Trapped

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert Marc Aronson

On August 5, 2010, an explosion in Chile's San Jose mine trapped 33 miners underground. It took people from around the world working together and a little more than two months to bring them up to the surface. Meanwhile, the world watched.

Aronson starts with the explosion and then backtracks to (very briefly) explain the role mining plays in history and our modern lives, the role in plays in the Chilean economy and the geology at work. We then alternate between the rescue efforts above ground and the survival efforts below.

A lot the above ground sections weren't new to me-- I remember following the story fairly closely as it unfolded. I loved the sections about life for the trapped miners. I knew parts of it, but learning how they stayed active (and why) and the area they built for themselves in order to stay alive and sane was amazing.

I don't know how many young readers tuned into this story as it unfolded. I think this book serves as an excellent accounting of events-- Aronson's writing is clear and the technical explanations are easy-to-understand, but it shines when discussing the emotions and people involved. As you probably remember, it's an amazing story and Aronson does it complete justice and brings it to life, and to a new audience, very nicely.


Book Provided by... my local library

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Can I See Your ID?

Can I See Your I.D.?: True Stories of False Identities Chris Barton

For some reason I thought this was about identity theft (why? I don't know.) It's not. It's about people living false lives.

Keron Thomas was a 16-year-old obsessed with trains when he talked his way into being a substitute subway driver--getting the drive the A-train, New York subway's longest train route.

Sarah Rosetta Wakeman pretended to be a man and joined the Union Army. Although she's not the only woman who did this, Wakeman wrote home on a regular basis and only her letters are known to have survived.

Solomon Perel had to Jewish heritage, even ending up as a soldier in the German army and a member of the Nazi youth, allowing him to survive WWII.

Ellen Craft was a light-skinned slave who pretended to be her husband's owner, allowing both of them escape to the North.

Kimberlee Elizabeth Seaman changed her name and her birthday to continue playing teenagers on TV and the movies. When Riley Weston shopped her screen play, she let people believe she was younger than she was, becoming a "teenage" writer on Felicity, a new hit show about teenagers.

These people and more are introduced-- why they did it, how they did it, how they got caught, and what happened next. Fascinating snippets of history and current events. I like that there is a good mix of people and reasons and time periods. Some are recent, some are historical. Some did theirs for very good reasons and some for selfish ones and some just because. Barton spins a tight narrative that draws you in to each deception, letting readers get a good sense of why these people did what they did, good and bad. I also enjoyed that each chapter starts with wordless comic panels (drawn by Paul Hoppe) illustrating something from the story.

Teens will eat it up.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Migrant Mother

Migrant Mother: How a Photograph Defined the Great Depression Don Nardo

You know the photograph. Even if you didn't know the name of it, you've seen that photo before. It's everywhere. If you've ever read or looked at anything about the Depression, about the Dust Bowl, about migrant workers, her face is there.

She has a name. For years it was lost to time-- photographer Dorothea Lange never thought to ask. Florence Owen Thompson.

She hated that photo. She hated the story that went with it-- "Destitute in a pea-pickers came, because of the failure of the early pea crop. The people had just sold their tent in order to buy food." Thompson and her family were poor and they were migrant workers. They didn't live in the pea-pickers camp where Lange took the picture, nor had they just sold their tent. Their car broke down on the highway. The boys went into town to get it fixed and Thompson set up a quick lean-to right before Lange arrived on the scene. But beyond the factual errors, Thompson felt that it reduced her and her family to a stereotype and she was upset that she never saw any money from the photo. (Lange was working for the government, so everything created was automatically public domain. Lange never saw direct money from the photo, either, although it certainly helped her career.)

But more than telling the stories of Lange and Thompson, this slim volume discusses the Depression itself, the artistry of the composition of the photograph, and explores why it resonated so well at the time and today. It also explores the impact the photo made. If nothing else, when it ran in the newspaper a few days later, food relief was sent to the starting pea-pickers. Thompson and her family were long gone by that point, but other starting workers were still there. While I love learning the real story behind the photo, I also really appreciated the analysis of why it works and why it works so well.

Several of Lange's other Depression-era photographs are included as well.


Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration

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Happy Holidays!!!

It's the last night of Hanukkah. The Kung Fu Princess and I both got some great books this year.

Here's my awesome gift from my awesome Holiday Book Blogger Secret Santa:

Thanks A Cozy Reader's Corner Reviews! Also, by some really wacky twist of fate, I was YOUR Secret Santa! What?!

If you want to keep the spirit of the holidays alive and have some more giving spirit in you, check out Books for Teens. This is a new YALSA initiative to give books to at-risk teens. (We can all get behind that, right?) Plus, if you give in December, they're getting some sweet matching funds.

We're busy busy busy busy working on the Cybils shortlists. I can't wait to read some fiction over the long New Year's weekend. :) There's still a huge slew of nonfiction reviews coming your way, though. I have a huge stack of books that still need reviewing.

America is Under Attack

America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell Don Brown

A few years ago, one of my regulars (he would have been 8 or 9 at the time) came in, breathless. "MISS JENNIE! Did you know that a long time ago some bad guys flew planes into these really tall buildings in New York?!" It was a sobering moment. This event that has defined my entire adult life (I was a senior in college in 2001) was (a) news to him and (b) ancient history. And this was a boy who has lived his entire life less than 15 miles away from the Pentagon.

Sometimes, we question why we need books on certain subjects. Sometimes we forget that events that are so clear in our minds, things we will never, ever, ever forget, don't mean anything to our kids.

America is Under Attack is a wonderful and sensitive introduction to 9/11. The stories of heroism and loss, of survival against the odds, of strangers helping stranger are all here. Some of the people we meet are dead by the end, some are not. I like that it focuses on the people and not the politics. Osama bin Laden is mentioned at the beginning. Bush and Guiliani are not. The reaction as we watched unfold on our TV screens is not. Instead we meet office workers and rescue workers. We're back in the moment, where we don't know what's going on, don't realize it's a planned attack instead of a horrible accident.

Also, usually I'm one for using photographs to illustrate nonfiction. Photos are a primary source and illustrations filter the source through the artist's lens. But...

This book is told like a story and the illustrations add to that tone. I also think that actual pictures might be a bit much for the younger audience this book is targeting.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Learn to Speak Dance

Learn to Speak Dance: A Guide to Creating, Performing, and Promoting Your Moves Ann-Marie Williams

The main thrust of this book is that anyone can dance. Lessons help if you want to learn a certain style, but anyone can dance and anyone can make up their own moves and dances. It covers styles of dance, different approaches to choreography, how to put a crew or troupe or company together, and how to perform and public and let people know you exist. Sprinkled throughout are quotations and inspiration from famous choreographers and dancers, and videos of different dances to check out.

The bold colors and illustrative style help explain the text and just make it a fun read. I found it really inspiring and it was hard to keep still and read-- I just wanted to get up and MOVE while reading it. I like how accessible it made dance and how it made it appeal to all types of people--whether you're into the classical rigidity of ballet, the passion of tango, or the thumping modernity of break dancing.

My only complaint is there doesn't seem to be a website or anything to make it easy to find video of the dances that are highlighted-- it would have been really useful.


Book Provided by... my local library

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Africans Thought of It

Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations Bathseba Opini and Richard B. Lee

They should really call this book "Cool Things they did in Ancient Africa." Topics covered include medicine, hunting, architecture, food, and music.

I very much appreciate that the authors don’t treat Africa as a monolithic place or culture. For instance, the section on metal working talks about different types of metals worked by different peoples—different metals, different objects, different uses. The communication section includes Egyptian hieroglyphics, Beninese gongs and Sudanese woodblocks. It also compares a traditional Maasai animal horn with a modern vuvuzela.

The design is bright and bold, with lots and lots of pictures. Because so many cultures are discussed within each topic, most of it’s presented in a series of pull-out boxes. (If it’s mostly boxes, are they still pull-out boxes?) Because of the way the information is presented, the book is very browseable and readers can dip in and out of it, although it’s interesting enough that once they dip in, they probably won’t dip out until they’ve read the whole thing.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Elephant Talk

Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication Ann Downer

Elephants trumpet, we know. But they also roar. They rumble at tones too low for humans to hear, but we can feel it-- any they can feel it, allowing them to communicate over long distances. They flap their ears to get the attention of the group. The cuddle.

And your adorable fact of the day? Baby elephants sometimes suck their trunks, just like baby people suck their thumbs or fingers.

Scientists have spent years observing elephants and studying how they communicate and are putting together a pretty fascinating puzzle. The main focus of the book is on communication, but it also discusses elephants in general, both African and Asian, and the issues they face and some of the solutions we're coming up with.

This was a fascinating read that made me fall in love with elephants. I learned so much and annoyed everyone around me with the cool elephant facts I was learning. I think the size of the book does it a disservice, because it looks like a report book and won't get picked up and read for fun and because it's about elephant communication, it won't get picked up by people doing reports on elephants in general. I'm afraid kids won't find it, which is sad because I think they'd love it, too.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Off to Class

Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World Susan Hughes

In this brightly-colored, photographic-heavy book, Hughes introduces readers to a variety of schools around the world. These schools were all built or created to fulfill a need that traditional schools didn’t, or couldn’t, fill. We see UNICEF tent schools in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, a classroom on a bus that travels around Mumbai to teach kids who can’t register for school because they lack an address, tour a building designed for students with disabilities (no corners!), and meet a student who lives in New Caledonia but still goes to school in Canada online.

I loved the glimpse into different schools around the world and found many of the solutions to heartbreaking problems to be very uplifting. I liked meeting the students. My only complaint is that it was too short! Each school gets a page spread and I really wanted to learn MORE about many of the schools covered. Which, in the end, is a good complaint to have.

Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Fake Foods

Fake Foods: Fried, Fast, and Processed The Incredibly Disgusting Story Paula Johanson

Processed food is disgusting*. It’s bad for you and it’s bad for the earth. I’m not going to argue the premise.
But… I still had problems with this book.

At one point Johanson seems to be ok with moderation but then she tells me that “Digesting a single fatty fried meal can cause lasting problems.” She often paints restaurants as bad, but then when you unpack it a bit, all chain restaurants are inherently bad and local, small restaurants are good. Because life is that clear cut. And small restaurants don't have a deep fryer? I mean, Duck Fat fries will probably kill me, even if they're organic and locally sourced and from a small restaurant, but they're super tasty fatty. And, fried.

Really, I feel the main problem is that she doesn’t get into the nuances of the issue enough. There are food issues in this country, but I have a problem with how we discuss food, how we demonize it, and how we fetishize it. And I think that how we approach it is not helping the problem. (I love this blog post about the issue) This book hit every single one of my food-related buttons. I think another Cybil-nominated book, Food for a Greener Planet is a MUCH better look at the issues at play. However, it’s also for teens and this book is for middle grade. Food for A Greener Planet can go more in-depth because it’s over twice the length

And, while we’re on the topic and because I'm feeling snarky, I wanted to embed a clip from Parks and Rec where Ron and Matt have a burger cook-off. But all the clips I found never delivered the clincher line of "cow beats turkey." *Sigh*. It's Season 3, Episode 10, Soulmates. You should watch it.

*Like, on an intellectual level. A lot of it is actually super-tasty.

Book Provided by... library ILL

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Nonfiction Monday: Amelia Lost

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart Candace Fleming

Much of what we know about Earhart is myth and legend. Much of the myth and legend developed after her mysterious disappearance over the Pacific, but much of the myth and legend was invented by Earhart herself. In this stunning biography, Fleming strips backs the layers of the myth and legend to show us a woman who soared to unimaginable heights, even if she did so in a different way than we thought.

Some cool things I learned--

Earhart had straight hair. To get that tousled, trademark look, she took a curling iron to it every morning.

She was the captain, but not the pilot on her first trans-Atlantic flight.

She and her husband were excellent at marketing Earhart as a brand, the money that resulted allowed her to keep flying. Part of this marketing was deliberately playing with and highlighting the physical similarity between Earhart and Charles Lindbergh.

What I really liked about this book was the structure. It starts with the crew of the Itasca, a Coast Guard cutter off the coast of Howland Island, waiting for Earhart. When she doesn't arrive, it then jumps back to her early childhood. In between the chapters of her life, sections chronicle the search for Earhart and some of the eeriness of her disappearance-- including the stories of several people who claimed they heard her distress calls over their short-wave radios. Even though we know how the story ends, these interspersions keep the tension high as everyone's on edge, listening to the radio static, hoping to hear a voice.

Overall, it's an excellent biography that sheds new light on a person and events we thought we knew.

Today's Nonfiction Monday Roundup is over at Practically Paradise.


Book Provided by... my local library

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Explorers Who Made It... or died trying

Explorers Who Made It... or died trying Frieda Wishinsky

Wishinsky gives us a brief introduction to many explorers such as Marco Polo, Samuel de Champlain, Lewis and Clark. It’s all done in a very fun, conversational style. Each chapter starts with a pop quiz question (multiple choice) such as

How do you provoke a mutiny?

1. Head your ship into nowhere. (Icy, barren nowheres are particularly good at making your crew miserable.)

2. Boss your crew around.

3. Take a long a man who hates you already.

If you’re Henry Hudson, the answer is “all of the above.” There’s also a section of True and False for each person. At the end, each explorer is graded on Daring, Persistence, and Getting Along with Others (it’s that last one they tend fail.)

Cartoon illustrations and the light-hearted nature make for a good read that younger middle grade readers will enjoy. Sadly, this title is only currently available in Canada.

Book Provided by... the publisher, for Cybils consideration

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

But this review links to Canadian Amazon. I'm not an affiliate there, but the book is only out in Canada.

Dog Heroes

Dog Heroes: a nonfiction companion to Dogs in the Dead of Night Mary Pope Osborne

Confession: I’ve never read a Magic Tree House book. I handsell them all the time, but haven’t cracked one open myself. It’s a super-popular series about a boy and a girl (Jack and Annie*) who have a tree house that is also a time machine. While in the past, they have to do something in order to return home. It’s time-traveling adventure! But, secretly educational. It’s like hiding veggies on pizza.

Osborne started writing nonfiction companion titles to some of her books for subjects that she figured readers might want to know more about. To accompany Dogs in the Dead of Night, we have the Cybils-nominated Dog Heroes.

In this book we learn all about the history of human/dog relationships (did you know that we’ve been living with doggies for 14,000 years?!) and how dogs help people. “Hero” is defined broadly-- everything from Seeing Eye dogs** to Search-and-Rescue dogs to famous dog heroes, such as Balto. We even learn about every day dogs who do amazing things to help out their owners when in trouble.

Illustrated with drawings and photographs, it’s a fun book for any dog lover, or a Magic Tree House fan. Definitely towards the younger side of middle grade, it was a very quick read, but even though I, as a rule, don’t like books about animals, I really enjoyed this one and might just have to read some more Magic Tree House.

*Kids often ask me where the “Jack and Annie” books are.

**Seeing Eye dog is now a generic term, but the Seeing Eye school was the first school in the US to train guide dogs.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Notorious Benedict Arnold

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery Steve Sheinkin

I think that Sheinkin gets nominated every year, and I know he’s made it through to the short list at least once. There’s a reason why-- he’s just that good. Sheinkin has a way of telling a story, even one you think you’ve heard before and making it completely riveting. In this book he takes on Benedict Arnold, American hero and traitor. It’s a rip-roaring yarn of fierce battles, crazy stunts, and incredible bravery that then goes completely wrong when Arnold does the unthinkable. Although we’re still unsure as to WHY he did it, we get a much more complete picture of the man than we usually do. Sheinkin can really bring history alive.

I hope he takes on Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys soon!

Book Provided by... my local library

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Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature

Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature George Sullivan

After the age of 6 months, Charley Stratton stopped growing. He stayed 25 inches tall and weighed just 15 pounds due to dwarfism. At a time when there wasn’t medical treatment or public understanding of dwarfism, Stratton joined PT Barnum’s American museum, where he sang songs, danced, and performed in comedic skits. He toured Europe, and then the world. He really was the first international celebrity.

Sullivan’s biography is filled with photographs and there are pull-out boxes to help add background information about dwarfism and the time period. He does a very good job of explaining the limited options that Stratton had and the positives and negatives of being put on display by Barnum. He does a great job of making Stratton come alive and showing a well-balanced portrait of the life he led and the time period he did in. Stratton’s smallness was really brought home for me-- the Kung Fu Princess, whom we often refer to as the Lord Mayor of Tiny Town, is the same size that Stratton was for most of his life.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

Manatee Scientists

The Manatee Scientists Peter Lourie

This book follows three scientists, each studying a different type of Manatee-- one in Florida, one in Brazil and one in Western Africa.

I most appreciated the sections on the Amazonian and African manatees, as those are ones we don’t hear about very often. The animals (and those who study them) face very different issues than the ones in Florida that we know so much about. Manatees are so hard to study in Africa that scientists don’t have enough data to calculate basic facts such as average size. Manatee Scientists did a great job of outlining the problems facing the scientists as well as the animals, especially in Africa where they’re often hunted. How can you tell poor people to stop hunting one of their main protein sources? (The hunters are actually one of the best sources of information about manatees.)

A great look at how science and conservation work together and a solid addition to the always fantastic Scientists in the Field series.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man

Mysterious Bones: The Story of Kennewick Man Katherine Kirkpatrick

In 1996 a 9,400 year-old skeleton was found in Kennewick, WA. It was an amazing archaeological find-- Kennewick Man was largely intact, including his skull. The Native American tribes of the area banded together to claim Kennewick Man as theirs under NAGRPA and wanted his remains returned so they could be reburied. What followed was a long court battle.

Kirkpatrick covers many topics in this book-- the court battle, what Kennewick Man's remains taught us about his life and the life of people in that place and time, Clovis-era culture, how archeology works, the sordid history of archaeology and Native remains-- and makes them all accessible to middle grade readers.

It’s a very interesting read, with good back matter, but I’m wondering why they went with a fully illustrated text. While I could see illustrating some things (many of the Native tribes involved would find photographs of the remains to be very offensive), many other things could have been shown with photographs. When it comes to nonfiction, I think photographs are almost always the better choice, as it’s much closer to a primary source instead of being intrepreted through an artist’s eye, style, and skill level.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Scribbling Women

"Scribbling Women": True Tales from Astonishing Lives Marthe Jocelyn

Scribbling Women takes a look at a selection of female writers and why their words were important, and why they remain important. What I most love about this book is how Jocelyn defines "writers." While there are a few novelists discussed, this book tends to look at women whose words made a mark in something other than fiction.

Margaret Catchpole was a horse thief sentenced to Australian transport. Her letters back to England are the major primary source of life in the early days of the Australian colony.

Mary Kingsey was an adventurer who explored Africa-- all while wearing her proper Victorian dress. (All those petticoats saved her when she fell into a tiger trap!)

Isabella Beeton wrote the first housekeeping manual and popularized a recipe format we now think as standard (ingredients first, then steps, time to complete and how many people it will serve.)

Ada Blackjack was the only survivor of a failed Arctic expedition. Her journal tells us what happened.

Many more women are discussed and represented here, making for a fascinating read. They come from all over the world and all points in time. Some of the chapters are a little weaker than others but I appreciated Jocelyn introducing me to these women’s voices and their lives. It might require a bit of a hard hand-sell to get teens to read it, but once they start, I think they’ll find it interesting.

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.