Kendal Rautzhan: Books to dazzle the mind
Books speak to children in ways that adult conversation can’t. Books are safe, don’t judge, don’t present a Q&A period, and don’t directly tell the child who or how to be. Rather, through excellent storytelling, suggestions on how to live are gently demonstrated in a nonconfrontational, inoffensive way.
The categories of books that accomplish that pleasant journey of life discovery are numerous. Whether the book is serious, funny, a mystery, an old tale, or others, both fiction and nonfiction, the best of these books brings something of tangible value on a variety of levels the child can use, either now or later in life.
What a valuable, simple gift for the children in your life. Read.
Books to Borrow
The following book is available at many public libraries.
“Beowulf: A Hero’s Tale Retold,” written and illustrated by James Rumford, Houghton Mifflin, 48 pages
Read aloud: Age 7-8 and older.
Read yourself: Age 9 and older.
The ogre Grendel lived in the dragon marshes of Denmark. For twelve years, Grendel terrorized the king and his men by breaking into their hall at night and eating his fill of the king’s men. A young and bold man, Beowulf, swore an oath to help the Danish king, and “once he said a thing, he kept his word.” And so, “when sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mist-filled marsh came Grendel stalking.” Little did Grendel know that he would be met with Beowulf, and so, too, the battle between good and evil.
The earliest known version of Beowulf was written in roughly the year A.D. 800. Using only Anglo-Saxon words still present in our own language, James Rumford has masterfully retold this powerful story that is certain to stir the hearts and imagination of readers and listeners everywhere.
Librarian’s Choice
Library: North Canton Public Library, 185 N. Main St., North Canton
Library Director: Andrea Legg
Children’s Dept. Head: Jamie Macris
Choices this week: “Each Kindness,” by Jacqueline Woodson; “14 Cows for America,” by Carmen Agra Deedy; “Loser,” by Jerry Spinelli.
Books to Buy
The following books are available at favorite bookstores.
“The Smartest Kid in the Universe: Genius Camp,” by Chris Grabenstein, Random House, 2021, 298 pages, $16.99 hardcover
Read aloud: Age 8-12.
Read yourself: Age 8/9-12.
Twelve-year-old Jake McQuade used to be an average kid until he accidentally ate an entire jar of ingestible-knowledge jelly beans. Now, Jake is a genius on just about every topic. Everyone takes notice, especially the very wealthy evil tech wiz zPhone inventor Zane Zinkle. As a boy, Zinkle was applauded as “the world’s smartest kid” and he is incensed that Jake is considered a kid genius, replacing him in that role. Zinkle is determined to find out how this average middle-schooler has suddenly acquired this burst of extreme intelligence out of seemingly thin air.
When Jake is invited to Zane Zinkle’s first-ever genius camp, Jake has no idea something sinister is going on. But as one weird event after another surfaces, important things come into focus: Zinkle’s newest zPhone app is making everyone act really strange and it becomes apparent that it’s Zinkle’s intent to take over the world. What also becomes apparent is that it’s up to Jake to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Hold onto your hat. "The Smartest Kid in the Universe: Genius Camp" is a hilarious, suspenseful, thought-provoking, high stakes puzzle that kids won’t want to put down until the last page is read.
“The Volume,” written and illustrated by Luis Camnitzer, Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2021, 72 pages, $22.95 hardcover
Read aloud: Ages 7/8-12.
Read yourself: Ages 8-12.
A very long time ago, on a very dark night, there was a big explosion that was eventually called the “Big Bang.” The bang was very messy, and one tiny bit of that mess flew off by itself. “It was a dot. And it landed on a square, which was a page.”
The dot bravely explored the square space it inhabited but was lonely and sad. As the dot breathed, it got bigger and bigger, and thought it would be best to split its bigness in two to make itself a companion. This was satisfying at first, but the dots wanted more and multiplied again and again, finally creating a line. The multiplication continued, ultimately creating shapes, colors, and patterns – the magical world of writing and art.
Exceptional on many levels, "The Volume" brings the abstract to life in a playful, mind-expanding way that will have readers applying these concepts in more ways than one.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kendal Rautzhan: Books to dazzle the mind
