Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction

The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor

The Beloved World of Sonia SotomayorThe Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor by Sonia Sotomayor
Published by Delacorte Press on September 4th 2018
ISBN: 1524771147
Pages: 352
Goodreads
four-stars

Sonia Sotomayor has adapted her adult memoir story for teen readers in The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor. The Supreme Court justice relates stories of growing up as part of a close-knit Puerto Rican family in the Bronx. She recounts the challenges of living with Type 1 diabetes and the tragic death of her father. Readers will be inspired by the chapters devoted to Sotomayor’s college years at Princeton and Yale Law School as well as her work in the District Attorney’s office in New York. Throughout the narrative, Sotomayor pays tribute to those who supported her along the way including her Abuelita and her mentor, Judge Joseph Cabrenes. She also describes micro-aggressions and macro-aggressions she encountered throughout high school, college, law school and in the workplace. Sotomayor’s hard work, determination ethics and civic work serve as a model for teen readers.  Unfortunately, awkward sentence structure, invented dialogue and several grammatical errors prevented it from being a Cream of the Crop contender. Several times “till” is used instead of “until,” and “I” is used as an object on page 36 instead of “me.” There is also a reference to “drunken Indians” in a college anecdote, which was problematic.

Grades 6-12

Reviewed by Cathy Potter- Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth

four-stars

Trees

TreesScience Comics: Trees: Kings of the Forest by Andy Hirsch
Series: Science Comics
Published by First Second on August 21st 2018
ISBN: 1250143101
Pages: 128
Goodreads
four-stars

Another winner in the Science Comics series. The series and book are aimed at upper elementary and middle grade readers, but anyone can get a lot out of reading these books. In Hirsch’s deft hands, an expressive acorn is not sure that it wants to become a tree, but aided by a leaf, a frog, a beetle, a woodpecker, a squirrel, and a mushroom, it sees how amazing it is to be one of these majestic plants and how honored it should be to join an ecosystem that provides so much for others. Through this journey of self-discovery, the reader learns so much about trees from their formation to their growth to their pollination and reproduction to their place in the world and finally, and most fascinating, to their way of communicating with one another. There is a lot of scientific vocabulary in this one, but there is a comprehensive glossary in the back and Hirsch does a nice job of explaining in simpler terms many of the complicated scientific processes at work in one tree. The acorn is a fantastic host and through it, Hirsch manages to inject humor and a message of responsibility that it and WE AS HUMANS have to nurture and preserve/protect trees on our planet. This book could be used in an Earth Science class or in a unit on plants or plant/animal adaptations. Add to any collection that already has some of these Science Comics titles and if you don’t have any, start with this one and then add as many as you can.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth

four-stars

Let’s Draw Robots with Crayola!

Let’s Draw Robots with Crayola!Let's Draw Robots with Crayola (R) ! by Kathy Allen, Crayola
Published by Lerner Publications (Tm) on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1512432962
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

For younger artists in grades k-3 who wish to create a variety of robots with a cartoon style, this visual instruction book from Crayola will provide the necessary building blocks.  Most of the 2 page spreads have the same layout.  A title of what the each spread illustrates such as Box Robots, Round Robots, and Robot Animals next to a text box illustrating the different shapes used to create the different robots.  Each robot has 8 steps to create the final robot.  The finished robot is colored with a few colors.  A non-essential page of advertising the names of the crayon colors used follows a joyful, full spread of all the robots pictured in a “Robot World”.  The back page provides three drawing books and two websites as resources.  The websites are geared toward parents, but the second tracing website will be useful for teachers, librarians and parents.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library

five-stars

The Superpower Field Guide: Beavers

The Superpower Field Guide: BeaversBeavers by Rachel Poliquin
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on December 4th 2018
ISBN: 0544949870
Pages: 96
Goodreads
five-stars

This book is all about beavers which at first might make you pass it by. But that would be a mistake. Not only is this book chock-full of amazing beaver facts- stuff like they have orange teeth, they can hold their breath for 15 minutes- and weird stuff- they eat their own poop- it’s got terrific drawings in it and is filled with humor. As you read about the beaver sometimes you will find your self chuckling but for sure you will be impressed with how really incredible beavers are and will want to share all the cool facts you discover with others.

Cream, Grades 3 and up, Mary Lehmer, Freeport Community Library, Freeport, ME

five-stars

Sex Plus

Sex PlusSex Plus: Learning, Loving, and Enjoying Your Body by Laci Green
Published by HarperCollins on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 0062560972
Pages: 528
Goodreads
four-stars

If you have questions, this book has answers! Laci Green, known for her Sex Plus series on YouTube, has been involved in advocacy and sex education work since high school. Knicknamed, the “millennial Dr. Ruth, “ Green is a certified domestic violence advocate and has worked for Planned Parenthood. This book covers it all in a healthy, nonjudgemental, sex-positive tone that will appeal to young adults. There are eighteen chapters with titles like “Clitical” Thinking, Gender Identity, Your Sexual Debut, Safer Sex, Consent and Communication, Relationshipping, and Dating Violence. Green points out many times that she is not a medical professional, however, the book was fact-checked by two doctors and an expert on human sexuality. Resources are listed for each section at the back of the book, as well as an index. Graph, illustrations, and bullet points are used to highlight information and make the text very friendly for teen readers. This is book would be a welcome addition to the 613 section of libraries serving teens. As Green says, “Knowledge is pleasure.” Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

four-stars

Who Invented the Light Bulb?: Edison vs. Swan

Who Invented the Light Bulb?: Edison vs. SwanWho Invented the Light Bulb?: Edison vs. Swan by Susan E. Hamen
Published by Lerner Publications (Tm) on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1512483214
Pages: 32
Goodreads
five-stars

    What are patents? Why are they important? What if someone in another country creates almost the same invention at the same time? These and other questions about inventions in general underlie this volume in the “Alternator Books” series. Readers are encouraged to think beyond basic facts to compare and contrast information and inventors in another way.

    The cover with its bright yellow text and facial photos of Edison and Swan set atop bodies preparing for a boxing match draw the reader’s attention to open this book and find out who won.

    Just the right amount of text for middle and upper elementary readers. Lots of photographs, drawings, fact boxes in a clear layout. Source notes, glossary, timeline, index and “Further Information” make this a solid non-fiction presentation. It’s unique format of “vs.” makes it a standout in the new wave of STEM books.

    Some of the explanations are simplified (such as vacuum pumps), and may be inadequate for advanced middle school students, but this is a great read for entertainment, or as an introduction to these inventors and the process of inventing.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by Lynn Mayer, Old Town Elementary School Library, Old Town

five-stars

Streetcar to Justice

Streetcar to JusticeStreetcar to Justice: How Elizabeth Jennings Won the Right to Ride in New York by Amy Hill Hearth
Published by Greenwillow Books on January 2nd 2018
ISBN: 0062673602
Pages: 160
Goodreads

Hearth tells the story of Elizabeth Jenkins, an African-American woman who refused to give up her (streetcar) seat 100 years before Rosa Parks famously launched the Montgomery bus boycott by refusing to give up her (bus) seat. This book is more than the story of Jenkins, it is the history of New York City and the history of slavery and its aftermath in this country. After Jenkins, a middle-class woman on her way to church, was physically ejected from a New York City streetcar, she and her lawyer (future US President Chester A. Arthur) sued the railroad company in civil court and won. Jenkins, a teacher by trade, went on to found the first free kindergarten for African-American children in New York City. Hopefully this important work will mean more people will learn about the remarkable (and ordinary) life of Elizabeth Jenkins.

This book was meticulously researched and includes reproductions of primary source materials, an annotated bibliography, detailed endnotes, suggested readings, and an index. This book is well-written and accessible to middle school readers. Simply put: a tour de force.

Recommended for Cream of the Crop

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

Science Comics The Brain

Science Comics The BrainScience Comics: The Brain: The Ultimate Thinking Machine by Tory Woollcott, Alex Graudins
Published by First Second on October 16th 2018
ISBN: 1626728011
Pages: 128
Goodreads
four-stars

Two sisters selling cookies door-to-door split up to double their sales. The older sister is kidnapped by an evil brain and a zombie and to keep the evil brain from stealing her brain, she asks him to explain how the brain works. But the fictional story is just a set-up for this otherwise non-fiction graphic novel explaining how the brain works and covering all kinds of topics from the evolution of the brain, to defining cells and neurons, to senses, to the parts of the brain and nervous system, to different types of intelligence. It includes an extensive glossary and would have been even better with the addition of chapter headings or an index.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham

four-stars

Lighting Up The Brain the Science of Optogenetics

four-stars

A new science field, optogenetics, is allowing neuroscientists to look into the brain to see how individual brain cells work. Neuroscientists want to use this new technology on human brains to better understand how the brain processes information.  The hope is to be able to correct blindness,  Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and other health problems. The book has four chapters: mind games, brain study breakthroughs, reading the mind, and mind control. it also contains source notes, a glossary, selected bibliography, further information, and an index. It includes great diagrams and illustrations. This would be good for middle school and above.

 

Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick, GNG Middle School, Gray

four-stars

3D Printing The Revolution in Personalized Manufacturing

Pages: 112
four-stars

This is agreat book to show just how far technology has come. We copied nature… wasp nests are the first 3D print job. The seven chapters include inventing 3D printing, how it works, 3D printing and tradtional manufacturing, 3D printing our health, 3D printing our world, 3D printing our future, and disrupting and democartizing manufacturing. There is a timeline, source notes, glossary, selelcted bibliograpgy, further information, and an index.  Some cool things that can be printed are artifical limb sockets, toddler hearts so doctors can practice surgery before the real operations, used in dentistry,  the Chefjet 3D printer can make candy and other food, and clothes.

Reviewed by Jeri Fitzpatrick, GNG Middle School, Gray

 

four-stars