Kid Konnection: More from National Geographic Kids

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week I'm going to share with you two more fantastic books from National Geographic Kids.

Summary: Ready to exercise your brain? Let zany superbraniac Ima Genius be your guide in this interactive book full of fascinating brain facts, puzzles, games, and challenges. Learn what type of thinker you are and the geniuses that share your special type of intellect. Discover why your brain does what it does, and how that affects vision, hearing, touch, smell, taste, spatial reasoning, language, memory, and problem solving. Each chapter is filled not only with fun and games, but also famous historical cases, crazy quizzes, exciting experiments, and a glossary of Genius Jargon, invented for advanced brain-related vocabulary. -- National Geographic Kids

Booking Son thinks MASTER-MIND: OVER 100 GAMES, TESTS, AND PUZZLES TO UNLEASH YOUR INNER GENIUS by Stephanie Warren Drimmer with puzzles by Julie K. Cohen looks fantastic. In fact, he's waiting for me to finish writing my review so he can "have" it! I have to say that I totally agree with him that MASTER-MIND looks like a lot of fun.

MASTER-MIND is another great release from National Geographic Kids. This book, aimed at kids ages 8 - 12, is full of puzzles that will work your brain. But it's more than just puzzles and games. It also teaches children how their brain works. I remember my parents buying me many puzzle books when I was a kid, but I never remember learning the processing mechanisms of my own brain. I think that's a wonderful concept!

The book has a very fun vibe. It's printed on colorful pages with cute graphics, cartoons, and more. There are also fun facts listed along with over 100 games, tests, and puzzles. I liked the quiz at the beginning of the book that helps identify "What Kind of Genius Are You?" as well as the pages that describe the basics of the brain.

And then the fun begins with all of the fun games! There are time trials, mazes, multiple choice, experiments and more. I know there are only a few weeks left in the summer, but this is a great way to get kids' brains thinking before school starts. And the extra bonus in my house is that every minute Booking Son spends playing with this book is less time that he's playing X-Box.

I seem to love all of the books that National Geographic Kids publishes, but I promise you that MASTER-MIND is a treat! Highly recommended!

Summary: Can you tell the truth from a tall tale? Spot a phony photo a mile away? Figure out a fib in five seconds flat? Put your amateur detective skills to work in this fun and wacky book. See if the truth triumphs as you encounter suspicious stories, fishy facts, lying lists, and more. You'll also learn about history's greatest hoaxes, secrets behind a good fake, internet urban legends, plus bonus information that will leave you second-guessing everything you've ever read. Complete with awesome photos and hilarious collage art, this is one book that you have to read to believe...or not! -- National Geographic Kids

REAL OR FAKE?: FAR-OUT FIBS, FISHY FACTS, AND PHONY PHOTOS TO TEST FOR THE TRUTH by Emily Krieger and illustrated by Tom Nick Cocoons is another great addition to the National Geographic Kids library. This is a small book (about 6 x 6 inches) but that doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of fun information in it. In fact, it's the perfect size to keep in the car for long road trips!

REAL OR FAKE? tests kids' abilities to discern truth from fiction. It encourages kids to pay attention to details and use their brain, but it also recommends going with their gut. This book has some fantastic photographs including some that are very strange, and I think children will love the concept of playing detective and determining what's real... or fake.

I want to give you a few examples of the tests in REAL OR FAKE? The very first one shows and describes an octopus that lives in trees and asks if it is real or fake? I don't want to give too much away but I'm sure you have your own guess. The following page tells readers the answer as well as giving some fun facts about the it. Some other questions are whether Cleopatra had her own secret way to communicate and whether plants make music.

In addition to the real vs. fake sections of the book, there are a few other fun "tests." I liked the Identify the Lie ones. On these pages, there were a list of statements (along with funny pictures) and readers are asked to find the one that isn't true. I am pretty sure that there will be more than a few surprises on these pages... and pretty much throughout the entire book.

REAL OR FAKE? is a fun way to learn, and that's what makes this book so special. I can see kids sharing these fun facts with their siblings, friends, and parents. Highly recommended!

Thanks to Media Masters for providing review copies of these books.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!