They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti Published by Houghton Mifflin, 2010. Age Range: 12+ (7th grade and up) Lexile Score: 1180L Booklist Starred Review, YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Finalist This books tells the fascinating history of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group that terrorized the South in the years following the Civil War. This book initially interested me, because I am from Tennessee, which is where the Klan originated. I have heard about it in history classes and just from growing up in the South, but I wanted to learn more about the actual history surrounding its inception. This account of the Klan focuses on the original group, from the years following the Civil War through Reconstruction. I did not realize that the Klan had died out or gone into hiding for several years, only being reborn following the premiere of the very divisive movie in 1915, The Birth of a Nation. The author recounts the history of the hate group in chronological order, peppering political cartoons, illustrations, photographs, and newspaper clippings throughout her text. These artifacts make the topic seem real. It is such an awful part of our history that it is easy to feel removed from it, but seeing these artifacts and first-hand accounts, forces the reader to face the truth about the atrocities that the group committed. The book is broken into ten chapters and an Epilogue, each focusing on a different aspect of the group's history. The author relied heavily on interviews with former slaves from 1937 and accounts from Klan members' diaries and testimonies. These primary sources lend legitimacy to her writing, and grasp the reader's interest. The book is very text-heavy, even with the multitude of illustrations and photographs. It took me a while to get into the book, and I would often get bogged down in the details. This book would not be one that students would necessarily need to read straight through. The exhaustive index would be very useful for students who are conducting research on a certain aspect of the group or Reconstruction. I would recommend this book for middle or high school libraries. The author puts a disclaimer in the front of the book, warning about the foul language that is present in quotes from Klan members or newspaper clippings. She did not alter these in any way, and librarians and teachers would need to take their students' needs and dispositions into consideration when selecting this book for the collection. The author is objective when reporting on the activities of the Klan, however, it is evident that she finds the group's actions abhorrent; the subtitle alone points to that fact when she calls the Klan a terrorist group. I think this topic is an important one to expose students to, especially in today's world, when racial tensions are still high in some places. This book serves as a chilling reminder of what can happen when an entire race is seen as "less than". Although not painting Klan members in a favorable light, the book does seek to explain their actions in some way: "During times of crisis or uncertainty, people often resort to rumors, or stories circulated without facts to confirm the truth, to help them cope with anxieties and fears" (p. 24). The author also includes a quote from an African-American civil rights activist, W.E.B. Du Bois: "These human beings at heart are desperately afraid of something” (p. 58). Below is an example of a page from the book. You can see an illustration depicting black children on the bottom rung of Southern society. This book would intrigue students who are interested in history, specifically the Civil War and Reconstruction. It would also interest students who want to know more about the history of African-Americans leading up to the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. If students like this book, they might also be interested to read some of Bartoletti's other non-fiction books:
This book could be paired with historical fiction about the Reconstruction era:
Here are some digital collections and websites about Reconstruction:
This book would be a great extension to a history textbook, and an informational nonfiction text to include in a unit about Reconstruction. It could lead to discussion over why the Klan formed, its motives, and how our country can learn from the past. It can also be a resource for a lesson over the Constitution and the 14th and 15th Amendments. Students can discuss how amendments are ratified and how they are enforced.
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Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick Published by Little, Brown and Company, 2015. Age Range: 4-8 (PK-3) Lexile Score: AD590L Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal Starred Reviews This book tells the story of a man, Harry, and the bear he rescued, Winnipeg (Winnie). The book is a story within a story, which may prove to be a bit confusing for younger readers. The story frame is a mom telling her son a bedtime story. The frame is designated in the text by italics. It is interwoven with the real story, which is true to life: many children interrupt their parents while they are reading to them. However, even I got confused at times on which was the frame and the actual story, so I can see younger readers getting lost. I think young students, and even older readers, will be intrigued by this story. Most people have heard of Winnie-the-Pooh, but they probably have no idea that he was based on a real bear. This book would be a good real-aloud, and I can imagine it would generate many questions for young listeners: "Where did the bear sleep? Were the humans scared of the bear? How did Christopher Robin get to play with the bear at the zoo?" The illustrations by Sophie Blackall accompanying the text are beautiful and add a lot of depth to the story. My favorite is a spread of the train ride across Canada. I love how you can follow the train through the mountains and the different times of the day: This book is a valuable addition to any elementary school and possibly middle school library. The story is interesting and a good introduction to nonfiction for young readers. One thing that the book is lacking is a bibliography. I wish there were articles or websites where someone could go to find more information about Harry and Winnie. I guess the lack of that is because the author is telling the story from memories that have been passed down to her through the generations. I do like the additions of photographs of Harry and Winnie. I think students would appreciate the proof that Winnie was a real bear. I found several resources related to Finding Winnie, including this educator's guide: http://media.hdp.hbgusa.com/titles/assets/reading_group_guide/9780316324908/EG_9780316324908.pdf. This guide includes ideas to integrate the book into many subjects: social studies, science, language arts, math, and the arts. There are a couple other books written about Winnie, that can be read to students and used to compare and contrast the accounts:
Watch the book trailer below, narrated by the author, Lindsey Mattick: Human Body Theater by Maris Wicks Published by First Second, 2015 Age Range: 12-14 (Middle school) Lexile Score: GN920L School Library Journal'’s Top Graphic Novels 2015 Booklist Top 10 Books for Youth 2015, Science & Health Human Body Theater is a graphic novel that tells all about the human body. The premise of the book is a dramatic production, with a skeleton as the narrator. Parts of the body are "supporting characters", including a finger, cells, bones, etc. It is broken into 11 acts, with each body system represented. Each page contains full color illustrations, with text both on the page and in speech bubbles. Some pages are in frames, while others are not. The book also includes many diagrams, including one that names all the bones and one for all the muscles in the body. Here is an example of a page: The book is organized very well, with logical sequence. It contains a table of contents, so students can flip to the body system they are studying. It also has a glossary. One thing that did bug me as I was reading, is that I found a few typos. It was nothing major, just random spelling or punctuation errors, but I feel like that should have been caught by an editor at some point. Most people probably wouldn't even notice, but a student with an eye for detail might question the validity of the book if it includes typos. I think this book does a good job of teaching kids about the parts of the body. The way it is presented is funny and simple, and even younger students would enjoy looking at the pictures. I believe this book could supplement any middle school biology class, and would probably be well-received even in a high school Anatomy class. I took Anatomy in high school, and this book was a good refresher, and a very simple way to learn about complex body systems. It is over 200 pages long, and there is a lot of information included, but I was able to read it in one sitting, due to the graphic novel format. Also, having it broken into Acts also helps with the pacing. Here is an example of a page: This page explains a topic that can be hard to understand; the difference between red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The way Wicks explains it makes sense, and the illustrations are a great visual to help students remember. I think that many students will enjoy this book, even those who traditionally dislike science. It presents hard topics in a humorous way, and students will be drawn to the many illustrations and jokes. Hopefully, while they are admiring the "other stuff", they can learn something in the process! It is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is a good supplement to a tedious anatomy or biology textbook. If students enjoy Human Body Theater, they might also enjoy other graphic novels by Maris Wicks:
For students who want to learn more about the human body, here are a few websites that are interactive and informative:
Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I did enjoy it, but the few typos and misprints bugged me. Hopefully they will do a reprint that fixes the errors! |
AuthorMy name is Kayla Taylor. I am currently taking LIS-S672 Seminar in Youth Literature - Nonfiction. These are the books I have read this semester and my reviews. ArchivesCategories |