YA NF – Come on In, America; Opioid Epidemic

Osborne, Linda Barrett. Come On In, America: The United States in World War I. Abrams, 2017. 978-1-4197-2378-0. $17.95. 170p. Gr. 6-12.
Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the United States entering World War I, Come On In, America explores not only the history of World War I, but also the war’s impact on the American homefront. An overview of events leading up to America’s involvement of the war is presented, as well as an examination of U.S. entry and participation in the war. Chapters explore issues weaponry, the war on the homefront, and African Americans and women and their role in the war. Also discussed are topics such as war propaganda, the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. during the war, conscious objectors, and more. The book closes with chapters outlining the end of the war and the legacy of World War I. The text incorporates numerous primary source accounts as well as photographs, posters, and other images. THOUGHTS: While slim (only 170 pages), this title manages to convey an excellent overview of World War I, and is appropriate for both the casual reader as well as the researcher. The first-person accounts and numerous photographs present throughout the text bring the time period to life. Highly recommended for secondary libraries.
940.373, World War I      Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD

 

Marcovitz, Hal. The Opioid Epidemic. Reference Point, 2018. 978-1-68282-299-9. $29.95. 80p. Gr. 6-12.
As the opioid crisis continues to sweep the nation, the need has arisen for additional informational resources on this topic for student readers and researchers. The Opioid Epidemic aims to help meet this need. In this slim, yet informative volume, author Hal Marcovitz explores the history of opioids and their use in treating pain and injury, types of opioids, and their effects on the human body. Also presented are the social and emotional effects of opioid addiction on opioid users, their friends, family and society at large. Addiction treatment options are also discussed. Present throughout the text are first hand accounts from addicts, family members and medical professionals. Numerous statistics illustrate the growing addiction crisis across the United States. THOUGHTS: This book offers a solid overview of the opioid epidemic, written in a manner that will be easy for students to understand. A good choice for student researchers or debaters. Recommended.
362.29, Substance Abuse     Elizabeth Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg SD

Elementary NF – Animals; When Whales Cross the Sea; Symbiosis; Safe in a Storm

Kalman, Bobbie. Animals that Live in Social Groups. New York: Crabtree Publishing, 2016. 978-0-7787-2787-3. 32 pp. $16.99. Gr. 3-5.

Did you know that a group of lemurs is called a conspiracy? This beautiful non-fiction book describes several animals that live in groups.  These include dolphins, lions, baboons, elephants and more.  Students will love the bold, real photographs with interesting captions that fill each page.  This book also includes important text features such as a table of contents, glossary, and index to assist students as they navigate through a non-fiction text.  The text is clear and easy to understand with thought provoking questions and quizzes that test how well you read an animal’s non-verbal expressions.  THOUGHTS:  This is a great addition to a non-fiction library or a unit about animals and their interactions.  Students will love the strange names for some of the groups (like a murder of crows) .  This book adds another layer to the study of animals and their habitats and interactions.

Animals     Donna Fernandez, Calvary Christian Academy

 

Katz Cooper, Sharon. When Whales Cross the Sea: the Gray Whale Migration. North Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2016. 978-4795-6079-0. 32 pp.  $16.99. Gr. K-3.

When Whales Cross the Sea: the Gray Whale Migration is a picture book account of one whale’s migration from her summer home in the Arctic Ocean to her winter home off of the coast of Mexico.  With beautiful illustrations, the whale’s trip is chronicled as she feeds and prepares, and then embarks on her long journey.  The wording is magical and yet descriptive as in this line describing the whale’s layer of blubber. “It’s like a coat and a restaurant in one. The blubber keeps the whale warm and gives her energy.”  This is a wonderfully simplistic look at the preparations, possible dangers, and sweet birth of her baby in the warm waters of Mexico. This book also includes some “Fast Facts” about Gray Whales, a glossary, Critical Thinking questions aligned with Common Core Standards, and suggestions for more reading about the subject. THOUGHTS:  This book is a great read aloud for a unit on whales for a Kindergarten or First Grade class.  As each step is taken, students can follow and then try to put the steps of the whale’s journey in order at a center or on a smartboard.  Teachers can also use the critical thinking questions provided to guide discussion further.

Whales (Picture Book)     Donna Fernandez, Calvary Christian Academy

 

Kalman, Bobbie. Symbiosis: How Different Animals Relate. New York: Crabtree, 2016. 978-0-7787-2785-9. 32pp.  $16.99. Gr. 3-6.

The relationships between some animals are helpful, while others are harmful.  This book explores the four types of symbiosis; mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and predation.   Using full color photographs and captions, the author describes various types of beneficial and non-beneficial relationships in the animal world. The text often asks questions that remain unanswered, forcing a student to explore or research further to find out.  Critical thinking questions are sprinkled liberally throughout. Even human factors like bacteria and probiotics are discussed.  The text includes a table of contents, glossary and index to help students navigate this information rich text.  THOUGHTS:  This book is a helpful addition to a library collection of books about animals and their interrelationships.  Symbiosis is a complicated concept, but this book begins to help bring a clearer understanding of the different types of animal relationships.  A teacher might use some of the critical thinking questions as writing prompts to encourage students to synthesize information already learned in the unit.  Several examples of each type of symbiosis are used allowing for a variety of discussions over a variety of biomes.

Animals     Donna Fernandez, Calvary Christian Academy

 

Swinburne, Stephen. Safe in a Storm. New York: Cartwheel Books, 2016. 978-0-545-86792-4. Unpaged. $10.99. Gr. PreK-K.

Swinburne’s simple story discusses different animals seeking shelter during a storm, with the parent offering reassurances to its youngsters that they are safe. Bell does a lovely job combining the dark skies and angry storm with warm scenes of animal families embracing or snuggling to keep dry during the storm. This is a great book to share one-on-one, snuggled up on a dreary day. THOUGHTS: A sweet story to share with youngsters who don’t like storms or just need a reminder that they are loved.

Picture book     Lindsey Long, Nye & Conewago Elementary Schools

Series Nonfiction…Compact Research, In Controversy, Understanding World History

addictions
Compact Research: Addictions (series).  San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2015.  96 p.  $30.00 ea.  Gr. 7-12.
Dudley, WilliamSynthetic Drug Addiction. 978-1-60152-764-6.
Nakaya, Andrea C. Internet and Social Media Addiction. 978-1-60152-760-8.
Parks, Peggy J. Heroin Addiction. 978-1-60152-756-1.
Wilcox, Christine. Gambling Addiction. 978-1-60152-758-5.
Wilcox, Christine. Sex and Pornography Addictions. 978-1-60152-762-2.
Focusing on a variety of addictive habits, these titles begin with an overview of each addiction and then go on to look at issues such as causes of addiction, health dangers of addiction, and ways to overcome addiction.  Each chapter is supplemented by primary source quotes, color photographs, charts, graphs, and statistics.  At the end of each book there is a list of key people and advocacy groups, a chronological timeline of the addiction, contact information for
related organizations, and a list of additional sources for further research.  These titles provide straightforward, factual information for researchers and allow them to analyze the data and come to their own conclusions about each addiction.
               
600s; Addictions       Julie Ritter, Montoursville Area High School
​These titles are an excellent addition for student researchers.  Not only is there plenty of background information presented about each addiction, but the primary source quotes, statistics, charts and graphs provide students with plenty of evidence to help them form opinions and make arguments supporting these opinions.  The index, table of contents, and list of illustrations make the books easily accessible, and the list of sources for further research provides researchers with additional quality sources to guide them as they form opinions and arguments.
digitaldevices
In Controversy (series).  San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2015. 96 p. $31.32 ea. Gr. 7+.

Abramovitz, Melissa. How Are Digital Devices Impacting Society?  978-1-60152-772-1 
 
This 45-book set features outstanding data and information on topics that are controversial and argumentative in today’s world.  Each book in the collection focuses on a specific question from its title, then divides the book into several chapters revolving around the main components of the issue.  For example, in How Are Digital Devices Impacting Society?, the author takes a look at when controversies surrounding digital devices first appeared, then shares information on how digital devices impact private and social interaction, affect the brain and thought processes, and affect physical and mental health.
 
One of the greatest assets of these books is that the authors try to supply and cite information from both sides of the issue, drawing from experts who both agree or disagree with the situation or feel that things positively or negatively impact society.  Each books contains important facts bulleted at the end of each chapter, along with pull-out quotes throughout the reading.  This book was extremely entertaining to read just for fun but would also provide excellent secondary source information for students conducting research on a controversial topic.
Technology     Nicole Starner, Biglerville HS/Upper Adams MS
islam
Understanding World History (series). San Diego: ReferencePoint Press, 2015.  96 p.  $31.32 ea.  Gr. 7+.

Allman, Toney. The Rise of Islam.  978-1-60152-744-8.
Marcovitz, Hal. The History of Slavery.  978-1-60152-742-4.
Marcovitz, Hal. The Rise of the Nazis.  978-1-60152-654-0.
This 22-book set covers an incredible range of topics in world history from numerous eras, including time periods and events such as Ancient Chinese Dynasties, Victorian England, the Industrial Revolution, the Holocaust, and the Early Middle Ages.  Along with these selections, the set also includes books focused on other topics of interest that may be confusing and/or interesting to students, such as Islam, slavery, the Nazis, and the history of Rock and Roll.
Each book includes an index, a section describing and defining important people in the time period or event, a timeline, and photographs or illustrations to further understanding.  One of the greatest assets of this collection are the numerous white-boxed sections of the text that describe stories related to the event, give more information on a particular subject, or provide statistical research associated with what is being discussed.  These boxes are especially interesting and easy to read while adding supplementary knowledge on the topic.
World History   Nicole Starner, Biglerville HS/Upper Adams MS