Nonfiction

Look Up! Bird-watching in Your Own Backyard – book review

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Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate Nonfiction Picture book * * * * Stars (Great!) Annette LeBlanc Cate is an enthusiastic amateur bird-watcher who shares her passion for our feathered friends with a young audience in this introduction to bird-watching. Using goofy cartoon birds (who have something to say about EVERYTHING) she explains how to find and identify birds, how field guides work, how birds are classified, and much, much … Read more

Saving Audie – book review

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Saving Audie: A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent photos by William Munoz Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Michael Vick, NFL quarterback, was running an illegal dog-fighting ring and raising “fighting dogs” at his appropriately named “Bad Newz Kennels.” When information about his crimes came to light, the dogs were seized, as evidence, and spent many months in isolation in an animal shelter. In the past, fighting dogs … Read more

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae – book review

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What to Expect When You’re Expecting Larvae: A Guide for Insect Parents (and Curious Kids) by Bridget Heos Nonfiction * * * * Stars (Great!) Bridget Heos presents and answers the questions expecting insect parents might have IF they were capable of asking questions (and needed the answers) in an informative and amusing way. “Congratulations, insect parent-to-be! You must be very excited. You may be feeling proud but also a little scared. Your babies will … Read more

How to Clean a Hippopotamus – book review

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How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page Juvenile Nonfiction (Grades 4-7) Intricate and colorful torn paper collages illustrate the fascinating symbiotic (mutualistic) relationships between various animals and organisms. Their stories are told in comic book/graphic novel-like panels, describing the nature of the relationship and how it benefits each animal. Even if you know something about symbiosis, this book really brings it to life – from … Read more

How to Scratch a Wombat – book review

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How to Scratch a Wombat by Jackie French Juvenile Nonfiction (Grades 4-6) * * * * * Stars (Amazing!) Jackie French has been living among wombats in the near-wilds of Australia for over 30 years. She’s made friends with her neighborhood wombats and has cared for orphaned and injured wombats. Wombats are curious creatures, marsupials, which like to dig. They experience the world primarily through their large nostrils and have a highly evolved sense of … Read more

Cheaper by the Dozen – Read It and Rate It

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Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth Biography Funny Nonfiction Review #1 * * * Stars This book was pretty funny. They have 12 kids so it is hard to keep track of who they are talking about. I would recommend this book to people who haven’t seen the movie. Because if you have seen the movie, I heard it isn’t too much like the book, so I would read the book first.

Burn Journals – Read It and Rate It

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The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon Nonfiction Biography Review #1 * * * Stars (Pretty good) This book was written about a boy’s suicide attempt when he lit himself on fire. He writes about his stay in the hospital and extensive surgeries and operations. I thought it was kind of gross, but also inspiring to experience his process of regaining self-respect.

Sickened – Read It and Rate It

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Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen By Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory Autobiography Biography Nonfiction * * * Stars (Pretty good) This book scares me because it is about a girl whose mother always thinks she’s sick and takes her to doctors all the time. She is on all sorts of medication and spends most of her childhood in hospitals. the worst part is that it is a true story.