Book Lists

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Non-Fiction

By on May 20, 2013   /   Book Lists  

I’m not a connoisseur of non-fiction.  I prefer my books full of action, sometimes with blood and lots of plot twists. I like my characters a little warped, consumed with their haunting demons.  These kind of characters only exist in works of fiction, right?

Wrong!

To my surprise, I found lots of characters to love in non-fiction!

Ever wonder about Jezebel, the perfectly bad queen?  How about Bloody Mary, a woman of burning faith? Or Lizzie Borden, one whacky woman and Typhoid Mary, a cook without a conscience?

These are just the kinds of sirens, thieves and female villains you’ll read about in Bad Girls by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple.

From Cleopatra to Lizzie Borden, meet 26 of history's most notorious women. Each bad girl has a rotten reputation, but there are two sides to every tale. Each chapter ends with comic panels featuring caricatures of the authors discussing the women. Illustrations.

From Cleopatra to Lizzie Borden, meet 26 of history’s most notorious women. Each bad girl has a rotten reputation, but there are two sides to every tale. Each chapter ends with comic panels featuring caricatures of the authors discussing the women. Illustrations.

But be careful!  You might find yourself waking during the witching hour with nightmares!

Not a fan of bad girls? Would you rather read something a little less skin-crawling and spine-tingling?  Then you’ll love Home Front Girl by Joan Wehlen Morrison. A sweet journal of love, literature and growing up in wartime America, Home Front Girl is what some have said is reminiscent of Diary of Anne Frank.  This book is technically a YA, but it may suit some mature MG audience members. It provides a heartfelt insight into one of the most memorable times in American history.

Wednesday, December 10, 1941 “Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first casualty lists over the radio. . . . Lots of boys from Michigan and Illinois. Oh my God! . . . Life goes on though. We read our books in the library and eat lunch, bridge, etc. Phy. Sci. and Calculus. Darn Descartes. Reading Walt Whitman now.” This diary of a smart, astute, and funny teenager provides a fascinating record of what an everyday American girl felt and thought during the Depression and the lead-up to World War II. Young Chicagoan Joan Wehlen describes her daily life growing up in the city and ruminates about the impending war, daily headlines, and major touchstones of the era—FDR’s radio addresses, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Goodbye Mr. Chips and Citizen Kane, Churchill and Hitler, war work and Red Cross meetings. Included are Joan’s charming doodles of her latest dress or haircut reflective of the era. Home Front Girl is not only an entertaining and delightful read but an important primary source—a vivid account of a real American girl’s lived experiences.

Wednesday, December 10, 1941

“Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first casualty lists over the radio. . . . Lots of boys from Michigan and Illinois. Oh my God! . . . Life goes on though. We read our books in the library and eat lunch, bridge, etc. Phy. Sci. and Calculus. Darn Descartes. Reading Walt Whitman now.” 

This diary of a smart, astute, and funny teenager provides a fascinating record of what an everyday American girl felt and thought during the Depression and the lead-up to World War II. Young Chicagoan Joan Wehlen describes her daily life growing up in the city and ruminates about the impending war, daily headlines, and major touchstones of the era—FDR’s radio addresses, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Goodbye Mr. Chips and Citizen Kane, Churchill and Hitler, war work and Red Cross meetings. Included are Joan’s charming doodles of her latest dress or haircut reflective of the era. Home Front Girl is not only an entertaining and delightful read but an important primary source—a vivid account of a real American girl’s lived experiences.

I just opened a door to a brand new world of reading for myself and my children.  I’m so glad I’ve found so much to love in non-fiction.

What are your favorite non-fiction books featuring good, bad and ugly female characters?

 

Amie Borst writes twisted fairy tales with her middle-grade daughter, Bethanie. Their first book, Cinderskella, releases October 26th, 2013! You can find them on facebook www.facebook.com/AmieAndBethanieBorst or at Amie’s blog www.amieborst.com

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Remembering the Eruption of Mount St. Helens

By on May 17, 2013   /   Book Lists, For Librarians, For Teachers, Nonfiction  

On May 18, 2013 at 8:32 am PDT, I hope you paused 
to celebrate the amazing power of our Earth, upon which so much depends.  Many of us throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond remember that moment on May 18, 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted, changing lives and the landscape of the Washington Cascades forever.  This anniversary offers an excellent opportunity to connect middle grade readers with an array of informational text and online resources that tell this amazing story — massive destructive power unleashed in seconds, as well as incredible stories of survival and regeneration as the Earth continues to heal.

Books

Volcano: The Eruption and Healing of Mount St. Helens by Patricia Lauber (book cover above)
This is my favorite book on the eruption!  Vivid photographs illustrate Lauber’s engaging description of the run-up to the eruption, the have-to-see-it-to-believe-it impacts on all living things within reach of the explosion, and the dramatic recovery that continues today, 33 years later.  Readers will be enthralled as they figure out how the terms “survivors” and “colonizers” apply in a special volcanic context.

Volcanoes & Earthquakes by James Putnam & Susanna van Rose
Dorling Kindersley’s Eyewitness Books are always kid favorites.  This book explores earth science events around the world, including the eruption of Mount St. Helens.  The photo-heavy format of DK books, with limited and supportive text, makes the book a great option for readers who may be fascinated with volcanoes but struggle with challenging text.

 

Gopher to the Rescue! A Volcano Recovery Story 
by Terry Catasus Jennings & Laurie O’Keefe
OK, Gopher isn’t technically nonfiction, but the National Science Teachers Association liked it so much, they named it to the 2013 Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12, calling it “A good story that gives an unusual perspective on a current topic, showing succession after a volcano eruption on Mt. St. Helens.”

Will It Blow?: Become a Volcano Detective at Mount St. Helens
by Elizabeth Rusch; ill. by K.E. Lewis
Readers who wonder what’s next for Mount St. Helens and other active volcanoes can put on their scientist/detective caps and tackle the question, “Will it blow — and when?”  Interactive, engaging, and grounded in the real-life work that challenges scientists right now.

 

Teaching Resources

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Visit the US Forest Service’s rich, interactive website on everything related to the eruption and rebirth!  Students can take a webcam peek at the mountain in real time, or watch archived video of a period of significant eruptions from 2004.

US Geological Survey Volcano Hazards Program: Mount St. Helens
This site is filled with accessible scientific information from the United States Geological Survey.  Students can hear directly from USGS scientists about what happened leading up to, during, and after the eruption in a video that uses dramatic images from that day.

NOVA Program on the Eruption of Mount St. Helens (Public Broadcasting System)
This YouTube clip from an episode of the award-winning science program, NOVA on PBS, shows both real and simulated images of the eruption and its aftermath.

Gallery of Earth Images: NASA’s Space Place
See NASA satellite images of active volcanoes, from Mount St. Helens to all corners of the world.

Dave Crockett:  A First-Person Account by KOMO-4 (Seattle) News Photographer
The thoroughly riveting video was shot by a Seattle news photographer who was on Mount St. Helens that morning, because he “had a hunch that something was about to happen.”  Crockett was caught right in the middle of the action and miraculously survived.  Dave’s story reminds us also to honor the 57 people– loggers, campers, scientists — who were nearby but not as fortunate.

 

On May 18, 1980, Katherine Schlick Noe stepped out into a beautiful Seattle morning and heard what she thought were two distant sonic booms. She’s been fascinated with the story of Mount St. Helens ever since. Visit her at http://katherineschlicknoe.com.

 

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For Parents Page Update

By on May 15, 2013   /   Book Lists  

Have you visited the For Parents Page lately? Me neither!

Image of a tea cup.That is I hadn’t… not until I was put in charge of updating it’s content. And so with looming deadlines (and a couple cranky kids) I stole five minutes from my day, brewed a cup of tea and sat down for a visit.

I found lots to love on the For Parents Page.  And not much to add.  Here are a few of the highlights;

Turning kids into bookworms provides a list of seven great resource books to kickstart your child’s love of reading. I’m looking forward to checking out these titles and finding new resources to add to the list. Let us know if you have any good suggestions!

Start Reading, Keep Reading provides great tips for keeping bookworms hooked on books.  Also Creating a home library, encouraging your child’s school to host Reading and Arts Festivals, and Get ‘Plugged In’ as a Family… lots of  good ideas to keep reading fun! We’ll be looking to add more information on apps to ‘getting plugged in’ so again if you have any suggestions please feel free to comment.

With no time to spare, I browsed through the “quick links for parents” which was of course, not quick at all.  With so many great booklists and reading suggestions, I decided to pull them together into a page on Finding the Right Book.

Until now, my approach to finding the right book for my two ferocious readers has involved huge stacks of books and multiple visits to the library. But now that they are moving into middle grade books and  hoarding them in their room, this is not so practical. Hopefully, there is some information here that  will save us all some time (and library fines!)

So, take five minutes (or more) and your beverage of choice and head on over to the  For Parents Page.  I’m sure you’ll find something that makes you go hmmmm….. or Eureka!  And if you think of a topic you’d like added – please let us know!

Yolanda Ridge is the mother of twin boys who are both ferocious readers with radically different book preferences.  She is also the author of Trouble in the Trees (Orca Book Publishers, 2011) and Road Block (Orca Book Publishers, 2012).

 

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