Nonfiction Monday Review

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Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners

November 14, 2011 in Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Middle Grade Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 2 comments

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

November 6, 2011 in Biography, Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 2 comments

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

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 Charlotte’s Library.

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Jane Austen: A Life Revealed

October 31, 2011 in Biography, Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | No comments

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.

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Wideness and Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O’Keeffe

October 24, 2011 in Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 3 comments

Wideness & Wonder: The Life and Art of Georgia O’Keeffe by Susan Goldman Rubin is a lovely new biography of the iconic 20th-century artist. 

This book is an incredible visual treat. Despite its relatively small size, the superb full-color reproductions of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings fairly glow. Interspersed with her artwork are photographs of the artist, some taken by her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. Even the pages of text add visual interest, as the pages and fonts vary in the colors of the rainbow throughout the book.

Rubin’s description of O’Keeffe’s life is quiet, simple and straightforward, which in a way captures the essence of the artist herself. She uses many quotes from O’Keeffe throughout, so we can clearly hear the artist’s voice.

The author also does a good job of putting O’Keeffe’s accomplishments in the perspective of her times. When Georgia was a young woman, females were allowed to teach art, but weren’t thought to be able to produce great art. Georgia O’Keeffe broke the barrier and then some. She became the first woman to have a solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, as well as many other accolades. Women artists who came after her owe a lot to Georgia O’Keefe’s quiet strength and determination.

Wideness & Wonder is sure to be inspiring to young artists, history buffs and especially those interested in women’s history. It is a perfect choice for Women’s History Month. It also could be used to accompany O’Keeffe-influenced art projects.

This book was nominated for a Cybils award in the MG/YA category. Susan Goldman Rubin also wrote another Cybils nominee, Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 124 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811869830
ISBN-13: 978-0811869836

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 Apples with Many Seeds.

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Flesh and Blood So Cheap

October 16, 2011 in Cybils 2011 Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Nonfiction Monday Review by Roberta | 4 comments

Our highlighted book today has been in the news. Last week Publisher’s Weekly announced Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy by Albert Marrin is a finalist for the 2011 National Book Awards in Young People’s Literature. It has also been nominated for a Cybils in the MG/YA nonfiction category.

Written to be released right before the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Fire which occurred on March 25, 1911, Flesh & Blood sets the scene by describing a spring day at Washington Square (with a bit of foreshadowing in mentioning that it was built over a cemetery) where Frances Perkins was visiting one of her friends. Suddenly they saw smoke rising from a nearby building and heard fire engines. Racing to the scene, she became one of the witnesses to the horrible Triangle Fire that killed 146 people. It was New York City’s worst workplace disaster until 9-11, involving mainly immigrant women working under sweatshop conditions in a garment factory.

Marrin then travels to Europe to investigate why and how the immigrants had arrived in New York City. Most came from southern Italy or were Jews from Eastern Europe. Both were fleeing racism and poverty, although the southern Italians also experienced natural disasters that drove them from their homelands.

He follows immigrants in their often sordid journey to New York City. Leaving the boat at Ellis Island, most faced low-paying jobs and living in cramped tenement buildings. People had already begun to protest the horrific conditions of many of the factories when Marrin leads us back to the events of the fire, which he now recounts in shocking detail.

The remainder of the book follows the reforms that were eventually passed. Frances Perkins, who was introduced in the first chapter, was one of the leaders of the reform movement and becomes the first female cabinet member as Secretary of Labor for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The final section is an overview of modern day sweatshops, found throughout Asia. In an even-handed way, Marrin investigates not only the problems with these factories, but also the fact that people that work in them find the alternatives even worse.

How does Flesh & Blood stack up against the other historical accounts I have been reading for Cybils, for example Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal or Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos? Marrin has done a very competent job of covering the events. While reading, however, I got the impression he took up this book as an assignment. Somehow it lacks the passion or heart of the other two books, which makes it less memorable for me.

Regardless, Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy is definitely going to be a talked-about book this year.

Have you read it? What do you think?

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (February 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375868895
ISBN-13: 978-0375868894

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 Simply Science.

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