I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

Discover …

100 inspiring and extraordinary jobs

Why not become a cat behaviourist?

Or a rollercoaster engineer?

How about a coral reef gardener?

Find out what’s involved in these incredible careers and meet the real people who followed their dreams and are doing these jobs today.

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The Verdict:

Katherine Mengardon is an education expert on neurodiversity, play and creativity and the author of several non-fiction books. This useful book for readers aged 9+ suggests 100 jobs grouped around whether they are interested in: animals, art, maths, the environment, music, gadgets, performance, sports, fashion and writing. I enjoyed the interviews with some people who do these jobs but would have liked more information on education requirements.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS was released in the United Kingdom on 28th March 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

What is anxiety, and how can you manage it?

How can you understand and express your emotions?

Why do we experience low mood, and what can we do to help?

Dr Emily’s reassuring guide is filled with tips, techniques and useful information to help you maintain good mental health while growing up.

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The Verdict:

Emily MacDonagh is a doctor who practices in the National Health Service. This is a well-intentioned book aimed at helping readers aged 9+ to understand and express their emotions and the impact of hormones as they grow older. Although there is some solid, practical advice, the tone is a little patronising at times and the illustrations by Josefina Preumayr and Ana Sebastian are pretty flat and uninspiring (albeit with good representation).

HEALTHY MIND HAPPY YOU: HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL HEALTH was released in the United Kingdom on 18th January 2024. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Who do you think you are?

Have you ever thought about who you might be related to?

What if we told you that you were related to EXTRAORDINARY EMPERORS, GREAT KINGS and MAGNIFICENT QUEENS? Well, your majesty, you are. In fact, everyone is. And geneticist Adam Rutherford is here to tell you how.

Discover everything you need to know about human history, from EVOLUTION to the FIRST LIFE ON EARTH, from DINOSAURS to YOU. Along the way, you’ll find out just how far us humans have migrated, how we’re all related to a SUPER CHEESY MAN and why, despite us having different skin colours, living in different places or speaking different languages, we all come from the same place.

This is the epic story of where we come from, what race really is and why we’re all, ultimately, one human family.

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The Verdict:

Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, science writer and broadcaster. E. L. Norry is an experienced writer of fiction and non-fiction for children. This is a very readable guide to genetics for readers aged 9+that explains evolution, genes, race and tying it in with racism and racist myths. Adam Ming’s illustrations work perfectly with the text and I think the authors strike the right tone, getting over facts but with humour that keeps you engaged.

WHERE ARE YOU REALLY FROM? was released in the United Kingdom on 28th September 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Do you ever pretend to like something you don’t, just to fit in?

Is it sometimes hard to tell others how you’re feeling?

Do you wish there was less pressure on you to ‘man up’?

Navigating the confusing messages around boyhood is tough, and it’s easy to worry whether you’re living up to expectations.

Dr Ranj is here to reassure readers that being a boy is BRILLIANT - no matter what kind of boy they are. Exploring everything from gender stereotypes, respect and peer pressure to mental health, body image and leadership, this book encourages boys to stop stressing about their insecurities and instead embrace being the type of boy they want to be, with confidence, positivity and kindness.

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The Verdict:

Dr Ranj (aka Ranjit Singh) is a doctor, TV presenter and author. This book for boys aged 9+ (illustrated by David O’Connell) counters the toxic masculinity that readers can find on-line and offers good advice about being yourself and dealing with pressure and insecurities, all coupled with personal anecdotes from Dr Ranj and others. It’s a good starting point for a necessary conversation but I wonder Dr Ranj he’s the right messenger here.

HOW TO BE A BOY was released in the United Kingdom on 11th May 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

You might want to read this book because someone you know has died. Or maybe you know someone who is grieving and want to help them.

This book contains practical, straightforward information and advice to help you to understand more about death and grieving.

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The Verdict:

Liz Gogerly is a former teacher with over 20 years of experience in writing non-fiction books for children. This is a thoughtful and sensitive book for readers aged 9+ (part of a series) about how to deal with death and grieving, including some of the practicalities (like funerals) and how to deal with your emotions while Scott Garrett’s illustrations are diverse and work well with the text.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Wanted: Truth Detectives!

- Did you know that a TOY SPACESHIP can teach you about why prices keep rising?

- Or that a pooping cow can show you how to INVEST YOUR POCKET MONEY?

- And that even the greatest minds have been fooled by FAKE NEWS and dancing fairies?

In a world of bamboozling headlines and dodgy data, it can be hard to work out what’s really going on.

So pick up your magnifying glass and join Tim Harford, economist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s More or Less, on an investigative adventure packed with tips and tricks to help you hunt down the truth about the world around you - using the power of numbers and your own brilliant brain!

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The Verdict:

Tim Harford is an economic journalist and broadcaster who hosts BBC Radio 4’s programme MORE OR LESS. This very useful guide to understanding statistics and data is aimed at readers aged 9+ and includes concepts such as inflation while looking at how information is presented and how that can be used to fool you. Ollie Mann’s accompanying illustrations are lively and witty and I enjoyed the conceit of drawing in fictional detectives.

THE TRUTH DETECTIVE was released in the United Kingdom on 16th March 2023. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Discover amazing people who made their mark on the world!

From scientists to sports stars, artists to activists, read all about Black British people who set records, broke new ground, and lifted others up. Find out what it means to create a legacy with these inspiring stories of incredible people and their hugely informative achievements.

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The Verdict:

Lania Narjee is an artist, educator and art psychotherapist. This inspiring book for readers aged 9+ is a hugely informative and important look at Black British people who have made a difference, whether through sport, art and music, STEM or politics with warm and evocative portrait illustrations from Chanté Timothy. I learnt a lot from this book and my only complaint was that I wanted it to be longer as the biographies are very short.

LEGACIES - BLACK BRITISH PIONEERS was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Maybe you are being bullied and you think it could be racial bullying. Perhaps you know someone who is being treated badly because of racism and you want to help them.

Being anti-racist means being active against racism. This books gives some tips about how to be anti-racist in a positive and safe way.

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The Verdict:

Arike Oke is the former Managing Director for Black Cultural Archives. This guide for readers aged 9+ on how to stop racism (illustrated by Scott Garrett) is well intentioned and good at describing the emotional effects of racism, bullying and micro aggressions but some of the metaphors on the dangerous effects of racism didn’t quite work and the advice on how to counter it doesn’t take into account structural racism within institutions.

THE KIDS’ GUIDE: ANTI-RACISM was released in the United Kingdom on 22nd September 2022. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Pandemic Planet
Beginning in late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world, causing the deaths of millions of people and leading to closed schools, empty streets and shuttered businesses.

But viruses and pandemics have been part of human history for thousands of years, from the Black Death to SARS. PANDEMIC PLANET looks at what pandemics are, how they spread and how we deal with them. It explores how we arm ourselves against dangerous diseases, from developing groundbreaking new vaccines to simple, individual measures such as washing your hands and wearing a face mask. It also looks at how and what we learn from pandemics, as well as some of their surprisingly positive outcomes.

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The Verdict:

Anna Claybourne is an experienced writer of non-fiction for children. This reassuring and informative illustrated book about pandemics and diseases for readers aged 9+ is part of a series about issues related to the planet and will particularly help them to make sense of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. She does a great job of breaking down the causes of pandemics but also deals well with the consequences of it and does so without scaremongering.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Did Vikings have horns on their helmets?

Discover history for yourself with this fun, quirky series that tackles the questions other books are afraid to ask!
- Were the Vikings the VAINEST people in Europe?
- Did the Vikings really start fires with wee?
- And what on earth was toga honk?

A QUESTION OF HISTORY: VIKINGS answers all these questions and much more.

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The Verdict:

Tim Cooke is an experienced children’s author with a particular interest in history. This terrifically fun introduction to Viking history (one in a series) aimed at readers aged 9+ has cheerful illustrations by Matt Lilly and gives you a great sense of what Viking society was like and who they were as people. I learned a number of things that I hadn’t known before and I thoroughly enjoyed the humour - perfect for getting youngsters into history.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.