Comments on: Nonfiction roundup

By: Selecting and Sharing Materials with Teens | crossreferencing

Selecting and Sharing Materials with Teens | crossreferencing — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:55:27 +0000

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By: Becky

Becky — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:51:58 +0000

I had swayed away from nonfiction, but found the most delightful book that got back into them again… “The Art Dockuments” by Carlton Davis. I was reminded that nonfiction can be very fun and was able to delve into the true life of an artist- very fun. I am now on a nonfiction binge and can’t wait to check out the two books mentioned above. Thank you for suggesting them.

http://artdock.net/

By: Maureen E

Maureen E — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 02:48:42 +0000

Just another note about ages–both these books are very firmly in juvenile non-fiction in my library. I’ve only read the Aronson, which I didn’t have a very strong reaction to, although I did feel like he was hedging his bets with the maybe maybe not argument as far as family history and sexuality were concerned. Actually, as I remember, I found the argument that he may have been part African-American to be weaker based as it was on a possible say-so of someone somehow related to the Hoover family, and J. Edgar’s possibly “looking black” (surely not the best evidence?). It could be a fascinating insight if there was more evidence and if Aronson had a little lighter touch there–I felt like the point was drawn pretty heavily and didn’t necessarily do anything other than help draw Hoover’s psychology.

By: Karyn Silverman

Karyn Silverman — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:45:31 +0000

Wendy, we’ve got Titanic: Voices from the Disaster on the contender list, but didn’t have it in time to review it when we were covering first quarter books. Eventually we’ll circle back around to it! I do find the formatting there makes it a much easier sell in my HS library, where the large format books have never ever moved; they are hard to sell even for research projects because the format is such a turn off. Good Brother, Bad Brother a few years ago was an exception, I think because it’s tall but not that squarish shape that screams picture book. But then, are HS students the primary audience for the authors or publishers?

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:12:58 +0000

I think, like most of the non-fiction that I’ve seen mentioned here, the LINCOLN-DOUGLASS book is too young for the Printz as you say. I do think you overstate the comparison made between Lincoln’s and Douglass’s backgrounds–I don’t think Freedman was trying to equate relative poverty and slavery at all–but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a moot point here.

I haven’t read the Aronson book. I wonder how teens (on average) respond to the formatting question you bring up? I think I might have thought bigger/glossier-formatted books were sort of childish when I was a teenager, but now that they’re common, it might not have any stigma. VOICES FROM THE DISASTER has a more standard adult-style format (and is another title I can see making a YA case for).