This nonfiction text compares school in the past to school today. Dialogue between a grandmother and her grandchildren is shown in speech bubbles as the former teacher recounts her past as a student and teacher. From chalkboards to overhead projectors, this text is good for compare and contrast and evaluating change. The book shows the evolution of technology which is featured in a timeline at the end of the text. Can be paired with students writing letters to their future selves. Good for school libraries. Series has many opportunities for other changes to be covered. Recommended for grades 2-5.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

This fun little book shows how schools have changed in Nana's lifetime. From Chalkboards to computers to tablets a lot has change in the way we learn.

A quick, comic-book-styled, read for the young about how schools have changed in the last few decades. I dare say many readers would think of regimented wooden desks and blackboards as prehistoric, but we get to see it as some kind of smooth transition, as first computers (in one room only, of course) and then other things got added to the mix. It doesn't really show the frisson of excitement a teacher could gain when the caretaker was ordered to wheel in one of the school's two TVs with VCRs – and things about how computers were first programmed, and the pledge of allegiance, act as unexpected asides here – but this is not too bad at doing what it wants. Hinting at a decent little set of quick reads from the four on the publisher's lists, this gets four stars.

School in My Lifetime features a mix of real life images, and blocky cartoon illustrations. This is definitely an informative look at the pat for any kid who might have the question of what a CB oil used to be like, but I personally can’t see it coming up much in my public library, or being a title that anyone would stumble upon and grab for. Technically true information, but ultimately very random.

The overall idea of this book was interesting and clever, but I mainly liked the way that it was written. The author made good use of first- and second-person pronouns to give this book a more personal feel, like Nana was actually sitting there telling you stories. Writing the book in such a way made for a fun read and I really think that readers will be engaged with this book.
That being said, I do have two critiques to make. Number one, I think that some of the words that weren't in the glossary should have been. Some of the words that I thought could be confusing to younger readers weren't underlined, which disappointed me. Additionally, the glossary at the back of the book was a bit sparse, so it wouldn't hurt to add a few words to that list.
Number two, and lastly, the illustrations just didn't do it for me. The colors and organization were fine, but the characters just looked so lifeless. It made me as the reader feel a bit *off* while reading, despite all other aspects of this book being executed well.
All in all, though, I enjoyed reading this book and I even learned a few things!

I'm not totally sure what the aim of the book is; we gain a very specific perspective and a version of how things have changed, but what does this leave us with? There seems to be some focus on technological development and invention, which is certainly a fruitful topic for young readers. Still, I don't know what we take away from it.

I received an electronic ARC from North Star Editions through NetGalley.
Readers learn along with Layla and Caleb when their Nana shares about school when she was young and then during her teaching career. Informative text shared in narrative style. I appreciate the clear way Phillips-Bartlett shows the changes made and the items that are still used in education. A fun family or class read. The timeline included to summarize offers a clear look at how many changes have happened in a short time frame.

This book offers a brief introduction to how school has changed from the 1950s to today. Personally, I was expecting more focus on major topics like segregation or broader societal changes, but the book mainly covers shifts in technology and classroom tools. I think it would have been helpful if that focus had been made clearer up front.

That said, the reflection questions sprinkled throughout the book, like what toys have you played with and how have they helped you learn or what would you invent to help with school, are fun and thoughtful, and could lead to good conversations. The inclusion of Grandma getting married felt out of place and unrelated to the theme of school. The “real-life photographs” seemed to rely on generic stock photos that didn’t always enhance the text. More care in choosing visuals could have added a lot.

Overall, this is a simple starting point for young readers, but I was hoping for more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley, North Star Editions, and Focus Readers for the advanced copy for review. Opinions are my own.