Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is on more amazing nonfiction titles! It can be easy to think that nonfiction is boring but these titles are the complete opposite of that thought; we have everything from books about outer space and animals to history through other lenses and an adventure that is so unbelievable you will think it is fiction but it isn’t; you will not even realize you are reading nonfiction because they are that good. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #amazingyouthnonfiction as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
The Poison Eaters by Gail Jarrow--Profiles the life of chemist Harvey Washington Wiley who, in the 1900s, went on a quest to stop unscrupulous companies from putting harmful chemicals in food, which eventually led to the creation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration whose mission it is to ensure that the food and medicine we consume is safe.
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong--Describes the events of the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition when, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, their ship, Endurance, was finally crushed, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a very long and perilous journey across ice and stormy seas to reach inhabited land.
Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier by Jim Ottoviani--Celebrates the women who muscled their way into NASA and the struggles and achievements they faced.
All Thirteen by Christina Soontornvat--On June 23, 2018, twelve members of a Thailand youth soccer team known as the Wild Boars and their assistant coach went missing. Later it was discovered they went exploring in Tham Luang Nang Non, a nearby system of caves, and were trapped by rising flood waters. The world watched for the next seventeen days as hundreds of divers, personnel, and other volunteers set out to rescue them, eventually recovering all of them alive. Profiles the survivors and rescue personnel and details the complex rescue operation. Includes maps, photographs, illustrations, and back matter on Thai culture and religion.
Two Truths and a Lie by Ammi-Joan Paquette--Features a collection of amazing facts about strange things around us--featuring two strange-but true stories accompanied by one fictionalized tale. Reveals which are true and how the false stories often have their foundation in reality. Includes maps and color photographs.
A Few Red Drops by Claire Hartfield--Explores the 1919 race riot in Chicago prompted by a single act of violence against a young black man. Driven by white European immigrants and black migrants from the South, the two races were pitted against each other for jobs and living space, which created a breeding ground for racial hatred. Includes black-and-white photographs and examples of propaganda materials.