By Aubre Andrus & National Geographic
This summer, you’ve made a promise to yourself: you’re going to become smarter.
You’re going to have a totally fun summer, but you’re going to make it count by learning new things. Maybe you’ve got your eye on a skill you’ve always wanted to master. Perhaps you want to impress someone. or you want to get a jump on school for next fall. Whatever your reason, see if these great books will help you reach your goals….
If someone’s always telling you to “use your head,” then “101 Life Hacks” by Aubre Andrus is right up your alley. In this book, you’ll find more than one hundred really great ideas to make life easier while they also stretch your brain’s creativity.
For your next school year, learn how to keep a paper document looking fresh without a folder. Find out how to keep dirty sneakers from messing up your gym bag. Sharpen your memory and vocabulary with a song. Learn easy (and impressive) math hacks. Be a better world citizen with ideas for cleaning up, saving the environment, and leaving the planet a little nicer. Then learn to de-stress with some great ideas for relaxation, perfect for kids ages 8-to-13.
For this summer, see how to eat a cupcake without getting frosting on your nose. Learn how to pack, so you can actually carry more in your suitcase. No cupholder? No problem, when you have this awesomely helpful book!
Once your life is hacked, now make your brain even better with “Almanac 2022” from National Geographic Kids.
Let’s say you need to bone up on your geography. “Almanac 2022” has pages and pages of information on countries around the world, including pictures of flags in full color, plus details that’ll make you a geography whiz. Or take that interest in Earth to another level by reading the section on Earth science, which includes minerals, rocks, volcanoes and more – then keep going, to read about what’s way outside Earth, in space.
If you love animals, be prepared to happily browse the “Almanac 2022,” because there are critters all over this book! First, check out the entire first section here for an animal overdose, then drop in elsewhere to learn about frogs, dogs, and hogs. Read about blue-footed boobies, earthworms, and polar bears. Find about creatures that crawl, slither, and walk – including human creatures like you.
Kids ages 7-to-14 will find pages of jokes and fun, plenty of trivia, facts to learn, statistics to use, lessons on map-reading, history, technology, gardening, and astronomy. They’ll read about dangerous animals, take fun quizzes, learn about the weather, and get up-to-speed on the U.S. Constitution. This is the kind of book that’s fun to read, highly portable, great for vacations, and it can be happily borrowed by any adult who’s close by.
The National Geographic Kids folks have lots of other appealing books for readers in this age group, as well as for littler kids, too. Ask your bookseller or librarian for more. Your favorite smarty-pants will thank you.