Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks

7^th Grade and Up

How do we grow?

Why do we get the hiccups?

What’s in poop anyway?

All of these answered and more in…

Human Body Theater!

Your host for today’s show is a human skeleton, and she’s ready to explain it all. Watch a sandwich make the trip from the dining table to the toilet bowl…Find out how the blood moves through your body…And learn from the body itself how it fights off disease.

This is an extremely clever way to learn about the human body. I found this book at the comic book store and I just had to have it. I was like ‘Oh My Gosh! Someone made a graphic novel about the human body! That is genius!”

I must warn you, this book does explain how the reproductive system works. So if you haven’t had that talk yet, I would either wait to read this book or just skip that section. Trust me on this.

Also, don’t try to read this all at once; it’s too much information to handle.

The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford

4^th Grade and Up

This story is about Minty. Minty’s neighborhood is full of mysteries. One day she discovers a new mystery – a Secret Tree, with a hollow trunk that holds the secrets of everyone in the neighborhood. Secrets like:

I put a curse of my enemy. And it’s working.

I’m betraying my best friend in a terrible way.

No one loves me except my goldfish.

Raymond, a new boy, is also drawn to the Secret Tree, and together he and Minty watch their neighbors and try to match each secret to the right person.

I loved this book. The way Minty and Raymond went around the neighborhood, discovering which secret belong to which person was fun and exciting. Minty was going through to rough time in her life, that transitioning between child and pre-teen, trying to figure out who she is and who her real friends are.

This book has a lot of heart and the ending will make you feel all good inside. If you’ve read books like ‘Because of Winn-Dixie’ you’ll love this book.