Politics in Practice
December 29, 2025 by Betsy Bird
Forget the picture books. Older nonfiction, that nebulous but ultimately satisfying genre, is where the action is. This list today just proves it.
July 3, 2023 by Betsy Bird
The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global CelebrityBy Nicholas DayIllustrated by Brett HelquistRandom House Studio (and imprint of Random House Children’s Books)$22.99ISBN: 9780593643846Ages 9-12On shelves September 5th I sense that we are on the brink of something. I’ve sensed it for a while. Do you remember […]
December 28, 2022 by Betsy Bird
One thing you will definitely find here today are my favorite reads for older kids in 2022, if those kids happen to be into nonfiction and informational books. These are lean, mean, fact-spouting machines and they are perfect for fact-loving kids.
August 17, 2022 by Betsy Bird
By taking three photographers that shot the incarceration camps of WWII in three different ways, in today's book we get a well-rounded portrait of a government desperate to sell a bad idea to the American public under the guise of openness.
December 27, 2021 by Betsy Bird
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.
November 19, 2021 by Betsy Bird
Waka T. Brown fills her latest book with all the pathos, yearning, frustrations, and humor you might find in a middle grade novel. The important difference? It’s all true. It’s all real. It’s all enthralling.
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September 17, 2021 by Betsy Bird
A thoroughly rousing story, deserving of wider acclaim. The package may be lacking but the contents are gold.
June 22, 2021 by Betsy Bird
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.
December 28, 2020 by Betsy Bird
A sliver of the magnificent nonfiction for older readers on offer to kids in 2020.
October 21, 2020 by Betsy Bird
Pitch perfect in tone and content, this is supposedly the book that will help all parents talk to their kids. In truth? This also is the book that will help KIDS talk to their parents. It’s a two-way street and everybody’s driving.
Politics in Practice
by John Chrastka
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