Read All about It!: Great Read-aloud Stories, Poems, and Newspaper Pieces for Preteens and Teens

Read All about It!: Great Read-aloud Stories, Poems, and Newspaper Pieces for Preteens and Teens

By Jim Trelease

Contributor Jim Trelease

Edition: illustrated

Published by Penguin Books, 1993

ISBN 0140146555, 9780140146554

489 pages

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" to "Maniac Magee," sci-fi to op-ed, "Casey at the Bat" to a moving true story about the reunion of two Hololcaust survivors, this wonderfully diverse collection of excerpts from newspapers, magazines, and books has been created by Jim Trelease especially to turn young people on to the many pleasures of reading. Here are thought-provoking columns from Mike Royko and Pete Hamill; excerpts from classics like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Rikki-tikki-tavi"; autobiographical sketches by Maya Angelou, Moss Hart, and others, highlighting the imoportance of reading in their lives; and much more. With selections representing many different cultures, genres, writing styles, and interests, "Read All About It!" is a wonderful introduction to the riches of literature and to a lifetime of reading.

The Knight At Dawn, Knights and Castles

The Knight at Dawn

By Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca

Illustrated by Sal Murdocca

Edition: illustrated

Published by Random House, 1993

ISBN 067982412X, 9780679824121

65 pages
Illus. in black-and-white. Jack and Annie travel back in time to medieval England for an adventure inside a storybook castle, from feasting hall to dreadful dungeon.

Knights and Castles
By Will Osborne, Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca

Illustrated by Sal Murdocca

Edition: illustrated

Published by Random House, 2000

ISBN 0375802975, 9780375802973

119 pages

Jack and Annie look at knights, armor, and life in a castle. Grades 1-4 Ages 6, 7 , 8 , 9, 10 First Chapter Books

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out Ages 8+

Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. 108 contributors-- authors (from Katherine Paterson to Kate DiCamillo to Jon Scieszka), illustrators (from Leo and Diane Dillon to Peter Sis to Brian Selznick), and famous folks (from Charles Dickens and Walt Whitman to Richard Nixon and Dick Cheney). At 242 well-designed pages, this anthology is a tribute to American history, a multi-faceted jewel for family sharing and endless uses in the classroom (to be developed on its companion website ). A few poems and short stories and plays sprinkle the mix, but mostly this is a nonfiction account of history as it affected our White House—the emphasis on our—and a call to learn more about being an American citizen (Candlewick, ages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 ). FROM:

Imagine a Dragon Ages 7-9

You might think Imagine a Dragon would be collection of fluffy poems going nowhere special, but you’d be wrong. Instead, esteemed science writer Laurence Pringle has compiled a treasury of true stuff about this beast, illustrious but wholly imaginary. Starting with the earliest rumors in China, Egypt, and present-day Iraq, a dragon worked nicely as an explanation for natural disasters, scientific phenomena, anything that seemed scary. Pringle zooms around the globe to glean the primo dragon facts and legends, while lush paintings in acrylic by Eujin Kim Neilan make the pages swirl. Good example of a handsome nonfiction picture book, and an appealing choice for kids shifting out of fairy tales (Boyds Mills, 2008, ages 7, 8, 9). FROM:

Lady Liberty: A Biography Ages 5-8

...and more or less in tune with 4th of July partying.

Pickers of nits may have a tricky time classifying the gorgeous new picture book about our emblem of freedom-- Lady Liberty: A Biography. What is noted author Doreen Rappaport doing with these free-verse poems, in the various voices of all who had a hand in creating the Statue of Liberty? The first poem is autobiographical, describing her Latvian grandfather seeing the statue for the first time. Then, from French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi to others famous and not so famous, the voices tell a true story-- how the statue was conceived and built and what it’s meant to immigrants ever since. Here is the voice of poet Emma Lazarus: “Soon when people arrive in the New World,/they will be welcomed/by a caring, powerful woman,” Rappaport writes, segueing into Lazarus’s own invocation: “Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” Besides being inspirational, the poems are obviously the fruit of mountains of research, and meanwhile Rappaport has collected every possible fact you could want to know into the back matter. Somber paintings by Matt Tavares swoop from unusual angles to heighten the drama. The format is large and inviting, with a “ta-da” fold-up page unveiling the completed Lady in all her magnificence. This is history, biography, and a tribute evoking genuine emotion-- all at the same time. I would call it seriously creative nonfiction (Candlewick, ages 5, 6, 7, 8). FROM:

Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys Ages 9+

Anyone who saw him play piano at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony will be fascinated by Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys, an autobiography written with Michael French. Search for “Lang Lang” on YouTube, and be intoxicated by this Chinese master of Western classical piano music. No superlative is too super to describe his showy technique and pure emotion—think Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven-- and he’s still only 26. His life is a harrowing mythical journey from being a child without a childhood—a prodigy in a poor family, with a loving if strict-unto-abusive father-- all the way to rock-star-like fame and fortune. Along the way, readers will absorb a considerable amount about China, its history and culture, as well as the power of all kinds of music, particularly classical. A recent New Yorker reports that 40 million children in China are currently studying piano—the “Lang Lang effect” that could easily migrate here (Delacorte, ages 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15, 16, 17, 18 ). FROM:

The Way We Work: Human Body - Ages 10+

It’s surely the nonfiction event of the year—David Macaulay’s The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. No wonder he won a “genius grant” from the MacArthur Foundation, which in part allowed him to complete this 336-page event, I mean book. Really, all you can say is “wow”—at the structural magnificence that is the human body and at Macaulay’s dramatic, clear drawings conveying every detail. Like a 21st-century Leonardo da Vinci, though presumably without the real corpses, he gets inside us and dissects like mad, and not for his own edification (like Leo), but ours. This tome has tremendous amounts of info, boiled down to its essence, and obviously thoroughly vetted by experts. Kids who persist with the somewhat textbook-y text, co-written with Richard Walker, will learn how we pick up an apple, breathe, think, blink, digest, reproduce, and everything else the body does. To me the most interesting of the seven chapters was “Battle Stations,” about the way we try to fight off flu and other threats. I would think this book would be of special interest to kids who have had anything go wrong with their bodies, but it's also a gift for budding biologists, and anyone who likes to browse (Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin, ages 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18). FROM:

Nonfiction Writing: From the Inside Out

Posted by Kathleen Krull

In deciding which new nonfiction books to urge for the holidays, I’m squeezing my thoughts into one mother-of-all-recommendations: Nonfiction Writing from the Inside Out: Writing Lessons Inspired by Conversations with Leading Authors (Scholastic).

Usually, the teaching of writing emphasizes fiction and poetry, all well and good, but it’s expository writing that takes the cake in real life. The entire nonfiction writing process-- how to organize, research, think about a topic, find a voice, convince or inform-- these are skills that will carry students through life, helping them to be clear-thinking citizens and better at whatever career they pursue.

The author of this book, Dr. Laura Robb, has been a noted teacher for over forty years. I can’t say enough about the book—it’s the best possible gift for teachers, librarians, parents, anyone who wants their children to be able to write clearly. She details, step by illuminating step, how to get kids to write essays, plus book reports, diaries, interviews, letters, indeed any kind of creative writing that calls for persuasiveness and simplicity. As Dr. Robb writes, “We must help our student writers find their voices and approach nonfiction writing as an exciting craft they will want to fine-tune throughout their lives.” Her book is one savvy way of helping students open that door to becoming lifelong learners.

And I swear I’m not pushing it because she interviewed me. The authors from whom she gleans pointed tips about what makes good writing tick include Russell Freedman, Kathryn Lasky, Walter Dean Myers, James Cross Giblin, and a gaggle of other professionals.

Happy holidays, Laura Robb and all such dedicated teachers.

Interesting Nonfiction for Kids

I.N.K.: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids

Here we will meet the writers whose words are presenting nonfiction in a whole new way. Discover books that show how nonfiction writers are some of the best storytellers around. Learn how these writers practice their craft: research techniques, fact gathering and detective work. Check out how they find unusual tidbits, make the facts interesting and write something kids will love to read. Explore how photos and illustrations are integrated with the text to explain an artist's vision of the world. Consider what subjects are flooding the market and what still needs a voice. Rethink nonfiction for kids.

Kathleen Krull BLOG

She is the author of the
LIVES OF Books