Blog Tour: Fly With Me

Welcome to Fly With Me Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of Fly With Me by Jane Yolen, Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Stemple, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from the Yolen-Stemple family plus 5 chances to win a copy!

A City Girl Learns to Love Birds 
by Jane Yolen

Jane's husband, David Stemple

I was a city kid, New York if you please. We lived across from Central Park West and saw lots of. . . pigeons. If you'd asked me about birds then I would have said sarcastically, as my father did: "Flying rats."

And then, when I was all grown up, I found the man I was to marry, David Stemple. Though we met in New York, he was not a New Yorker. He'd grown up in the mountains of West Virginia. But both of us were working in the city where we had a small apartment. 

And then--only then--did I find out about how much I had been missing all those years. Yes, there were pigeons in New York, and ladies with bags of bird seed and nuts feeding them, but there were also owls and hawks and wrens and juncos and sparrows and crows and. . .

Later David--who later became Pa in my book OWL MOON--and I raised our three children on an old farm in Massachusetts. He became a professor and I a writer/editor. But as busy as he was, he always found time to take them out birding even when they were barely walking. He taught them the names of birds, how to listen to birds, and how to identify one little brown bird from another.

When those children grew up, they were birders and all book people. They became writers and photographers and I had a chance to work with each of them on books. And each of them now has well over 20 books published, both with and without me. It has been a great joy for me and a learning curve for all of us. It expands what a mother and her children can talk about. It deepens our relationship. It broadens, too.

And this book--FLY WITH ME--is for all of us a book of the heart, for at the heart of it is their father, dead far too young at 68 of cancer, but still there teaching us all something new every day.

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

December 10th — A Dream Within a Dream
December 11th — Kid Lit Frenzy
December 12th — Christy's Cozy Corners
December 13th — Colorimetry
December 14th — Chat with Vera

Buy: National Geographic | Amazon | Indiebound

Add on Goodreads

Follow Jane: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Follow Heidi: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Follow Adam: Website

Follow Jason: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow National Geographic Kids: Website | Twitter | Books Twitter | Facebook | Youtube

Enchanting stories, lyrical poems, stunning photography, and fascinating science fill the pages of this treasury celebrating the amazing world of birds.

This thoughtful and beautifully curated collection of our flying, feathery friends highlights the role birds play in human life from centuries ago to present day. While it's beautiful, it's also full of valuable real science about these wondrous creatures. From history and behavior to spotting and photographing, there's sure to be something for every bird fan in your flock. Young birders will learn all about migration and the importance of habitat conservation. They'll find stories about bird rescues and fun facts about the fastest, strongest, and tiniest fliers. They'll also discover the best bird nests, sweet songs to sing, ways to listen for and identify the birds around them, and more. Paired with stunning art and photography and beautiful design, this treasury is sure to become a classic for bird enthusiasts of all ages.

Fly with Me was created to help celebrate Year of the Bird, National Geographic's 2018 initiative to bring awareness to the plight of birds around the world.

"Yolen and her three children celebrate birds with a lavishly illustrated compendium of facts, photographs, and poetry...As is characteristic of National Geographic publications, the plentiful photographs are well-chosen and beautifully reproduced. A treasure for browsers and bird lovers everywhere." 

- Kirkus Starred Review

"With text that never talks down to its audience, this makes an ideal choice for family sharing or classroom browsing." 

- Booklist

L to R: Adam, Jane, Heidi, Jason

About the Authors: JANE YOLEN is an author of children's books, fantasy, and science fiction,
including Owl Moon, The Devil's Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? She is also a poet, a teacher of writing and literature, and a reviewer of children's literature.

HEIDI STEMPLE was 28 years old when she joined the family business, publishing her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has published 20 books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children.
Stemple, her two daughters, her mom, and a couple cats live in Massachusetts on a big old farm with two houses.

JASON STEMPLE is an author and photographer. He lives with his wife and children in Charleston, South Carolina.

ADAM STEMPLE is a novelist and musician. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

GIVEAWAY

• One (1) winner will receive a copy of Fly With Me
• US/Canada only

To enter the giveaway, please complete the rafflecopter.

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Garbage Island (The Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew) Blog Tour & Giveaway

Garbage Island (The Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew)
by Fred Koehler
Boyds Mills Press (October 9, 2018)
Fiction * Action & Adventure * Survival Stories
Audience: Ages 8 to 12
Educator’s Guide
Indiebound | Worldcat

Description from GoodReads:
Mr. Popli, the mouse mayor of Garbage Island, is always at odds with Archibald Shrew, a brilliant but reckless inventor. When Garbage Island, their home in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, splits apart, they are trapped together in Mr. Popli's houseboat, desperate to find their way back home. At first, they only argue, but when they face a perilous thunderstorm and a series of predators, they begin to work together and recognize - in themselves and in each other - strengths they didn't know they had.

Quick thoughts about the book:
As I read through the various blog posts written by other blogger about Garbage Island, I decided to take a slightly different direction. First, Koehler’s first middle grade novel is well done. The book is filled with a wonderful cast of characters, an unique setting, and an adventure full of action that will have readers turning the pages and fully engaged in the outcome. As I started the book, I had the same feelings of reader happiness as I had when I started the REDWALL series by Brian Jacques years ago.

As I continued to read, and given that I knew the book was influenced by the concern of trash in the ocean, I couldn’t help but wonder if students would see the story differently if they understood something about the real issues facing marine life and birds and other creatures. Yes, yes, I think reading should be for fun and Garbage Island is an enjoyable read on it’s own. However, I also, am not opposed to sharing other books and encouraging student to read and make their own connections.

As regular readers of my blog know, I am a big fan of nonfiction. The spark of an idea for this book grew out of a very real problem. Koehler references “a vortext of floating trash swirls in the Pacific Ocean” in his author’s note. I would love to see students explore the issue of trash in our oceans and there are a number of amazing nonfiction titles to spur on young readers.

Consider pairing (making available) Garbage Island with the following nonfiction titles:

Plastic Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by Patricia Newman, and photographs by Annie Crawley (Millbrook Press)

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns (HMH Books for Young Readers)

All That Trash: The Story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and Our Problem With Stuff by Meaghan McCarthy (Simon & Schuster)

Don’t miss the Ocean Cleanup Website as well.

Look for Garbage Island at your local indie bookstore or check out a copy at your community library.

About the author: Fred Koehler won a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award for his illustrations for One Day, The End. He is the author-illustrator of How To Cheer Up Dad, which received three starred reviews, and he is the illustrator of This Book Is Not About Dragons and Puppy, Puppy, Puppy. He lives with his children in Lakeland, Florida. Visit ilikefred.com

Check out the other blog stops below:

Mon 10/1 Always in the Middle

Tue 10/2 Miss Marple’s Musings

Wed 10/3 Inkygirl

Thu 10/4 Storymamas

Fri 10/5 Teen Librarian Toolbox

Mon 10/8 Librarian in Cute Shoes

Tue 10/9 KidLit Frenzy

Wed 10/10 Middle Grade Book Village

Thu 10/11 Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook

Fri 10/12 Middle Grade Minded

Sat 10/12 Unleashing Readers

Giveaway: I am giving away one copy of Garbage Island to a lucky reader. Participants must be 13 years old or older and have a U.S. mailing address. Please complete the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Celebrating OPERATION RESCUE DOG - Guest Post & Giveaway

Happy Book Birthday to Operation Rescue Dog, illustrated by Luisa Uribe and published by Little Bee Books!

Today Kid Lit Frenzy is celebrating the book’s release with a guest post from author, Maria Gianferrari on the Top Five Reasons to Foster + a bonus Interview Maria did with dog foster mother & middle grade author of the Babysitting Nightmares series, Kat Shepherd + an Operation Rescue Dog GIVEAWAY!!

TOP FIVE REASONS TO FOSTER:

1. Home is Where the Heart is: Fostering Saves Lives!

More than 7 million animals enter shelters every year! Many others are taken in by rescue organizations that don’t have a dedicated facility—they rely on foster homes to care for animals until they can be adopted. Fostering lessens shelter overcrowding, and when you foster a pet, you give space for another pet to be taken in by a rescue organization, and the shelter to take in another homeless pet.

2. A Home Away From Home!

Many rescued pets may never have lived in a home. Some may be strays; others were tethered to a doghouse, and still others may have lived in a kennel, or cage, or puppy mill situation. They will likely not be house-trained or familiar with stairs or noises from ordinary household appliances like vacuums or hair dryers which may frighten them. They may even be afraid of grass, and going outdoors. Living in a home can help them to acclimate and ease their fears, readying them for adoption.

3. Safe House!

Shelter living can be extremely stressful for an animal. Some display destructive or self-destructive behaviors, or develop fear aggression, making them less likely candidates for adoption. Foster homes can provide interaction and a more relaxing environment, helping pets to trust people and become less timid, less fearful and more confident. Socialization with people and other pets as well as basic obedience training can also help them better find their “furever” homes.

4. Close to Home: Foster-To-Adopt!

If you’re considering getting your own furry friend, fostering can help you determine what kind of dog best fits your family’s lifestyle and energy level. You will learn about dogs of different sizes, breeds, and temperaments. This will help you make an educated and informed decision before adopting a dog as full-time family member.

5. Home Sweet Home: Fostering Saves Lives!!!

It bears repeating: each and every pet you foster is a new life saved! If you’re hesitant to foster because you’re afraid of getting too attached, remember, by bringing a pet home, you are saving a life and practicing the art of selflessness. Celebrate the fact that you changed this pet’s life and helped in their journey to finding a “furever” home sweet home.

ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FOSTERING!

And now it’s time for an in-depth interview with foster dog mother/animal lover, Kat Shepherd, author of the Babysitting Nightmares series (Imprint) and the upcoming mystery series, The Gemini Mysteries, coming from Bonnier/Yellow Jacket in 2019.

Q: How and why did you start fostering? Are you fostering any dogs at the moment?

A: Although I did a bit of fostering in my twenties, my husband and I began fostering in earnest in 2012. I've always loved animals, particularly dogs, and the dogs already in my home were from rescue situations (one was from a greyhound rescue; the other was a former street dog). I worked mostly from home, and we had the space and time to devote to fostering, so we really wanted to work actively to help save dogs' lives. The beautiful thing about fostering is that each time you foster you save two dogs' lives: the life of the dog you bring into your home, and the life of the dog that gets to take its space at the shelter. Most of the dogs we foster stay with us until they find their new forever homes, but we also do hospice fostering, where a terminally ill dog spends its last days surrounded by comfort and love instead of alone in a shelter. That can be emotionally tough, but it's something we love to do, because we get to spoil those dogs rotten and give them the best life possible in their final days. Our current foster dog, Nurse Jane Fuzzywuzzy, is our twenty-third foster, and she is a hospice foster. However, she has decided that she is no longer terminally ill, so she's been with us for about 15 months now. She is mostly blind and deaf and she's got bum kidneys, but she has a strong personality and a will to keep living her best life no matter what. She loves us, loves to cuddle, and she even plays. We're glad she's still kickin' it!

Q: Do you have a favorite or an unusual fostering story?

A: We've enjoyed most (but not all!) of the dogs we've fostered, but our favorite dogs to foster have always been the seniors. In fact, we pretty much only foster seniors now, and we also foster only small dogs. There is just something about the seniors that really resonates with me, and small dogs are just more practical when you're dealing with seniors, since it's easy to carry them if they can't make it down the stairs or things like that. We get a lot of toothless little fluffs with bald patches or snaggletooth chihuahuas with appalling breath, and they're all female, for some reason. We love the little old ladies!

I think my favorite part of fostering is when you find that family or that person that says, "That's it. That's my dog." They just know that they have found the dog they've been waiting for. We keep in touch with some of the folks that have adopted our fosters, and that's really fun to see. There was this amazing miniature poodle we found in the park. He was really skittish, and it took hours to catch him. We tried and tried to find his owner, but nobody claimed him. We named him Sigmund, and he ended up being one of the best foster dogs we've ever had. He was absolutely perfect in every way. We were SO close to keeping him, but we found this amazing home for him. His family takes him on all kinds of adventures, they have gotten tattoos of him, and he is absolutely living the best life possible. I don't think there's any better feeling than seeing that.

Q: An important part of the fostering process is letting go, which can be difficult when you become emotionally attached to your foster dog. Do you have any pointers or coping strategies for those who may be interested in fostering for the first time?

A: We have a three dog rule; we can never have more than three dogs in our care at any one time. We have two dogs of our own, so I know that if I choose to keep a foster instead of letting go, it means I won't be able to foster anymore. I'm a pretty pragmatic person, so when I am tempted to keep a foster, I ask myself, "Do I love this dog enough that I'm willing to let other dogs die in order to keep it?" Because we foster continuously, making that choice to keep a foster would mean giving up that space that could help save other dogs' lives. So that helps a lot. I also make sure that any adoptive home we find for a dog has to be as good or better than what we have to offer, and I would say at least 90% of the time, they are headed somewhere that it so much cooler and more fun than they have in my house. Knowing that they're going to love their new home makes it easier, too.

A couple of reminders and pointers: Your foster dog will probably bond super fast and super hard with you. It's what most of them do. That can make it emotionally difficult, because you feel like you have this bond and you're tearing that apart by sending them to their new home. You're not. Remember how fast and hard that dog bonded with you even though you just met it? It will do the same thing with its new owner. We had this amazing little foster, Mimsy. She was a five pound maltese with no teeth, a lazy tongue, and zero housebreaking. I LOVED her. Every night she had this weird ritual where she would hump my leg before bed. No one else's leg, just mine, and she did it every night without fail. I told her new owner, Pooja, about it, and during Mimsy's first night in her new home, Pooja excitedly texted me SHE'S DOING IT! It took less than a day for Mimsy to bond with Pooja just as strongly as she had bonded with me.

The biggest tip I have is when for it's time for your dog to go to its new home. I always make the adopters come to my house and collect their new dog. I learned this the hard way, because once I went to drop a dog off at its new home, and when it was time for me to leave the dog cried and struggled in the new owner's arms to follow me. It was wrenching and difficult, and I cried a lot and felt terrible. However, if someone comes to collect the foster from my house, the dog thinks it's going on a fun car ride or an adventure with a new friend, and not one dog has ever even looked back at me as they drove away. They're just super-psyched to see what's next. And then I'm excited to meet the next foster dog that's going to come into my life, too.

Q: Are any of your current pups so-called “foster failures,” ones who you knew belonged in your family?

There was a period of time when one of our own dogs died, and we just had one dog at home. We always have two dogs in the "permanent collection," and that spot stayed open for a year as fosters rotated through on their way to forever homes. There were a lot of great dogs that year, but I didn't want to adopt any of them. Partly because I still missed my old dog so much, and partly because I just didn't feel a particular pull to any one dog. Then on my birthday in 2014, as a birthday gift to myself I decided I wanted to find a red-listed dog (red-listed means the dog is set to be euthanized, usually because it's been at the shelter too long) and save its life. I would bring it home as an independent foster until I found a home for it. I found a blurry photo of this little chihuahua spaniel mix with a crooked leg and a feathery tail, and I drove out to a shelter in the middle of the desert to get her. We named her Miss Moneypenny, and after two weeks of fostering her, my husband said, "I think she's our dog. I think we need to keep her." I agreed, and she's been prancing through our lives ever since.

Q: Is there anything else interested folks should know about fostering or animal rescue?

A: I feel really passionate about dog rescue, because I believe it is our duty to care for our pets the same way we care for other loved ones in our lives. Dogs were the world's first domesticated animals, and they are one of the few animals that can accurately read human facial expressions. That is how closely linked we are. And since we did this: we created dogs and made them dependent on us, we are responsible for them. And when humans fail the animals in their care, the animals can't save themselves. We are their voice and their advocates and their caretakers.

Kat’s dog Ronin.

For anyone who has even considered fostering, please do it. Animal rescue organizations desperately need foster homes, because we can't save lives without them. People think it will be too painful to love a dog and say goodbye, but the pain is temporary and tinged with joy. And if you are thinking of adopting a dog, please, please, please look to shelters and rescues first. There are so many deserving dogs sitting alone in shelters right now, just waiting to love and be loved. And always spay and neuter your pet. It's better for your pet's health and better for the planet!

If you can't bring a pet into your home, consider helping in other ways. I particularly love shelter intervention programs, which are gaining ground in major cities. Many pets end up in shelters not because they are unwanted, but because their owners are unable to keep them for financial or other reasons. Shelter intervention programs help keep pets home with the families that love them by intervening before pets are turned in. They offer low-cost vet care, free obedience training, legal help with landlord issues, and even free pet food. I love that they help both people and animals by addressing the root of the problem and working to fix it. I also love supporting prison dog programs, where incarcerated people foster, train, and rehabilitate shelter dogs to be adopted by forever families. It is a life-changing experience for everyone involved, and the positive impact of the work continues to ripple outward. I would love to see dog programs in every prison in America.

I can't state enough how rewarding it is to foster pets, and how beautiful it is to see a life saved or a broken dog healed. It's such a part of who I am, and every dog teaches me something new. It is powerful and often difficult work, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Thanks Kat for all of the fantastic fostering tips! You are an inspiration to us all! Learn more about Kat and her books here.

And hearty thanks, Alyson, for allowing me to celebrate dog rescue and Operation Rescue Dog!

You’re going to love Luisa Uribe’s illustrations! The publisher, Little Bee Books, has generously donated a copy for one lucky winner (US residents only—sorry!), and I would be delighted to sign and dedicate it to you or your loved one(s).

And remember, adopt—don’t shop!!

About the author: Maria Gianferrari loves dogs, especially her rescue dog, Becca. She loves them so much that all of her fiction picture books published thus far contain a dog main character! As an animal lover, Maria has been rescuing creatures unofficially all her life. Her most recent rescue was a five-lined skink stranded in her cellar. She lives in Leesburg, Virginia with Becca, her scientist husband and artist daughter.

Enter the Giveaway here…

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Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: Spooked! Blog Tour

Spooked! How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked
the 1938 Invasion of America
by Gail Jarrow
Calkins Creek (August 7, 2018)
Nonfiction * Performing Arts * Television & Radio
Audience: Grades 5 to 9
Indiebound | WorldCat

Description from Boyds Mills Press: Acclaimed author Gail Jarrow explores in riveting detail the famous War of the Worlds radio broadcast from 1938, in this nonfiction title. Jarrow highlights the artists behind the broadcast, the broadcast itself, the aftermath, and the repercussions which remain relevant today. On the night of October 30, 1938, thousands of Americans panicked when they believed that Martians had invaded Earth. What appeared to be breaking news about an alien invasion was, in fact, a radio drama based on H. G. Wells’s War of the Worlds, performed by Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players. Some listeners became angry once they realized they had been tricked, and the reaction to the broadcast sparked a national discussion about fake news, propaganda, and the role of radio. Archival photographs and images, as well as an author’s note, timeline, bibliography, and index round out this stellar nonfiction title.

Quick thoughts about the book:

When I was 12 years old, I discovered that my local library carried cassette tapes of old radio broadcasts from the 1930’s and 1940’s. I was fascinated by these cassettes and would listen on an rundown cassette player that I owned. One of the cassettes was the War of the Worlds. Obviously, I knew it wasn’t real. It was over 35 years since the original air date and though I didn’t have a lot of details about the night it had aired, I understood generally what had occurred. In case you haven’t heard the original broadcast, I have included it below.

The War of the Worlds, The Radio Broadcast of 1938:

Fast forward now to present day and 80 years since the original broadcast. Life is so very different. And yet, we still struggle with identifying what is real and what isn’t. Is what we are seeing on the television or from our personal devices real or fake? I can see how similar panic could happen today.

Gail Jarrow does an fabulous job of setting The War of the Worlds broadcast into its place in history. She also provides readers with a sense of who the “players” were and how they came about to put on this performance. Most young readers will not have a clear sense of who Orson Welles was nor an understanding of how radio played such a significant role in the life of families and their connection to the world. Yet, Jarrow through photographs and quotes from individuals works to provide that understanding.

What Jarrows also does so well is provide readers with an understanding of the consequences of such an incredible broadcast and the emotions it provoked. As a 12 year old, I never thought about what happened as a result of the broadcast. The possibilities of lawsuits and new policies for broadcasting never entered my mind. However, the adult me found this fascinating.

At the end of the book, Jarrow provides a timeline for readers, and more resources for children and adults to explore. Her research is extremely through and yet the text is accessible to both children and adults. You start reading and you don’t want to put it down. You might flip ahead a little but then you quickly go back so you don’t miss anything. Throughout the book, readers will appreciate the photographs from the time period and also the attention of the art designer to balance out the text with illustrations that reflect the story.

Whether this is your first book by Jarrow or have been a fan of hers, you will definitely want this book. Look for SPOOKED! at your local indie bookstore or community library.

About the author: Gail Jarrow is the author of many popular nonfiction books, including Red Madness, Fatal Fever, and Bubonic Panic. Her books have received numerous starred reviews, awards, and distinctions, including Best Book awards from the New York Public Library, School Library Journal, the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Kirkus Reviews, and the National Science Teachers Association.

Check out these other stops on the blog tour:

Monday, 9/10 The Nonfiction Detectives

Tuesday, 9/11 The Booklist Reader/Bookends

Wednesday, 9/12 KidLit Frenzy

Thursday, 9/13 Deborah Kalb Books

Friday, 9/14 Archimedes Notebook

Friday, 9/14 STEM Friday

Monday, 9/17 Ms. Yingling Reads

Tuesday, 9/18 Middle Grade Minded

Wednesday, 9/19 Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook

Thursday, 9/20 Middle Grade Book Village (with guest post by Gail Jarrow)

Friday, 9/21 Always in the Middle   

Check out the giveaway:
A finished copy of SPOOKED! courtesy of Boyds Mills Press to one winner with a US or Canadian mailing address.

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Artwork by Sarah S. Brannen ©2017

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews...     

Explorer Academy Blog Tour & Giveaway

You've Been Accepted...to the Explorer Academy!

Welcome to Day #2 of the Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit on September 4th, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from Trudi and the Explorer Academy team, as well as 10 chances to win a copy of Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret!

Why Codes Are Cool
by The Explorer Academy Team

DRAWKCAB NETTIRW SI EGASSEM SIHT

Can you read the hidden message? 

Answer (highlight to reveal): THIS MESSAGE IS WRITTEN BACKWARD

In Explorer Academy there are lots of hidden messages. Cruz’s aunt Marisol sends him postcards written in code. Cruz’s mother, Petra, left codes and riddles in her journal to lead Cruz to her secret formula engraved on pieces of a stone cipher that are scattered across the globe. There are even secret messages hidden in the text and illustrations of the book, for readers with a keen eye. 

Cryptography, the practice and study of communicating using secret messages, has been used throughout history. Spies communicated with secret messages during wars. The famous Enigma machine was built to decipher the ever-changing hidden messages Nazis sent during World War II. Secret societies have existed for thousands of years, passing on their knowledge through codes and riddles. Cryptography is even used to keep modern communications, like emails, and online personal data safe.

Throughout the Explorer Academy series there are lots of hidden clues using all kinds of methods to disguise their messages. Ciphers substitute a letter for another letter or symbol.

Some ciphers are well known, like Morse code, or a Caesar cipher, which shifts letters over in the alphabet. Others are completely unique, like Petra’s swirl cipher. 

Morse code:

Caesar cipher:

Swirl cipher from Explorer Academy:

Many codes use visual clues and images like a rebus. Different types of rebuses were popular in heraldry in the Middle Ages and in pictographic languages like ancient Egyptian. See if you can solve these:

Answer (highlight to reveal): Top Secret

  

Answer (highlight to reveal): Eye + Can + Sea + Ewe = I can see you

Codes and ciphers are necessary to send highly important secret messages, and they can also be a lot of fun. One of the most creative ways to hide a message is using disappearing ink. Have you ever written on a mirror while it’s fogged over? The message disappears when the condensation does, but comes back the next time the mirror fogs over. Disappearing ink works much the same way. Try this disappearing ink recipe with your family.

ACTIVITY: MAKE DISAPPEARING INK

You’ll need: 

Baking soda

Water

Small cup

Paintbrush

Paper

Sponge

Grape juice

Step 1. Mix equal amounts of baking soda and water in a small cup. 

Step 2. Write your message on paper using the mixture and the paintbrush. 

Step 3. Wait for the paper to dry, then pass the note to your friend.

Step 4. To reveal the message, use a sponge or brush to paint the paper with grape juice. 

The slight acidity of the juice reacts with the baking soda to reveal your message. 

If you and your family want to try decoding some secret messages yourself, check out the Crack the Code game on www.exploreracademy.com to see if you’re a master codebreaker.

   

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

September 3rd — BookhoundsYA
September 4th — Kid Lit Frenzy
September 5th — Beach Bound Books
September 6th — Java John Z's
September 7th — YA and Kids Books Central

September 10th — Christy's Cozy Corners
September 11th — Chat with Vera
September 12th — A Dream Within a Dream
September 13th — Book Briefs
September 14th — Jean Book Nerd

“A fun, exciting and action-packed ride that kids will love.”  

—J.J. Abrams, director of Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lost and Alias

"Explorer  Academy  is  sure  to  awaken  readers’  inner  adventurer  and  curiosity  about  the  world  around  them."

—LeVar  Burton,  host  of  “Reading  Rainbow”and “LeVar  Burton  Reads”

Buy: National Geographic | Amazon | Indiebound

Add on Goodreads

Visit the Explorer Academy Official Site

Follow Trudi: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube

Follow National Geographic Kids: Website | Twitter | Books Twitter | Facebook | Youtube

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers.

Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there's more at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and augmented reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him, and why?

Readers can get in on the excitement with puzzles and codes embedded throughout.  

About the Author: Author Trudi Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences. She has written more than 100 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Trueit lives in Everett, Washington.

GIVEAWAY

• One (1) winner will receive a copy of Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret, plus an Explorer Academy tote, stickers, folder, poster and pin!
• US/Canada only

Plus! Enter to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip! 

One lucky family of four will embark on a spectacular ship-based adventure, just like the students at Explorer Academy. Experience the remarkable beauty of Alaska’s famed Inside Passage on this thrilling 8-day voyage, courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions. Get up close to icebergs and calving glaciers. See orcas and humpback whales, then listen to them with the ship's hydrophone. Visit Glacier Bay National Park, learn about Alaska’s rich Native American heritage, and pass islands teeming with wildlife, including brown bears, sea lions, sea otters, and perhaps the world's highest density of nesting bald eagles. Visit natgeoexpeditions.com to see a detailed itinerary for Alaska's Inside Passage Cruise. Enter here!

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