Read This
Story Time
By Marni Weisz
How to Build Your Own Country
By Valerie Wyatt
Although 99.999999 percent of the world belongs to one country or another, there are still tiny parcels of land that are up for grabs. This cheeky book tells you how to claim them for yourself and then set up state. You’ll need a flag, a government, a national anthem, a name, etc. And even if you can’t snatch a real piece of land from Earth’s leftovers bin, you can set up your own country — with all the same rules and principles — in cyberspace. You can even attract citizens and make yourself the supreme ruler.
Out of this World: The Amazing Search for an Alien Earth
By Jacob Berkowitz
If you think people who believe in aliens from outer space are kooky, think again. Most scientists agree that there is life on other planets. Think of the alternative — that Earth is the only planet supporting life in the entire universe! That’s an even wilder concept. The question is: How do we find those other life forms in that big, wide abyss? This book tells you exactly how scientists are trying to do that — via telescopes, spectroscopy (which analyzes the gasses surrounding a planet) and by examining meteorites from other planets that have landed right here on Earth.
The Witch’s Journal
By Keith McGowan
This story is not for the faint of heart. But it would be good to read in the days leading up to Halloween. A modern-day retelling of the Hansel and Gretel story, The Witch’s Journal follows a brother and sister, Sol and Connie, who move to a new town with their wicked father and evil stepmother. But all is not what it seems and this new town was built on top of an old forest that, for hundreds of years, was home to a witch who likes to eat children. Fortunately, these kids are pretty smart, especially Sol who’s a science nut, and they might just be able to hold their own against that hungry witch.