Paige V Polinsky

Part of the Game On series, this book explores the creation, development and popularity of Minecraft. Lots of material is shared in brief sentences appealing to reluctant readers. Photos and timelines provide visual information. Minecraft has shown they are more than a game by developing coding exercises for Code.org’s “Hour of Code” campaign and naming the first woman of color, Helen Chiang, as the head in 2018.

This book includes several fun activities for students to try, and could be used in science instruction in the classroom. The content focuses mostly on the elements, so it would be good to pair with chemistry explorations in science. It would also work well as a fun text for students to read if they’re interested in science and science experiments.

Literary Merit: Good
Recommended: Optional
Level: 4-8 years
This is another in the common core series that focuses on the beaver and how they are master builders. There is a table of contents and a glossary in the back. The book focuses on the beaver and how they build lodges. The photographs are colorful and depict the beaver in its natural environment. I would recommend this for optional purchase for a browsing collection or for a collection looking for basic information on beavers.