Tag: Nonfiction Monday Review

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Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik

Digging for Troy: From Homer to Hisarlik by Jill Rubalcaba, Eric H. Cline, and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen is an overview of the search for the city of Troy that is the centerpiece of Homer’s The Iliad. Was there really a city named Troy that was kept under siege by the Greeks? Was there really a Trojan Horse with Greek soldiers inside? The answers may surprise you. 

Rubalcaba and Cline start their “Introduction” with a quick summary of the search for Troy at a place called Hisarlik, an ancient ruin in what today is Turkey. Started by egotistical amateur Heinrich Schliemann in 1870, the excavation was taken over by trained archaeologists and has continued sporadically until the present.

The first chapter, titled “The Legend”, is a retelling of the story of Troy based on a compilation of ancient texts. It is arguably the best chapter in the book. Students of history looking for a clear, succinct and sometimes humorous summary will find this chapter helpful.

The rest of the book gives an inside look into the field of archaeology and how it has evolved since the 1800’s. Schliemann, the rich amateur archaeologist, started digging destructively with a pickaxe because he was in search of fame and fortune. In contrast, the modern archaeologist Manfred Korfmann used magnetic imaging techniques to discover walls that were still buried underground. Did you know that archaeologists “dig” cultures that were messy because it gives them a lot of trash to explore for clues to ancient civilizations? Middle school is a time to start exploring potential career interests, and the text reveals not only the process, but also the pitfalls archaeologists may encounter when trying to reconstruct the past, including disagreements with colleagues.

Digging for Troy is a good source of background information for students studying Ancient Greece as well as a revealing look into the field of archaeology. It was nominated for Cybils awards in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

Reading level: Ages 8 and up
School & Library Binding: 74 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Pub Inc (February 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1580893260
ISBN-13: 978-1580893268

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Books Together.

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Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners

Author and historian Marc Aronson has been having a stellar year, with two books nominated for Cybils awards in the MG/YA nonfiction category. He wrote Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert, an account of the copper miners who were trapped underground for over two months after a mine collapse in August of 2010.  He also co-authored Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science with his wife.

In Trapped, Aronson captures the reader’s attention with a brief eye-witness account of the mine collapse. He then delves into the geological history of the site, as well as a bit of the social conditions that led to the miners working the mine at the time of the collapse. What follows is a play-by-play of the events both below and above the surface as people from all over the world rush to try to rescue the trapped men in time. The book is sprinkled with photographs of the actual rescue, as well as detailed illustrations of the mine and the drilling operations.

Reading this account you realize how very many things had to come together and go right for the rescue to succeed. If the miners had not organized as a group and planned the food distribution, they may have all starved before help arrived. If one of the drills had missed finding the shelter, if this, if that, if… Even though you know the outcome, so much is riding on every step succeeding that you are still on the edge of your seat.

If you read nothing else, look at “How I Wrote This Book”, starting on page 108. Aronson points out that when researching a recent event there aren’t any books to encapsulate the story. You need to be able to use the Internet effectively and he has some highly useful tips for doing so.

Trapped is an inspiring story of how much can be accomplished when people all work together towards one goal. It is also a study in how to research and write about a current event. Both journeys make it a worthwhile read.

Cybils Notes: Although the background information was meant to be enriching, sometimes it seemed to get in the way of the story. Once the author gets to the main story, it moves along quickly and succinctly, only wobbling occasionally.

Hardcover: 144 pages
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (August 30, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416913971
ISBN-13: 978-1416913979

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Playing By The Book.

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The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Steve Sheinkin’s obvious passion for his topic is evident in The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery. His enthusiasm has paid off because the book won the 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature in the nonfiction category and it has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

Starting off with a grim scene of a man about to be hanged (which those unfamiliar with Benedict Arnold’s life may assume to be his hanging since his name is synonymous with “traitor”), Sheinkin jumps back in time and tells Benedict Arnold’s life story in chronological order. And what a swashbuckling story it is, with high-stakes adventure, dark deeds, and power struggles galore. Putting a brilliant but flawed man in the context of the turbulent times that swirled around him, this book is a fast and powerful read. In tone and pace it gallops ahead like a thriller.

The book includes several maps that help visualize the action, particularly of some of the critical battles. As to be expected because Sheinkin has added many new tidbits to the story, the source notes are extensive. Although the reading level is appropriate to middle grades, some of the battle scenes may be too intense for sensitive advanced readers.

Once again showing how biographies written for children and young adults can add significantly to literature, The Notorious Benedict Arnold is a thrilling addition to any library shelf.

Reading level: Ages 11 and up
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Flash Point; 1 edition (November 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1596434864
ISBN-13: 978-1596434868

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Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Charlotte’s Library.

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Jane Austen: A Life Revealed

If you are an ardent Janeite (Jane Austin fan), you already know that this year is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility. To celebrate, Clarion Books has published a new biography, Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef. It has been nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

The first thing you notice about this book is the striking silhouette on the cover, a nod to the popularity of that art during Jane Austin’s time. Inside, right after the Table of Contents, is Jane Austin’s family tree (more about that in a minute). Scattered throughout are drawings and paintings from the time, as well as black and white photograph stills from modern movies based on Jane’s books. In the end, after the author’s extensive notes and bibliography, is a list of Austin’s six novels in the order they were published between 1811 and 1817.

The author starts the book with Austin’s unfinished final manuscript that she was working on at the time of her death. Reef then follows Austin’s life chronologically, adding summaries of each of Austin’s novels as they appear. Her account is rich in detail, a difficult feat since Austin’s relatives lost or destroyed much of her correspondence after her death, only leaving tantalizing glimpses into what Austin was really like based on recollections of surviving family members and quotes from her novels. She fills in with careful explanations of the culture of the times, for example explaining how the classes were structured and how difficult it was to be an educated single woman. Jane Austin could not even travel unless one of her brothers went with her.

Cybils Notes: This book is not light reading. It requires devotion of time and sharp attention to fully comprehend,  First of all, Austin’s family is huge. She has seven siblings alone. You will need to refer back to the family tree often to keep all the characters straight, especially due to the common practice of naming offspring after other members of the family. Secondly, I wish the the publisher’s had somehow set off the summaries and quotes from novels from the text. There is no subheading, no change of font, nothing but a word or two to indicate the reader is moving from Austin’s life into a summary of the novel. Busy students would have benefited if the summaries were more distinct and easy to find.

Jane Austin’s life was not a particularly happy one, but her position did allow her to observe people of many different stations. Her witty descriptions of human behavior are as relevant and popular today as when they were written.

Janeites will love this new biography of their favorite author. Those who are studying one of Austin’s novels will benefit from the careful analysis of the times and circumstances under which it was written.

Reading level: Ages 12 and up
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Clarion Books (June 6, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0547370210
ISBN-13: 978-0547370217

nonfictionmonday

Nonfiction Monday is a blogging celebration of nonfiction books for kids. We invite you to join us. For more information and a schedule, stop by the new Nonfiction Monday blog to see who is hosting each week.

This week’s post is at Jean Little Library.