Blog

Wonders of Weird with Kelly Milner Halls

By on October 19, 2018   /   Author Interviews  

I am very lucky to have the opportunity to chat with multi-award winner author Kelly Milner Halls! This interview came about at a perfect time. We are less than two weeks away from Halloween and chatting with Kelly about her just-released book “Death Eaters. Meet Nature’s Scavengers.” What an occasion to connect a holiday kids enjoy with fascinating science about the real death eaters of nature.

Kelly writes about the ‘wonders of weird,’ real and unproven (yet). She is the author of over 50 books and numerous articles, and her work is well known for being carefully and thoroughly researched and presents the most current information in a way kids love.

“Death Eaters” has already caught the eye or librarians and reviewers:

Junior Library Guild Selection
Fall 2018

Cybil Award Nominee
September 2018

Booklist
September 2018

So, are you ready for a treat (no trick, despite being close to Halloween)? Kelly tells us about nature’s team in charge of recycling all biological matter on the planet. I knew some of this fascinating creatures, but others took me by surprise.

MUF:  Why did you write this book about death eaters?
KMH: When I was a kid, I found a dead kitten in my tree house. It broke my heart, but I knew my father would help me bury it. After we laid it to rest, I was afraid of what was happening to its little body. Then I was curious. I felt bad for being curious, and confessed it to my father. He explained to me what happened to bodies in the earth. As sad as I was, I felt better knowing the kitten at least had a purpose in death–to feed other creatures that helped keep balance in the world. So I decided to explore that topic with young readers.

MUF: What death eaters did you include in your book?
KMH: I tried to include a good cross section of animals from the extensive realm of death eaters. I covered some (but not all) bacteria, insects, small mammals, large mammals, birds and sea creatures.

MUF: Do you have a favorite death eater?
KMH: I was astonished to discover pill bugs are death eaters. I knew they ate metals from soil, including iron from blood spilled. But I didn’t know they’d actually eat tiny bits of flesh too. It was fun to make a discovery that was so new to entomologists.

MUF: What are you most excited about this book?
KMH: I’m pleased that Millbrook was bold in their photo selections. Not all kids will love this book, I recognize that. But those that do will appreciate the pictures that don’t shy from telling this story. Gore wasn’t essential. Truth was.

MUF: How can teachers use this book in the classroom?
KMH: Teachers can use this book to encourage respect for all animals, even maggots and flies. We all have a purpose in the circle of life, and once we understand that, it is much easier to spread the love. I’m all about love, so that pleases me. I also love that death eaters are the ultimate recyclers. Recycling is so important to saving the world. I hope kids will step up to do their part and are grateful it doesn’t include eating carrion.

MUF: How long have you been interested in the Wonders of Weird, as you have named your website?
KMH: I was a weird kid and I am a weird older lady. I have always been fascinated by the strange, surprising, and odd…the weird. So my books often reflect that mindset.  I also love helping kids understand that being weird is being unique. It’s also pretty fun.  If I can help them learn to love themselves and others, I’ll have helped make the world a kinder place.

Kelly Milner Halls

MUF: Let’s talk about Halloween. If you were a little girl today, what would your Halloween costume be?
KMH: My favorite costume as a kid was Robin (as in Batman and Robin).  But today I’d probably like to be Pikachu.

MUF: What is your favorite part of working on a book?
KMH:I love research more than anything else. Second would be sharing what I’ve discovered with kids at school visits.

MUF: What’s your advice to young readers who love weird stuff?
KMH: Don’t be embarrassed by your unique point of view. Each of us has a purpose in this life, and it’s not to be like everyone else. We are meant to discover our unique passions and use them for making the world a better place. Who you are is exactly who you were meant to be. So celebrate it!  And I’ll celebrate it, too.

This has been wonderful, Kelly. Thank you for being with us today! And thank you to all MUF followers for reading. Who knows?  “Death Eaters. Meet Nature’s Scavengers” might inspire your Halloween costume this year.

 

Back to Top

Tricks & Treats: Halloween Costume and Book Pairings

By on October 17, 2018   /   Articles, Book Lists  

Halloween is coming, and for many middle graders, that means there’s going to be a character parade at school. What’s a character parade? That’s when your middle grader student dresses up as their favorite book character and parade around school. The catch is that they have to bring a book featuring that character to display with their costume. What are you supposed to do if your middle grader wants to dress up as the latest TV or video game characters? Don’t worry! We here at Mixed-Up Files have got you covered.

Here are some books to bring along that complement popular character costumes.

The most popular costumes this Halloween are rumored to be characters from the videogame, Fortnite. With a little imagination, these costumes can also represent some great middle-grade characters. Say, your middle grader wants to dress up as a:

Dark Voyager:  That’s basically an astronaut costume in black instead of white. Any nonfiction books about astronauts should fit the bill here, like Astronaut, Aquanaut by Jennifer Swanson. Or if you’d prefer a fiction book, middle grade books about space travel would work. Try The Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Silvensky. For more space-travel related books, check out our list here.

 

 

Black Knight: This is exactly what it sounds like, and again, nonfiction books can be your friends. Try Knights and Armor by Jim Pipe. But there are also plenty of fiction books about knights too.  For example, the Have Sword, Will Travel series by Garth Nix.

 

 

Or a Skull Trooper:  With the addition of a few pieces of clothing found around the house, this is a pretty versatile costume. Add a trench coat and a fedora, a skull trooper becomes Skullduggery Pleasant, the titular character from Derek Landy’s series. With a frilly black shirt, a blue bow, and a pair of jean shorts, you’ve got Cinderskella from the Scarily Ever After series. Or, if you’d prefer to go the nonfiction route, human body books such as Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks would be a good choice.

 

Of course, not all middle graders want to be characters from Fortnite. Other popular characters may include superheroes, such as Black Panther. There are plenty of books and graphic novels to represent characters from these realms. For Black Panther fans there’s, Black Panther the Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith. Also the Marvel Super Hero Adventures graphic novel series features several Marvel characters, including Black Panther. Tom Angleberger of Origami Yoda fame also has a series featuring Rocket and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. The DC Superhero Girls books and graphic novels feature many DC heroes. For DC superheros such as Batman and Superman, the Super Powers would be a good series to use. The Secret Hero Society series would also be a good choice for understated superhero costumes.

But what if none of these books are available, or your middle-grader has a costume that they can’t or won’t wear to school?

Here are some quick costume suggestions based on items that you have around your own home.

Evangeline from Evangeline of the Bayou by Jan Eldredge: Evangeline is a swamp witch just like her grandmother who fights off monsters and werewolves in a girl-powered “Little Red-Riding Hood” retelling. This costume is pretty simple. All you need is a jeans, boots, and a red hoodie.

 

 

Devin Dexter from Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies and From Sunset till Sunrise by Jonathan Rosen: Devin hunts monsters with the help of his cousin Tommy. In Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies, he fights evil Christmas toys, and in his latest adventure, he’s facing vampires. Devin’s outfit is pretty easy to pull off with sensible shoes, jeans, a white button down, green sweater vest, and a brown outer coat.

 

Alcatraz Smedry from Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz series vs. the Evil Librarians series: Alcatraz Smedry is so unlucky that for his thirteenth birthday, he receives a bag of sand that is supposedly his inheritance. Then, the bag of sand is stolen, and a crazy man claiming to be Alcatraz’s grandfather convinces him to face off against the evil librarians who stole it. Alcatraz’s outfit is fairly simple with jeans, a white t-shirt, and a green jacket. Also, very important is a pair of glasses. You can be as creative with these as you like.

Gratuity “Tip” Tucci from The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex: Gratuity “Tip” Tucci embarks on a journey to find her mother after aliens invade Earth. Along the way, she befriends an alien who calls himself J. Lo, who helps her find her mom and escape the other alien race that shows up to take over. While Tip’s clothing is never really described in the book, you can easily create the costume from the movie adaptation costume with jeans, a green hoodie, and red sneakers.

 

These are just a few of our costume and book suggestions for your character parade. What costumes are you planning?

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday — Let’s Explore Botany!– Writing Craft and Resources

By on October 16, 2018   /   Botany, Common Core & NGSS, STEM Tuesday  

 

Botany?

When I first applied and joined up with the STEM Tuesday team, there was one general subject I secretly wanted to avoid at all cost. A subject which is one of my weakest scientific areas. Botany.

It’s not that I am a complete putz when it comes to botanicals. I cultivate a vegetable garden every year. I enjoy both the gardening process and reaping the benefits of the garden’s production. My paternal grandfather taught us grandkids how to plant petunias in my mother’s flowerbeds not long after we were out of diapers. My maternal grandfather kept a big, spacious garden where he grew tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, horseradish, and all things which could be made into spicy canned deliciousness.

I must confess, however, when it comes to the study of plants, I fall short. I can spend hours studying an animal cell or bacteria or a virus. A plant cell? Not so much. I can make a pretty solid salsa out of the tomatoes, peppers, and onions from my garden; yet can tell you very little about the seed anatomy, the root system, the physiology, or the leaf structure of that tomato plant.

With my relative ignorance out in the open, what can I offer to the STEM Tuesday Botany Craft & Resource game this month?

I can ask a simple question that lies at the core of an inquiring STEM mind:

How can I learn more about _______?  (Which, in this case, is botany.)

I can suggest doing what STEM thinkers have done for centuries and go to work.

  • Observe. “Hey, that thing is pretty awesome.” 
  • Ask why. “Why is that thing as awesome as it is?”
  • Research. “I need to find out what makes that thing awesome.”
  • Go where your interests take you. “This thing is like that thing and it’s also awesome.”
  • Dig deep into those directions that interest you. “Whoa! This thing and that thing are both are part of something bigger.”
  • Be open and willing to learn. 
  • Be willing to do the work to learn.

I cleaned the remaining vegetables off all the plants in my garden this past weekend in front of an early frost and snow shower. The plants were pulled and thrown into the compost pile and the last containers of homemade salsa and pasta sauce were canned and now sit in the pantry. Gardening season 2018 has come to an end. But the learning is just beginning for the gardener. Time to hit the STEM Tuesday Botany book list and see where my plant learning journey takes me over the winter.

As my wife, who teaches first grade, often reminds her rock-headed husband, we are never too old to learn something new.

Finally, never forget that life viewed through the lens of an inquiring STEM mind is a much richer life.

Keep asking questions!

Keep learning!

STEM rocks!

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal opportunity sports enthusiasts, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/training related topics atwww.coachhays.com and writer stuff at www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his essays will be included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books release later this month. He can be found roaming around the Twitter-sphere under the guise of @coachhays64.

 

The O.O.L.F Files

The Out Of Left Field files this month focuses on the fun side of botany in an attempt to make up for my shortcomings on the subject as outlined in the above post. And if you find yourself hungry at the end of chasing the links, the final link can easily take care of your appetite, one way or the other.

 

 

 

 

Back to Top