I did read a lot of grown-up mysteries and thrillers this summer, but they all ended up being, in the words of Jamie Tartt, "poo peh." However, I loved a ton of nonfiction for kids. Click on the titles below to read publisher summaries. If you'd like to see all of my books, you can follow me on Goodreads.
Picture Books
We Are the Wibbly! by Sarah TagholmMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
SO ADORABLE.
I will try to line up as a readaloud for when K is doing frogs as part of their animal unit.
Island Storm by Brian FlocaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Gorgeous illustrations.
Could tie in nicely to a weather-related lesson.
This Book Is Dangerous! by Ben ClantonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So the reader is kind of torturing Jelly, but I think the kids will love it. And it's a great example of a book where you need the illustrations to support the text, or else it doesn't make sense.
Fireworks by Matthew BurgessMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
BEAUTIFULLY written with exquisite onomatopoeia.
Lefty: A Story That Is Not All Right by Mo WillemsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This reminds me that I need some lefty scissors ...
Will probably do as a readaloud during our schools' "Courage" unit of the Choose Love program. Sneaky way to get in some DEI.
Nonfiction
I'm a Dumbo Octopus!: A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods by Anne LambeletMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I learned so many things, especially about Caribbean reef squids, cuttlefish, and blanket octopuses! It helped that the font was big enough for me to read easily.
Doing this as a readaloud will be a bit tough, but I definitely want to share it with students ... and find more quality nonfiction graphic novels. Hoping that Lambelet has another one in the works.
A Line Can Go Anywhere: The Brilliant, Resilient Life of Artist Ruth Asawa by Caroline McAlisterMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Comprehensive, lyrically written. I had never heard of Ruth Asawa, but now I am fascinated.
I will plan to pair the RICBA nominee from George Takei with this, and then see if I can loop in the art teacher for a related activity.
Sleuth & Solve: History: 20+ Mind-Twisting Mysteries by Victor EscandellMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ooh, I have been looking for riddles and escape room ideas, and this was great!
Toes, Teeth, and Tentacles: A Curious Counting Book by Steve JenkinsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fish with legs are my favorite! Get over here, tripod fish and red-lipped batfish!
OMG the sea pig just blew my mind.
So of course this is a good book, because Jenkins (RIP) and Page.
Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn't by Sarah AlbeeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I can hear my kids now: "Ms. Moore, this is library, not math class!"
To which I always respond: "Library is about EVERYTHING!"
What a great jumping off point for historical research, geography, timelines, and languages.
Japanese American Internment Camps by Laura Hamilton WaxmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
George Takei's "My Lost Freedom" is on the 2026 RI Children's Book Award list, and I am considering expanding the readaloud into a research unit. Maybe. A colleague thinks it might be too much for 5th grade. But it happened. And internments and killings are happening now. I can't believe this is real life.
Revolutionary Mary: The True Story of One Woman, the Declaration of Independence, and America's Fight for Freedom by Karen BlumenthalMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
So timely.
Oh, no. The endnotes say she owned a slave. Gross. So much for freedom.
We Carry the Sun by Tae KellerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"Like false prophets
of profit,
oil companies prey
on human weakness
and pay politicians
to keep digging.
They bury truth deep
and bury us deeper."
What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean by Kirsten PendreighMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I wish Pendreigh were American, so I could use for Mock Sibert this year for the kids who were obsessed with the "bloop" last year. Extra star for decent rhyme/meter, especially in a nonfiction book.
Make a Pretty Sound: A Story of Ella Jenkins―The First Lady of Children's Music by Traci N. ToddMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beautifully written.
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