Reviewed by annieb123 on
Unofficial Minecraft Life Hacks Lab for Kids is book 22 (of 24 currently) in the Lab for Kids series. Released 2nd July 2019 by Quarto on their Quarry imprint, it's 144 pages and available in a flexibound workbook and ebook formats. Aimed at middle grade readers and their adults (parents, guardians, school resource personnel/teachers etc), it uses analogies from Minecraft to roleplay real life situations and to model positive solutions.
Despite being a 'gaming' book, this little lab book includes some really good introductions and exercises for very important life skills such as good communication, empathy, cooperation, problem solving, leadership, self confidence building, and many more. Most of the units include sidebars with new vocabulary or definitions. The information is presented in a positive manner and is never strident or intimidating (or preachy). There are 24 lab units included in the book as well as a comprehensive links and resources list for further exploration. The book also includes a simple cross referenced index.
This is a fun and worthwhile book. It would make a great classroom library book, resource book, homeschool resource book, or support text for a module on social studies subjects like relationships, bullying, social interaction, etc for kids 7-10(+). There's also a wide range of activities and most of the experiments use easily sourced materials. The photography is appealing and many of the photos use the familiar pixelated Minecraft graphics.
Five stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 27 July, 2019: Reviewed