Richard Kozik (): I highly recommend two books from Zielona Sowa. The first is “If there were 100 people in the world”. The book shows what the life of people on Earth looks like on the example of the number 100. It contains a huge portion of knowledge and curiosities, as well as gives the child the opportunity to see how the mechanism of statistics works. Various facts about people show that in fact, despite many differences, we have even more in common! The book was built on a similar principle “If there were 100 animals in the world”. What if there were only 100 animals in the world? There are over 20 trillion known animals in the world. If there were 100 wild land mammals in the world, where would they live? And if there were only 100 pets, what would they be? Various information about animals opens the door to the development of sensitivity in children.
Anna Kowal (): Growing up is a difficult time. The heroes of two books that I would like to recommend know this. In the novel “Words can do anything” Sylvia Vecchini (Our Bookstore) we meet Sara. The girl doesn’t talk much. All because a lot of bad things happened in her life – an accident, the separation of her parents, the loss of a friend …. Sara no longer expects anything good from life, but she does not know that soon a teacher will appear on her way who will change her life forever. It’s a story about how to regain friendship, love and a sense of security. Nora Dasnes in the book “I swear” (ToThat) tells the story of Tuva. The girl and her friends are starting the seventh grade, but a lot has changed during the summer … One friend already has a boyfriend, and the other would like to spend all day playing in the forest. Tuva refuses to take sides with any of her friends, and a new girl joins the orchestra, and she’s the coolest girl she’s ever met. Our heroine wants to be friends with her very much. How will this story end? Don’t wait and see for yourself.
Richard: Series “Fantastic Jane Austen” (Green Owl) is an attempt to convince the younger generation to the classics of women’s literature. So the novels “Pride and Prejudice”, “Sense and Sensibility” and “Emma” stayed summarized/told and illustrated. The procedure is interesting and not surprising. For if any age group can be said to be “growing in readership” in recent years, it is teenagers (more and more publishing houses publish YA, i.e. Young Adult literature, and their stands are crowded at book fairs). And since they also buy (or read?) Agatha Christie, maybe they will like Jane Austen too, and then they will gladly reach for the full original?
Anna: Do you like Mondays? Antek Fert definitely doesn’t like them. “The worst week of my life. Monday” Evy Loves and Matta Cosgrove (Our Bookstore) describes an extremely lousy start to our hero’s week. Antek’s mom married a vampire, his dad travels the world on a giant toilet seat on wheels, the cat has been kidnapped by aliens, and now he’s hanging 10 meters above the pool on the edge of the springboard, wearing only crochet swimming trunks that disappear very quickly, all in front of the whole class…. You admit it an extraordinary accumulation of misfortunes. And it’s only Monday! One thing is for sure – after reading this your Mondays won’t be so bad.
Book for holidays 2023. Or maybe a detective story?
Ryszard: I recommend it to teenage lovers of detective stories “Night House” Jo Nesbo (Dolnośląskie Publishing House). After the tragic death of his parents, 14-year-old Richard Elauved ends up in the town of Ballantyne. He lives there with his aunt and uncle. He’s an outsider at school, and when his classmate Tom goes missing, he becomes the prime suspect. Richard is convinced that Tom has disappeared into a phone booth at the edge of the forest, but no one believes him. No one except Karen, who encourages him to investigate leads ignored by the police. The number Tom called from the payphone leads Richard to an abandoned house. In his window he sees a terrifying face and from that moment he starts hearing voices… When another classmate goes missing, Richard must keep his sanity and prove his innocence.
Marta Korycka (): In “Space Investigation” by Stuart Gibbs (Agora for Children) we have not even a disappearance, but a murder. The killer will be tried by 12-year-old Dashiell, who, together with his parents and younger sister in 2041, is one of the first inhabitants of the moon base. The pace is slower here than in my beloved “Spy School” by this author, but he also had to slow down to describe the conditions of life in such unusual conditions. A very enjoyable holiday book.
Anna: Are there any fans of detective puzzles here? If so, you surely know “Lasse and Maja’s Detective Bureau” (Nooks) well, but did you know that a comic book has recently appeared on the market “Stolen Muffins and Other Comics”in which our young detectives will try to solve the case of stolen muffins, water crime, masquerade in Valleby and get involved in the search for a cake with whipped cream? It will be an amazing adventure full of puzzles that your children will be happy to solve with the main characters.
Richard: “Mystery of Janitor Drucik” Alicja Sinicka (Skarpa Warszawska) is part of the series “Detectives from elementary school”. At the school attended by Kasia, Karol and Wojtek, a football tournament organized by a world-famous footballer is to take place, and the main prize is a gold cup. Strange things begin to happen at school, balls disappear, and eventually the tournament prize. Our detectives are starting another investigation. Does the new janitor – Janina Drucik – have anything to do with the mysterious disappearances? Why was she humming a dodgy song in the locker room? And does everyone know who she was in the past?
Anna: Do you already know the Obrabek family? Our Zuzia met and liked them in Nowa Huta’s Cafe Nowa Księgarnia, and the next volume of Anders Sparring’s series has just been published – “The Obrabek Family and Icjant’s Secret” (Nooks and crannies). Members of the Obrabek family are very fond of taking other people’s things. They just can’t stop themselves. Anyway, Zbiro’s dad, Cel and Elk’s mom. Ture, on the other hand, likes to do only what is allowed and does not take anything without paying. Paul Icjant’s house is haunted. Elka Obrabek is not afraid of ghosts, so she goes to see if they are really there. However, instead of a ghost, she finds a missing gold diamond on Paul Icjant’s bedside table! A plan to rob the diamond immediately sprouts in Elka’s head. However, when the Obrabek family starts to implement their idea, it turns out that the diamond has disappeared, and with it Paul Icjant…
Marta: A bit mysterious, more sci-fi and travel (the heroes go to the other end of the world to find a friend who disappeared during a flight to Asia) is also the latest part of the cult series by Rafał Kosik “Felix, Net and Nika and Zero Chance 2. Another Tomorrow” (Power graph). This is a direct continuation of the 16th (sic!) volume of the series. I will tell you that the author at a recent meeting seriously considered whether to write the 18th part, but then I told the publisher myself that there are many people – including my son – who are certainly waiting. And that’s why I break the rule that I always recommend the books I’ve read here, because I’m sure that this one is worth reading.
And what else?
Ryszard: Maybe enough of these crime stories. “Pola’s music box. In the sunshine” Aniela Cholewińska-Szkolik (Zielona Sowa) is a story about Pola and Kheri who spend their holidays in Greece – at the farm of friends who have an olive grove. The girls explore the countryside and a hilltop town where they meet a painter. The man, like Pola and Kheri, likes animals, especially the two goats that peek into his garden. Find out what connects disappearing illustrations… and a stray cat!
Anna: The title character from the book Cristal Snow “Pati Miłorzeszek and the nasty Doom Cake” (Nasza Księgrania) is a little finger-sized fairy. Pati cannot accept the fact that the smart Marko Starfish came to the neighboring tree for the whole summer, so he and his friends declare war on him. They want to bake a doom cake that will make the boy disappear like a stone into water. But the recipe is not simple… the cake needs Marek’s hair, but that’s not all, the cake won’t come out without his laughter and tears. Will the fairies succeed in this baking? Be sure to read how this story unfolds.
Richard: “Silver Dragon” Barbara Sadurska (Agora for Children) is the story of Matylda, who is 12 years old and has a big dream. She wants to go to Japan to see dragons. And just as he’s one step away from leaving, plans suddenly change. The girl goes on vacation to her grandfather: a bit strange and mysterious, who lives on an equally strange and mysterious island. Which is somehow… dragony. Mathilda finds lots of dragon details in Grandpa’s house and she starts dreaming about dragons too. Strange things are happening on the island. Feeling a threat coming. What are the people living here afraid of? And will Matilda be able to help them?
Anna: What is time? Why does it sometimes run faster and sometimes slower? Who are the time thieves? Does time run the same on other planets? The answers to the above questions can be found in the book by Monika Utnik and Agnieszka Sozańska “Time means everything flows” (Our Bookstore). While reading, you will also learn what slow life is, you will meet the longest living people, you will read about time zones, the oldest clocks and even time travel and many topics related to time.
Richard: “Greetings from Kelp Forest” Megumi Iwasy (Two Sisters) is the fourth part of the series about the adventures of friends from the Whale Sea, a story about what a journey into the unknown can bring, and about the tricks that our imagination plays. Turtle Turtle arrives in Kelp Forest. He is polite and quickly wins over the inhabitants of the Whale Sea. Well, at least some of them … Because isn’t it suspicious that he disappears for days, does not part with a mysterious blue bag and constantly writes something? And apparently there is an elusive criminal in the area, a gentleman burglar Zwodzisław…
Anna: Chiara Pastorini and Perceval Barrier have created a science comic in which they introduce young readers (9+) to the history of philosophy. “Great philosophers. True sages are rebels” (Our Bookstore) consists of 21 chapters in which we will meet the most important philosophers. We will find here facts from their biography, a few words about the era in which they lived and created, and of course their most important ideas along with suggestions on how they can be understood in the modern world. The heroes of the comic are Staś and Lena, who not only meet philosophers, but often engage in interesting discussions with them. This is the perfect book to start your children’s philosophical journey.
Ryszard: For older kids, I also have suggestions from Harper Kids. These are books for game lovers “Minecraft“: “Super Compact Constructions”, “Projekt Pszczoła” and “Mobs Attack”. They are very popular, also among the regulars of our branch of the Krakow Library on the Zgody estate in Nowa Huta – we learned about it from the ladies working in the library when we handed over part of my son’s book collection – Roch.
Ryszard: For dessert, to solve puzzles together “Warsaw” from CzuCzu. We are not experts in Warsaw and its history, so we probably missed a lot of references smuggled in the picture, and that’s why we prefer the “Krakow” puzzles, which are closer to us. But Warsaw was also very good for us. And we are waiting for more than 1000 pieces of sensory challenges.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
