It is our first Middle Grade Book Spotlight for 2021 and if you have a goal for this new year of wanting to learn about something new or expanding your current knowledge base then this week’s theme is here to help!! 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 music history to books about how people have died and nonfiction graphic novels; 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!!
Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney--Though the names Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, and others of Motown fame are household names today, the truth is they never would have gotten their start without Berry Gordy. Gordy started Motown in 1959 with just an $800 loan from his family and a converted garage. He invited over young, talented singers, like Marvin Gaye, from his community to make the first Motown album. They of course made history as well!
How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg--Meet 19 prominent historical figures, from George “Little Mouth of Horrors” Washington to Marie “You Glow, Girl” Curie, spotlighting the marvelous, fascinating, and oftentimes disgusting circumstances surrounding their deaths. In addition to the main profiles, Bragg also provides information on associated topics such as scurvy, leeching, and mummification, tying them into the individual being profiled.
Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin--In 1876, the body of Abraham Lincoln was almost stolen from the Lincoln Monument outside of Springfield, Illinois. Author Sheinkin illuminates this nearly disastrous moment in American history, creating a suspenseful tale that will capture readers' attention from beginning to end. James Kennally, leader of a large Midwestern counterfeiting ring, plotted to steal the president's corpse and hold it for ransom - not only for easy cash, but in order to secure the release of a jailed engraver that would ensure the continued success of his counterfeit production.
Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales: Raid of No Return by Nathan Hale--Presents the graphic novelization of the true story of a dangerous, top-secret mission carried out by young pilots during WWII. Recruited to participate in a raid on Japan, the men didn't expect to survive the mission. And the already dangerous mission was complicated when they were forced to launch the attack early.
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming--In alternating chapters, author Fleming takes readers on a journey into the life and final, fateful flight of aviator Amelia Earhart. The chapters focusing on her life trace her evolution from imaginative child to one of history's most daring pilots, detailing her accomplishments and revealing what made Earhart one of the most influential role models of her time. The rest of the book centers on her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, a journey that led to her as-of-yet-unsolved disappearance over the Pacific Ocean. The two plot lines gracefully weave around one another, creating a flowing package that leads inexorably to the conclusion.
The Poison Eaters by Gail Jarrow--Investigates the history of the addictive drugs, poisons, and generally unclean and dangerous ingredients that used to be put in medicines and foods--such as including cocaine in toothache drops for teething children and allowing borax and rat feces to be wrapped up in sausages. Investigates the work of people and organizations to expose the dangers of such things before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was invented.