Ricki and Kellee’s #MustReadIn2018 Final Update

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#MustReadIn2018 is hosted by Carrie Gelson at There Is A Book For That:

“For anyone out there with a To Be Read list that seems like it will never end, this challenge is for you! This is all about making your own personal list of books (5? 10? 20? 30? more?) that you commit to reading in 2016. Books can be published in any year, be from any genre, and be from any category (adult, YA, MG, Graphics, NF, etc.).  As your TBR list grows, you promise you will get to the books on this list.”

To see our complete lists and our rationale, see our original post, and to see our other updates visit our Spring and Fall posts. Today we’re happy to share our final update on our 2018 lists!

Kellee’s #mustreadin2018

I have not read any from the list since our Fall Update so no reviews today, but I am still so happy with my progress this year!

Laurie Halse Anderson
Vet Volunteers #1: Fight for Life 6/14/2018
Vet Volunteers #2: Homeless 6/19/18
Vet Volunteers #3: Trickster 6/19/18
Twisted 6/20/18
Vet Volunteers #4: Manatee Blues
7/7/18
Vet Volunteers #5: Say Goodbye 
7/19/18
Vet Volunteers #6: Storm Rescue 7/27/18
Vet Volunteers #7: Teacher’s Pet 7/27/18
Vet Volunteers #8: Trapped 8/5/18

Joseph Bruchac
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker’s Story 7/21/18
“Choke” from Guys Read: Sports Pages 7/21/18

Eric Gansworth
“Don’t Pass Me By” from Fresh Ink 2/26/2018

Dan Gemeinhart
Some Kind of Courage 
4/21/2018 
Good Dog 4/28/2018

Alan Gratz
Prisoner B-3087 2/8/2018

Mitali Perkins
Open Mic edited by Mitali Perkins including her story “Three-Pointer” 3/17/2018
Tiger Boy 5/15/2018
Rickshaw Girl 5/13/2018

Gae Polisner
The Memory of Things 1/22/2018

Rick Riordan
Reread The Lost Hero 7/13/18
Son of Neptune 7/29/18
Mark of Athena 8/16/18
House of Hades 9/1/18

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
“Confessions of a Black Geek” from Open Mic 3/17/2018
Two Naomis 3/27/2018

Eliot Schrefer
The Deadly Sister  2/11/2018
Mez’s Magic 2/25/2018
Orphaned 7/6/18

Laurel Snyder
Swan 1/6/2018
The Longest Night 1/6/2018
Forever Garden 1/11/2018
Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to be Kosher
1/13/2018
Any Which Wall 1/13/2018
Seven Stories Up 1/14/2018
Bigger Than a Breadbox (reread) 1/15/2018
Good night, laila tov 1/16/2018
Orphan Island 1/17/2018

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed 7/19/18

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan 7/15/18

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy 8/12/18

The False Prince trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
The False Prince 3/4/2018
The Runaway King 3/13/2018
The Shadow Throne 4/3/2018

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer
Started, but then my library loan expired. Will continue listening as soon as it is available.

Rebels by Accident by Patricia Dunn 1/27/2018

A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket
The Bad Beginning 2/14/2018

Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta
Decided to wait until more of the series is out.

Solo by Kwame Alexander 8/18/2018

Stung series by Bethany Wiggins
Stung 4/1/2018
Cured 4/4/2018

Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman 1/5/2018

What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold 7/25/18

Young Elites trilogy by Marie Lu
Young Elites 9/27/18

Completed: 22 out of 33

Ricki’s #mustreadin2018

There’s a chance that my brother-in-law won’t read this post for the third year in a row and make fun of me for over-promising and underdelivering on my must read list. Ha!

When I create a list like this, I have a hard time reading the books because they feel like requirements. It really helps remind me that requiring reading (even of ourselves) is not the best practice. Instead, I end up circling around the books and reading other books instead. The funny part? For eight of the books on the list, I read half of the book. The eight books are still on my nightstand. I enjoyed them and was forced to read a different book that I assigned my students that week for classes.

The good news is that next semester, I am not teaching my YAL course, so I have much more time that I won’t need to reread YA texts that I love. Instead, I will be able to focus on the books I add to my #mustreadin2019 list! I am terrible at this list!

I read and loved Blood Water Paint and Ghost Boys since the final update. Perhaps I need to finish the others because I know I will love them. There are three or four that I will be moving to my next list. I am still sticking with 16, and I think I’ll actually make it this time. Other authors need to avoid publishing enticing books, please.

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough December 2018

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes December 2018

Completed: 2 out of 16

Have you read any of these titles? What’s on your #mustreadin2018 list?

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Ricki’s Favorite Reads of 2018

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Happy 2019! 

This year, I reread more books than any previous year. I am not including the billions of pictures books that I reread to my children in that statistic, either. 🙂 But for this list, I am focusing on my favorite reads of 2018. These are books that will stick to my bones for years to come!

 

Favorite Books Marketed Toward Young Adults

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi

The Astonishing Color of After by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Hearts Unbroken by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

 

Favorite Books Marketed Toward Upper Elementary and Middle Grade

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya

 

Favorite Picture Books

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

Drawn Together by Minh Lê

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoët

Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

The Wall in the Middle of the Book by John Agee

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell

 

Which were your favorite reads of 2018?

Kellee’s Five Star Reads of 2018

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Happy 2019! 

I had one of my best reading years ever! My GoodReads goal was 300 which I exceeded!

I read 415 books this year!
(Though I will admit GoodReads adding the ability to add rereads really helped with the total; however, I was quite inconsistent with it– I marked re-reads sometimes and other times I didn’t, so I don’t know how accurate the count is, specifically picture books…)

 

It was almost exactly split between picture books and non-picture books with my novel, etc. total being a bit over 200.
My average rating for the year is 4.2 and my top shelves were: realistic fiction, nonfiction, Unleashing Readers, Trent 4-5 years, middle grade, audiobook, mg-ya picture books, picture book, and read to Trent. 

Today, I want to highlight my favorite reads from the year by sharing my 5 star reads from 2018
(the visual includes all while the list includes only newly read in 2018 books): 

Click on the photo above to see my 2018 Goodreads shelf to learn about any of these titles. If I’ve reviewed the book on Unleashing Readers, I’ve also hyperlinked it in the list. 

Picture Books & Early Readers (nonfiction & fiction)

Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
Windows by Julia Denos
Little Fox in the Forest by Stephanie Graegin
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin
Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Trilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
My Kite is Stuck! And Other Stories by Salina Yoon
Duck, Duck, Porcupine! by Salina Yoon
Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience and Fortitude by Josh Funk
Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford
Square by Mac Barnett
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers
Mission Defrostable by Josh Funk 
What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers
Masterpiece Robot and the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack by Frank Tra
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
Drawn Together by Minh Lê
The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët
A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade
Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the Worlds Most Adorable Animals by Jess Keating
Turning Pages: My Life Story by Sonia Sotomayor
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold
One of a Kind by Chris Gorman
The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara
Memphis, Martin, and Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan
A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
Ruby’s Sword by Jacqueline Veissid
Brave Molly by Brooke Boynton Hughes
Santa Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins
We Can’t Eat our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Be Quiet! by Ryan T. Higgins
Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That Changed the World by James Gladstone
Sun!: One in a Billion by Stacy McAnulty
The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk
Thank You, Earth by April Pulley Sayred
Meet Yasmin! by Saadia Faruqi

Middle Grade

False Prince trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Granted by John David Anderson
Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Bat & the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold
Track Series: Sunny & Lu by Jason Reynolds
Breakout by Kate Messner
Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart
Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Wonderland by Barbara O’Connor
Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Some Kind of Courage by Dan Gemeinhart
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
Orphaned by Eliot Schrefer
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamura by Pablo Cartaya
Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Journey of the Pale Bear by Susan Fletcher
Garbage Island by Fred Koehler
The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Escape from Aleppo by N.H. Senzai
Just Like Jackie by Lindsey Stoddard
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Redwood and Ponytail by K.A. Holt
Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez

Young Adult

American Street by Ibi Zoboi
Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
The Memory of Things by Gae Polisner
Fresh Ink: An Anthology edited by Lamar Giles
Tyler Johnson was Here by Jay Coles
Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold
Sadie by Courtney Summers
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy
Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Internment by Samira Ahmed
Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills
Odd One Out by Nic Stone
Dry by Neal Shusterman
Another Day by David Levithan

Graphic Novels

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
The Divided Earth by Erin Faith Hicks
I Am Ghandi: A Graphic Biography of a Hero edited by Brad Meltzer
Illegal by Eoin Colfer
Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Monsters Beware by Jorge Aguirre
Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens by John Green
HiLo #4: Waking the Monsters by Judd Winick
Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable
Peter & Ernesto: The Lost Sloths by Graham Annable
Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol
Fox & Chick: The Party and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

Nonfiction

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Chasing King’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Two Truths and a Lie: Histories and Mysteries by Ammi-Joan Paquette
Eavesdropping on Elephants: How Listening Helps Conservation by Patricia Newman
The Great Rhino Rescue by Patricia Newman
National Geographic: History’s Mysteries: Curious Clues, Cold Cases, and Puzzles from the Past by Kitson Jazynka

All of these books are highly recommended by me, so if you haven’t read them and they interest you, they won’t let you down 🙂 Happy reading!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 1/7/19

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

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CONGRATULATIONS

Vi for winning our Two Truths and a Lie Giveaway! 
&
Danielle for winning our Children of Exile Giveaway!

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Well, our last posts posted.

Wednesday: If da Vinci Painted a Dinosaur by Amy Newbold

Friday: Ten Year Anniversary of the Sisters 8 series by Lauren Baratz-Logsted with Greg Logsted and Jackie Loggsted

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Shaping the World: Industrial Design” by Carla Mooney, Author of Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

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Kellee

Hello, friends! So nice to be back after a couple weeks off!

 

The novels I read were:

  • This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills: I am so glad that Katie at Macmillan shared Emma Mills with me. Her books are such pleasurable reads that are written so well and are deep yet fun.
  • Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen: I know this may be sacrilegious, but I may like Nielsen’s historical fiction even more than her fantasy. Resistance is action packed, emotional, and fact filled.
  • Internment by Samira Ahmed: Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Scary in the ways that is too full of a possible future. Whoa.
  • Famous in a Small Town by Emma Mills: Emma Mills does it again! If you haven’t read any of her novels, get started then read this one when it comes out!
  • Odd One Out by Nic Stone: I am so glad that Nic Stone wrote this story for herself because she is not the only one out there that needs the story. A look at identity and friendship and family.
  • #murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil: Another book that is futuristic but with our current state of things seems too close to reality mostly with reality shows and social media becoming so front and center to our lives.
  • Searching for Lottie by Susan Ross: I am a fan of Susan Ross’s books. They are always a great middle grade introduction to some really tough subjects done in a gentle way yet without holding back anything. I also love that family is front and center in her stories.
  • Beep and Bob: Too Much Space by Jonathan Roth: A chapter book that Trent and I read (my astronaut loving kiddo loved them!), and I will review them on here soon.
  • Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro: Review coming closer to the publication date. Another great dark fantasy from Gregory Funaro.

The graphic novels I read were:

  • Time Museum 2 by Matthew Loux: Have you read the first Time Museum graphic novel yet? If not, pick it up and then pick this one up because they are both so adventurous and funny!
  • Invisible Emmie by Terri Libenson: I can see why so many of my students love this story–it truly looks at what it means to be a middle schooler and struggling with finding your place.
  • Edison Beaker, Creature Seeker: The Night Door by Frank Cammuso: A funny and smart introduction to a new middle grade graphic novel series!
  • Monster Mayhem by Christopher Eliopoulos: I love Zoe. She is one of the smartest characters I have ever encountered in a book and the empathy she grows through the help of her robot and monster friends!
  • Nico Bravo and the Hound of Hades by Mike Cavallaro: Mythology and graphic novel fans have a new series that they are going to love!
  • The Singing Rock & Other Brand-New Fairy Tales by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer: I love fairy tales and fairy tale retellings, and these new fairy tales are right on point.
  • Narwhal’s Otter Friend by Ben Clanton: Yay Narwhal!!! I love these stories, and Otter adds a lovely new character!

The picture books I read were:

  • The Lost Picnic by B.B. Cronin: A fun seek and find book!
  • Cheerful Chick by Martha Brockenbrough: Chick is so cute! And a great message for the readers!
  • Felipe and Claudette by Mark Teague: I love Mark Teague’s illustrations, and this story was so cute (I love Claudette!), and the ending was so heart warming!
  • Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog by Lisa Papp: I loved the volunteering and literacy-loving aspect of this story!
  • Cicada by Shaun Tan: Wow, Shaun Tan! He is so existential. And his illustrations are genius.
  • Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman: A lovely story of Carl finding his identity.
  • Maybe Tomorrow? by Charlotte Agell: Sometimes it is okay to not be dragging around all of the tough stuff in life and enjoy life instead.
  • Dragons Eat Noodles on Tuesday by Jon Stahl: But what do they eat on Wednesday? Read to find out and be ready to laugh!
  • Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel: From love and joy to resistance and strength–all the reasons to put your hands up.
  • I Need a Hug by Aaron Blabey: I love Blabey’s illustrations! They really add such humor to this story about finding someone to accept you.
  • There’s a Hole in the Log in the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long: I love this song, and I am happy to have a fun book to read while singing it (and it has a twist ending!).
  • Thank You, Earth by April Pulley Sayre: A look at all of what makes our amazing planet that we need to take better care of. Read for the message and view for the beautiful photographs.
  • The Runaway Beignet by Connie Collins Morgan: A present from my Louisiana-based parents along with making beignets with Trent–yum! And a fun story that is retelling of the runaway gingerbread man.

Ricki

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes is incredibly powerful. I sobbed through the entire book.

Why, oh why, did it take me so long to read Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough? I read 3/4 of the book last semester and had to pause to finish some work. My pause is not representative of how incredibly amazing this book is.

  

  • There’s a Hole in the Log in the Bottom of the Lake by Loren Long: I never logged this one a couple of weeks ago, but I noticed it above in Kellee’s list. I love this book and read it often. It has such a great rhythm to it and is quite fun to read aloud.
  • Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman: I also didn’t log this one! Deborah Freedman is a genius. She always impresses me. This book teaches about nature while also exploring identity.
  • Here, George!But Not the Armadillo, and Hey, Wake Up! by Sandra Boynton: I think I’ve read almost every Sandra Boynton book out there, but I read these three for the first time this weekend. My younger son loves everything she writes. He gets really excited when he finds her section of the bookstore. Here, George! was my favorite of the three. It describes what George, the dog, does when no one is home (spoiler: he dances!).
  • Old MacDonald Had a Farm and The Wheels on the Bus by Nosy Crow: I got these two books for my younger son for the holidays. He absolutely loves this series. The sliders are really fun to push, and it adds a new twist to lift-the-flap books. They are very well-made.
  • The Hat by Jan Brett: The illustrations of this book really shined.

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Kellee

  • Starting: Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes
  • Listening: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Yay! Hopefully I can finish it before the loan expires this time!!!)

Ricki

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka is next on my list! I saw it on a few Mock Printz lists, and I need to get to it NOW!

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Tuesday: Kellee’s Five Star Reads of 2018

Wednesday: Ricki’s Favorite Reads of 2018

Thursday: Final Update of #MustReadin2018

Friday: #MustReadin2019

Sunday: Author Guest Post!: “Curiousity, Ignorance, and the Big What If?” by Jeanne Moran, Author of The Path Divided

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/31/18

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IMWAYR 2015 logo

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

 Signature andRickiSig

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR 12/24/18

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IMWAYR 2015 logo

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme started by Sheila at Book Journeys and now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Kellee and Jen, of Teach Mentor Texts, decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

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Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

 Signature andRickiSig

Author Guest Post!: “Shaping the World: Industrial Design” by Carla Mooney, Author of Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries

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“Shaping the World: Industrial Design”

Why are chairs shaped like…chairs? How do engineers get ideas for improving the design of cars, phones, packaging—everything?

Since the earliest times, people have searched for better solutions to specific problems. They have tried to improve stone tools, cooking pots, weapons, and more. When creating each new item, they have thought hard about it—what problem are they trying to solve, what are they trying to accomplish, how can they make it work better?

Answering these questions, they made a design. Through design, people have created the key inventions of our civilization.

You might not know it, but you, too are a designer. Have you ever rearranged your room or desk to better suit a specific use? Maybe you wrote a quick computer program to make your gaming system work better. By thinking about what needed to be improved and finding a way to improve it, you used design skills.

So what’s industrial design? Industrial design is the process of brainstorming and planning every aspect of a product before it is made in mass production. Most of the things we buy today are made in a factory. Someone, an industrial designer, decided what the product would look like, how it would work, and developed a process for it to be manufactured.

Industrial design includes making decisions about how a product is used by a person, what technologies it uses, the materials it is made from, and how it looks and feels. Industrial design is a problem-solving process.

People have been designing things since the first fire pit! As technology grows increasingly complex, the methods of design have grown more sophisticated, but the beginning spark is the same. Spot a problem? Design a solution!

Try your hand at industrial design with these hands-on projects!

DESIGNER VS CRAFTSMAN

The growth of factories and mass production allowed companies to produce goods that were affordable for many people. At the same time, separating design from manufacturing can cause some problems. In this activity, you will explore some of the differences between craft-based design and mass production.

To begin, you will play the role of a craftsperson. Choose something that you can make, such as a piece of art, a stick picture frame, a simple wooden train and tracks, or a magnetic clip. Gather your supplies and get to work designing and making your item. Think about the following questions.

What design decisions did you make for your item?
When did you make these decisions—before you started working or while you were making the item?
How were the design process and the making of the item connected? How were they separate?

Now, imagine that your item will be mass-produced in a factory. You are still the designer, but will not be making the items. How will you convey your design ideas to the people who will manufacture and assemble the items? How will you ensure that the mass-produced items match your design, regardless of who makes them?

Have several friends or classmates follow your design instructions and make the item without you. After they have finished, compare their items to your handcrafted original.

Are there any differences? If so, what are they?
What difficulties did you and your team encounter while mass-producing the item? Why do you think this occurred?
What problems will it cause if there are differences between a design and the manufactured products? What about between the products themselves?
What could you do as the designer to ensure there are very few differences between the original design and mass-produced items?

Try This!

Think about how ornamentation affects mass-produced industrial design. Ornamentation is everything added to an object for decoration. It could be the type of finish or painting on an object, scrolls in woodwork, or even added jewels or metalworking. What is the effect of ornamentation on an object’s form, function, manufacturing process, and cost?

DESIGN A CHAIR

Design solves a problem and meets a need. When industrial designers create and improve products, they make sure their designs meet the needs of users. In this activity, you’ll design a chair that meets the needs of a specific type of user.

Consider the following chair users.

An 80-year-old man who walks with a cane. He spends most of his day in a chair, watching television. It is difficult for him to get in and out of a chair.
A 15-year-old student who spends eight hours a day at school. He has a large, heavy backpack that he carries from class to class. In every class, he needs a place to work and store his backpack.
A 30-year-old marathon runner who spends much of her time moving. Because she often has sore muscles, she prefers a cushioned, comfortable place to relax and prepare for the next day’s run.

Choose one of the users and make a list of what they need in a chair. How are these needs related to design requirements for a chair?

Choose a variety of materials to work with. Possibilities include black permanent markers, paper, scissors, corrugated cardboard, pipe cleaners, modeling clay, cotton balls, tape, and toothpicks.

Following the design process and considering your design requirements, design the chair.

Draw several sketches of the design. What elements will you use in the design? How do these elements meet design requirements?

Using your materials, make a simple model of your chair.

Evaluate your chair’s design. Does it meet the design requirements? Does it work as intended? Is it aesthetically pleasing?

Test your design by having other people evaluate the chair. What changes or improvements do they recommend?

Retest it with potential users. If needed, redesign your chair based on the testing feedback. After you have the final design, consider the following questions.

What did you change during the design process? What did you learn from your models and prototypes?

What materials did you enjoy working with the most? Which did you enjoy the least? Why?

Try This!

Try building a model of the same chair using different materials. How do different materials affect the design? How does the choice of materials affect how well the chair meets the design requirements?

REDESIGN A KITCHEN UTENSIL

There are a lot of utensils in the kitchen—knives, forks, spoons, whisks, peelers, pizza cutters, ice cream scoopers, spatulas, and more. Can you find any that could be improved by industrial design?

With an adult’s permission, take an inventory of your kitchen utensils. Consider the following questions.

What types of utensils do you have? How many of each kind?
What materials are they made from?
Are they ergonomic?
Are any utensils hard to hold or difficult to use?
Are any broken or rusty?
Can you use them right-handed or left-handed?
Do the handles wobble and make gripping the utensil difficult?
Does the utensil have sharp edgesthat cut into your hand when holding?
Do they look aesthetically pleasing?

Choose a utensil to improve through industrial design. Follow the steps of the design process:

Understand the problem
Define design requirements
Generate ideas
Choose the best solution
Develop the solution
Make a model/build prototype
Test and redesign

Present your new and improved utensil design to family members. What are their reactions?

Try This!

Can you design a product to organize your kitchen utensils?

About the Author: Carla Mooney has written more than 70 books for children and young adults. Her work has appeared in many magazines including HighlightsFaces, and Learning Through History. Carla lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Website: carlamooney.com
Facebook: facebook.com/carlamooneyauthor

Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries with Science Activities for Kids
By Carla Mooney
Published August 3rd, 2018 by Nomad Press

About the Book: What is industrial design? Why do microwaves open with a swinging front door? Why aren’t smartphones round?

In Industrial Design: Why Smartphones Aren’t Round and Other Mysteries with Science Activities for Kids, readers ages 10–15 engage in and learn about the engineering design process from its earliest beginnings, when individuals designed and crafted their own tools, to today, when engineers work to find the best design for products that are then manufactured in bulk by automated machines. Engineers consider the user experience of every product they design to ensure that users have the best experience possible. Good design combines the right materials, colors, details, and form to make a person want to buy and use a product. A well-designed product is easy to use and does what it is meant to do!

Thank you Carla for these classroom and independent friendly inquiry activities!