A handy go-to for teachers and students that offers a variety of methods for all different types of learners.
There is, apparently, an actual Grandmaster of Memory.
Dellis, a memory record holder and four-time winner at the U.S. Memory Championship, has crafted a book that offers exercises to improve memory. The book begins by setting a goal: defeating a mythical character called Memory Thief, who lurks at the summit of Mount Foreverest. The illustrations in each section are used as visual cues and act as memory guides to help readers navigate a variety of engaging memory exercises. In a section headed “Foreign Words,” for instance, the French “chou” (cabbage) is given a graphic mnemonic of a shoe crushing a head of cabbage. Even though the book’s overall goal is to follow the journey to the summit of Mount Foreverest, each chapter is individually accessible, such that readers don’t need to make their way through the book in a linear fashion. For example, if readers are having trouble memorizing lists, one chapter covers that particular skill. Another chapter coaches readers on how to remember names and faces. For help with schoolwork, there are memory tools for spelling and definitions as well as for how to remember numbers. These trickier sections may work best with a teacher or tutor on hand to defeat the Memory Thief, as the mnemonics gradually become more complicated.
A handy go-to for teachers and students that offers a variety of methods for all different types of learners. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3187-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
The app takes advantage of zoom features to take readers through panel by panel, providing a sense of forward motion that...
Traditionally a paper-based series, Middle School Confidential adapts its first graphic novel to the iPad leveraging the device’s functionality to infuse a wide variety of sounds, short songs and character voices.
The app takes advantage of zoom features to take readers through panel by panel, providing a sense of forward motion that synchronizes well with the text’s format. Divided into eight chapters, the story introduces relevant teen topics such as body image, self-esteem, popularity and stress through short, everyday interactions among a group of six male and female friends. To round out each chapter, a teen presents a related short message that’s more public-service announcement than component of the story, which may feel over the top to the audience. Each character is presented through actions and dialogue in the short chapters and with a brief bio that includes his or her strengths and insecurities. Additionally, each bio includes an e-mail address, which links to the iPad’s e-mail function; there is no indication of who will actually receive a reader’s e-mail message and what if any response such an e-mail might trigger. The images in the line-and-watercolor panels mirror and reinforce the characters’ related emotions or actions.Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
