Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction

Ready For Launch: An Astronaut’s Lessons for Success on Earth

Ready For Launch: An Astronaut’s Lessons for Success on EarthReady for Launch: An Astronaut's Lessons for Success on Earth by Scott Kelly
ISBN: 1524764329
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Kelly draws a straight line between his experiences from a “distracted” student to Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) and their relevance in everyday life to lay out a path for “success on Earth”. The writing is accessible, engaging, and will be relatable to its target audience (publisher’s recommended audience is 12 and up).The layout (approx 5” x 7”) and brevity (113 pp). lends itself to a guidebook feel. Each lesson is covered in its own chapter. There are occasional typos (Navy is not capitalized – p. 60) and this book could have benefited from a number of elements that it lacks: index, timeline, bibliography. It feels like at times he is stretching the limits of the experience to tie it into his advice.

Kelly may be better known to adults than to the target audience, due to his well-documented #yearinspace Instagram, when he was on the ISC for 340 days, and the PBS series, A Year in Space. Clearly, Kelly is passionate about the NASA mission and what he has learned about leadership through his experiences. The stories he relates about the ISC are interesting and the advice he attributes to these experiences certainly would be valuable for young people looking for a guidebook to “success” (whatever that looks like).

Reviewed by Deanna Covino, Young School

four-stars

Global Ocean

Global OceanThe Global Ocean by Natasha Donovan, Rochelle Strauss
Published by Kids Can Press on May 3, 2022
ISBN: 1525304917
Pages: 36
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a nonfiction book that presents information about the interconnected nature of the world’s oceans. It’s loaded with information about sea life, ocean currents, climate change, and more. It looks like a picture book from the outside; however, the text inside is so dense only older readers will be able to stick with it. The information presented is good, the format just isn’t ideal for kids. It would have served its audience better as a longer book with more infographics and broken up blocks of text. Recommended for readers 5th grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Just Joking Science

Just Joking ScienceJust Joking Science by National Geographic Society
Published by National Geographic Kids on March 22, 2022
ISBN: 1426371519
Pages: 208
Genres: Animals, Humor
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a National Geographic book of jokes camouflaged as something scientific. Per usual for National Geographic, there are gorgeous photographs throughout the book, but there is minimal science. Each page features a handful of jokes written as speech bubbles coming out of animal mouths. Some jokes are nature/science related, and some are not. There are small snippets of scientific information on some pages that relate to either the picture or the joke, but the text is much smaller and science buffs may find themselves fishing for more facts. In reality, this is a joke book and not a science book. Fans of slapstick and knock knock jokes will enjoy it though younger readers may not actually understand some of the puns. Recommended for readers 2nd grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

three-stars

Oceanarium

OceanariumOceanarium by Loveday Trinick, Teagan White
Series: Welcome to the Museum
Published by Big Picture Press on April 5, 2022
ISBN: 1536223816
Pages: 112
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
three-stars

This is a large, oversized book. The digitally-colored graphic and watercolor illustrations are attractive, though it can take a while before realizing the illustrations are not to scale. The book is presented as though the reader is visiting a museum, so the authors are the curators and chapters are the galleries. Each gallery describes a few animals of a certain type, ex.: plankton, arthropods, birds, etc. Most galleries also include a description of a particular habitat, ex.: coral reef, deep sea. For the creatures included in the book, the entry for each includes the common name, Latin name, size, and some descriptive information. The most disappointing portion is the double page oceanic zones illustration. The giant sea spider looks like an extremely interesting creature, but it is not in the index, and research takes time to discover that its true size means illustrations are not to scale. Other animals on the oceanic zones are also not included in the book, making this the most disappointing part of a browsing book that may turn off some reader excitement for those who might otherwise have followed up with the “To Learn More” resources.

Recommended for Grades 4-8

Reviewed by Betsey Noble, Marcia Buker Elementary School

three-stars

Can You Believe It? : How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts

Can You Believe It? : How to Spot Fake News and Find the FactsCan You Believe It?: How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant, Kathleen Marcotte
Published by Kids Can Press on June 7, 2022
ISBN: 1525303228
Pages: 56
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

With a background of journalism and teaching media studies, Grant wants to build up young people’s media literacy. The illustrations on the book cover and end pages show newspapers prominently, but also laptops and smartphones. The look of the book is not a comic book, but it is more text on illustrations than illustrations complimenting text. The Open Sans font used for the book text is a very thin font; some eyes may find this very tiring. Note that p. 24 has a colloquial expression to describe how fans of a ball team could feel about a lost game, “From their point of view, it sucked.” As an introduction to writing for journalism, the book has much possibility. It does introduce the idea of fake news, but whether repeated cautions to be skeptical and check sources leads a reader to then wonder about the book itself is a question.

Recommended for grades 5-8

Reviewed by Betsey Noble, Dresden Elementary School

four-stars

Become an App Inventor : The Official Guide from MIT App Inventor : Your Guide to Designing, Building, and Sharing Apps

Become an App Inventor : The Official Guide from MIT App Inventor : Your Guide to Designing, Building, and Sharing AppsBecome an App Inventor: The Official Guide from Mit App Inventor: Your Guide to Designing, Building, and Sharing Apps by Karen Lang, Mit App Inventor Project, Mit Computer Science and Artificial Inte, Selim Tezel
Published by Miteen Press on February 8, 2022
ISBN: 1536219142
Pages: 224
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

MIT App Inventor is a web-based programming environment for creating apps to run on smartphones and tablets. Any middle or high school student who has had a chance to code with MIT’s Scratch should recognize the similarities and feel comfortable moving to App Inventor and try its six apps (a maze game and musical instrument are two of the apps). The book has a thorough Introduction, listing all the things needed to begin your first app. An overall attractive layout design has many screen shots on cream-colored pages with so much white space that personal copies of this book likely have notes scribbled everywhere. Each chapter has its own header color, so it is possible to flip between chapters quickly. True stories of real coders, as young as twelve, pepper the book, and those have color down the length of the page. Once you realize the color significance, any time you need a confidence booster, you could quickly open the book to a coder’s story. The six apps included in the book are intended to use in sequence, the skills learned for one building into the skills learned and used for the next. The Conclusion section, perhaps not the usual next spot for reading after an early chapter, is where any struggling beginner programmer finds mention of tutorials available online.

Reviewed by Betsey Noble, Dresden Elementary School

five-stars

On the Move: Home Is Where You Find It

On the Move: Home Is Where You Find ItOn the Move: Poems about Migration by Michael Rosen, Quentin Blake
Published by Candlewick Press on February 8, 2022
ISBN: 1536218103
Pages: 144
Genres: Fiction in Verse/Poetry
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

In this moving and emotional book of selected original poetry, author Michael Rosen takes the reader into a collection of forty-nine poems that explore themes of migration, and heart-rending words about the displacement of humans through actual elements of his childhood while living in the shadow of World War II. The author also incorporates the lives of his relatives during that war, refugees, and the push of people being removed from their homes, communities, and countries as it relates to the current displacements happening in the world today. This is a powerful book with poems starkly illustrated with black ink and mauve, blue, and black water color washes. All done by the talented Quentin Blake – an illustrator of many awards and interactions with people such as Roald Dahl and Russel Hoban. The book is organized into several chapters. Each titled separately: Family and Friends, The War, The Migrants and Me, & On the Move Again with each chapter containing 7-10 poignant and beautifully written poems. The book concludes with acknowledgements and four pages of Resources and How to Help – many of these resources focus on humans rights, rescue committees, refugee agencies, world food programs, and information on how to access charities and organizations for Holocaust Education. It is a book that speaks to the many difficulties that migrants faced then and continue to face today.
Ages 10-14

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Library

four-stars

Weird But True: Rocks and Minerals

Weird But True: Rocks and MineralsRocks and Minerals by Michael Burgan
Published by National Geographic Kids on February 1, 2021
ISBN: 1426371837
Genres: Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
four-stars

Rock and mineral fans, rejoice! This fun and comprehensive National Geographic book will delight readers with new and interesting facts. Each two page spread features a type of rock or mineral or some significant geological formation or event. There are high quality photos as well as graphics with additional information. The text is pretty small, and the book is loaded with information, so this one is best for older rock explorers.

Recommended for readers 5th grade and up.

Reviewed by Jessie Trafton, Skidompha Library, Damariscotta, ME

four-stars

Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life

Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric LifeFossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life by Cheryl Blackford
Published by Clarion Books on January 25, 2022
ISBN: 0358396050
Pages: 128
Genres: Biography/Autobiography, Non-Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

Raised in a poor community on the  southern shore of England, Mary Anning learned from her father how to hunt for fossils at low tide. After the passing of her father, Mary found herself in a precarious position. Her mother became unable to care for her and her brother, but someone had to support the family. So Mary took her fossil hunting very seriously. She could sell to collectors anything she found. And find fossils, she did. Mary found the first ever complete skeleton of an ichthyosaurus, the first complete plesiosaur fossil, the first British-found pterodactyl, and many other important discoveries. Many of her finds helped to create our current understanding of evolution. Sadly, Mary did not receive the recognition and credit that she deserved for this during her lifetime. This book helps to carry her legacy forward. Short chapters walk through Mary’s life and all the important discoveries she made. Beautiful drawings of the creatures she found are included, as well as primary sources such as Mary’s letters and prints of skeletons. Included materials are: an index, image and quote credits, a bibliography, a glossary, a timeline, and an author’s note. While this will be a hit with anyone interested in dinosaurs, fossils, or historical women, this is recommended for all nonfiction collections. Best for ages 9+.

Reviewed by Kara Reiman, Maine State Library

five-stars

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting The Nazis

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting The NazisAlias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood, Greg Dawson
Published by HarperCollins on March 22, 2022
ISBN: 0063083892
Pages: 352
Genres: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
Goodreads
five-stars

This biography is written in verse by an outstanding author in conjunction with the son of pianist Zhanna Arshanskaya. Although the time period was before and during WWII there is a strong tie to the current situation in the Ukraine. Juvenile readers may well find comfort that two piano prodigies escaped the Nazis. Both sisters were strong young girls who manage to flee while using their musical abilities before immigrating to America. Middle school students who appreciate history will find this true story spell binding. Each short entry tells just a piece of the sister’s experiences while it documents the harsh reality of war. End pages are extensive including; photos, musical pieces, websites, sources and possible field trips.

Although sad, this is a book about hope that needs to be available to current readers. Our world may be a messy place and the news stories are brutal but even students need to rally for the rights of all. Add this biography to middle school collections and place on the shelves in public libraries. Librarians will know which students and teachers will appreciate Alias Anna.

Reviewed by Jan Hamilton, Retired Youth Services Librarian

five-stars