Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction

Blacklisted! Hollywood, The Cold War, and The First Amendment

Blacklisted! Hollywood, The Cold War, and The First AmendmentBlacklisted!: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment by Larry Dane Brimner
on January 1st 1970
ISBN: 1620916037
Genres: Non-Fiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Years after World War II, the fear of communism was on the rise in the United States. In 1947, the House of Un-American Activities Committee was created by Congress and Hollywood was the target along with the jeopardy of the First Amendment.

Great resource for the Red Scare era of US History. Recommended for grade 7 and up.

Created by Kristin Taylor, Biddeford HS, Biddeford Maine

five-stars

Google It: A History of Google

Google It: A History of GoogleGoogle It!: How Two Students' Mission to Organize the Internet Changed the World by Anna Redding
Published by Feiwel & Friends on August 14th 2018
ISBN: 1250148227
Pages: 272
Goodreads
three-stars

This book reads like a long love letter to Google. This is both problematic and interesting. One problem comes right at the start with the exaggeration of how “difficult” it was to find information before Google’s became ever-present in our lives. Readers may leave with the impression that it must have been near to impossible to find your way to a set of encyclopedias or a library to find what you needed to know. Admittedly, Google has changed our world and there is much to learn in the book about how they did it. Anna Crowley Redding research is thorough and most readers will learn something new about Google from this book. Redding is an award-winning journalist and her writing is well-paced and absorbing; students would want to read this independently as well as a source for research. However, it is concerning that Redding does not fully explore the complications that Google has faced (i.e., privacy concerns with Google Glass) in this history of the company and its founders. Even with the problems, this is a solid purchase for libraries and it might just remind students that information can be learned by reading a book and not just online. Source notes and a bibliography are included.

Recommended for grades 6 and up

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School

three-stars

When You Grow Up to Vote

When You Grow Up to VoteWhen You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You by Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel, Grace Lin
Published by Roaring Brook Press on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 1626728798
Pages: 96
Goodreads
four-stars
With short chapters covering everything from garbage collection to becoming President of the United States, Roosevelt’s 1932 original storybook for children covers all aspects of public service, including the importance of being an active participant by voting.  Each chapter begins with a bright illustration by Grace Lin and easy to understand descriptions of the various job titles that help towns and cities and states and ultimately the nation function. While the text has been updated and modified to represent how our government works in the 21st century, it is a wonder to read passages where Roosevelt refers to “my husband.”  Offering a great overview of our nation’s government and the role of civil service, this book will fit nicely in all elementary libraries. It’s only disappointment is Lin’s black and white drawings which seem so drab compared to those in color.

Reviewed by Suzanne Dix, Westbrook Middle School, Westbrook

four-stars

Math Lab for Kids: Geometry + Topology

Math Lab for Kids: Geometry + TopologyGeometry and Topology: Fun, Hands-On Activities for Learning Math by Rebecca Rapoport, J a Yoder
Published by Quarry - Quarto Library on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1631594540
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars
Math Lab introduces the reader to fun, hands-on activities focusing on Geometry and Topology.  Each of the ten labs is accompanied by colorful, easy to follow diagrams and a math fact.  Readers will learn about different types of shapes (prisms, anti-prisms, pyramids, platonic solids, circles, ellipses), how to compare the shapes, and discover Mobius strips.  Materials are easy to access (gumdrops, string, paper) and experimentation is encouraged. Challenging terms (vertex, oblique) are described in an easy to understand manner. Hints and solutions are provided at the back of the book as well as a couple links for further activities.  Although a link for printable versions of some of the exercises is also provided, when the site was accessed no activities relating to these topics existed. Intended for 4th-8th graders, some of the pictures show younger children. Older readers may find the text informative, but the activities not challenging enough.  Parents and teachers may place this book in the hands of a younger student needing a challenge or an older student struggling to grasp geometric shapes.

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion

Unsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World ChampionUnsinkable: From Russian Orphan to Paralympic Swimming World Champion by Jessica Long
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on June 26th 2018
ISBN: 1328707253
Pages: 112
Goodreads
three-stars
In a series of “moments”, Jessica Long details her journey starting with being adopted from Russia by an American family to winning multiple medals in the Paralympics.  Having both her legs amputated below the knee due to fibular hemimelia as a child, Long trains hard, swims fast, and deals with her multiple challenges with persistence and determination.  This middle grade memoir will appeal to readers interested in swimming, training for the Olympics, the Paralympics, and overcoming physical/emotional limitations. Intriguing facts, training schedules, and Paralympic insider information fill the pages (putting on an Olympic swimsuit can take up to 45 minutes), but the reader may be left longing to know more about the author’s daily struggles.  This easy to read, age-appropriate narrative addresses both Long’s physical struggles as well as her emotional conflicts including disappointment, failing, and finding her biological parents.  The colorful pictures and sidebars will easily carry 4th-8th grade readers through the slightly disorganized arrangement of “moments.”

Reviewed by Heather Hale, Easton School District, Easton

three-stars

Ski Soldier: A World War II Biography

Ski Soldier: A World War II BiographySki Soldier: A World War II Biography by Louise Borden
Published by Calkins Creek Books on September 11th 2018
ISBN: 1629796743
Goodreads
four-stars
In this biography in verse, Louise Borden introduces readers to Pete Seibert who grew up skiing in New England and joined the US Army 10th Light Division in 1943. The 10th Division soldiers trained on skis in the Rocky Mountains before being sent to the mountains of Italy to during World War II. Louise Borden weaves brings together quotes, primary documents and the poetic narrative to tell the story of a brave and talented young man who was injured in battle and overcame obstacles when he returned home. Ski Soldier is a recommended purchase for middle school and public library collections.

Reviewed by Cathy Potter, Falmouth Middle School, Falmouth

four-stars

Resist

ResistResist: 35 Profiles of Ordinary People Who Rose Up Against Tyranny and Injustice by Veronica Chambers, Tracy Turnbull
Published by HarperCollins on September 25th 2018
ISBN: 0062796259
Pages: 224
Goodreads
four-stars
Resist – 35 Profiles of Ordinary people who rose up against tyranny and injustice, is a collection of short biographies of various people who fought for what they believed in. Each story/bio is only a few pages long, includes a quote from them at the beginning of the chapter and ends with a “#Resist Lesson” that sums up one aspect of this famous person’s resistance that kids can take away from it. The bios are fairly diverse, including Sojourner Truth, Emiliano Zapata, Sitting Bull, Malala Yousafzai, Mohandas Gandhi, Hedy Lamarr, and many more. The book begins with a great foreword by Senator Cory Booker and an afterword by one of the survivors of the Parkland school shooting. The only negative about this book is that because the bios are so short, they tend to gloss over many aspects of each person’s history. This is a good addition to a middle grade biography section.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

four-stars

The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator Mary Shelley

The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator Mary ShelleyMary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein's Creator by Catherine Reef
Published by Clarion Books on September 18th 2018
ISBN: 1328740056
Pages: 224
Goodreads
three-stars
“The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator Mary Shelley” by Catherine Reef is an interesting biography that goes through Mary Shelley’s life from birth to death. It is fairly depressing, since Mary had a lot of bad stuff happen in her life (from being shunned by her family, to living in poverty, to having multiple children die, and more!), but it is very thorough and includes a lot of illustrations to break up the large amounts of text.  Because there is a lot of information, the book is fairly dense and not for someone who is casually interested in Mary’s life. I learned many things about her that I never knew and think that this would be a good addition to your collection if you have a lot of young adult biographies or for a teen who is really into bios.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook

three-stars

Power On!: Life-Changing Technology

Power On!: Life-Changing TechnologyPower On! Power On!: Life-Changing Technology Life-Changing Technology by Eleanor Cardell
Published by Full Tilt Press on August 1st 2017
ISBN: 1629206075
Goodreads
four-stars
Power On! focuses on four technological enhancements that made a big impact on the technology we now use. The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 ultimately led to the formation of the telecommunications company AT&T, transcontinental telephone lines, and the 911 system. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first “fireside chats” in 1933 helped American people connect more directly with the President via radio. Now people are connected to our President via television, internet, and twitter. The video game Space Invaders was released in Japan in 1978 which launched an entirely new billion dollar industry — the video game industry. Apple released the first iPhone in 2007 and sold a million phones in just 74 days. That first iPhone has led to touchscreen technology and changed the way we communicate.

Power On! Is part of the Flash Points non-fiction “high-low” series and should appeal to upper elementary/middle school readers and includes a bibliography, index, glossary, and quiz. The design is appealing with lot of photographs and a “How and Why” and “Ripple Effects” timeline in each chapter.

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

four-stars

Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi LeonardKawhi Leonard by Jon M. Fishman
Published by Lerner Publications on January 1st 2018
ISBN: 1541500415
Pages: 32
Goodreads
three-stars
This biography of San Antonio Spurs star player Kawhi Leonard is part of the Sports All-Stars series. Leonard is known for his big hands and wide wingspan (the distance from fingertip to fingertip when your arms are spread straight out). The book covers his early career as a high school basketball star (voted best basketball player in the state of California), his college career, and his professional career with the Spurs. Along the way, he has had to overcome the tragic death of his father while still in high school and various injuries. He also gives back to his community, even donating a new car he won to an organization helping children. His latest endeavor is designing clothing. With brief chapters and photographs, the attractive design should appeal to basketball enthusiasts and is appropriate for upper elementary/middle school readers (grades 4-6). The book includes an index, glossary, bibliography, and source notes.

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

three-stars