National Geographic Kids: Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes & Extreme Oceans Review

Continue the adventure with Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes by Trudi Trueit, the fourth book in the popular fact-based fiction series (National Geographic Kids’ Under the Stars; March 2020, ages 8-12). Deemed “captivating” by the editors at Parenting.com and “exciting, fast-paced” by Booklist, the series is filled with thrilling adventures, high-tech cadets, cool science, far-away lands, and codes to crack.

Follow 12-year-old Cruz Coronado during his time at the prestigious Explorer Academy, where he and 23 kids from around the globe are training to become the next generation of great explorers. In addition to making new friends and attending cool classes, Cruz must also work to unlock clues to his family’s shadowy past if he is to solve the mystery of his mother’s untimely death. In this exciting follow-up to The Double Helix, a major discovery catapults Cruz and the Explorer Academy team into the limelight and they head off to Africa. Cruz and his fellow recruits tackle challenging missions to dispense life-saving medications to gorillas, thwart pangolin poachers and capture images of the last known cheetahs in Namibia — all the while discovering that protecting the world’s threatened species is dangerous business! After yet another strike from Nebula, someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death, leaving the ship in turmoil and Cruz and his team down a major player. The discovery of his mom’s next clue leads Cruz to a vast desert — and just when he thinks he’s run out of leads for solving the mystery of her tragic disappearance, an unlikely ally helps him pursue another piece of the ongoing puzzle. Can Cruz and his team stay one step ahead of Nebula and find the next piece of the hidden cipher?

With four critically acclaimed titles in this series now available, two companion nonfiction activity books and literally hours and hours of videos, games, and info on real-life explorers at ExplorerAcademy.com , Explorer Academy is the perfect way to keep kids learning, reading and engaged. 

Extreme Ocean: Amazing Animals, High-Tech Gear, Record-Breaking Depths and Much More by National Geographic Explorer Sylvia A. Earle (National Geographic Kids Books, March 2020, Ages 8-12) A perfect pick for World Ocean Day (June 8th) and Shark Week in July. Discover the most outrageous aspects of the deep blue — from record-breaking depths to towering tsunamis, underwater giants to tiny sea creatures — along with ocean conservation challenges and what kids can do to help. An action-packed combination of science and adventure, famed National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle leads readers on an in-depth tour of life beneath the waves. Come face-to-face with whales and sharks, learn about the newest and most hi-tech ocean gear and gadgets, experiment with hands-on activities, and join Earle as she recounts her most daring dives. Packed with fascinating tidbits, animal profiles, and up-to-date science, each chapter combines stunning photography with fun, accessible text. Perfect for curious kids, ocean lovers, young explorers, and the classroom. Extreme Ocean reveals the mystery, majesty, danger, and — above all --the importance of our ocean.

Our Thoughts

Right now is a time of unprecedented learning-at-home for our children and for us. I know for my kiddos it has been challenging to keep them engaged in their daily school work. One of the things that my kids have to do as part of their school work is to log at least 20-30 minutes of reading each day. National Geographic Kids books are a great way of getting them to read for the allotted time without making it seem like they're actually doing their school work. 

When asked to review Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes and Extreme Oceans, my 10-year-old and 12-year-old immediately jumped to the task. 

My 10-year-old took on the task of reading Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes. While he didn't have the first three books in the series to go off of, he was happy to dive into this book. He said he felt the book was slow to start but as the pages turned, he was pulled into the story. He is now looking forward to reading the first three books and coming back to Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes to put the rest of the story together with this piece of the puzzle. The greatest thing about Explorer Academy is there is a website where the kids can go to learn more, explore new tech, play games, and keep their minds engaged without it seeming like they're being forced to learn. 

Extreme Oceans was right up my 12-year-old's ally! He had just completed a unit on oceans, climate change, and pollution right before our schools were shut down and was more than happy to continue to explore more about these subjects. Extreme Oceans explains what the ocean is, what is in the ocean, and how the ocean helps create weather patterns. The book does a good job of explaining about pollution, how it is affecting our world, and what we can do to help stop the pollution. Conservation of our planet is key in Extreme Oceans and I feel like it is teaching a whole new generation what it means to help conserve and protect this planet we inhabit. 

Over all, I would recommend both books as my kiddos have loved them and are now asking for more National Geographic Kids books, which makes this momma happy. I feel like reading is the key to learning and I'm thrilled that my kiddos are wanting to read and learn more, especially through an organization like National Geographic!

If you'd like to explore more books from National Geographic Kids, you can click on the following links: STEM for Kids, Reading, Books on Amazing Women, and Black History Month Books. 

Book Review: The Power of Passive Income

In The Power of Passive Income, Mishal Robbins gives readers an introduction to a topic that has been getting more and more attention over the years. He gives a bit of a dry, honest look at what passive income is, the ways people can achieve it, and what they can expect from trying. 

While there are quite a few parts that just didn't apply to or interest me at all (the real estate part in particular), I appreciated the explanation of the different types of passive income out there. I also really appreciated that he was straight forward in telling people that this is something you have to work for, even though "passive" is in the title and he talks about how these methods can earn you money while you sleep. 

To me, that is the key. A lot of people will go on about earning passive income without really saying how much effort/time is involved toward getting to that stage. For example, he points out that you can have an etsy store where customers can order while you sleep, but you need to put the effort into creating and producing products to sell. You can earn money through a book or blog, but you need to invest a lot of time and energy into getting that book produced or that blog up and running. 

Overall, some interesting information and nice doses of reality. Not quite what I was looking for (again, there were areas that I just have zero interest in getting into).  

Book Review: Writing Wild - Crafting the Pagan Memoir byT.J Burns

Where has the road taken you? What wisdom have you gained on this journey?

The world needs our stories, tales of both passion and pain. Told from your deep truth, the words can cleanse the soul and heal the heart.

Writing Wild was crafted for new writers and non-writers who identify with an Earth-based spiritual path. It combines writing assignments with personal ritual, guided meditation, and other exercises to connect a budding memoirist with their own story on a deeper level.

Unlike other books on the art of writing memoirs, Writing Wild approaches the subject in a manner that is both practical and magical.

Where to Buy

Amazon      Smashwords    Barnes & Noble

About the Author

 T.J. has been writing stories, poems and bad one-act plays for as long as she can remember. At midlife, and after many other career paths, she turned once again to her first love - writing. In 2008 she earned a MFA in Writing from Goddard College. Today writing is both her passion and her profession.

As a young girl, T.J. and her family were members of a fundamentalist sect of Christianity. In 1990, after years of internal conflict over what she'd been taught as a child and what she'd come to believe as an adult, T.J. came to the Goddess path when she "accidentally" attended a women's Full Moon ritual and discovered that witches were not at all what her upbringing had taught her. In both of her spiritual incarnations, she understands what it's like to be judged as odd, or even dangerous, by mainstream society. That's one reason why T.J writes for and about those who dance to a different drumbeat - the heartbeat of Mother Earth.


My Thoughts

Writing Wild is a step-by-step guide on how to create the perfect memoir. The author offers tips for organizing your ideas and setting reasonable goals, but also merges the writing process with  spiritual practices. Each chapter outlines one step of the writing process and ties in it with a beautiful ritual that will open your mind and your heart to a deeper level of creativity.

Though primarily geared to those writing a memoir of their spiritual path, there are plenty of ideas in this book that will appeal to writers of all genres. I am a fiction writer, but so many of my stories contain pieces of my own experiences that I found a lot of useful information in this book. I especially enjoyed how the author likened each step of the editing process to the elements. Using these steps is helping me add another dimension to my work. I would recommend this book to anyone who lets spirit guide them in their writing.
 

Book Review: A Year at Stonehenge

 ***Complimentary copy received in exchange for an honest review***

More than 4000 years old, the true meaning of this ancient, awe-inspiring creation and the secrets of its construction have been lost in the mists of time. Surrounded by mystery, Stonehenge never fails to impress.

Over the last five years James Davies has been photographing Stonehenge at all times of the day and night, and all through the seasons. With privileged access to the stone circle he has built up a unique portfolio. A Year at Stonehenge brings together the best of his work, while a short expert text summarizes our current understanding.

Published to coincide with the opening of a new environmentally sensitive visitor center and the restoration of the surrounding ceremonial landscape, this is the most visually stunning book available on this most fascinating world heritage site.


Where to Buy

 Amazon           

My Thoughts

Visiting Stonhenge is top on my bucket list, but with four kids it's not going to happen for awhile. Yet, after reading A Year at Stonehedge, I feel as though I have been there first hand. The images in this book will give you insight into Stonehedge that you would never get from a single visit. The photos are just stunning and I literally get goosebumps on my arms when I look at them. There are dozens of snapshots of the stones in every season and all different times of day. See them with a light brushing of snow, with the full moon overhead, and with a bright red sunset in the background.  You will also get a behind the scenes look at Druids celebrating the winter and summer solstice, adorned in all their spiritual regalia. The pictures are so detailed, you can see the moss growing on the sides of the stones and the grey hair sprinkled in the Druid's full beard. I especially enjoyed the section on the "graffiti" where you can see how people carved their names into the statue hundreds and maybe even thousands of years ago. The circle of stones are definitely one of the worlds greatest wonders, and A Year At Stonehedge has brought them to life in a way I never imagined. I could look at it a thousand times and I'm sure I'd still find something new to wonder at every time. This is definitely a book that will earn a permanent place of honor on the coffee table.


 **Please note that I did not receive any form of monetary compensation for this review. The opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way.**