SLJ Nonfiction Round-Up

Because this is a record of everything I read, occasionally I link to reviews I write elsewhere. Here's a list of recent nonfiction reviews I've written for School Library Journal.

The New Cultural Atlas of China ed. Tom Cooke

From my review:
...tends to treat the more than 2000 years of the history of imperial China as one political, economic, and cultural monolith...The strongest feature of this atlas is the collection of maps... Unfortunately, even these are problematic, as maps of the "modern People's Republic of China" are woefully out of date. Hong Kong and Macau (returned to China in 1997 and 1999, respectively) are shown as European possessions, and Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan are labeled as belonging to the USSR

Other notes-- Awesome for the maps, but the text isn't helpful. Only for people who know what bits to ignore.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution (Milestones in Modern World History) Louise Chipley Slavicek

From my review:
Slavicek clearly explains this complex and confusing time for readers with little to no background in modern Chinese history, covering the social, economic, and political aspects of the era. The book is at its best when explaining Mao's political maneuvering. Numerous pull-out boxes provide context about and excerpts from primary sources.

Other notes-- a really excellent introduction to a very confusing time period. Unlike most introductory books about the Cultural Revolution, it clearly explains everything to a novice without simplifying a very complex time without simplifying it to the point of no longer being entirely accurate.

Multicultural Programs for Tweens and Teens ed. Linda B. Alexander and Nahyun Kwon

From my review:
They outline several programs that librarians can use with their patrons to introduce different cultures. Each entry lists objectives, target age ranges, costs, activities, and a reading list. Within these parameters, there is a wide range of programs and quality.

Other notes: This is a collection of student projects. Some work really well in a real library, some are great in theory, some only work for inspiration, and some should just be ignored.

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire (World History (Lucent)) Don Nardo

From my review:
Using new scholarship, Nardo paints a more nuanced and sophisticated picture of a man who united several nomadic clans and then went on to found history’s largest empire...Several detailed examples are given of Genghis Khan’s bravery, ingenuity, and compassion, drawing readers in and showing more depth to the man than they may be used to.

Other notes: For the type of book this is (series book usually used for reports) it had a surprisingly large amount of browsability and reader appeal.

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Landmarks of the American Mosaic) John Soennichsen

From my review:
Short chapters are clearly organized and well sourced. Nearly half the text is back matter, including biographies of key figures, several primary-source documents, and an annotated bibliography. The methodical analysis of the events leading up to the passage of the Exclusion Act helps students discover how the passage of such a law could happen.

Other notes:
So many primary sources in the back matter, it made my nerdy heart giddy with joy.

Books and ARCs provided by... School Library Journal for review for their publication

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Reviews published elsewhere

Hey all, in my ongoing desire to have Biblio File be a log of everything I read, I point you to some reviews I wrote for this month's School Library Journal. You'll have to scroll down as they're in alphabetical order by author's last name. Also, they're both about China. I'm sure this is a shock.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

If you don't want to click and scroll, it did get a starred review and my thoughts are:

TOTALLY AWESOME!

But if you want me to use complete sentences, you'll have to go read it.

Also, what isn't said in the review is this would be an excellent chapter-at-bedtime story for younger kids who can't read it on their own and I liked it tons better than The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat, even though I really liked both of those.

Chenxi and the Foreigner Sally Rippin

My abbreviated thoughts: an interesting look at the build up to Tiananmen.

Further thoughts: Anna, as a narrator annoyed me, but that's because every time she ran up against on of China's idiosyncrasies, she freaked out and I wanted to scream "Dude! It's China! What did you expect?!" That said, I think most teen readers, especially those who haven't spent a lot of time in China and/or those who aren't well-versed in its recent history, will not have the same reaction and their feelings with be much closer to Anna's.