Mini-Reviews: New Nonfiction

Okay, so here's the deal. In order to get the children's room recarpeted, my desk has to be moved. In order for my desk to be moved, it has to be cleared off. In order for it to be cleared off, I have to catalog this pile of books. Before I can catalog them, I need to review them.

So, in the interest of turning this dingy aqua-covered floor a pretty dark blue, here are some quick impressions of a few nonfiction series that have come out this year!

     

9781467721202                                            9781467721226

Obvious cover and subject appeal. Inside graphics match the style and 'attitude', for lack of a better term, nicely. Each title starts off narrating an exciting event in that sport, then goes into the history, important names, rules, techniques, etc. Written around a fifth grade reading level, but fast-paced and engaging. Recommend highly, especially for reluctant readers who have the skills, just not the interest. Other titles in the series include Mud Truck Racing, Rally Car Racing, Rock Crawling, and Tractor Pulling.

     

9781467714372                                   9781467714358

Again, obvious cover and subject appeal, but do they also provide useful information?

Written around a 4th grade level, each chapter tells a different story of survival. While the tone definitely leans towards the sensational, there is a clear understanding of what each person did right or wrong, and what helped them to survive. Tips either throughout the book, or sometimes at the end, give good advice (you know, in case you ever meet an enraged hippo).

Other titles in the series include: Surviving Accidents and Crashes, Surviving in Cold Places, Surviving in Wild Waters, and Surviving Natural Disasters.

Thank-you to Lerner for the review copies!

Nonfiction Monday: Military Special Ops series from Lerner

9780761390800

 

While military operations are not on my top ten list of most exciting topics, they sure rank highly with many of my patrons. I'm always looking for a new series to point them to that will have the right balance of information and readability.

 

For this series I read the above title about Navy Seals, and this one about the U.S. Air Commandos:

 

9780761390817

 

The tiny print may scare some kids away, and the reading level (about 5th grade) will keep me searching for something for the younger crowd, but for older readers I think these will do the trick. Both books held my interest, and I learned quite a bit with each - although in some cases, it was because I was curious enough to do some internet searching (I really would have liked to see a picture of the bone phones.) I think I will add these two to the collection and see how they do before deciding whether to add the rest of the series.

 

Thank-you to Lerner for the review copies!