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Winter is a great time to snuggle up with a good book. The colder weather makes it feel cozier to curl up with a book and read. A great way to keep your kids entertained and engaged during the long winter months is to have various books on hand.

These books from Nat Geo Kids offer an engaging way for kids to have fun while learning; just don’t tell them that! You don’t want them to get bored with the same story over and over again.

101 Life Hacks: Genius Ways to Simplify Your World (ages 8-12, paperback)

Try these cool hacks! Turn ordinary into extraordinary with this fun book, jam-packed with science-inspired ideas kids can use to simplify, prettify, and eco-fy their lives at home, school, and on the go. Get tips and tricks for upcycling and reusing old stuff, as well as hands-on activities, fun facts, and insights from professional-grade life hackers who use their problem-solving skills to change the world. Make cool lantern lights for your room, discover a tried-and-true brain freeze cure, learn how to boost your memory power, and more. By the end, you’ll be able to hack your way through all kinds of problems, from a messy backpack to stage fright, a drippy ice-pop, to smelly shoes!

 

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2022 (ages 8-12, paperback)

The latest installment of the New York Times best-selling almanac features terrific animal stories, explorer profiles, and outrageous attractions that kids know and love. Plus more incredible inventions, awesome games, and fresh challenges for curious kids who want to learn all about the world. Tons of fun facts, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation help kids keep up with our quickly changing world. This is why this is the number one selling kids almanac on the planet! There’s a sole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics. The colorful compilation also includes an Almanac Challenge 2022, inspiring kids to reduce their plastic waste.

 

Explorer Academy Series by Trudi Trueit (ages 8-12, available in Hardcover and P.B.)

NatioGeogrGeographic’skbusterster fiction series, Explorer Academy, has it all: a diverse cast of characters, cool technology, codebreaking, adventure, exotic locations, and a thrilling global mission — all inspired by the real adventures and explorations of the National Geographic Society. Join Cruz as he leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world’s leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Crtherethere’sre’s at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and exotic locales, eco-challenges, and augmented reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him, and why? Books 1-6 are available now!

Check out the Explorer Academy website featuring videos, comic shorts, games, profiles of real-life National Geographic Explorers, chapter excerpts, and more.

 

5,000 Awesome Facts About Everything (ages 8-12, Hardcover)

This BIG book is literally busting its covers with fascinating, fun-tastic facts on super sensational topics that kids love. Who knew that there were so many sweet things to learn about chocolate or that a dozen delicious details about peanut butter would show up on a page with a few splotches of jelly to whet our appetites? Keep turning, and a terrifyingly toothy shark tells you all about himself, while other spreads lay out tons of tips on toys and games, mysteries of history, robots and reptiles, sports and spies, and wacky words.   This book will satisfy both the casual browser and the fact obsessed with a visual feast of colorful photographs surrounded by swirling, tipping, expanding, and climbing bits of information in a high-energy design.

 

Izzy Newton and the S.M.A.R.T. Squad: Absolute Hero by Valerie Tripp (ages 8-12, Hardcover)

A brand new series from the author of many beloved American Girl books, Valerie Tripp! Join Izzy Newton and her friends at Atom Middle School in the first adventure of this new middle-grade fiction series. A crowded new school and a crazy class schedule are enough to make Izzy feel dizzy. But for the S.M.A.R.T. Squit’siit’saboutbout relying on the value of friendship and the power of science to help them think their way through all kinds of sticky situations. Science and tech reign supreme when these five brainy buddies put their heads together! Read the first chapter, check out the book trailer,  and meet the characters at https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/books/smart-squad/.