The Brainstorm Plus: Brainstorm 223: Fiction/Nonfiction Pairs to Read Together

I have three fiction/nonfiction pairs of books that go really well together for you today. The last pairing includes options of whether you want all the details in your nonfiction pairing or just a quick read.

Pair 1: Internet Safety & Manners

A fiction & nonfiction book that teach about internet safety and social skills.

Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds, ill. by Matt Davies

Nerdy Birdy and Vulture get sucked into the new game Tweester. When Nerdy Birdy posts something about Vulture to get laughs but hurts Vulture's feelings, will the two be able to keep their friendship?

Target Readers:
Young Internet Users, Animal Lovers, Picture Book Readers, Lower & Middle Grade Readers

On the Internet: Our First Talk about Online Safety by Dr. Jillian Roberts, ill. by Jane Heinrichs

A superbly done introduction to online safety for kids.

Roberts writes in a way that is clear enough to understand but also protects innocence. This won't hurt kids in the information related or spark undesired curiosity, but it will arm them with some very important skills as they navigate the world online. I was very impressed by not only how tactfully it was written but how thoroughly it covers the basics of online safety.

Target Readers:
Young Internet Users, Nonfiction Fans, Picture Book Readers, Lower & Middle Grade Readers

African Refugees

A fiction story and true story about kids in refugee camps in Africa. Both feature kids with disabilities.

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney, ill. by Shane W. Evans

Amira's life is simple and happy, that is until the Janjaweed attack her family's village, killing her father and many others. Then Amira, her Muma, sister Leila and old friends Amwar and Gamal have to go to the refugee city at Kamal to find safety. Life there is hard and Amira's tongue refuses to work since the attack, but a gift of a red pencil and paper helps Amira's voice find wings and gives her hope for the future.

Target Readers:
Contemporary Fiction Fans, Refugee Story Fans, Fans of Stories about Mutism, Novels in Verse Fans, Fans of Quick Reads, Middle Grade Readers

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

A graphic novel autobiography of Omar Mohamed, who had to escape the violence in Somalia with his disabled brother Hassan, and grew up in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Omar and Hassan were separated from their mother in the turmoil in Somalia, so Omar has to care for his brother who can't talk and has seizures. An older woman helps look after them, but Omar shoulders the majority of the responsibility of feeding, clothing, and caring for their needs. We watch as they grow up, struggle to survive in the refugee camp with very little hope of resettlement.

Target Readers:
Autobiography Fans, Graphic Novel Fans, Refugee Story Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Fans of Stories about Kids with Special Needs, Middle Grade Readers

Plant Hunters & Food Safety

This fiction story heavily features a plant hunter who now is in food production. Plant hunting of the 1800-1900s comes up a lot as does the campaign for greater food safety regulation by Mr. Wiley in the early 1900s, so I couldn't choose between the two nonfiction reads. Both match really well to the story. The plant hunters book is a pretty quick read, while the food safety one is longer and much more detailed. Of course, you could read all 3 too.

The Spice King (Hope and Glory, #1) by Elizabeth Camden

Annabelle Larkin is trying to secure a permanent spot at the Smithsonian. She's interning right now so that her sister can work at the Library of Congress with a special blind reading program. They are a long way from their Kansas home, but Annabelle really wants to make this work and put her agricultural/botanical knowledge to use. Her boss is not giving her much hope of her securing a permanent spot. Her one hope is if she can get reclusive spice baron Gray Delacroix who rumor to give her a clipping from his greenhouses. Rumor has it he has a very rare vanilla orchid. Based on his letter responses, Annabelle might as well trying to ask him for the arm of his firstborn child. She decides to go see him in person, and actually gets her foot in the door. Gray Delacroix has spent decades traveling the world and is ready to settle down. And this woman from the Smithsonian has him smitten. But will he be able to give Annabelle something that will spur the Smithsonian to give her a permanent job, or will the War Department and Gray's siblings get in the way of the two of them forming a relationship?

Target Readers:
Historical Fiction Fans, Clean Romance Fans, Washington D.C. Setting Fans, Sibling Story Fans, Fans of Blind Characters, Christian Fiction Fans, Mystery Fans, Spy Story Fans, Adult Readers (though totally approachable for teens)

Plant Hunters: True Stories of Their Daring Adventures to the Far Corners of the Earth by Anita Silvey

Ms Silvey tells how men (and a few women) were willing to face horrible weather, dangerous terrain, savage wild animals, and unfriendly locals to find "boring" old plants. Plants that were needed to boost economics, create life-saving medicine, or just look pretty in a back yard. The book focuses primarily on some of the most famous historic plant hunters and their most daring or important hunts, but at the end it does point out that plant hunting continues today though some of the conditions have drastically changed.

Target Readers:
Adventure Story Fans, Spy Story Fans, Botany Enthusiasts, Curious Readers, Quick Nonfiction Read Fans, Reluctant Nonfiction Readers, Middle Grade Readers on up

The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Century by Deborah Blum

A history of food safety and purity and Mr. Wiley’s campaign to implement government standards to regulate what companies put into their “food” products. (A fictionalized Mr. Wiley actually makes an appearance in The Spice King.)

The overall history that this covers is fascinating. It is amazing anyone survived the last turn of the century with the abundance of contaminated food products! I don't envy Mr. Wiley's uphill battle to convince the US government to force companies to identify the products in their food on their labels, but I am grateful for his long, hard fought battle. But be warned, Blum covers this in exhaustive detail.