The nonfiction book Camp Panda by Catherine Thimmesh contains information on pandas and how the numbers of their population is decreasing because of us and what we are doing. The book’s main purpose is to educate people on how we are harming panda’s home environment. The author did an excellent job in informing the readers. This book seems like it would target any age of readers since the information can be useful for anyone who would be interested in the topic. This book is filled with accurate and relevant facts. This book is also filled with many photos, almost every page has at least one picture relating to the topic. Along with interesting facts, this book is able to hook you on to the topic. Every chapter starts with the book asking/ talking to the reader about the chapter’s topic. Many chapter leads give you imagery inside your head. For example, “Deep in the forest, high in the mountains-amidst the evergreens, the firs, the spruces…” In general this is a good book and did a good job in informing readers on the topic of the panda’s population.

Review by Bao-Han

The book Orphaned by Eliot Schrefer is an enjoyable book told from the perspective of a young female gorilla Snub, set in the Paleolithic Era. She lives a normal gorilla life with her mother, brother, and others until her family is torn apart from a volcanic eruption that separates them. She is left as the protector of her baby brother, Breath.  As Snub is searching for her family she finds a “not gorilla” that walks on two legs and was exiled by her family. Together, Snub, Breath and Orphan, the “not gorilla”, create a bond that is amazing without spoken communication. The vivid and descriptive details in this text help you to feel a connection with the characters. There are times that it is difficult to understand what is being described due to it not coming from the human perspective but during Snub’s perspective, there is excitement to turn the page each time to see what would happen next. Be prepared for some laughing and crying during this book. Recommend for anyone seventh grade and up, readers who like animals would definitely love this book but it would also push students to see “a world” far different than their own.

Have you ever wondered about one of Great Britain’s most famous Queens, Queen Victoria? Victoria, Portrait Of A Queen, By Catherine Reef is an amazing book with tons of information. The book tells Victoria’s life story, with information about her friends and family. This book has bonuses like a table of contents and a list all the Kings and Queens of Great Britain. With even more bonuses also! In the book there are direct quotes taken from letters and from Queen Victoria’s diary. The book also has many, many pictures, there is also paintings and artwork. Some of the artwork was made by her children. Now, from reading this book, I personally know a lot about Queen Victoria. This author writes with perspective and feeling. It feels like this author knows who she is talking about and feels the pain and joy. With over 200 pages filled with beautiful pictures and lots of information, this book will not disappoint. I Highly recommend this book to lovers of Great Britain and Biographies and Non-Fiction.

Review by Mia

Freedom Of The Press by Duchess Harris is a very informational book about the first amendment. It tells about important things the press has covered and things they weren’t allowed to cover. There is a part about crimes committed at Watergate that eventually caused a president to resign from office. There was information about several different people’s ideas on whether or not newspapers should be censored. There was a section about libel and what it is. There were parts about freedom and protecting people’s rights now as well as in the future. The book has many features including a table of contents, a timeline, a facts page, a glossary, an additional resources page, a source page and an index. It also had a bunch of pictures and was written in a way that made the book easy to read. The book seemed very accurate and thorough and had a lot of important information and text features. It had a bunch of call out boxes and information about the smaller topics that were mentioned. If you like learning about rights throughout history I would recommend this book to you.

Review by Janelle

Mimi is so small, she sometimes thinks she should be called Mini. Mimi is frustrated of the things she cannot do because of her size. Her friends and family try to cheer her up by sharing all the positive things about being small. Mimi tries to focus on those positives, but can only find a few examples on her own. One day when her Dad gets her after school, he has a surprise to share – a new baby sister. Now that Mimi is the big sister and she reassures her tiny sister that one day, she’ll be a big too.

Sweet watercolor illustrations help portray Mimi’s frustrations and joys. A good title to encourage self-esteem and self-acceptance.

From tree to sea, from sun to stones and from bees to whales the natural world around us can teach us valuable lessons on how to live. These messages from nature are shared through both words and pictures.

  
'A baby bird shows me how not to be afraid
to spread my wings and fly.
I'll never find out how high
I can soar unless I try.' 

This beautiful book shares uplifting and encouraging messages while celebrating the natural world. A lovely read aloud and a great support for Social Emotional Learning lessons.

Melia spends her days measuring, testing, reading, and observing as she creates things in her lab. Jo spends her days singing, crouching, leaping, whirling, and twirling while she expresses the world around her creatively through the arts. They seem to have nothing in common and at first aggravate each other, but together they turn out to be a dream team. Jo’s unconventional creative thinking inspires Melia to look beyond what is right in front of her. The pairing of scientific thinking and creative thinking leads to inventive solutions.

A good title to support the STEAM movement. Also encourages the acceptance of others and the benefits of working together.

An introduction of the role of coal in energy production past and present. The book begins by identifying coal, where it is found, and its uses. It continues with an historical explanation of the invention of the steam engine and its reliance on coal. The invention of early steam engines is then tied to the current use of steam turbines to create electricity using coal. The book concludes with the fact that coal creates pollution and that scientists are working to create new coal power plants that are better for the environment.

Large font and simple sentences make this book easy for young students to read. The flow between topics lacks smooth transitions, particularly the significance of the invention of the steam engine. The Table of Contents only includes three entrees, All About Coal Energy (all the text), Think About it (a 2 page spread with one question), and the Glossary.

Starting with Nina Simone singing a lullaby to her baby, the story is told as if Nina were telling her child about the role of music and segregation in her early life. The white and black keys are a metaphor of the relationship between white and black Americans. At 12 years old, Nina showed her resolve when she refused to play when her mother was made to leave the front row of her concert when white people arrived. The story-like quality and the short concise message make this complex concept accessible to younger children. It reinforces the fact that the struggle for civil rights involved many amazing leaders from all walks of life.

If the reader of Greenglass House was intrigued by the house’s various elements and wants some background to the house itself, this may be the book for them.

In September 1810, Lucy Bluecrowne’s father bought a huge house on top of a hill overlooking a river. There her father planned to keep Lucy, her Chinese half-brother Liao, and her Chinese step-mother Xiaoming safe while he was off at sea. However, this was not to be. A pair of time-travelers looking for a conflagrationeer and a special ironmonger / weapons maker put Lucy and Liao in harms way.

The time travelers go back and forth through time wheeling and dealing with a supplier for their evil buyer/employer. If they fail, they will suffer greatly in reputation and physically. Then there are the innocents – Liao and Lucy who might not want to travel time for crooks.

As the story weaves in and out of time various features of the Greenglass house are recounted, to the reader, and why the features are in the house in the first place.