What nonfiction titles did you add to your secondary school and library collections in 2010? While a number of books received a good deal of attention, including several by authors well-known for their contributions to children's and young adult literature, there are also some less-heralded gems you won't want to miss. Read about a few of our favorite 2010 titles.
Covering New Ground Agriculturalists and beekeepers are dealing with a puzzle—the mysterious disappearance of honeybees. Loree Griffin Burns's The Hive Detectives (Houghton Harcourt, 2010;Gr 5-8) chronicles the career of a beekeeper, the farmers whose fruit crops rely on pollination, and the scientists who are investigating CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) in CSI fashion. The exciting narrative, which follows Dave Hackenberg as he discovers that his hives are empty and the investigations into colony collapse by four scientists, will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Large, glossy color photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz provide fascinating up-close images of the hives, the honey-making, the scientists, and more. In sharing this book with students, science teachers will have a ready lesson on how these tiny creatures are crucial to keeping Earth's ecological balance in check.
Susan Campbell Bartoletti's They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group(Houghton Harcourt, 2010; Gr 7-10) offers an absorbing look at the history and legacy of America's most violent hate group. Conceived in the period following the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan did not only perpetuate a double standard of justice in the South—it conducted a reign of terror. Supporting the author's text are excerpts from slave narratives, letters, lithographs, and other well-chosen primary sources. In her notes, Bartoletti describes her attendance at a Klan Congress in 2009, and her visceral reaction to the diatribe and practices keeping this group alive in recesses of the South.
What began as genealogical inquiries for Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos turned into a provocative examination of a quotidian commodity in Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science (Clarion, 2010; Gr 8 Up). The authors' curiosity about their family histories led to Caribbean plantations and sea routes to Europe, bringing them face-to-face with the immoral trade that enslaved humans in many countries, particularly in the British and French colonies. Dozens of engravings and archival photos provide a glimpse into this world, and the techniques used to cultivate and harvest sugar cane. Teachers who value critical thinking exercises can use this title to make connections between economics and slavery, and explore some of the questions the authors raise.
Aronson, along with Mike Parker and the Riverside Project, authored another 2010 title, If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge(National Geographic, 2010; Gr 5-8). This book is as much about the men who chose to become archeologists, as it is about a new theory linking the mysterious circle of stones to similar structures in Madagascar. That Stonehenge may have been a place to honor and transit the dead, rather than a temple, exemplifies how interpretations of history change. Large, black-and-white aerial photographs, among others, showcase the story of archeologists Mike Parker Pearson and Ramilsonina, who worked together on this project. Though only a tag-along on the scene, Aronson effectively communicates the anticipation and excitement of onsite discoveries.
Truth is often stranger (or more fascinating) than fiction. Take the archeological discoveries of four hominins: Turkana Boy, Lapedo Child, Kennewick Man, and the Iceman, in Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw's Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates(Charlesbridge, 2010; Gr 8 Up). Beyond explorations into the painstaking processes and forensics at work in archeological investigations, the book includes revelations about murder, grave robbers, professional infighting, and laws about handling human remains. Glossy color photos of the hominins and others of scientists at work in the field and in the lab document the quest for answers. Questions about the way farming might have spread across Europe, and whether Neanderthals could have mated with modern humans, make this a relevant title for discussions about current scientific inquiry.
Defining Personal and Public Spaces Laws and boundaries are also explored in a book on a very different subject. In Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin?(Free Spirit, 2010; Gr 7 Up) Tom Jacobs addresses ethics and offers legal perspectives. He advises his audience to "know thy student handbook"; to become informed about privacy, free speech, and other relevant issues; and to practice personal responsibility regarding image sharing with friends and on social networks. Discussion of cases that involved suicide will leave readers with a clear understanding of the potential consequences of bullying behavior. Dozens of court cases, informative sidebars, and topics to consider are highlighted, making this a must-have guide for teen collections.
What does a shopping mall have in common with the Internet (other than retail therapy)? If you assume these are both public spaces, you have a lot to learn. In Watch This Space: Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces (Kids Can, 2010; Gr 9 Up) Hadley Dyer inspires some critical thinking about spaces and places (virtual and otherwise): who owns them, and how and why public common areas are crucial to society. Teens will want to weigh in on such subjects as graffiti and ephebiphobia (fear of youth); car-free activism; guerrilla gardening; and visual pollution. Colorful sideboxes zero in on additional topics including public spaces around the world. Numerous, wash-and-ink images by Marc Ngui illustrate the book.
Focus on Format Elin Kelsey's Not Your Typical Book about the Environment (OwlKids, 2010; Gr 4-8) is as fun as it is informative. Pages chock-full of images offer facts about food, animals, and consumer products that will encourage middle-grade students to consider their ecological footprint. Clayton Hanmer's detailed and imaginative artwork includes a comic strip that relates "How Video Games and Cell Phones are Connected to Gorillas." The focus on technology as e-waste that can be recycled, as well as be used as a tool to track and protect wildlife, reflects the author's hopeful outlook.
The format of Kristen McDermott and Ari Berk's William Shakespeare: His Life and Times (Candlewick, 2010; Gr 6 Up) is as appealing and interactive as print can be offering a collage of fascinating illustrations (sepia toned pages and faux water spots create a weathered appearance), and sturdy lift-the-flaps, envelopes, and fold-outs to engage realia lovers. Readers will learn about superstitions, food, child-rearing practices, criminals, love, and courtly and other manners during the Bard's day. (Who knew old shoes were thrown at newlyweds for luck?) A variety of authentic-language texts and lithographs of playbills, costumes, and the like will intrigue hands-on learners, and immerse students in the Elizabethan era and Shakespeare's life and work, while offering lots of browsing fun.
Unmatched in the number and quality of its large and sharp color visuals is Alice Roberts's The Complete Human Body: the Definitive Visual Guide (Dorling Kindersley, 2010; Gr 9 Up). Introductory chapters cover human evolution, human genetic formula, the cell, body composition, and more. In addition to being a visually spectacular gem, this weighty reference on human anatomy and physiology provides an excellent and lengthy examination of the interrelatedness of body systems and diseases. The volume's scope and incredible detail will make this go-to book on the topic for years to come.
It's in the Telling Charles Darwin and the Mystery of Mysteries (Roaring Brook, 2010; Gr 5-9) by Niles Eldridge and Susan Pearson stands tall alongside a number titles marking the 200th anniversary of the English scientist's birth and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species. In Darwin, the focus is on the gentle naturalist who was fascinated with beetles as a child, and the parent who lost several children to illness, and less on the uproar following his theories of evolution. Maps, family photos, and sketches from Darwin's notes are among the black-and-white images found on nearly every page. The account of his voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle and work with tortoises on the Galapagos Islands is an engaging testament to scientific inquiry based largely on observation.
Across the ocean, during the same period, abolitionists were gaining a voice in America's anti-slavery movement. David A. Adler offers a very different life story in his portrayal of the feisty and intelligent Frederick Douglass: A Noble Life (Holiday House, 2010; Gr 7 Up). Adler's skillful incorporation of dialogue gleaned from primary-source material and his use of archival illustrations enhance a tale of Douglass's resilience in the face of cruelty and ignorance, and his belief that reform would happen in the voting booth. Archival lithographs and portraits, and excerpts from documents help chronicle the man's personal and public lives.
Russell Freedman offers a superb history of The War to End All Wars: World War I (Clarion, 2010; Gr 7 Up) from the fateful morning in 1914 when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated to a post-war Europe where Adolf Hitler gained control of the Nazi Party. Throughout the book, the author's engaging text is punctuated with dialogue culled from primary sources and illustrated with black-and-white archival photos. Images depict scenes of battles fought from the trenches, advancing soldiers, towns and homes reduced to rubble, and armistice celebrations, among others. A key curricular tie-in will be a discussion of technological advances in weaponry that changed early 20th century warfare: the submachine gun, the armored tank, and use of chemicals.
Sid Fleischman's flair for storytelling has produced engaging biographies of memorable characters such as Harry Houdini, Mark Twain, and most recently, Sir Charlie: Chaplin, The Funniest Man in the World (HarperCollins, 2010; Gr 5 Up). Chaplin's story is a rags-to-riches tale of a boy from the London slums who became the Hollywood's top funny man. Not without flaws, the hard-driving perfectionist, who parodied Adolf Hitler's atrocities, was also a Communist sympathizer earning him a one-way ticket back to Europe. Throughout the book, black-and-white photographs depict scenes from Chaplin's films that earned him the nickname, "Little Tramp." Sir Charlie's curricular ties include film history and turn-of-the-century immigrant success stories.
While Chaplin thrived during the 1930's, most of America was broke and hungry. In FDR's Alphabet Soup: New Deal America, 1932-1939(Knopf, 2010; Gr 6-9) Tonya Bolden describes the methods employed by our nation's newly elected president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to pull the country out of the Great Depression. Federal response to the crisis was viewed as an alphabet soup of programs because of the many government initiatives with acronyms, including the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) and FSP (Food Stamp Program). Bolden offers a holistic treatment of the period, incorporating first-person viewpoints from people of every walk of life, information on popular culture, and more. Her text is supported by large black-and-white photographs and sidebars offering additional facts and images. Teachers can use this title in conjunction with a conversation about our country's current economic problems and recent federal initiatives.
Between 1935 and 1945 a boy named Adam Fortunate Eagle attended an Indian boarding school in Pipestone, Minnesota as a part of the federal program designed to assimilate Native American youth into Euro-American culture. His memoir, Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School(University of Oklahoma Press; 2010; Gr 9 Up), is the story of his stay there beginning at the age of six. The author remembers eating bread so hard it clunked on the plate, making taffy out of syrup and snow, celebrating a candy-filled day on December 25th, and sneaking cigarettes with his friends.
His story is not a bitter one: Adam Fortunate Eagle retained his sense of culture and is proud of his education and accomplishments, but acknowledges that his experiences may differ from others who attended Indian boarding schools. Literacy teachers will want to share this book with their students for its marvelous examples of descriptive writing and the author's singular voice, and compare the book to other autobiographies and memoirs.
Brenda Z. Guiberson's, Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes through the Centuries(Holt, 2010; Gr 5-9) includes the true-life, dramatic stories that have always interested students. Teachers of American history will want to share the chapters on the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, while science classes would be a likely forum to discuss the smallpox virus that spread through the New World in the 1600s, the Pandemic Flu outbreak of 1918, and two modern disasters: Hurricane Katrina, and the monster waves that hit Indonesia in 2004. Black-and-white photos and informative diagrams add to this title's interdisciplinary appeal.
The above nonfiction books deserve a first—or, perhaps, second look—for their curricular tie-ins, appealing formats, and read-aloud potential. Enjoy!
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