middle grade nonfiction

Tag: middle grade nonfiction

September 21, 2022 by Betsy Bird

“Provocatively Nuanced”: The Humanizing of Jackie Robinson

Not your parents' Jackie Robinson biography. Meet the men behind the "myth-breaking" book CALL HIM JACK and hear why it's possible to write a heroic bio with nuance.

December 27, 2021 by Betsy Bird

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2021 Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

Here's a brief smattering of some of the books that I think are deserving of your time and attention. If you know a kid that loves their informational texts, something on this list is bound to whet their whistle.

June 22, 2021 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Timelines From Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies by D.K. Publishing

This book is NOT the only book on the subject that will ever be written, but right now it appears to be the only book so far. And I’m just relieved that it was good to begin with. A beautifully designed supplement.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2020 Nonfiction for Older Readers

December 28, 2020 by Betsy Bird

A sliver of the magnificent nonfiction for older readers on offer to kids in 2020.

Review of the Day : We Are Power by Todd Hasak-Lowy

May 13, 2020 by Betsy Bird

You don’t need to be a president or a military leader to change the world. Anyone can do it but it takes faith and numbers. It takes smarts and skills and morals. And what it really takes is a knowledge of history. Of what works and what doesn’t. It takes this book. Now hand it to someone who needs it.

Review of the Day: A History of Pictures for Children by David Hockney & Martin Gayford

November 8, 2018 by Betsy Bird

A History of Pictures for Children By David Hockney & Martin Gayford Illustrated by Rose Blake Abrams Books for Young Readers $24.99 ISBN: 978-1-4197-3211-9 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. And now, a couple words about expository nonfiction. I . . . . Hey! Hey, where the heck do you people think you’re going? Come right […]

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day 28 – 2016 Great Nonfiction Chapter Books for Kids

December 28, 2016 by Betsy Bird

I peer into the darkness and at long last I see the light at the end of the tunnel. We’re almost there! Almost at the end of this month’s 31 Days, 31 Lists challenge. I’m certainly delighted, not least because I’ve managed to keep it up so far (knocking on wood now as hard as […]

31 Days, 31 Lists: Day 24 – 2016 Science and Nature Books for Kids

December 24, 2016 by Betsy Bird

There were no science books on the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for 2016. Nor in 2015. Nor 2014. Bomb in 2013 was sort of a science book, so we’ll count that. And Moonbird that year certainly was. Yet it’s often surprising how consistently science and nature get overlooked when they’re handing out awards […]

Review of the Day: Presenting Buffalo Bill by Candace Fleming

September 12, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Presenting Buffalo Bill: The Man Who Invented the Wild West By Candace Fleming A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Book Press (a division of Macmillan) $19.99 ISBN: 9781596437630 Ages 9-12 On shelves September 20th I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we present history to our kids. Specifically I was thinking about picture book biographies […]

Review of the Day: Samurai Rising by Pamela S. Turner

April 20, 2016 by Betsy Bird

Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune By Pamela S. Turner Illustrated by Gareth Hinds Charlesbridge $16.95 ISBN: 9781580895842 Ages 10 and up On shelves now When you read enough children’s books published in a single year, folks tend to believe that you’ve an ability to spot trends in the general literature. Trend-spotting is […]

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