All posts by Adina Bienst-Ventz

The Girl Who Speaks Bear (by Sophie Anderson)

goodread.com: “Found abandoned in a bear cave as a baby, 12-year-old Yanka has always felt out of place in her small village. When she wakes up to find that her legs have become bear legs, she sets off into the forest to discover who she is, on a journey that takes her from icy rivers to smouldering mountains, with an ever-growing group of misfits alongside her… Interwoven with traditional stories of bears, princesses and dragons, Yanka’s journey is a gorgeously lyrical adventure from the best-selling author of The House With Chicken Legs.”

ISBN 9781474940672

Hilo – The boy who crashed to earth (by Judd Winick)

a series of 7 graphic novels (#8 to be published in 2022) – Everybody I know that has read the books absolutely devoured the series. A total blast! But also a deep and philosophical approach to questions about identity, fitting in, being special, friendship, trust, and responsibility.

from goodreads.com: “BOOM! CLANG! CRASH! D.J. and Gina are totally ordinary kids. But Hilo isn’t! Hilo just fell out of the sky and doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a BAD idea!) . . . But UH-OH, what if Hilo wasn’t the only thing to fall to our planet? Can the trio unlock the secrets of Hilo’s past? Can Hilo SURVIVE a day at school? Find out in Hilo—a laugh-out-loud, epic story of friendship! Adventure! (And the occasionally mutant space robot).”

The Wild Robot (by Peter Brown)

book 1 of 2 (“The Wild Robot Escapes”)  –

from goodreads.com: “Can a robot survive in the wilderness?

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is–but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home–until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.”

ISBN 9780316381994

Bad Nana – Older not Wiser (by Sophie Henn)

book 1 of 3 – We loooved it!

from Goodreads.com: “Jeanie’s Grandma is BAD. Not bad like a vampire or a gangster or anything, more like . . . up to no good. Sometimes she can be a bit embarrassing but most of the time she’s REALLY fun, especially when she gets Jeanie involved in her mischievous schemes. Everyone says she’s old enough to know better . . . but she doesn’t seem to care one bit. In fact, Jeanie thinks she might quite like it!

Bad Nana is a deliciously wicked new series for ages six and up, told through the eyes of 7 3/4-year-old Jeanie. Gorgeously illustrated throughout with vibrantly coloured spreads, Bad Nana’s naughty exploits will shock and appal – and make you snort with laughter!”

ISBN 9780008268053

Lyttle Lies – The Pudding Problem (by Joe Berger)

book one of two

“Sam is a habitual liar. He would rather skirt the truth, and avoid trouble, than be completely honest. However, he soon finds out that in trying to avoid trouble, not telling the truth gets him in to all sorts of scrapes! His Mum, Dad, Sister and Grandpa would like him to be more honest – but will Sam ever learn?”

ISBN 9781481470834

El Deafo (by Cece Bell)

An autobiographic graphic novel about growing up (deaf) and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way. An amazing read!

ISBN 9-781419-712173

A different sort of normal (By Abigail Balfe)

It’s a biographical book by an autistic author written for middle grade children.

(Yes, we did say we wanted books that don’t focus exclusively on a single diversity aspect, however, this story is authentic, so I decided to post it here.)

It has cartoony bits in it, photos, drawings, … and is therefore fun to read, but is still a chapter book.

ISBN 9-780241-508794

“Hi! My name is Abigail and I’m autistic. However, I didn’t know I was autistic until I was an adult-sort-of-person. This is my real-life story about growing up feeling different. Inside you’ll discover all sorts of memories: from family and friendships, to ice cream and toilets. You’ll also find some Very Important Information about autism. And lots of drawings of cats. Because I really like cats. Whatever your story, if you’ve ever felt out of place, like you don’t fit in … This is for you.”