The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor – Sonia Sotomayor – A portrait of determination and strength, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor describes her rise from a trying childhood in the South Bronx. Offering full credit to those who helped along the way, this beloved Justice offers gentle advice for young readers. |
Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam – Elizabeth Partridge – A chronological account of the Vietnam War as experienced at home and in the field, from a wide variety of perspectives. Stories of eight young soldiers are highlighted by means of personal interviews and thoughtfully chosen photographs. (959.704/Par) |
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler – John Hendrix – A true and gripping spy story, this graphic biography describes pivotal moments in the career of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose religious faith led him to devote his life to the German Resistance to Hitler. Visual metaphors in the powerful illustrations convey the looming danger. (GRA 921/Bonhoeffer) |
Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction – Jarrett J. Krosoczka – A raw graphic memoir, author-illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka depicts his complex upbringing - including a search for his father, difficult interactions with his heroin-addicted mother, and day-to-day life with his grandparents. Illustrations–ample in gray, burnt orange, and earth tones–conjure the feeling of vague memories. (GRA 921/Kro) |
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies – Joyce Sidman – At a time when women could not and did not enter into intellectual pursuits (17th Century Germany), Maria Merian defied tradition, studying and illustrating insects (particularly butterflies and moths) in a manner and style which even modern-day entomologists model. |
Coco Chanel - Susan Rubin – Both the poorhouses of France, as well as the high-fashion districts of Paris, are introduced in this chronicle of the life of iconic fashion designer, Coco Chanel. Chanel is portrayed by Rubin as a mysterious and sometimes “cold” personality, yet hard-working and ingenious in her approach to fashion design |
Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island – Loree Griffin Burns – This “Scientist in the Field” selection follows five days of field research on Surtsey, a new island formed off the coast of Iceland during a volcanic eruption in 1963. A nearly pristine world allows scientists and an entomologist the opportunity to discover the origin and development of life on Planet Earth. |
The Hyena Scientists – Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop – Montgomery and Bishop visit a field camp in Masai Mara, Kenya, where Michigan State University zoologist Kay Holecamp and her assistants reverse the much-maligned stereotype associated with spotted hyenas, discovering and sharing with the world the many positive qualities of this species. |
The Disappearing Spoon and other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World From the Periodic Table of the Elements – Sam Kean – Who knew the construction of the periodic table was defined by economics, nationalism, society, gossip, bigotry, betrayal!? Not to mention, science. Kean’s young readers’ edition will enlighten those who have never imagined the “drama” entrenched within scientific discovery. |
Becoming Kareem: Growing Up on and Off the Court - Kareem Abdul-Jabar – Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Much more than a basketball icon! At once a student of Bruce Lee, friend of Muhammad Ali, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, coach, civil rights activist, Sherlock Holmes fan, and actor and author, he is now also a US global cultural ambassador and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (Biography) (921 Abdul-Jabar) |
Facing Frederick: the Life of Frederick Douglas, A Monumental American Man – Tonya Bolden – Peppered with quotes from Frederick Douglass and his contemporaries, and illustrated with photographs, daguerreotypes, and drawings, Bolden has crafted a must-read biography of one of the best known African-American abolitionists, authors, newspaper owners, and speakers. |
Walking is a Way of Knowing: In a Kadar Forest – Madhuri Ramesh (Author), Manish Chandi (Author), and Matthew Frame (Illustrator) – Authors Ramesh and Chandi journey to the Anamalai Hills of South India and "walk" in the wisdom of the Kadars, a forest-dwelling, hunter-gatherer tribe whose knowledge may prove crucial to the survival of our planet. |
1968: Today’s Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change – Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Editors and Contributors) – With contributions from such well-known authors as Paul Fleischman, Elizabeth Partridge, Marc Aronson, and Jim Murphy, this compilation discusses the revolutionary "air" of 1968, not only in the United States, but also in Paris, Mexico, and China. |
Votes for Women! American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot – Winifred Conkling – Starting with the childhood of Elizabeth Stanton, and ending with the vote which allowed women the right to vote in the United States, Conkling's narrative non-fiction provides the human stories behind the suffragist movement: parades, picketing, prohibition, and Alice Paul! |
Blacklisted: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment – Larry Dean Brimner – In 1947, ten Hollywood personalities, summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee for “suspected” Communist connections, refuse to testify. As a result, they are convicted of Contempt of Congress and blacklisted from the movie business! (364.1/Bri) |
Back From the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction – Nancy Castaldo – Books on animal extinction tend to be a bit grim, yet Castaldo’s title provides a glimpse into how human intervention can work, as she examines the journey of a number of species that have almost vanished from the planet! Yet, the author is firm in her admonition that “at the brink” is not the journey these animals should be experiencing! |
D-Day: The World War II Invasion That Changed History – Deborah Hopkinson – Books on D-Day abound, yet only a few lay out the facts in such a way that teens will be riveted. Hopkinson’s book is such a one, as well-chosen photos and fascinating stories put the reader in the thick of the action. Readers virtually “watch” this pivotal strategy of WWII play out, crippling the Nazis. |
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend – Karen Blumenthal – The lifestyle of a gangster is hell, not glamour, as Heligman denotes in this narrative detailing two very violent, very sad, very disturbed individuals attempting to survive childhood poverty, societal norms, and the Great Depression: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. |
Mary Shelley: The Strange True Tale of Frankenstein’s Creator – Catherine Reef – Frankenstein is celebrating a 200-year birthday. While his history is important, his creator’s life is even more so. Read Reef’s title to hear Mary Shelley’s story told in exquisite prose, making this work of non-fiction a pleasure to read. Teens will be intrigued with Mary’s time with the famous poet, Percey Shelley, an experience which led her to create the most famous monster of all time. (Biography) (921/Shelley) |
More Deadly than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War – Kenneth Davis – The Spanish Flu actually had nothing to do with Spain other than it did finally spread to that country. It started in America, and it came out of nowhere. This book reveals the spread of the disease, how the circumstances surrounding WWI worsened its impact, how it ebbed and flowed for quite a time, and how few were spared. This history will be one teens cannot put down. |
Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico – David Bowles – The stories in Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky trace the history of the world from its beginnings in the dreams of the dual god, Ometeotl, to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in Mexico and the fall of the great city Tenochtitlan. In the course of that history we learn about the Creator Twins—Feathered Serpent and Dark Heart of Sky—and how they built the world on a leviathan's back; of the shape-shifting nahualli; and the aluxes, elfish beings known to help out the occasional wanderer. And finally, we read Aztec tales about the arrival of the blonde strangers from across the sea, the strangers who seek to upend the rule of Motecuhzoma and destroy the very stories we are reading. |