If you have tweens already starting to twiddle their thumbs at home, don’t miss this chance to engage with them over some seriously cool nature exploration, science, engineering, and political analysis. Whether you can get these books or not, don’t miss the free discussion guides and activities that you can use to spark some educational and entertaining discussions.

Leaf Litter Critters

Leaf Litter Critters
Written by Leslie Bulion
Illustrated by Robert Meganck

Have fun on this poetic tour through the leaf litter layer and dig into the fascinating facts about the tiny critters who live there.

Bring the classroom home with this teacher’s guide, and go digging in whatever leaf litter layer is near you!

Save the Crash test Dummies

Save the Crash-test Dummies
Written by Jennifer Swanson
Illustrated by TeMika Grooms

Filled with fun four‐wheeled nuggets of history and explanations of how cars actually work, this nonfiction book from former science educator and award-winning author Jennifer Swanson will appeal to lovers of all things that go and readers who are interested in  seeing how things work.

Take a peek under the hood with this teacher’s guide, or have some hands-on time with that car you haven’t driven in a while.

Countdown

Countdown
2979 Days to the Moon
Written by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez

Have any space geeks in the house? Award-winning author and former mechanical engineer Suzanne Slade joins up with New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez to tell the powerful story of the successes, failures, triumphs, tragedies, and lessons learned from Apollos 1 through 10 that led to the first Moon landing.

Explore this inspiring story further with our teacher’s guide and discussion questions, or just do some stargazing from wherever you are!

Fault Lines in the Constitution Rev

Fault Lines in the Constitution
The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today
Written by Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson

It’s hard to think about or focus on the fact that this is an election year, but here’s an opportunity to bring November to the forefront. Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the U.S. Constitution, and authors Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson explore the Constitution’s creation and how current realities link directly back to this historical document.

Keep the conversation going with this teacher’s guide and discussion guide, and explore the authors’ blog where they discuss what’s happening in the news and answer questions and comments on all topics.