGKidsBks
* National Geographic Kids Facebook – @nationalgeographickids
* National Geographic Kids website: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Enter the giveaway Ended
Thanks to National Geographic Kids Books, one of you will win the Home Learning Essentials Grand Prize Giveaway which consists of all 5 titles listed above (total ARV $75). U.S. only & ends 10/15
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