101 Life Hacks: Genius ways to simplify your world by Aubre Andrus

 I've been frustrated by some of the recycling books put out recently by National Geographic in particular for a number of reasons which I won't repeat here. However, they are still one of the most popular creators of browsing nonfiction and I was willing to give them another try in their latest collection of activities. I was pleased that this one turned out to be really well done, with a wide variety of suggestions that can be adopted by kids with a range of resources.

The book is in the small format of other series like Weird but True, Just Joking, and other quick reads. It opens with an encouragement to kids to recycle, reuse, repurpose, and upcycle and how this will help cut down on single-use plastics. Then the book jumps right into the first suggestion - better ways to eat popsicles and cupcakes! There's no table of contents but there is a "hack roundup" at the end which lists all of the hacks and an index. Ideas include more familiar suggestions like repurposing recycled materials and clothes to make decorations, office supplies, and bags, ways to keep things organized to more conceptual things like tricks to calm down when you're stressed or go to sleep. There are ideas for cutting down on water waste, composting, and using less plastic, and math tricks to use in school. Interspersed throughout the book are profiles of inventors and other creative thinkers along with suggestions for how to think outside the box in creating your own life hacks or inventions.

The variety is the key to the excellence of this browsing book; kids who have nothing to recycle or tools to recycle it with can still follow the ideas to meditate or memorize vocabulary words. Kids who like to make things will find a variety of things to try, not all of which require extensive supplies, and caregivers with stores of unfinished projects may find themselves relaxing a little by handing kids this book and telling them to use their creativity!

Verdict: Plenty of fun and thoughtful suggestions, this is the perfect book to pop into your makerspace or leave out for a bored kid to peruse.

ISBN: 9781426339080; Published April 2021 by National Geographic; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library