middle grade nonfiction

Non Fiction Review: Middle School Safety Goggles Advised

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Middle School - Safety Goggles Advised by Jessica Speer

Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised: Exploring the WEIRD Stuff from Gossip to Grades, Cliques to Crushes and Popularity to Peer Pressure
by Jessica Speer (Goodreads Author)

2 out of 5 stars

This book gives advice about how to navigate the difficulties of middle school. There are chapters about not judging others, bullying, friendships and cliques, trying to be popular, having a crush on someone, gossip, social media, and peer pressure.

My main problem with this book was that it didn’t really go into WHY young people should avoid bad decisions and toxic behaviors. It didn’t talk about honor or morality or modesty. It didn’t talk about honesty or virtue. It just says lots of nice things about being kind to others, but the whole philosophy is very casual and lackadaisical. It even says at one point that “There are no correct responses.” You can do whatever and make whatever choices and nothing is right or wrong. The entire attitude is very amoral and toxic.

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Non Fiction Book Review: Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts

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Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big F... by Jen Haberling

Everything You Need to Ace English Language Arts in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide
by Jen Haberling (Editor), Elizabeth Irwin (Contributor)
5 out of 5 stars

This book really does have everything you need to know about reading, writing, and understanding the English language. There are chapters about Grammar, Language, Reading Fiction and Non Fiction, and Writing. It covers the basics of sentence structure, clauses, and figurative language, and also explores plot structure, character development, textual analysis, and how to write a convincing argument and present the facts correctly.

Don’t be fooled by the “middle school” label. This is information that most college students and adults have probably forgotten and would need to review (or learn for the first time because they missed it in grade school.) This would be a very helpful resource to anyone who wants to write, or who just wants to get better at understanding what they read.

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Non Fiction Review: Space Encyclopedia

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Space Encyclopedia by David A. Aguilar

Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and Beyond
by David A. Aguilar (Goodreads Author)
3 out of 5 stars

This book puts the reader into an imaginary spaceship, the Stella Nova, complete with scientists and crew. We follow the ship’s log as we travel through the solar system and learn about each planet, asteroid, moon, and dwarf planet.

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Non Fiction Review: Nerdlet Animals

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Nerdlet by T J Resler

Nerdlet: Animals
by T J Resler
5 out of 5 stars

Did you know that some frogs can grow hair? There is a lizard that can run on top of water, and moth that drinks the tears of other animals. The okapi look almost like zebras with the head of a giraffe on a short neck.

This is such an informative and interesting book! Every page is filled with amazing facts and information about each animal. There are also wild destinations around the world where you can see cool and weird animals on land and in the sea. I loved reading the short bios of famous and influential animal experts. Of course I had to take some of the quizzes to find out my animal personality and my animal super-hero name.

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Nonfiction Book Review: Space Maps

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Space Maps by Lara Albanese

Space Maps
by Lara Albanese
3 out of 5 stars

This book has amazing maps of star constellations, our solar system, planets, galaxies, and comets. There is a wealth of information about gravity, dwarf planets, black holes, the moon, and spacecraft. I especially liked reading the history about how ancient cultures viewed the stars and the folklore and mythology that grew up around certain constellations.

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Graphic Novel Review: How I Survived Four Nights on the Ice

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How I Survived by Serapio Ittusardjuat

How I Survived: Four Nights on the Ice
by Serapio Ittusardjuat, Matthew K. Hoddy (Illustrator)
4 out of 5 stars

This graphic novel tells the true story of how the author survived on the Artic ice without any supplies or water when his snowmobile broke down. He knew survival techniques like melting ice for drinking water, and how to keep his clothing dry to ward off hypothermia. Using all his knowledge and skills to endure the harshest cold, he lives through the days and nights until a rescue party can find him.

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