Dream Machine

Craftily Ever After #4

by Martha Maker, Xindi Yan (Illustrator)

Bella learns that sometimes following your dreams is easier said than done in this fourth book of the Craftily Ever After chapter book series!

Emily Adams, Maddie Wilson, Bella Diaz, and Sam Sharma are eight-year-olds with one special thing in they love to create. They each have unique talents, too! Emily is great at constructing and building; Maddie has an eye for fashion, fabrics, and sewing; Bella is a gadget whiz; and Sam is a gifted artist. Together, these four crafty friends dream up new projects to design, build, and create and through their experiences, they’ll learn how to handle various obstacles at school and in their everyday eight-year-old lives.

Bella is a computer whiz and loves brainstorming new gadgets to make. So when she spies a flier for a citywide robotics competition, the young inventor’s wheels start spinning. She can’t wait to start building and programming! There’s just one all the kids on her school’s robotics team are older. Bella must find a way to prove herself to the big kids. Now the competition is heating up—both in the craft clubhouse and at school. Will Bella find the confidence to follow her dreams and conquer the competition?

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Craftily Ever After chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Genres: Stem, Childrens

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2018

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is STEM-focused rather than arts-and-crafts type focus. But, it's good. Bella is judged by the older kids as being too little to be on the robotics team and, at first, she lets it get her down. But, she pursues her interest in robotics and attends the fair to discover that the robotics team is having a major problem with their entry. Will "little" Bella save the day? This series is one of the few that my five-year-old will sit through for family read-alouds and I could tell this one resonated for him being the youngest. Good lessons and a nice, diverse cast of kids here. Recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased the set of Craftily Ever After books (the first 4 books) for my 7-year-old daughter. This is just such a wonderfully written chapter book for children who are getting into more advanced reading. I chose this set because it dives deeper into creativity and problem solving than most books I have seen for young girls- and is still something she will want to pick up and read. My daughter is normally drawn to books with unicorns and narwhals and all that fun stuff- but I wanted her to also find a good story in reading a book that inspires her in the real world, also! So far, we have read 3 of the books together. I really do love this set. It presents each character as having their own unique skill set that will come together to solve a problem or develop a new product. At the end of the book, the author has provided an instructable for how the reader can complete the same/similar project. Highly recommend these books!

[Megan Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this one focused so heavily on robotics! The diversity in STEM in this series is just so, SO good. I love that aspect. And it’s not only about believing in yourself, but believing OTHERS who believe in you too. Ugh, I just love these!

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute diverse STEM related series. I read this one without having read the others and was still able to understand the plot.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short chapter book series about 4 friends who each have unique interests and skills. They gather together to make crafts. The back pages include a craft the reader can make themselves.

[Sheri S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Craftily Ever After series continues to be a favorite with my second grader. In this book, Bella decides to become part of her school's robotics team but quickly becomes discouraged when the older team members don't want to include her. Fortunately, her three close friends (who aren't on the team) encourage her and she continues to attend robotics team meetings. At the robotics competition, Bella gains greater respect when she is able to demonstrate her problem solving skills. The book, like the others in this series, teaches valuable lessons in such areas as team work, respect and responsibility.