Brainstorm 116: Nonfiction Isn't Boring!

Who says nonfiction has to be boring and dull? Just because a few nonfiction books seem to have sedatives mixed in with the printing ink doesn’t mean all of them are that way. I used to have to force myself to read nonfiction. I also have known others who gravitate to nonfiction primarily and have to force themselves to read fiction. Just based on my interactions with students over the years, I think the fiction gravitators are the majority. There’s definitely great things about having a balanced reading diet. And forcing myself to read nonfiction has gradually changed into craving a nonfiction read to go with the fantastic worlds I’m venturing into through fiction books. (And more than a few times, the nonfiction read has turned out to be more fantastic than the imaginary world.) So whether you or the reader you love feeds on a steady diet of nonfiction or if you eye it warily on the shelves, here’s some fantastic nonfiction reads for both of you. Some of these are newly published and some have been around for a while, but all are reads I’ve picked up recently and thoroughly enjoyed.

Juvenile Nonfiction

Double Take: a New Look at Opposites by Susan Hood, ill. by Jay Fleck
A survey of opposites and introduction to how relative position or a new perspective can make those change.

Target Readers:

• Physics Students: I know, you did not look at that cover and think of physics. But back in the day when I taught Intro to Physics, this is one of the concepts that made smoke start coming out of students’ brains. Introducing relative position and relative motion and thereby vectors fries many students’ brains, but this presents the basics of those concepts in ways even preschoolers should be able to understand. What is near? The chair in the room or the planet next door or the next galaxy over? Keep the smoke to a minimum and use this to ease students into vectors. 
• Kindergarteners & Preschoolers Learning to Compare/Contrast: In addition to the relative opposites this also deals with the good ol’ basic opposites, night and day, yes and no. And it will help these littles understand that though they are smaller than Dad, they are bigger than the family cat.
• Language Arts Students: Get to know those antonyms in an entertaining way.
• Cute Art Fans: The artwork in this is adorable.

Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World by Allan Drummond
The story of how one island in Denmark switched to using only renewable energy sources.

Target Readers:

• Psychology Fans: Isn't it curious how we humans don't want to be put out of our routine, even for a better change, unless we're forced to? That's pretty much what happened on this island. The citizens have been informed of how they could change, many people agreed that moving to sustainable energy sources would be good, but few people did anything about it until a bad storm cut off their nonrenewable energy sources.
• Sustainable Energy Fans: This is a fascinating true case study of how an entire island has successfully switched over to sustainable energy.
• Science Nerds: This is a good science meets real life kinda story.
• Amazing But True Story Fans: This sounds like something almost too good to be true. This story will suck you in.

Giant Squid by Candace Fleming, ill. by Eric Rohmann
In poetic language Fleming introduces the few things we do know or at least can make educated guesses about the elusive giant squid.

Target Readers:

• Future Scientists/Future Writers: I appreciate the way Fleming clearly identifies the guesses about giant squids which models excellent nonfiction writing. She also lists some of the remaining questions about giant squids to tantalize those young future scientists who may go on to find the answers. There's a little more information in the back of the book, including questions about why we know so little about these creatures and how sperm whale stomach contents seem to indicate there are many out there. 
• Curious Kids: This is well written in an easy to read format that will appeal to a broad range of ages. 
• Wannabe Marine Biologists & Animal Lovers: A great read for animal lovers.
• Sibert Readers: If you like to read all the books that win the Sibert Medal or Honors, you'll need to pick this up. It won a Sibert Honor last this past January.
• Art Fans: Rhomann's illustrations are a great compliment to Fleming’s text.

Mission to Pluto: the First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt by Mary Ann Carson, photos by Tom Uhlman
Follows the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, gives background on Pluto's discovery and what scientists knew about it in the 80s and 90s, follows the scientists from their earliest ideas to go to Pluto, to the process of developing the mission and the spacecraft for this mission, to the plotting of the trajectory and how it is unfolding now (as of late 2016 when this was written).

Target Readers:

• Backyard Astronomers, Future Astronauts, Future Space Scientists, Curious Readers and Those Still Upset about Pluto’s Demotion: From astronomy history to a realistic look at the life of an astronomer or any scientist working with a space program, this has lots of great information. And it helped me better understand the dwarf planet vs “real” planet thing that went on with Pluto. There’s a whole bunch of different kinds of scientists working on this project, and many have been working on it for about 40 years now. It has taken a lot of persistence, hard work, and creative problem solving to get this mission off the ground and kept in space.
• Current Events: New Horizons is still sending back data from its flyby of Pluto (it sends it very slow…read the book to find out why) so this book provides some rather recent discoveries about Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. New Horizons is set to pass a major object in the Kuiper Belt called 2014 MU69 in 2019 which will be big astronomy news so stay tuned!

Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat's Foster Mom by Suzi Eszterhas
While living on Masai Mara wildlife reserve in Kenya, wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas was asked by the rangers if she’d like to serve as a foster mom for a serval kitten hopelessly separated from its mother during a wildfire. The baby serval wouldn’t be a pet, the goal would be for her to raise the little wildcat to be able to live on its own in the wild. Suzi took on the task and tells readers how she raised Moto to be a wild serval, explaining about serval life along the way, and providing lots adorable photographs of Moto as he grew up with her.

Target Readers:

• Animal Fans (Especially Cat Lovers): Warning: Cuteness overload! Moto is so fluffy and photogenic…you just want to fuzzle his big ears. If you want to learn more about servals and serval rescues I suggest you visit Big Cat Rescue on YouTube.
• Future Vets and Animal Refuge Workers: Despite the abundant cuteness and love for Moto, Suzi makes it clear that Moto is also a wild animal. There’s a healthy balance of adoration and respect in this. Suzi shares enough you get the picture that this wasn’t a job she took lightly, it was definitely demanding, though it had perks, and also that it involved a fair amount of research and knowledge to do well. It’s a realistic look into wildlife care as well as providing some great scientific info on servals. I can see several future animal workers/photographers being launched on the path to their future careers by Moto’s story.
• Photography Fans: Whether you just want to enjoy Eszterhas’ photos, or if the story of this photographer’s adventures in Africa will inspire you, pick it up.
• Africa Researchers: Find out about one of Africa’s lesser-known wild animals.
• Nonfiction Lovers of Many Ages: The text is written in easy to understand language and engaging language, perfect for even lower elementary readers. But the topic is plenty intriguing, and the text is engaging enough that older readers should enjoy this too.

Juvenile Biography

John Ronald’s Dragons: the Story of J.R.R. Tolkien by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Eliza Wheeler
A picture book biography of J.R.R. Tolkien that focuses on his creative inspirations and passions.

Target Readers:

• Tolkien Fans: This is FANTASTIC! It's lyrical and a great ode to the beloved author while also relating main points of his life. This doesn’t provides tons of details about Tolkien’s life, just the main points, but the author's note is also good for further info and it’s a good intro to his life.
• Dragon Lovers: This does focus on how Tolkien fell in love with dragons and the rest of the fantasy world. Make sure you check out the information on all of Tolkien's dragon creations in the back of the book.
• Art Lovers & Art Analyzers: I loved all the symbolism and allusions to Tolkien's works that the illustrator wove into this. (Definitely read her note in the back of the book on that.) She does a remarkable job of capturing his whimsy.

Adult Nonfiction

The Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals by Joel Sartore
 Joel Sartore has set out to photograph as many species of animals as he can in a 25 year period and develop an "ark" of photographic evidence of animals, many of which are on the brink of extinction. This book is just the first sharing of photos he has done so far. Included are a few essays on the need for better care of the planet, biodiversity, and its inhabitants, as well as highlights of people or groups who are working hard to save animals so that future generations can also enjoy them as living creatures.

Target Readers:

• Animal Lovers/Activists/Ecologists: As mentioned, the books contains some articles on the need to take care of our planet and those who live here and highlights some people who are forerunners in animal rehab and rescue programs.
• Photography Lovers: The photographs in this ARE INCREDIBLE. There are some really adorable creatures out there I had no idea even existed. Definitely pick this one up for the pictures. It's like taking a virtual trip to the best zoo ever. It may be marked as adult nonfiction but anyone of any age will get drawn in by these photographs.

Adult Biography

Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917 – a World on the Edge by Helen Rappaport
A view of the revolutions in Russia of 1917-1918 from the perspective of the expat community in Petrograd at the time.

Target Readers:

• Russian History Fans: An eye-opening look at the revolutions in Russia during this time period, and how drastically life in pre-WWI Russia differed from post WWI Russia. I've read about this time period from the Russian perspective thanks to Candace Fleming's The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia (and I know Rappaport also has a book on the Romanovs but I haven't read it) so this provides a fuller view of the time period from the international perspective. They are a good compliment to each other.
• Well-Researched History Fans: Rappaport has done an immense amount of research to write this book. She quotes or references British, American, French, and other European expat's journals or correspondences frequently to tell how the government went from the tsarist Russia to Soviet powers with Lenin at the helm. And the sources come from a variety of walks of life, from ambassadors to journalists to bankers to nurses to butlers. Their experiences are shocking (perhaps mostly because many of them experienced riots and fire fights and chose to stay for quite a while longer). Many of the historic personages had extremely interesting insights at pivotal moments, and it is shocking to see how easily things in Russia could have turned out differently. A fascinating read and commendably researched.

Chief of Station, Congo: Fighting the Cold War in a Hot Zone by Lawrence Devlin
Larry Devlin was the CIA's man in Congo for some of the main years of unrest right after it gained independence from Belgium. At that time, the Soviet Union was looking for a country to be their foothold in Africa, so Larry spent most of his years trying to keep Congo out of the hands of the Soviets. No small task when the country is in turmoil and power keeps changing hands.

Target Readers:

• Thrilling Nonfiction Fans: This was a fascinating read. It’s an eye-opening look at what a real CIA agent’s life was like in the 60s and 70s and what Embassy life then was like (not always what you might imagine). This was hard to put down. It's very well written, and shockingly pretty clean.
• African History Fans/Curious Readers: This gave some great insights into the Cold War power struggles in Africa, and a behind the scenes look at politics in a 1960s African country.