June 18, 2018 | strande
If you like reading about the games, contests, and toys in the American Girls series, you might enjoy some of these titles.
Fiction
Puzzle-crazy, twelve-year-old Winston and his ten-year-old sister Katie find themselves involved in a dangerous mystery involving a hidden ring. Puzzles for the reader to solve are included throughout the text.
In this sequel to "Alice in Wonderland" Alice goes through the mirror to find a strange world where curious adventures await her.
Twelve-year-old Kyle gets to stay overnight in the new town library, designed by his hero (the famous gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello), with other students but finds that come morning he must work with friends to solve puzzles in order to escape.
Charlotte, twelve, and Ben, eleven, are highly-skilled competitors at online Scrabble and that connection helps both as they face family issues and the turmoil of middle school.
Twelve-year-old Lennie Mercado's grandfather, the current Prime Wizard of Pomporromp, is retiring and decides to host a tournament for Lennie and her cousins to compete to win his title, land, position, castle, and unlimited magical powers, but when Poppop introduces new rules to eliminate sibling rivalry, Lennie decides the games are unfair and makes plans to sabotage the event.
A group of children, entranced with the study of Egypt, play their own Egypt game, are visited by a secret oracle, become involved in a murder, and befriend the Professor of the local junk shop.
Kayla must salvage her double Dutch dreams after her parents' rocky relationship takes her away from Brooklyn - and her beloved team - to spend the summer in North Carolina.
Ever since they were Snotsippers, Jack and the girl have fought, until one day she steals his bike and as he and the Amigos try to recover it, Jack realizes that he is growing up and must eventually leave the "goodlands and badlands of Hokey Pokey."
Keisha's family's animal rescue center is asked to help at a nearby college that is being overrun with squirrels, while Keisha is trying to deal with her nervousness as she prepares for the regional jump-rope competition.
Twelve-year-olds Duncan Dorfman, April Blunt, and Nate Saviano meet at the Youth Scrabble Tournament where, although each has a different reason for attending and for needing to win, they realize that something more important is at stake than the grand prize.
Claudette puts her honor on the line in the Warrior Games, but a plot by the evil queen to use the games for her own purposes forces Claudette to decide if there is more to fighting than just winning.
Nonfiction
Colorful graphics and simple text work together in this book to encourage readers to create their own computer games. From story to code to animation, readers will discover the creativity and technology that goes into their favorite games.
Presents a collection of culturally-inspired games, songs, and poems, including "Eenie, Meenie, Sassafreeny," "Little Sally Walker," and "Amazing Grace."
Readers will get a close look at how people in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers are helping to build our future. Discover how people use STEM skills to solve problems and innovate throughout history.
Offers step-by-step instructions for origami projects to be used in games, including dominoes, a fortune teller, and dice.
There are more than seventy games here, 50 of them all new, plus many more recommendations, and they cover the full gambit, from old-fashioned favorites to today's high-tech games.
A story of the invention of an iconic American toy describes how engineer Richard James observed the remarkable movements of a coiled spring that fell from his desk.
It's an old-time playtime--nothing electronic, just games that have stood the test of time! They help children build skills like hand-eye coordination, problem solving, and simply learning how to be a good team player and work well with others. But most of all, they're lots of fun.
A collection of puzzles, riddles, and brainteasers.
Through simple text written to foster creativity and problem solving, students will learn about designing and playing your own board games.
Hidden deep within the most secret of secret chambers was a magical book filled with daring and adventurous games. For years, many feared this book had been lost... until now. The Adventurous Book of Outdoor Gamescontains a treasure trove of the best neighborhood games invented by children since the beginning of time.
A collection of rhymes used in street games remembered from the compilers' childhoods and those of their friends. Includes basic instructions for the activities.
Traces the history of marbles and marble making, gives instructions for playing various kinds of games, explains related terms, and suggests further activities.
Collects thirty-seven poems celebrating such sports and games as football, baseball, judo, table tennis, netball, cycling, chess, and scrabble.
Provides 25 hands-on projects, activities, and games to teach about ancient Egyptian homes, food, money, toys, games, makeup, clothes, kings, mummies, and more.
In the Middle Ages, a family's position in society determined where children lived, what type of education they received, and what games they played. This colorful new book features beautiful artwork that helps show how children spent their days in medieval times.
Presents the history of video games, from their earliest incarnations, including "Pong" and arcade games to today's online gameplay.
Biographies
Born in Maine in 1836, Milton Bradley moved with his family to the working-class city of Lowell, Massachusetts, at age 11. His early life consisted of several highs and lows, from graduating high school and attending Harvard to getting laid off and losing his first wife. These experiences gave Bradley the idea for his first board game: The Checkered Game of Life.
Everyone has played with LEGO; toys, but not many people know who is behind this awesome invention. This fun and engaging book tells the story of how a Danish carpenter and his family turned a desperate situation into the most popular toy in history.
Traces the story of dancer-turned-magician Adelaide Herrmann, placing her achievements against a backdrop of period conventions about women in the arts and her determination to continue her work after the death of her husband.
Chronicles the life and achievements of the NASA engineer and inventor, from his childhood to his accidental invention of the Super Soaker water gun.