Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon

18. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction · Tags:

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin, read by Angie on 05/18/2013

I am so glad narrative nonfiction is becoming the “in” thing because it is so much more interesting to read than boring old regular nonfiction! This book is as compelling as any novel I have read. Sheinkin did an amazing job researching the events and the people that led up to the creation of the bomb. I can’t imagine all the FBI files he had to read to get some of this stuff. In Bomb, he takes a look at how the Americans started the race to beat the Germans to the atomic bomb and how the Russians stole the plans. We get first-hand accounts of the events and what the people involved thought at the time. It was truly fascinating and hard to put down.

This is a 2013 Newbery Honor Book, the 2013 Sibert Medal Winner, and a 2012 National Book Award finalist.

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Saved Jews During the Holocaust

18. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Saved Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle, Deborah Durland DeSaix, read by Angie on 05/16/2013

There are many stories of people helping their Jewish neighbors during WWII, but this is one I had not heard of. The Grand Mosque in Paris was responsible for saving many Jews by hiding them and getting them Muslim identification papers. Of course this only worked on those Jews who could pass for Muslim. There are many individual stories in this book and it all paints a picture of heroism at a time of great risk. The illustrations are wonderful and beautiful. Definitely a book to recommend to those interested in WWII, history or heroism.

Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto

18. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Angie, Biographies, Children's Books, History, NonFiction

Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator), read by Angie on 05/16/2013

There is just something about WWII stories that really pulls at my heart. I find the people who worked for the underground movements and helped the Jewish people fascinating. There is something about their courage and heroism that really makes you look at your own life and wander what you would have done in a similar situation. Not everyone was strong enough to stand up for what was right, but Irena Sendler was definitely one of those heroes. Her story is similar to others who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, but it is definitely worth knowing. I thought this picture book biography did a good job of showing her courage and dedication to doing what is right. She is a hero from a very dark time in our history and her story deserves to be told.

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

06. May 2013 · Write a comment · Categories: Angie, Biographies, Children's Books, NonFiction · Tags: ,

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd, read by Angie on 05/06/2013

It is amazing how much Ben Franklin did in his long life. I am not sure there is any part of life that he did not explore and conquer. He was an inventor, a scientist, a statesman, a diplomat, an educator, an author and so much more. Many of the things we use in every day life can be attributed to Franklin. Many of the institutions and concepts we rely on were first suggested by Franklin. If there is any man who is responsible for our way of life it might be Franklin. He is an amazing historical figure. This biography does a great job of breaking his life down into its most important eras. I loved all the information and the sidebars the author provided not just about Franklin, but life during his time period.

This book was a Sibert Honor Book and an Orbis Pictus Honor Book in 2013.

Those Rebels, John and Tom

06. May 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction · Tags:

Those Rebels, John and Tom by Barbara Kerley, Edwin Fotheringham (Illustrator), read by Angie on 05/06/2013

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two of our founding fathers. They could not have been more different yet they believed in the same thing…an independent America. Together they helped this country become free and were both presidents. They even died on the same day. I think their story is an interesting one and this book does a great job of illustrating the time period and their friendship. The illustrations are wonderful and very child friendly. The entire book read like a Saturday morning special…School House Rocks maybe. 2013 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children honor book.

Pearl Verses the World

12. April 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Children's Books, Fiction, Sarah

Pearl Verses the World by Sally Murphy, read by Sarah on 04/10/2013

hw7.plPearl is a young lady who lives with her mom and grandma as a group of three.  At school, she believes that she is a group of one, but through a series of events she realizes that her group of one has expanded to include classmates.  This is a heart wrenching story written in verse through Pearl’s viewpoint as she struggles with rhyming in school when her grandma taught her that free unrhymed verse can tell a story much more effectively, sometimes.  This story really touched my heart as the little girl has to deal with her grandma’s decline.  I recommend reading it with a kleenax ready!

Out of my mind

02. April 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Children's Books, Claudia, Fiction

Out of my mind by Sharon Draper, read by Claudia Schoonover on 02/19/2013

After repeatedly hearing what a great book this is from several people, and most importantly my 10 year old son, I decided to read it out loud to my 8 year old daughter.  Neither of were prepared for the emotional impact his book would have on us and for me, it lingers in my mind to this day.  Meet Melody.  She is a 5th grader who suffers from cerebral palsy. Although Melody has never spoken a single word or walked one step, she is one brillant young girl.  Her mind is always working overtime! This book is about assumptions….the ones we make about people who are different than us, especially people with disabilites.  Everyone in Melody’s world assumes just because her body doesn’t work that her brain doesn’t either.  This book is told in Melody’s unsentimental voice, and she tells it exactly how it is!  With the exception of her parents and another caregiver, she is considered invisible and incapable of interaction, let alone actually being able to learn something or contribute in a classroom setting.  She is literally going “out of her mind” from boredom and frustration and the inability ot express herself.  She is wasting away in school classes that don’t even begin to quench her thirst for learning….until a special teacher sees her potential.  Soon after, with the help of her devoted after-school care giver, Melody acquires a medi-talker (a machine that gives her a voice) and a whole new world is opens up to her….but it isn’t necessarily an accepting one.  Melody still struggles against preconceived notions about her and her disability….even from teachers!  This book is a must read for 3-6 graders, and is a Mark Twain nominee with a strong chance of winning this year’s award.  My money is on Sharon Draper!  This is a great book with a tough, but realistic ending.

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and other Female Villains

19. March 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Biographies, Children's Books, History, Melody, NonFiction · Tags:

Bad Girls: Sirens, Jezebels, Murderesses, Thieves, and other Female Villains by Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple, and Rebecca Guay, read by Melody Hoag on 03/15/2013

Bad Girls is the perfect foil to the book I just read about women who changed the world.  While Girls who Rocked the World was about scientists, activists, and heroes who made the world a better place, Bad Girls is about women who made their mark in a different way.  There are blood baths, axe slayings, fallen women, and outlaws.   Mata Hari, Typhoid Mary, Catherine the Great, and Salome.  Yolen and her daughter and co-author Stemple debate in asides between the chapters whether the women were really as bad as history paints them or were there other circumstances to consider.  Fun read and who doesn’t love a bad girl?

GIrls Who Rocked the World

13. March 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Biographies, Children's Books, Melody, NonFiction · Tags: ,

Girls Who Rocked the World by Michelle Roehm McCann and AMelie Welden , read by Melody Hoag on 03/11/2013

Girls Who Rocked the World is a collection of 46 short biographies of women who changed the world.  It is a great mix of famous and less famous women ranging from the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut to actress Natalie Portman.  It is a children’s book so it is light on the scandals and controversies of the rich and complicated lives of some of these women but it is enjoyable quick read for Women’s History Month.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

07. March 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Children's Books, Fiction, Sarah · Tags: ,

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer, read by Sarah on 03/06/2013

close to famous

Foster is the best cupcake baker in West Virginia, but she is hiding a secret she is too embarrassed to admit.  She and her mother have just escaped a rough relationship and have started fresh in this little town named Culpepper.  The town boasts a prison, Angry Wayne’s restaurant, a church for sale, and a haven house for prisoners’ families to stay in while visiting.  Foster and her mother have won their way into the town’s hearts with their hard work, perseverance, and dedication.  Foster wants to be the first kid on the Food Network with her own show, so often she will practice her shtick with the stuffed catfish on the wall of their borrowed trailer.  Good stuff.

I really enjoyed this 2013-2014 Mark Twain Award nominee.  The author connects you to Foster immediately and you can’t help but root for her.  If you believe in yourself and work hard, then you can be successful at anything you put your mind to.

Lisa’s Reads

27. February 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Biographies, Children's Books, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, History, Lisa, Mystery, NonFiction

by , read by Lisa on 02/27/2013

  Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley, 378 pages
When the tomb of St. Tancred is opened at a village church in Bishop’s Lacey, its shocking contents lead to another case for Flavia de Luce, where greed, pride and murder result in old secrets coming to light, along with a forgotten flower that hasn’t been seen for half a thousand years.
  Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, 358 pages
Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired) leads a quiet life in the village of St. Mary, England, until his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But will their relationship survive in a society that considers Ali a foreigner?
People around the world know the story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, but not many know the story of his creator, J. M. Barrie. Barrie’s young childhood was marked by sorrow, but also held great adventure. His adult life and relationship with the Davies family brought about a second childhood that helped him to create his lasting triumph. Masterfully illustrated by Steve Adams and using Barrie’s own words, Jane Yolen tells the story of the author and the boys who changed his life.

Recounts the events surrounding the 1957 photograph taken by Will Counts that captured one of nine African-American students trying to enter an Arkansas high school while being taunted by an angry white mob and discusses how the photo brought the civil rights movement to the forefront of the nation’s attention.

Nine African-American students made history when they defied a governor and integrated an Arkansas high school in 1957. It was the photo of one of the nine trying to enter the school- a young girl being taunted, harassed, and threatened by an angry mob- that grabbed the world’s attention and kept its disapproving gaze on Little Rock, Arkansas. In defiance of a federal court order, Governor Orval Faubus called in the National Guard to prevent the students from entering the all-white Central High School. A chilling photo by newspaper photographer Will Counts captured the sneering expression of a girl in the mob and made history.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream Speech in Translation: What It Really Means

24. February 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, Informational Book, NonFiction

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech in Translation: What It Really Means by Leslie J. Holland, read by Angie on 02/23/2013

What a wonderful book! This book has Martin Luther King Jr.’s I have a dream speech and tells you what he meant. I love how the speech is broken down and translated for today’s young readers. The translation let’s you know what King was saying and what was going on at the time of the speech. Wonderful introduction to the civil rights movement.

Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States

15. February 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction · Tags: , ,

Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States by Patricia C. McKissack, read by Angie on 02/13/2013

Days of Jubilee tells the story of the end of slavery in the United States. McKissack uses slave narratives throughout to illustrate the events of the times. She takes us through the beginnings of slavery to the emancipation of the slaves after the Civil War. There is a lot of historical detail in this book; McKissack really did her research. This is a thoughtful, well researched book that anyone can enjoy.

Trapped

06. February 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, Informational Book, NonFiction

Trapped : how the world rescued 33 miners from 2,000 feet below the Chilean desert by Marc Aronson, read by Angie on 02/05/2013

The story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for several months captured the world’s attention. It was an amazing rescue effort and their story is a fascinating one. Unfortunately, I don’t think this book does their story justice. This is more the story of the rescuers than the miners. We hardly learn anything about the miners and what they went through while they were trapped. We don’t get personal anecdotes or first hand accounts of what life was like for them. It had to be harrowing…they were surviving on a cap full of tuna every three days! Don’t get me wrong; the rescue effort was interesting and impressive. But I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that it is the miners who are the real interest. Aronson did a good job describing the rescue efforts, but he had a tendency to go off on tangents. There were whole sections on the Greek gods and bronze and how the earth was made. I could have cared less. It had nothing to do with the story at hand and seemed really misplaced. I am sure there are other books out there that describe this event and hopefully they are more entertaining and informative.

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem

03. February 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction

Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer, read by Angie on 02/03/2013

This little gem of a book tells the story of what happened in Salem during the craziness of the witch trials. Schanzer does a great job portraying the events as they happened. Her narrative shows the ignorance of the people involved and the greed and determination to proceed no matter what. She relies on historical information, including actual trial transcripts, to reveal the events. It is sad that so many innocent people died and those that perpetrated their accusations felt no consequences.

How They Croaked

20. December 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Children's Books, History, Leslie, NonFiction

How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg, read by Leslie on 10/30/2012

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

Over the course of history men and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big, ugly mess-especially before the modern medical care that we all enjoy today. How They Croaked relays all the gory details of how nineteen world figures gave up the ghost.

This was a most interesting and enjoyable book to read, and I am not one to read nonfiction, for the most part.  It held my interest and will hold the interest of probably most kids.  It was factual and informational and just gory enough for those wanting gore.  The entries were short, usually one or two pages, with larger print, which appeals to a lot of kids.  The accompanying facts were also very interesting to read.  I will be recommending this one.

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition

26. November 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction

Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal, read by Angie on 11/23/2012

Bootleg is a brilliant look at the prohibition era. It details life before prohibition and how it came about, life during prohibition and how it was repealed. There is a lot of good information here about the people of the time and what they wanted. I was fascinated to learn that many people thought of Prohibition as a social experiment, an experiment that ultimately failed. The “Drys” wanted to sober up the population and get rid of crime, they wanted to get kids back in school and make homes safer. The prohibition amendment was partially successful. The consumption of alcohol did decrease and more kids did go to school. But crime rates rose and Prohibition saw the influence of the gangster grow to unbelievable heights. Al Capone, Bugs Moran and others came to power during this era as they supplied the alcohol to a thirsty population. Blumenthal did a great job imparting the feelings of the people at that time. I love how she focused on the women who brought about Prohibition. She also provided a lot of additional sources at the end of the book. This is definitely a good first look at the Prohibition era and it makes you want to read more about these people and the time the lived.

Ice!: The Amazing History of the Ice Business

21. November 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction

Ice!: The Amazing History of the Ice Business by Laurence Pringle, read by Angie on 11/20/2012

Ice tells the story of how the ice business began and how it ended. It was a fairly short-lived business only lasting a little over 100 years. Ice began as a luxury item for those wanting cold drinks and treats during hot months. It also helped with the preservation of food. Two men were essential in making the ice business a mainstay of American life: Frederic Tudor and Nathaniel Wyeth. Tudor had the ideas and Wyeth had the mechanical inventions that made chopping ice easier and a big business. This book focuses on the ice business in New York mainly; it does mention other areas but only in passing. The most sought after ice came from Rockland Lack and the Knickerbocker Ice Company was formed to bring it to the people. Weather and the invention of the electric refrigerator put the ice business out of business.

This book was really informative and interesting. I can’t imagine not having ice, but it wasn’t that long ago that it was a complete luxury and one you might not be able to get year round. This book is filled with old photographs, advertisements and pictures of tools; it is very visually appealing.

North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration

12. November 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, Informational Book, NonFiction

North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration by Nick Dowson, Patrick Benson , read by Angie on 11/12/2012

When you think of migration you think of birds flying south for the winter. I never really thought about the northern migrations for the summer months until I read this book. This is a beautifully illustrated sparse look at migration to and from the Arctic. It starts with those animals like polar bears who spend all year long in the Arctic. They travel over the frozen tundra during the winter months. But once spring begins and plants start to break through the ice they are joined by more and more animals from birds to whales to caribou to wolves. In all 180 species migrate to the Arctic each year. There isn’t a whole lot of text on these beautiful pages, but there is enough to tell the story. I really appreciated the end matter at the back that gives a little more information on the animals and northern migration.

Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World

09. October 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Angie, Children's Books, History, NonFiction, Science

Their Skeletons Speak: Kennewick Man and the Paleoamerican World by Sally M. Walker, Douglas W. Owsley , read by Angie on 10/09/2012

Sally Walker does a wonderful job explaining the discovery of Kennewick Man and what was discovered from his remains. She writes on a level that anyone can understand and she provides enough scientific and historical information to make the subject really interesting. I especially liked how she wove the discoveries of other Paleoamerican remains into the narrative. She also provides lots of information and documentation for the discovery with the back matter of the book.

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