Book Review - Stamped

📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

In a remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: From the Beginning, Jason Reynolds reveals the history of racist ideas in America, and inspires hope for an antiracist future. He shares how racist views have always existed and why it continues to linger today. Also, while these racist ideas came easily into existence, they can be discredited as well.

You may be thinking, why would you want to read a history textbook? But as Jason Reynolds states, “This is NOT a history book.” While history books can be long, stuffy, and dull, Jason Reynolds shares this narrative freshly and more conversationally. This book also shows a side of history you won’t learn in school.

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Book Review - Disaster Strikes!: The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Disaster Strikes!: 

The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time

by Jeffrey Kluger

            In 1959 a group of seven Naval Test Pilots got a new job; Astronauts. This marked the start of space exploration for The United States, with the first man going up in 1961, and continuing today. While there have been many accomplishments (the US put the first man on the moon), there have also been missteps and even tragic accidents. From the Liberty Bell 7 sinking in 1961 to an Astronaut almost drowning in space in 2013, these are twelve disaster stories of space travel and exploration.

            Warning: You may want to have tissues prepared for some of these stories. The author wonderfully breaks down each of the stories into chapters so readers can stop and process, or reflect on what they just read. Some may be familiar with certain stories (Apollo 13 in 1970) while others are likely to be brand new. You can even read this with an adult and ask them which of these stories they remember. There is an index included in the back of the book to easily check when names pop up again in later chapters to check where you read it before.

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Book Review - The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

The Family Romanov:

Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

by Candace Fleming

This is the well-known ending: Nicholas and Alexandria, the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia were murdered, with their family, by members of the Revolution. But why? And what happened before? Find out about the Romanov family, the experiences of the peasants in Russia, and how the two worlds collided.

If you got your knowledge of this family from the 20^th Century Fox’s animated film Anastasia (have teens your age even seen that film? but then again there is the musical which I’m sure is closer to the film than the real story), anyway, if you have seen the movie or musical, you are in for a rude awakening. The real story of this famous family is a lot more horrific than the beginning of the movie portrays. The history of the Romanov’s is an interesting one and there are pictures to aid in history.

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