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Pairing Middle Grade Fiction with a Nonfiction Text

By on January 12, 2024   /   Articles  

January. The time of year when things slow down. The holidays are over. School is back in session. Sometimes all you want to do is snuggle up with a cup of cocoa and watch television.

As a school librarian, I sometimes noticed a lull in book enthusiasm at this time of year. So to pep things up, I would pair a fiction reading with a nonfiction reading. For example, I paired Turtle in Paradise with an informational book on Key West (the setting) and followed through with a mapping activity of Conch Town.

Below are some fun pairings you can try at home or in the classroom. The nonfiction selections include books with fun information as well as cooking, creating, and art activities.

Clear Skies by Jessica Scott Kerrin (2019)  – 144 Pages

clear skiesIn the summer of 1961, eleven-year-old Arno Creelman wants nothing more than to be an astronomer. His claustrophobia rules out flying in a cramped space capsule. Instead, Arno dreams of exploring the galaxies with powerful telescopes on Earth.

Arno enters a local radio contest in hopes of winning a visit to a new observatory that’s opening near his town. The ribbon will be cut by Arno’s idol, Jean Slayter-Appleton, a renowned astronomer whose weekly columns Arno clips for his own notebooks. When he finally manages to phone in and correctly answer the skill-testing astronomy question, Arno is thrilled.

Then Robert moves to the neighborhood. He seems to challenge Arno in every way. He even believes in astrology, which Arno argues is not a science at all. Before long, Arno is feeling left behind, on the outs with his friends, and even abandoned by his beloved dog, Comet. How did Arno’s astronomical dream become a cosmic nightmare?

PAIR IT WITH

Can’t Get Enough Space Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More! by Stephanie Warrenspace stuff Drimmer (2022)

This book has everything to captivate space enthusiasts: Tons of fun facts, exciting games, hands-on activities, hilarious space jokes, stories from experts, and tidbits about the latest info on black holes, the International Space Station, and what life on Mars could look like. Key features include a glossary game for learning key space terms, stunning illustrations and photographs, diagrams and infographics, hilarious space jokes, articles by experts on outer space research, hands-on activities to try at home or school, and quizzes and games to test your knowledge.

Love astronomy? Try a few of these books.

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen (2021) – 144 pages

no vacancyBuying and moving into the run-down Jewel Motor Inn in upstate New York wasn’t eleven-year-old Miriam Brockman’s dream, but at least it’s an adventure. Miriam befriends Kate, whose grandmother owns the diner next door, and finds comfort in the company of Maria, the motel’s housekeeper, and her Uncle Mordy, who helps out for the summer. She spends her free time helping Kate’s grandmother make her famous grape pies and begins to face her fears by taking swimming lessons in the motel’s pool.

But when it becomes clear that only a miracle is going to save the Jewel from bankruptcy, Jewish Miriam and Catholic Kate decide to create their own. Otherwise, the No Vacancy sign will come down for good, and Miriam will lose the life she’s worked so hard to build.

PAIR IT WITH

Bake It: More Than 150 Recipes for Kids from Simple Cookies to Creative Cakes! by DK Publishing (2019)bake it

If you are a pie aficionado like Miriam, try a recipe or two from this baking cookbook. It’s perfect for young bakers aged 9-12, whether you’re a baking novice or you can ice cupcakes in your sleep. It covers the basics as well as the latest cooking trends, from pinata cakes and edible flowers to drizzle icing and painted cake. Explore mouth-watering recipes including cookies, bread, pies, tarts, meringues and so much more. Accompanied by beautiful photographs of the baked items that are sure to engage and inspire budding young bakers.

Find more pie recipes here.

The Startup Squad by Brian Weisfeld (2019) – 176 Pages

start up squadAll the great leaders had to start somewhere. And Teresa (“Resa” for short) is starting with the lemonade stand competition her teacher assigned to the class―but making it a success is going to be a lot harder than Resa thinks.

The prize: line-skipping tickets to Adventure Central. The competition: Val, Resa’s middle school nemesis. And the biggest obstacle to success: Resa’s own teammates. Harriet is the class clown, Amelia is the new girl who thinks she knows best, and Didi is Resa’s steadfast friend―who doesn’t know the first thing about making or selling lemonade. The four of them quickly realize that the recipe for success is tough to perfect―but listening to each other is the first step. And making new friends might be the most important one.

PAIR IT WITH

Kid Start-Up: How YOU Can Become an Entrepreneur by Mark Cuban (2018)kid start up

Do you think it would be cool to run your own business? Do you want to help people with everyday problems? Do you want to make money?

Then you could be an entrepreneur like Resa and her friends. You don’t have to be a grownup to launch your start-up. This book shows you how to discover a great business idea and get it off the ground. You can try one of our ten kid-friendly businesses, including timeless ventures like starting a lemonade stand to more modern-day endeavors like launching an Etsy art store or creating your own. Because every billionaire was once a kid with great ideas―just like you!

Gossamer Summer by H.M. Bouwman (2023) – 192 pages

gossamer summerIt all started when Jojo saw a fairy but said she didn’t. After all, fairies aren’t real–and if they were, they wouldn’t look like that! No, Jojo did not see a small, green, muddy person. Her sisters have no problem believing, though. They beg Jojo to finish the story she started telling long ago, but since the death of their beloved grandmother, Jojo hasn’t felt like talking about magic, even if her sisters still believe.

Instead, her sisters decide to make fairy gardens to entice Theo, the new kid across the street, to come play. Their plan works, but it also catches the attention of creatures that bear an uncanny resemblance to the bedraggled fairies Jojo invented. Stories can’t come to life, though–can they? Yet the danger is real enough. With the questionable help of a self-important cat, the sisters and Theo, set off on an adventure to save the fairies from a flock of terrifying birds made of bones.

PAIR IT WITH

Enchanted Gardening: Growing Miniature Gardens, Fairy Gardens, and More by Lisa Amstutz (2016)fairy gardens

Not only do fairy gardens spark the imagination, they are tons of fun to make. Perhaps you can build a fairy house/garden just like Jojo’s sisters did. Readers of all ages will enjoy creating these charming gardens. Includes various projects for miniature and fairy gardens as well as other magically inspired gardens.

Find more ideas here as well as books on gardening.

The Remarkable Rescue of Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos (2023) – 192 pages

milkweed meadowButternut lives in the burrows of Milkweed Meadow with her nine rabbit brothers and sisters. Together they practice survival skills and tell stories. With dangerous scenarios blooming in her mind, Butternut always follows the lesson of her family’s stories: stick to your own kind … rabbits. But after befriending an unruly robin and a wounded deer, Butternut begins to question the lesson she’s been taught.

When the three new friends discover other animals in trouble, Butternut must decide whether she can help, rally her friends and family, and be as brave as the heroes in the stories she tells.

Beautiful black-and-white illustrations bring the animals to life in this heartwarming story about friendship, community, and doing what is right.

PAIR IT WITH

Learn to Draw Forest Animals: Step-by-Step Instructions for More Than 25 Woodland Creatures by Robbin Cuddydraw forest animals (2015)

If you love the animals in Milkweed Meadow, why not try to recreate them. Learn to Draw Forest Animals offers a comprehensive drawing experience that includes step-by-step lessons, as well as full-color photographs, fun facts, trivia, quizzes, and much more. Sixty-four pages of drawing instruction include animals such as a grizzly bear, a wolf, a red fox, and an antelope. The book opens with brief information for getting started and the most popular breeds, the tools and materials needed, and some sample drawing exercises to warm up. Perfect for young artists-in-training.

Read some interesting facts about woodland animals in the United Kingdom.

Rosetown by Cynthia Rylant (2018) – 160 pages

rosetownFor nine-year-old Flora, the Indiana village of Rosetown is full of surprises, many of which happen at the Wing and a Chair Used Book Shop. She loves reading vintage children’s books after school in the faded purple chair by the shop window.

But lately, those surprises haven’t been so great. Her dear old dog, Laurence, recently passed away. And not long after, her parents decided to take a breather from their marriage. Now Flora has to move back and forth between their two houses. Plus, she’s just begun fourth grade, and it is so much different than third.

Luckily Flora has two wonderful friends—one old and one new. And with them around to share thoughts and laughs and adventures big and small, life in Rosetown still has happy surprises!

PAIR IT WITH

Indiana (A True Book) by Tamra B. Orr (2018)Indiana

How much do you know about Flora’s state of Indiana? For example, did you know its state bird is the cardinal? This book will give you so many facts, you’ll become an Indiana expert. Get to know its history, geography, wildlife, and future outlook. Tour this Midwestern state and see everything it has to offer.

Read more fun facts about Indiana.

Haru Zombie Dog Hero by Ellen Oh (2023) – 176 pages

haru zombie dogEleven-year-old Luke and his dog, Haru, are best friends. Totally inseparable. But when their nasty landlord falsely accuses Haru of biting her, Haru is kidnapped!

Luke and his friends go on a serious mission to find and bring Haru home again. They discover mysterious experiments happening at the old laboratory at Painted Lake, owned by an evil multibillionaire named Mr. Thomas Sinclair. Luke and his friends soon fear that Sinclair’s scientists could be doing illegal testing that may endanger Haru and their whole town. As more strange clues emerge, the boys realize their world is changing fast, and soon Painted Lake is plagued by zombie attacks. But the love between Luke and Haru endures, ultimately helping to save them all.

Other novels with dogs as main characters can be found here.

PAIR IT WITH

Should Animal Testing Be Banned? (Points of View) by Riley Lawrence (2018)animal testing

Animal testing is a controversial practice, and many people have strong feelings about it. How do you think Luke and Haru feel about it? The scientists?  Why not have a debate.

Understanding both sides of an issue is crucial for the development of an informed opinion about how you feel. Through unbiased main text and fact boxes, readers are presented with information and statistics used by those who support and oppose animal testing, and they are encouraged to use what they learn to decide where they stand.

Here are more topics to debate.

If you enjoyed this post, try some Pairings of your own. What nonfiction book might you pair with one of these popular novels?

pairing bookshelf2

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STEM Tuesday Special New Year’s Edition 2024

By on January 2, 2024   /   Articles, STEM Tuesday  

So this is the new year?

“People like us who believe in physics know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”  – Albert Einstein

So this is the new year?

Huh? I thought it would be more shiny. Maybe even have a few sparkles here and there.

It just looks like any other recent day. It’s eerily similar to any other recent year.

Truth be told, though, that’s not a bad thing at all. 

Time and dates are human constructs. They are our method of drawing lines in the universal sand to give our lives a sense of order. We need our constructs of time so we can work together, show up on time, hit our STEM Tuesday deadlines, etc.

But, as Einstein so famously touted, time is an illusion. 

However, we’ve demarcated this time illusion of ours to give us a new year, a new month, a new week, a new day, a new hour, and so on. These are times to reflect, reload, and plan where we are and where we want to be.

Time is the present moment.

We have this time. We have this moment. 

Now, what are we going to do with it?

It’s a question that strikes the core of being human. Its answers are as varied as individual humans are varied. There are almost infinite opportunities available to us.

What will we do with the moments we are given in 2024 and beyond? 

One Day or Day One?

I heard this snippet a few months back regarding procrastination and goals. I can’t exactly remember the source and it’s driving me bonkers. Nevertheless, it has become my new philosophy for trying new things or starting new projects. It has also become a central theme of my school and library presentations to young creators.

For decades, I lived in a “One Day” world. I wanted to be a writer but I didn’t do the one thing necessary to be one. I didn’t write. Then came my “Day One” when I started a thing. I wrote a word. I wrote another one. I wrote a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter until I wrote an entire story! It was an amazing feeling!

If you find yourself saying, “One day I want to do _____”, then start this new year by saying, “I’m going to start _____ on this day.” and then do it.

The STEM Tuesday New Year’s post theme for 2024 is:

One Day or Day One?

One Day vs Day One. Try it and see how it works!

Create. Inspire. Improve. Share.

The Day One philosophy expanded into four steps for getting to the brass tacks and making stuff.

  1. Create – It all starts with an idea, a word, or a mark on a piece of paper. Just do it and see what happens. Make the thing only you can make. Make the thing only your brain can construct. Make the thing and throw it away or take another stab to remake the thing. There is no perfect. The important thing is to get your ideas down. Download the words or images from your brain onto paper and they become real.
  2. Inspire – Investigate and discover what makes you excited. What are the stories or the information that ignites a desire to tell others? If you’re struggling for inspiration, pay attention to where your mind goes when it wanders. It might be trying to tell you something.
  3. Improve – One gets better at doing a thing by doing the thing over and over intentionally. Intentional practice works! As with the creation, once the words or images are downloaded from your brain, they exist. If something exists, it can be improved. Do the work and then do it again.
  4. Share – This step can be the most difficult. It tends to be the most uncomfortable for a creator. Putting creative work out into the world indeed opens one up to criticism and judgment but you can learn so much from showing your work. What works? What doesn’t? What feedback is offered to improve the work? There’s also the inherent reward of developing connections with like-minded creators through the sharing of work. We’re all riding this creativity train together so we might as well make the ride a joy and a celebration. Writing and illustrating help us understand our place in our space. This understanding of our place is enhanced through sharing. 

Technology = Tools 

Although there were amazing STEM advances this past year, like inching closer to a return to the moon or the first FDA-approved gene-editing therapy for sickle-cell anemia, an end-of-year wrapup on one of the news channels called 2023 the “Year of AI”. There has been much talk and even more justifiable concern from the creative community about the use and abuse of artificial intelligence. 

Technology doesn’t create. Creators create. As loyal STEM Tuesday readers, we realize the fact technology is a tool. We know one can use tools positively or negatively. The choice of how we use AI is in our creative hands. If a technology is directly used to create something, that’s stealing. AI is powerful but we must remember AI does what it does by training itself on human creations, often without attribution or compensation. It learns how to write or create by mashing up all the inputs in its database.

Bottom line, 2024 will see an explosion of AI implemented with both good and bad intentions. It’s up to us to decide how we’ll use it and how others use our work.

Happy New Year from the STEM Tuesday Team! Enjoy every “Day One” of your creative journey throughout your entire “stubbornly persistent illusion” that is 2024. 

 

Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky) via Wikimedia Commons

 

Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about life/sports/training-related topics at:  www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at:  www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101, are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming around the X-sphere under the guise of @coachhays64 and on Instagram/Threads at @mikehays64.
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January 2024 New Releases!

By on January 1, 2024   /   Articles, New Releases  

 

Happy 2024 to all our readers! Here are some great new middle-grade books to start your year off right.

Alterations by  Ray Xu  

Kevin Lee is having a really bad week. Although he lives in a crowded Toronto apartment above the family’s alterations and dry-cleaning store, he mostly goes unnoticed. School isn’t exactly an oasis either—being one of the few Asian kids makes for some unwelcome attention. But when Kevin’s class plans a trip to Thrill Planet, a spectacular theme park, will he finally have a chance to turn his life around, or will it just be another day for Kevin Lee?

 

Amil and the After by Veera Hiranandani

At the turn of the new year in 1948, Amil and his family are trying to make a home in India, now independent of British rule.

Both Muslim and Hindu, twelve-year-old Amil is not sure what home means anymore. The memory of the long and difficult journey from their hometown in what is now Pakistan lives with him. And despite having an apartment in Bombay to live in and a school to attend, life in India feels uncertain.

Nisha, his twin sister, suggests that Amil begin to tell his story through drawings meant for their mother, who died when they were just babies. Through Amil, readers witness the unwavering spirit of a young boy trying to make sense of a chaotic world, and find hope for himself and a newly reborn nation.

 

 

Between Two Brothers by  Crystal Allen  

Isaiah “Ice” Abernathy has always worshiped his older brother, Seth. For years they’ve been not just brothers but best friends—and as Seth starts his senior year, Ice is eager to spend as much time with his brother as he can, making memories before Seth goes to college.

But when Seth announces he’s leaving much earlier than expected, and then he misses an important event—one he’d promised to attend—it causes a major fight.

Filled with regret, Ice plans to apologize to Seth later the next day, but later never comes, as he finds out Seth was in an accident—one that leaves him in the hospital. And the doctors say he may never recover.

Racked by fear and guilt, Ice chooses to step up, defy the experts, and help Seth recover in a way only he can—by trusting in their bond and the undying love between two brothers.

Break by  Kayla Miller 

Spring Break is full of possibilities…but not for Olive.

This year, Olive is leaving her friends and all of their exciting vacation plans behind to visit her dad at his new apartment in the city.

Goober is thrilled to spend a whole week with their father and has a long list of activities for their time together. Olive, on the other hand, still remembers the hurt of their dad moving halfway across the world. She would rather spend time with her friend Bree or scrolling through her new phone to keep up with everything she’s missing back home than catch up with him.

As the week winds on, the normally easygoing Olive finds feelings of loneliness and resentment throwing her out of whack. Is there any hope of salvaging the visit—or will Olive’s Spring Break be a Spring Bust?

The New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller returns with another vibrant and emotional story about the power of second chances and how the fear of missing out can lead to missing out on what’s right in front of you.

Chasing Stars by Meg Gaertner

Growing up comes with growing pains no matter what, but for twelve-year-old Libby, the changes feel like more than she can bear. After an incident caused by his worsening dementia, Libby’s grandfather comes to live with her family, a move that ripples out into other changes. Libby’s dad quits his job to become the grandfather’s primary caretaker, while her mom picks up the financial slack by working extra shifts. Meanwhile, Libby’s older sister and ex-best friend, Erica, packs for a move to boarding school to make room in their modest family home. Libby feels like her cozy world is crashing down around her. But how can she keep up when she’s the only one standing still?

 

 

 

The Code of Life by  Dr. Carla Hafner, illustrated by Mike Scheier  

Why do children look like their parents? Why are some people blond and others brunette, and where do we get our eye color from?

This book explains genetic theory, what genes are, why DNA plays an important role and what all these insights have to do with a curious monk. An exciting journey through the history of science, present-day genetic research and engineering and right through to the question of identity – because who would have thought how much of our personality is defined by our genes and how interesting genes can be?

 

 

The Curse of Eelgrass Bog by  Mary Averling  

Nothing about Kess Pedrock’s life is normal. Not her home (she lives in her family’s Unnatural History Museum), not her interests (hunting for megafauna fossils and skeletons), and not her best friend (a talking demon’s head in a jar named Shrunken Jim).

But things get even stranger than usual when Kess meets Lilou Starling, the new girl in town. Lilou comes to Kess for help breaking a mysterious curse—and the only clue she has leads straight into the center of Eelgrass Bog.

Everyone knows the bog is full of witches, demons, and possibly worse, but Kess and Lilou are determined not to let that stop them. As they investigate the mystery and uncover long-buried secrets, Kess begins to realize that the curse might hit closer to home than she’d ever expected, and she’ll have to summon all her courage to find a way to break it before it’s too late.

 

Emma and the Love Spell by Meredith Ireland 

Twelve-year-old, Korean American adoptee Emma Davidson has a problem. Two problems. Okay, three:

1. She has a crush on her best friend, Avangeline, that she hasn’t been able to share
2. Avangeline now has to move out of their town because her parents are getting a divorce
3. Oh, and Emma is a secret witch who can’t really control her powers

It’s a complicated summer between sixth and seventh grade. Emma’s parents made her promise that she’d keep her powers a secret and never, ever use them. But if Avangeline’s parents fell back in love, it would fix everything. And how hard could one little love spell be?

This fast-paced, heartfelt story is a powerful exploration of learning to embrace who you are, even when your true self is different from everyone around you.

Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors By Gail D. Villanueva

Lulu Sinagtala can’t wait for a fun Christmas break. She’s excited to hang out with her sister, Kitty, and best friend, Bart; to reenact her favorite legends from Tagalog folklore (like the amazing tale of Bernardo Carpio); and, of course, to eat as much yummy street-side inihaw as possible!

But when a vicious wakwak attacks her neighborhood and kidnaps Mom, Lulu discovers the creatures and deities of Tagalog myth are real and that two additional Realms exist beyond our own. To make it worse, Lulu has superhuman strength and the ability to wield magic, meaning she’s the only one powerful enough to stop the evil spirit who’s determined to rule the three Realms at all costs. No pressure, right?

Lulu, Kitty, and Bart set off on a quest to rescue Mom, where they outsmart cunning enemies, battle vengeful beings, and form unlikely alliances. Soon they find themselves swept into a centuries-long fight, unraveling secrets about Lulu and her past that threaten to upend everything and throw the whole universe into chaos. Can Lulu muster the strength (superhuman or not) to find out who she really is and who she can trust to save Mom and the three Realms before it’s too late?

The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat 

When a notorious thief is out for priceless treasure (gems! cats! general decorum!)—who’re you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that’s who! Olive Cobin Zang has . . . issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!) Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that’s now a “reforming arts school”!

But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems—and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime . . . and Olive has arrived just in time.

Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.

The Unbeatable Lily Hong by Diana Ma

If there’s one thing Lily Hong can’t stand, it’s being second best. That’s why she and Max Zhang have been bitter rivals ever since he swooped into town as the new kid with the cool clothes and his fancy downtown Chinese school and showed her up in the fifth-grade reading challenge.

She had wanted to be the one to win the pizza party for their class. Okay, so that was two years ago . . . her best friends Kelli and Lauren didn’t totally get it, but they were on her side. And that’s why they agreed to help Lily with her submission for the Clarktown’s Got Talent video competition. Filmmaking is Lily’s passion—which means winning is more important to her than ever.

Unfortunately, finding time to work on her video submission is proving harder than ever. In addition to doing regular homework and attending the Chinese school her parents own and run out of the Clarktown Community Center, Lily’s been getting weird vibes from her parents lately and she can tell something is up. Then her mom announces that the Clarktown Community Center is having its first showcase, and the students of Hong Chinese Academy will be performing as a group—traditional Chinese dance!

Lily is more confused than anything else—the community center is practically falling apart and they think this is a good time to put on a show? Could it be that the community center is in trouble and the only way to save it is to make the showcase a huge success? Lily has no choice. She’ll have to juggle the video competition and the art of Chinese dance simultaneously. But when Max Zhang unexpectedly shows up in her class at Chinese school with his perfect Mandarin and his surprisingly good dance skills, Lily might just have to embrace her longtime rival as a key part of her plan to save the community center.

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston

Sharkita “Kita” Hayes is always waiting.
Waiting for her mama to mess up.
Waiting for social services to be called again.
Waiting for her and her siblings to be separated.
Waiting for her worst fear to come true.

But Mama promises things are different now. She’s got a good job, she’s stopped drinking, stopped going out every night-it’s almost enough to make Kita believe her this time. But even as Kita’s life is going good, she can’t shake the feeling that everything could go up in flames at any moment. When her assistant principal and trusted dance coach starts asking questions about her home life, Kita is more determined than ever to keep up appearances and make sure her family stays together-even if it means falling apart herself.

As the threat of her family being separated again circles like a shark in the water, the pressure starts to get to Kita. But could it be that Kita’s worst fear is actually the best thing that could happen to her family . . . and to her?

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