GET REAL! NONFICTION FOR TEENS AND KIDS

Kathleen Baxter September 2009

  1. Swanson, James L. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. Scholastic, 2009. 0439903548 198 p. Grades 5-8 $16.99. Recounts the 12 day pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth, covering the chase through WashingtonD.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and an examination of the impact of Lincoln’s death on those close to him.
  2. St. George, Judith. Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln. Illustrated by Matt Faulkner.Philomel Books, 2008. 9780399241741 Unpaged. Grades 3-5 $16.99. A well-illustrated, interesting account of Lincoln’s youth.
  3. Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. Schwartz & Wade, 2008. 9780375836183 180 p. Grades 5-up $24.99.
  4. Aylesworth, Jim. Our Abe Lincoln: an Old Tune with New Lyrics. Illustrated by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic, 2009. Picture Book 0439925487 $16.99. Use it as a library or school program!
  5. Sandler, Martin W. Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life. Walker & Company, 2008. 9780802796660 96 p. $19.99. Lincoln understood the power of photography and used the new invention well.
  6. Hopkinson, Deborah. Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: a Tall, Thin Tale (Introducing his Forgotten Frontier Friend). Illustrated by John Hendrix. Schwartz and Wade, 2008. 9780375837685 Unpaged. Grades 1-4 $16.99. An intriguing, stimulating book describing a poorly documented event in Lincoln’s childhood.
  7. Beccia, Carolyn. The Raucous Royals: Test Your Royal Wits: Crack Codes, Solve Mysteries, and Deduce Which Royal Mysteries are True. Houghton Mifflin, 2008. 9780618891306 Grades 4-8 64 p. $17.00.Combines elements of nonfiction picturebooks, graphic novels, and tabloid magazines in a look at how rumors get started and how they become distorted over time as they are passed from ear to ear.
  8. Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Found (The Missing).Simon & Schuster, 2008. 9781416954170 314 p. Grades 4-8 $15.99.Adopted Jonah receives two mysterious and somewhat threatening letters, and when he discovers that a new friend, also adopted, got them too, the two boys and Jonah’s sister do some detective work and begin to uncover a terrifying and bewildering mystery. This page-turner is the first book in a new series.
  9. MacLeod, Elizabeth. Royal Murder: the Deadly Intrigue of Ten Sovereigns. Annick, 2008. 9781554511273 128 p. Grades 4-8 $14.95. This is a book about a great topic—royal people who were involved with murder. Either they were murdered themselves or they murdered other people! And here are ten true stories with lots of great pictures.
  10. How to Get Rich on the Oregon Trail: My Adventures among Cows, Crooks & Heroes on the Road to Fame and Fortune. National Geographic, 2009. 1426304125 48 p. Grades 4-8 $18.95. Presents a fictional account of the adventures and experiences of young William Reed, as he travels with his family along on the Oregon trail.
  11. Fleischman, Sid. The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West. Greenwillow Books, 2008. 9780061344312 224 p. Grades 5-up $18.99. A laugh-out-loud, delightful look at the early years of Mark Twain.
  12. Kennedy, Robert F., Jr. Robert Smalls: the Boat Thief (American Heroes). Illustrations by Patrick Faricy. Hyperion, 2008. 40 p. Grades 4-6 9781423108023 $16.99. The story of Robert Smalls, a slave who became a hero after hijacking a Confederate steamer during the Civil War and turning it over to the Union
  13. Stark, Ken. Marching to Appomattox: the Footrace That Ended the Civil War. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2009. 9780399242120 Unpaged. Grades 4-7 $17.99. Describes how geography, luck, perseverance, a diplomacy between General Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant helped to change the course of history at the end of the Civil War.
  14. Friedman, Robin. The Silent Witness: A True Story of the Civil War. Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. 0618442308 Unpaged. Grades 1-3 $16.00. This is one of the most incredible true stories you will ever read.
  15. Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Harry Houdini. Illustrated by Matt Collins. Holiday House, 2009. 9780823420599 Unpaged. Grades 2-4 $17.95. An illustrated biography of magician and escapologist Harry Houdini, who freed himself from ropes, handcuffs, and prison cells.
  16. Lutes, Jason, & Nick Bertozzi. Houdini: The Handcuff King. Hyperion, 2007. 0786839023 89 p. Grades 4-up $16.99. This wonderful graphic novel describes Houdini’s most famous bridge jump.
  17. Carlson, Laurie M. HarryHoudini for Kids: His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions. Chicago Review, 2009.9781556527821 136 p. Grades 4-8 $16.95. A biography of Harry Houdini that describes the escape artist's childhood and his path to become one of the world's greatest magicians, including instructions for 21 magic tricks.
  18. Barnhart, Norm. Amazing Magic Tricks Beginner Level (Edge Books. Magic Tricks). Capstone Press, 2009. 9781429619424 32 p. Grades 3-5 A beginning guide to performing magic tricks, featuring step-by-step instructions for eleven illusions, including the fantastic flower and the magical sailor's knot.First and easiest in a series.
  19. Osborne, Linda Barrett. Traveling the Freedom Road: From Slavery and the Civil War Through Reconstruction. Abrams, 2009. 128 p. Grades 5-8 9780810983380 $24.95. Collects accounts from slave narratives, journals, diaries, and other sources to provide a first-person perspective on the antebellum South, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.
  20. Hendrix, John. John Brown: His Fight for Freedom. Abrams, 2009. 9780810937897 40 p. Grades 3-6 $18.95. Explores the life of nineteenth-century abolitionist John Brown and his dedication to freeing the slaves and ending slavery.
  21. Sullivan, George. Knockout! A Photobiography of Boxer Joe Louis. National Geographic, 2009. 9781426303289 64 p. Grades 4-8 $17.95. Presents a collection of photographs depicting the life of Joe Louis, focusing on his professional boxing career, and examines how he became the first African-American to be recognized as a popular figure by many in the twentieth century.
  22. Walker, Paul Robert. Remember Little Rock: The Time, the People, the Stories. National Geographic, 2009. 9781426304026 60 p. Grades 5-8 $17.95. Combines eye witness accounts with archival photographs to document the events surrounding the integration of CentralHigh School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
  23. Whitaker, Suzanne George. The Daring Miss Quimby. Illustrated by Catherine Stock. Holiday House, 2009. 9780823419968 Unpaged. Grades 2-4 $16.95. Describes Harriet Quimby's success as the first woman in the United States to earn a pilot's license.
  24. Tanaka, Shelley. Amelia Earhart: the Legend of the Lost Aviator. Illustrated by David Craig. Madison Press/ Abrams, 2008. 9780810970953 Grades 4-6 48 p. $18.95. Presents the story of the legendary aviator, Amelia Earhart, from her childhood until her final flight in 1937.
  25. Murphy, Jim. Truce: the Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting. Scholastic Press, 2009. 9780545130493 116 p. Grades 4-8 $19.99. Christmas Eve World War I in the trenches. Something both wonderful and amazing happened and the commanders made sure it would never happen again.
  26. Rubin, Susan Goldman. The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Holiday House, 2009. 08234210989 40 p. Grades 3-5 $18.95. Simon Wiesenthal had to find the Nazi officer who arrested Anne Frank and her family and prove that the Holocaust really happened.
  27. Slier, Deborah. Hidden Letters. Star Bright Books, 2007. 1887734880 160 p. $29.95. Powerful, fascinating story of a Danish teenager taken to a Nazi work camp—but able to write letters and send photographs home. A riveting read.
  28. Murrie, Steve, and Matthew Murrie. Every Minute on Earth: Fun Facts that Happen Every 60 Seconds. Scholastic, 2007. 0439908876 224 p. Grades 4-8 $9.99. The title says it all. This is a fun compendium of interesting trivia that is a blast to browse through.
  29. Rodriguez, Rachel. Building on Nature: the Life of Antoni Gaudi. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Henry Holt, 2009. 9780805087451 Grades K-3 $16.99. A picture-book biography on the life of Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi, who was famous for his unique architectural designs.
  30. Hale, Christy. The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan. Lee & Low Books, 2009. 9781600603631 Unpaged. $17.95. Profiles the personal and professional life and career of Japanese American artist, sculptor, and landscape architect, Isamu Noguchi,
  31. Nobleman, Marc Tyler. Boys of Steel: the Creators of Superman. Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. 9780375838026 Unpaged Picture Book for Older Readers $16.99. Two nerdy high school kids invented the first real superhero—and barely made a penny on him.
  32. Bausum, Ann. Denied Detained Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration. National Geographic, 2009. 9781426303326 112 p. Grades 4-8 $21.95. Discusses cases from the history of immigration in the U.S. in which immigrants are denied, such as the people aboard "The St. Louis" who were sent back to Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, the detained, such as Japanese Americans during WWII, and the deported, such as Emma Goldman, who was sent back to Russia in 1919 after living in the U.S. for thirty years.
  33. Hillman, Ben. How Weird is It? A Freaky Book all about Strangeness. Scholastic, 2009. 9780439918688 48 p. Grades 3-7 $15.99. An illustrated discussion of various strange scientific occurrences, ideas, creatures, and elements of the universe, such as dark energy, anglerfish, neutron stars, liquid nitrogen, and cosmic static.
  34. Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Butterflies and Moths. Scholastic Nonfiction, 2009. 9780439877572 48 p. Grades 1-5 $17.99. Full-color photographs and illustrations describe the physical characteristics, behaviors, habits, and life cycle of butterflies and moths.
  35. Nirgiotis, Nicholas. Killer Ants. Illustrated by Emma Stevenson. Holiday House, 2009. 9780823420346 Unpaged Grades 2-5 $17.95. Describes the different types of killer ants that are found around the world, providing information on their habitats, behavior, physical characteristics, and the ways they help and hurt humans.
  36. Schreiber, Anne. Penguins! National Geographic, 2009. 9781426304262 32 p. Grades K-2 $3.99. Introduces children to the world of penguins, with colorful photographs and fun facts offering information on their behavior, physical characteristics, and habitat.
  37. Stewart, Melissa. Snakes! (Kids Level 2) National Geographic, 2009. 9781426304286 32 p. Grades 1-3 $3.99. Photographs and text introduce young readers to snakes and provide information on behavior, physical characteristics, habitat, and other related topics.
  38. Markle, Sandra. Sneaking, Spinning Baby Spiders. Walker & Company, 2008. 9780802796974 32 p. Grades 3-5 $16.99. Full-color photographs show the lives of baby spiders, describes the things they must do in order to survive, and covers hiding places and how they defend themselves.
  39. Wilson, Karma. What’s the Weather Inside? Drawings by Barry Blitt. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. 9781416900924 170 p. Grades 3-5 $17.99. An illustrated collection of 120 humorous poems about the world of kids.
  40. D’Alusio, Faith. What the World Eats. Photographed by Peter Menzel. Tricycle, 2008. 1582462461 Grades 5-8 $22.99. Startling, thought provoking look at what people all over the world eat.
  41. Jackson, Donna M. Extreme Scientists : Exploring Nature's Mysteries From Perilous Places. Houghton Mifflin, 2009. 978061877068 Grades 4-8 80 p. $18.00. Profiles three extreme scientists who risk their lives to conduct research in some of the world's most intense environments, describing the experiences of scientists studying hurricanes, cave microbes, and forest canopies.
  42. Deem, James M. Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.9780618800452 58 p. Grades 5-8 $17.00. The title says it all!
  43. Salkeld, Audrey. Mystery on Everest: a Photobiography of George Mallory. National Geographic, 2000. Grades 4-8 George Mallory’s body is one of the ones found and discussed in the preceding book. This works great!
  44. Lauber, Patricia. What You Never Knew about Tubs, Toilets, and Showers.(Around the House History). S & S, 2001.Unpaged.Gr. 3-up My all time favorite book to booktalk.
  45. Harper, Charise Mericle. Flush: The Scoop on Poop Throughout the Ages. Little, Brown, 2007. 0316010642 25 p.Grades 2-6 $15.99.This fits absolutely perfectly into a booktalk on gross stuff.
  46. Raum, Elizabeth. The Story behind Toilets (True Stories). Heinemann Library, 2009. 9781432923501 32 p. Grades 3-7 Photographs and illustrations explore the history and technology behind toilets.
  47. Katz, Alan. Going Going Gone! And other silly dilly sports songs. Illustrated by David Catrow. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. 1416906967 Unpaged. All ages. $16.99.
  48. Lessac,Francine. CampGranada: Sing Along CampSongs. Henry Holt,2003. 080506683745 p. Grades K-6 $18.95. This is filled with songs kids love (and so did you).