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Breaking the News Blog Tour Activity and Giveaway

 

Welcome to the Breaking the News Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of Breaking the News by Robin Terry Brown on October 13th, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Breaking the News, plus 5 chances to win a hardcover copy!

Learn to Detect Phony Photos

by Robin Terry Brown

Technology has made it so easy to alter photos that it can be hard even for professionals to tell if a photo is real or fake. Some experts specialize in “photo forensics,” using special software to detect false photos. But you can use these simple tricks to tell if a photo D might be a fake: 1 Look at the shadows. The light should be on one side and the shadows should be on the other. And all of the shadows should be at the same angle. If the shadows look off, that’s a sign that something may have been altered. 2 Does someone’s head look too big, or is a person’s body positioned at a strange angle? That could be a sign that two images have been combined into one. 3 Does it look like anything in the photo has been duplicated, with the same image appearing more than once? 4 If a photo looks suspicious, try doing a reverse image search. The search will show you where else the image has appeared online. If it shows up with details that are different from the ones you are seeing, that’s a sign that the photo is doctored.
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Answers (highlight to reveal): [A. The same flower is repeated multiple times, and did you notice the duplicated clouds? 
B. This shot is missing shadows, and the people are too big in relation to the mountain. C. The fireworks are drawn in and seem to come out of the ground. Look closely, you’ll see mountains in the background. But this is Brandenburg Gate, located in Berlin, Germany—a big city that’s not near a mountain range.
D. These grizzly bears look “pasted” into the scene. They don’t look natural. 
E. This cuddly panda mother and cub sure are sweet, but they appear cut out and placed in this bamboo setting. 
F. Several duplicate groups of people are sitting on the grass.]

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

November 2nd – Bookhounds

November 3rd – Word Spelunking

November 4th – Always in the Middle

November 5th – From the Mixed-Up Files

November 6th Feed Your Fiction Addiction

 

“Robin Terry Brown’s ‘Breaking the News,’ written in consultation with several journalism luminaries, is laid out the way magazines used to be, with captivating images, bite-size fact-filled blurbs and intuitive design. “Breaking the News” urges young people to leave their social media feeds and “read reliable news and information from many different sources.”
The New York Times
“[Breaking the News] provides a sharp-looking survey that examines the history of news-how it began, how it evolved, and what consumers of all ages must consider before accepting a truth as the truth. Cool bits of history, funny hoaxes, and the scary reality of propaganda are packed in simple bites easy to absorb. Excellent design and a clear narrative help readers navigate the vast and fast-changing concept of news.”
―Kirkus STARRED REVIEW
 

 

Visit the WebsiteRead an Excerpt

Educator Guide

Follow National Geographic Kids: Website | Twitter | Books Twitter | Facebook | Youtube
Headlines leap out at us from mobile phones, TV screens, computers, newspapers, and everywhere we turn. Technology has opened up exciting new ways to tell interesting stories, but how much of it is news … and how much is just noise? This refreshing and up-to-date media literacy book gives kids the tools they need to distinguish what is fact from what is fiction so that they can make smart choices about what to believe.
Topics cover a broad range, from defining freedom of speech, the journalists’ code of ethics, the dangers of propaganda, and the future of news.
Packed with profiles of influential journalists, fun facts, and iconic photographs, this ultimate guide to the information age will get kids thinking about their relationship and responsibility to media.

 

About the Author: ROBIN TERRY BROWN graduated from the master’s program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism with a passion for writing, editing, and getting the facts straight. She carried this passion throughout her 17-year career as a senior editor with National Geographic. Brown currently lives with her husband in northern Virginia, where she works as a writer, editor, and truth-seeker.
SUSAN GOLDBERG, contributor, is an award-winning journalist, editorial director of National Geographic Partners, and editor in chief of National Geographic magazine. Prior to National Geographic, Goldberg was an executive editor at Bloomberg News in Washington, D.C. She has also held posts at several news organizations, including The Plain Dealer, San Jose Mercury News, USA Today, the Detroit Free Press, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In 2017, Washingtonian magazine named Goldberg one of Washington, D.C.’s most powerful women.
Follow Susan: Instagram | Twitter
GIVEAWAY
  • One (1) winner will receive a hardcover copy of Breaking the News
  • Check out the other four stops for more chances to win
  • US/Can only
  • Ends 11/15 at 11:59pm ET

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November 2020: New Releases

Whether it’s humor or history, fantasy or food, wizards or warriors, November has a book for you. Take a look and let us know in the comments section which ones you’re looking forward to. And don’t forget to click on the titles for links to Bookshop.org.

 

Serena Says 

By Tanita S. Davis

JC shines like a 4th of July sparkler. She has the best ideas, the biggest, funniest laugh, and the party starts when she arrives. Serena St. John is proud to be known as her best friend.

Everything changes when JC returns from the hospital with a new kidney — and a new best friend. Out of the spotlight of JC’s friendship, suddenly things aren’t quite so sparkly in Serena’s world.

Lonely Serena works on perfecting her vlogs, hoping to earn a shot at becoming a classroom reporter. If she can be smart and funny on video, why can’t she manage that in real life? If only she could always pause, edit, or delete conversations. It would be so much easier to say the right thing at the right time . . . instead of not saying what she should, or, even worse, blurting out a secret that wasn’t hers to share. Life doesn’t have a pause button — but as Serena discovers her voice through vlogging, she learns that she’s not just there to reflect JC’s light — she’s fully capable of shining on her own.

 

The Ickabog

By J.K. Rowling

Once upon a time there was a tiny kingdom called Cornucopia, as rich in happiness as it was in gold, and famous for its food. From the delicate cream cheeses of Kurdsburg to the Hopes-of-Heaven pastries of Chouxville, each was so delicious that people wept with joy as they ate them.

But even in this happy kingdom, a monster lurks. Legend tells of a fearsome creature living far to the north in the Marshlands . . . the Ickabog. Some say it breathes fire, spits poison, and roars through the mist as it carries off wayward sheep and children alike. Some say it’s just a myth. And when that myth takes on a life of its own, casting a shadow over the kingdom, two children – best friends Bert and Daisy – embark on a great adventure to untangle the truth and find out where the real monster lies, bringing hope and happiness to Cornucopia once more.

 

Unlocked: Book 8.5 Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Shannon Messenger

In this extra special installment of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, the story picks up right from Legacy’s particularly devastating cliffhanger. But chapters alternate between Sophie and Keefe’s perspectives to give readers deeper insights into both beloved characters. New powers will be discovered. Hard truths from the past will come to light. And all of your favorite characters will find themselves tested in ways they never imagined. And that’s not all!

Unlocked also includes a comprehensive guide to the world of the Lost Cities, featuring new character and world details that have never been revealed before — plus fun bonuses like Keeper-themed recipes, a detailed map of the Lost Cities, gorgeous full-color illustrations, and so much more!

 

The Wizards of Once: Never and Forever (The Wizards of Once #4)

By Cressida Cowell

Xar and Wish are on the final leg of their journey — first stop: The Mine of Happiness. Here, starvation is never far away for the Magical creatures who toil in its horrible depths. Xar and Wish must escape and fast; Xar needs to take control of his ever-growing Witchstain, and Wish must achieve her Destiny. But the Tazzelwurm is in their way, a grotesque monster who threatens to block every entrance.

Time is not on their side, but the forests are calling them. Will their combined strength be enough for the biggest quest so far: to defeat the Kingwitch once and for all?

 

Warriors: Darkness Within (The Broken Code #4)

By Erin Hunter

Exiled after a battle that left all five Clans devastated, ThunderClan’s loyal deputy, Squirrelflight, must bring to light an earth-shattering truth: the identity of the cat ruling ThunderClan while wearing Bramblestar’s face.

While the fate of his body hangs in the balance, the real Bramblestar’s spirit has vanished. Even Rootspring is powerless to reach him—and with tensions among the Clans at a breaking point, Squirrelflight may not be able to ensure Bramblestar has a body to return to. If he returns at all.

Packed with action and intrigue, this sixth Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world, while dedicated fans will be thrilled to discover the new adventures that unfold after the events of A Vision of Shadows.

 

The Royal Ranger: The Missing Prince (Ranger’s Apprentice)

By John F. Flanagan

Will Treaty and his apprentice, Maddie, have been urgently summoned to Castle Araluen. When they arrive, they learn a shocking truth: the Prince of Gallica is missing – and the King of Gallica has asked for help. All reports suggest that the young prince has been taken prisoner by the dangerous and powerful Baron Joubert de Lassigny. King Duncan knows that sending troops to Gallica to rescue the prince could start a war, as could openly helping Gallica resolve internal convict. But there’s another way to save the prince: the Ranger Corps.

Soon, Will and Maddie are on the road to rescue the missing prince, disguised as father and daughter jongleurs. Maddie will have to use her knife-throwing skills to keep up her disguise, and her ranger’s apprentice training to complete the mission. But going undercover is dangerous – and the road presents its own hazards. Can she and Will use all their talents to save the prince, or will the arrogant Baron uncover their plans and put their lives, and their kingdom, at risk?

 

Dog Diaries: Curse of the Mystery MuttA Middle School Story (Dog Diaries #4)

By James Patterson and Steven Butler, illus. Richard Watson

Junior is loving his life with the Khatchadorian family. But his idyllic life soon turns to terror when a mysterious individual begins to make trouble in the neighborhood. It starts with a mysterious howling in the night. And when Junior’s pooch pals realize their favorite toys are missing, things get serious.

Junior thinks he knows what is happening. He’s heard of a mysterious creature called the Howly Wiener that visits town once a year and fills the street with monsters. With only a few days until the Night of the Howly Wiener, can Junior come up with a plan to protect himself and his pooch pals and stop the mischief for good?

 

Blades of Freedom: A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase (Hazardous Tales #10)

By Nathan Hale

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) is today seen as one of history’s greatest bargains. But why did Napoleon Bonaparte sell this seemingly prosperous territory? At the time, France controlled Haiti, and there, enslaved Africans were used to harvest sugar. But in 1791, Toussaint Louverture led the largest uprising of enslaved people in human history, the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804). Napoleon had originally wanted to use Louisiana for trade, but with Haiti out of his control, Napoleon’s dream of making a French empire in North America seemed doomed. So when Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe tried to buy New Orleans, Napoleon sold them the whole Louisiana Territory.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all – if you dare!

 

Kid in the Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Tips for Young Home Cooks

By Melissa Clark and Daniel Gercke

In Kid in the Kitchen, Melissa Clark, who has been cooking with her own kid for years, takes you step-by-step through how to understand and create each dish. These recipes are fun, insanely delicious, and will help you become a confident cook. There are tons of tips and tweaks, too, so you can cook what you want with what you have. Make amped-up breakfasts, sandwiches that slay, noodles and pasta for every craving, plus sheet pan dinners, mix and match grain bowls and salads, one-pot meals, party classics, and the richest, gooiest desserts. This is the fun, easy way to awesome food.

Recipes include: Fresh Custardy French Toast • OMG, I Smell Bacon! (spicy and candied, too) • Granola Bar Remix, feat. Cranberry and Ginger • The. Last. Guacamole. Recipe. Ever. • Fast Pho •  Garlicky, Crumb-y Pasta • Classic Caesar Salad with Unclassic Cheesy Croutons • Crispy Pork Carnitas Tacos • Mexican Chicken Soup & Chips • Shrimp Scampi Skillet Dinner • Korean Scallion and Veggie Pancakes (Pajeon) • Fluffy Buttermilk Biscuits Put a Spell on You • Rise & Dine Cinnamon Raisin Bread • Buttery Mashed Potato Cloud • Deep Dark Fudgy Brownies • Think Pink Lemonade Bars

Melissa will explain the most helpful kitchen tools and tips, from the proper way to hold a chef’s knife to why you need a Microplane grater right now. She’ll even clue you in on which recipe rules you can break and how to snap amazing food photos to share!

 

This Is Your Time

By Ruby Bridges

Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, This Is Your Time is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had no choice but to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen as one of the first black students to integrate New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to effect change.

This beautifully designed volume features historical photographs from the 1960s and from today, as well as stunning jacket art from The Problem We All Live With, the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell of Ruby’s walk to school.

Ruby’s honest and impassioned words, imbued with love and grace, serve as a moving reminder that “what can inspire tomorrow often lies in our past.” This Is Your Time will electrify people of all ages as the struggle for liberty and justice for all continues, and the powerful legacy of Ruby Bridges endures.

 

The Lemon Tree : An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East (Young Readers’ Edition)

By Sandy Tolan

In 1967, a twenty-five-year-old refugee named Bashir Khairi traveled from the Palestinian hill town of Ramallah to Ramla, Israel, with a goal: to see the beloved stone house with the lemon tree in its backyard that he and his family had been forced to leave nineteen years earlier. When he arrived, he was greeted by one of its new residents: Dalia Eshkenazi Landau, a nineteen-year-old Israeli college student whose family had fled Europe following the Holocaust. She had lived in that house since she was eleven months old.

On the stoop of this shared house, Dalia and Bashir began a surprising friendship, forged in the aftermath of war and later tested as political tensions ran high and Israelis and Palestinians each asserted their own right to live on this land. Adapted from the award-winning adult book and based on Sandy Tolan’s extensive research and reporting, The Lemon Tree is a deeply personal story of two people seeking hope, transformation, and home.

 

7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up

By Jimmy Gownley

To the students at exclusive Greycliff Academy, Kirby seems to have it all: charm, brains, and a lucky streak that won’t quit. He’s also the notorious mastermind behind the snarky videos, “7 Good Reasons Not to Grow Up,” which expose how being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Why would any kid want to become one of them?

But there’s also a mystery about Kirby. And when his best friend, Raja, finds out that Kirby isn’t the person he’s pretending to be, Kirby, Raja, and their friends may be forced to grow up sooner than they think and face the world head-on.

 

Homecoming Tales: 15 Inspiring Stories from Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary

By Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary and Tama Fortner

Meet Mack, Dog Bowl contestant and social media star; Marco, a scary tough dog—until someone gave him a second chance; Shaq, a gentle giant who is learning to leave his fears behind; Prince, a laid back dude who doesn’t let being blind steal his sunshine; and JuneBug, a spunky sweetheart who just wants to cuddle and keep you safe from the vacuum cleaner. Each chapter in Homecoming Tales focuses on one canine companion from the Tennessee-based dog rescue, with fun facts about his or her breed, stories of silly antics, and the meaningful tale of how this canine companion found a forever family. This delightful middle grade book entertains, teaches, and inspires and will be a favorite for fans of A Dog’s Purpose and the Puppy Tales series.

In this lighthearted, nonfiction chapter book, you’ll find

  • the true stories of how 15 dogs found a loving home
  • line drawing illustrations of each featured dog and a full-color photo insert
  • doggy stats, fun facts, and recipes for your own canine friend
  • information on adopting and owning pets, caring for aging animals, ideas for helping a pet with special needs, and ways kids can get involved with their local animal shelter or rescue

Homecoming Tales is a great gift for any eight to twelve-year-old who loves animals, enjoys volunteer work, or simply appreciates heartwarming stories. With information about care for older dogs, this educational book is also a helpful read for families who are interested in adopting a senior dog.

 

(And since it’s November, what better month to take another look at History Smashers: The Mayflower, by Kate Messner, for some little-known details behind the legends of the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving.)

Happy Reading!

Kids on the March – Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal Kids on the March

It’s Cover Reveal Saturday … and today we’re getting a sneak peek at the cover for Kids on the March (Algonquin), by Michael G. Long.

Seriously, I’m such a fan of this subject, I can’t even with the suspense. I’m going to reveal this cover right now…

 

 

 

 

 

Cover Reveal Kids on the March

Wait, what?

Just kidding. The real reveal is coming shortly, I promise. But I couldn’t resist having a little fun with the fabulous app Mindy Alyse Weiss showed me, the Blur Photo app. Good, right?

But before we see the real thing, we’ve got some goodies. An excerpt from Kids on the March, followed by a quick interview with author Michael G. Long.

Kids on the March Excerpt:

“Today, we march, we fight, we roar!”

Delaney Tarr, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, spoke those powerful words at the student-led March for Our Lives in Washington, DC, on March 24, 2018.

“We know what we want, we know how to get it, and we are not waiting any longer!” she declared. The crowd thundered its support.

Many of the marchers on that chilly spring day were elementary, middle, and high school students from across the country. Called together by the Parkland students, they had gathered at the nation’s capital to protest for gun control legislation.

As Tarr continued her speech, countless kids raised their protest signs high: what do you like more, guns or kids?; protest guns, not kids; and #enough is enough!

A short while later, Yolanda Renee King, the nine-year-old granddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, also spoke. She said, “I have a dream that enough is enough and that this world should be a gun-free world, period!”

Marchers who had studied her grandfather in history class probably recognized that her words echoed Dr. King’s most famous speech, “I Have a Dream,” which he gave to 250,000 protestors at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.

When we think of protests in US history, we often call to mind Dr. King and his adult colleagues. But do you know that many participants in the 1963 March on Washington were kids? Do you know, too, that several months before the March on Washington, thousands of young Black people marched against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama? Do you know that this was not the first time in US history that kids marched for justice?

Sixty years earlier, in 1903, child laborers marched from Philadelphia to New York to protest the dangerous working conditions in textile mills.

Even this early march was not the first of its kind.

Young people have led or participated in numerous marches throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Whether they led or followed, the kids in these historic marches were tough, bold, and brave. Some of these marches occurred in the face of violence, and others in relative safety, but all of them required courage.

The marches in which kids have participated are all deeply connected. They have sought to establish peace, justice, and freedom for all. Each has attempted to fulfill the civil rights identified in the US Constitution. Each has tried to hold the nation accountable to the beliefs and principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence.

As leaders and participants, kids have fought on the front lines of virtually every important march for first-class citizenship throughout US history. When democracy was threatened, kids were there. When people on the margins needed a voice of protest, kids were there. In some cases, kids were there, marching and chanting, long before adults even thought about protesting.

You, too, can march. If you don’t like a law that causes suffering, or if you would like a new policy that could help create a better world, you, like the kids in this book, can stand up. You can straighten your shoulders. You can throw back your chin. And you can shout what young people have been shouting for decades: “Let’s march!”

Interview with Kids on the March Author Michael G. Long

 

MUF: What’s your favorite element of the cover design?

Take a close look at the faces of the young activists, and you’ll see my favorite part of the cover: that beautiful display of pure passion in their fight for peace with justice. The image comes from a photograph taken at the historic March for Our Lives, a nonviolent protest against gun violence in our schools. Although I still get sad, and angry, about the event that fueled this protest—a horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida—I also get chills when I look at the faces of the young people who stood up when adults failed them and organized their very own international protest for safe schools. What passion and power! It’s so inspiring for me to see kids standing up, speaking out, and protesting for other kids. I love that.

MUF: Did you do any political organizing as a child?

As a kid, I was not a political organizer. But when I was about ten years old, I sat at my family’s dining room table and wrote the Pennsylvania governor a letter expressing my opposition to the death penalty. That was probably the first time I protested for an issue I cared about so deeply. There wasn’t anything dramatic about it; it was just a simple act of using a pencil, lined white paper, and a stamped envelope. But that small act was a way for me to share my voice, and it set the stage for my later participation in numerous sit-ins, marches, and rallies for social justice. By the way, the governor sent me a reply, and I recall how thrilled I was that he’d heard my youthful voice and respected it enough to correspond with a kid who couldn’t vote at the time. I’ll never forget that.

MUF: Any personal reflections on youth activism?

Writing Kids on the March is my way of protesting the unfortunate exclusion of youth activism from our books and classes on US history. As a young student, I read history books that were organized by wars and presidents. Where were all the kids? Well, I later discovered that all the kids missing from my history books were helping to lead, organize, and support virtually every social movement that has secured and advanced the basic human rights we now enjoy. Kids have been at the vanguard of almost every social justice movement in US history. Today, my personal heroes aren’t US presidents or military generals; they’re the kids in this book, young people who care so deeply that they feel compelled to stand up, speak out, and protest for the rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. They’re leading us through the chaos of this new century, and I’m delighted to play a supporting role by sharing their voices.

((Like reading about socially conscious kids and political activism? See our booklist here.))

The Real Reveal

Okay … now I know your appetite is whetted, and you’re ready for the real reveal … drum roll, please!

Ta-da!

Kids on the March

Kids on the March will be available in spring of 2021.

About Michael G. Long

Michael G. Long

Michael G. Long is the author and editor of many books on civil rights, peaceful protest, and politics. Kids on the March is his first book for younger readers.