Losing is Democratic

A great book and series for CIVICS EDUCATION!

Losing is Democratic: How to Talk to Kids About January 6th features a Latina protagonist of spunk and smarts whose congressman father is on the House floor on January 6th.

Teachers, Librarians, and Homeschoolers, THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES SERIES of Books, Podcasts, Teacher’s Guides, and "Facts Behind the Fiction" newsletter/blog provide a multidisciplinary approach to civics education for elementary school readers. As our amateur detective solves mysteries on Capitol Hill, she and your students learn about American democracy, the electoral process, civic engagement and the events of January 6, 2021.

SYNOPSIS: Fina is in the middle of an investigation to find out who stole the 5th grade's pizza—the prize for winning a reading competition. But all thoughts of detection go out the window as she, her older sister Gabby, and grandmother Abuelita watch on television as a mob breaks into the Capitol. Is Papa okay? Most of Fina's classmates have parents who work inside that building as well. Their teacher calms their fears and the next day, turns the event into a teaching opportunity, looking back at the bitter presidential election rivalry between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The students discuss the importance of winning and losing, whether it's in a baseball game, a reading competition, or an election.

THE WEST WING meets NANCY DREW

FREE DOWNLOADABLE CURRICULUM AVAILABLE:

• Build reading skills while teaching integrated lessons in:
  – ELA, social studies, and history designed for grades 3-5 Common Core Standards
  – NCSS curriculum standards, C3 Social Studies Readiness
  – California Public Schools' History-Social Science content standards

• Promote deeper learning through:
  – active engagement
  – reading comprehension
  – content knowledge
  – creative and analytical thinking

• Designed for use by elementary school teachers, parents, homeschoolers, scout leaders, and community educators.

INTERACTIVE COMPONENTS AND MULTIMEDIA SOURCES:

• Helps address students' diverse learning needs and supports the use of technology in the classroom.
• The Fina Mendoza Mysteries FREE podcast is based on the books and current events.
• The "Facts Behind the Fiction" blog and newsletter offer historical and civics context for both the books and podcast.

Introduce civics to your students with The Fina Mendoza Mysteries series!

THE FINA MENDOZA MYSTERIES SERIES:
Book 1 – Welcome to Washington Fina Mendoza
Book 2 – State of the Union: A Fina Mendoza Mystery
Book 3 – Snake in the Grass (coming Spring 2025)

Podcast – The Fina Mendoza Mysteries

ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH:
Book 1 – Bienvenida a Washington Fina Mendoza
Book 2 – Estado de la Unión: Un Misterio de Fina Mendoza
Book 3 – Serpiente en la Hierba (Autumn 2025)

For fans of The Secret Lake, Greenglass House, and "The Mysterious Benedict Society" and "National Park Mystery Series" as well as classic books and detective series like The Westing Game, Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown, The Virginia Mysteries, and Hardy Boys.

Award-winning writer, public radio journalist, and TEDx speaker Kitty Felde hosts the Book Club for Kids podcast. With more than 1.4 million downloads, the show has been named one of the top 10 kidcasts in the world by The Times of London.

Kitty has a remarkable talent for talking to kids and she shared her super power in a TEDx UCLA talk.

The native Angeleno created the Washington bureau for Southern California Public Radio, reporting on Congress. She's covered everything from war crimes trials to OJ Simpson to baseball, and hosted a daily talk show in Los Angeles for nearly a decade. Kitty had a front row seat at one of the January 6th Committee hearings.

She won the Los Angeles Radio Journalist of the Year award three times in three years from the Society of Professional Journalists and the L.A. Press Club. As a journalist, Kitty explained how government works to grownups. Now she explains it to kids in a series of mystery novels and podcasts called The Fina Mendoza Mysteries. She also writes the companion blog Facts Behind the Fiction, available on the Chesapeake Press website (www.chesapeakepress.org).

Find Kitty at www.kittyfelde.com and @kittyfelde.