Tuesday, September 1, 2015

New Nonfiction

Elementary Grades
Max's Math - by Kate Banks
Max and his brothers drive to Shapeville and Count Town searching for problems, and are able to use their skills in arithmetic and sleuthing to help get things ready for a rocket launch.


Curious Critters: Marine - by David FitzSimmons
A variety of marine animals, including birds, fish, and invertebrates, pose for portraits against a white background while narrating distinctive aspects of their natural histories.


I See a Pattern Here - by Bruce Goldstone
"Patterns are fascinating! They can be so beautiful that people come from all over the world to see them, or so familiar you hardly notice them. They appear everywhere: beehives, dinner plates, even the bottoms of your shoes! With stunning photographs that show diverse examples from nature and artwork around the world, Bruce Goldstone reveals the secrets behind patterns--and gives you some fun ideas for making your own"-- Provided by publisher

Daylight Starlight Wildlife - by Wendell Minor
Minor's vivid introduction to diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal (nighttime) creatures invites readers to experience the movements, sounds, colors, and textures of nature. By day a red-tailed hawk soars through sky, and by night a barn owl silently swoops through it. In the daylight a family of fluffy cottontail rabbits hops into a field to forage for food, and under starlight a family of pink-nosed opossums does the same. As day turns to night and night to day, amazing critters large and small come and go. Children will enjoy comparing and contrasting the roaming habits of the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us.

Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France - by Mara Rockliff
Discover how Benjamin Franklin's scientific method challenged a certain Dr. Mesmer's mysterious powers in a whimsical look at a true moment in history


Grades 5-8
Island Treasures: Growing Up in Cuba - Alma Flor Ada
These true autobiographical tales from renowned Hispanic author and educator Alma Flor Ada are filled with family love and traditions, secrets and deep friendships, and a gorgeous, moving picture of the island of Cuba, where Alma Flor grew up. Told through the eyes of a child, a whole world comes to life in these pages: the blind great-grandmother who never went to school but whose wisdom and generosity overflowed to those around her; the hired hand Samoné, whose love for music overcame all difficulties; the beloved dance teacher who helped sustain young Alma Flor through a miserable year in school; her dear and daring Uncle Medardo, who bravely flew airplanes; and more.

The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War - David Almond and others
Writers of this collection of short stories were inspired to write about the First World War by physical objects associated with the war.



High School
I Will Always Write Back - Caitlin Alifirenka, Martin Ganda and Liz Welch
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of -- so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World's Favorite Treat - Kay Frydenborg
"A fascinating account for teen readers that captures the history, science, and economic and cultural implications of the harvesting of cacao and creation of chocolate. Readers of Chew On This and The Omnivore's Dilemma will savor this rich exposé."-- Provided by publisher

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club - Phillip Hoose
At the outset of World War II, Denmark did not resist German occupation. Deeply ashamed of his nation's leaders, fifteen-year-old Knud Pedersen resolved with his brother and a handful of schoolmates to take action against the Nazis if the adults would not. Naming their secret club after the fiery British leader, the young patriots in the Churchill Club committed countless acts of sabotage, infuriating the Germans, who eventually had the boys tracked down and arrested. But their efforts were not in vain: the boys' exploits and eventual imprisonment helped spark a full-blown Danish resistance. Interweaving his own narrative with the recollections of Knud himself, here is Phil Hoose's inspiring story of these young war heroes.

FDR and the American Crisis - Albert Marrin
An accessible portrait of the 32nd president traces his privileged upbringing, the polio that cost him the use of his legs and his leadership during the Great Depression and World War II.

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