Book reviews

“Capturing Cow Farts and Burps” is an easy-to-read non-fiction book by Erin Twamley, which will delight kids of all ages by its simple science explanations and colorful illustrations.

“Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet” is the first book in the Frankie Sparks, Third-Grade Inventor chapter book series by Megan Frazer Blakemore. The story features an energetic inventor girl, the scientific method, many facts about animals, and great messages about friendship, dealing with frustration and perseverance.

“Snow Place Like Home” is a great opener to the Diary of an Ice Princess series by Christina Soontornvat. This diverse chapter book nicely combines magic and science and explores such common themes as feeling different, coping with family pressures, and embracing what makes you special.

“The Friendship Code” by Stacia Deutsch is an entertaining story that teaches some of the basic principles of coding in a mystery-based format while touching upon such important themes as navigating friendships and solving problems.

“Ruby Goldberg’s Bright Idea” by Anna Humphrey is an engaging STEM-focused chapter book featuring adorable characters, crazy inventions, and thoughtful messages about competition, true friendship, and the power of cooperation.

“Rock Star”, the first book in the “Jada Jones” chapter book series by Kelly Starling Lyons, is a short and engaging story featuring a passionate main character, some facts about earth science, and great messages about patience, loss, kindness and friendship.

“Sophie Simon Solves Them All” by Lisa Graff is a humorous chapter book, which combines unique characters, scientific and philosophical concepts and the eternal struggle between parents and children about what the latter should like and do.

“Everyday Superheroes: Women in STEM Careers” by Erin Twamley and Joshua Sneideman is a non-fiction book, with full color illustrations, is meant to make kids, and especially girls, excited about STEM careers.

“The Fourteenth Goldfish” by Jennifer L. Holm is an exciting middle-grade chapter book, which wonderfully combines a great story and a ton of humor with some serious messages about ethical implications of science, the circle of life and importance of change.

The story features an adorable main character and a lot of science related to habitats, specimens, and tree diseases. Lucy is a curious second-grader with a good eye for observation. She likes bugs, fossils, non-fiction books, lab coats and goggles. So it’s no surprise that Lucy is totally excited to start second grade, where they’ll have a science lab (with a skeleton!) and learn about different types of habitats.