Geo Librarian

  HONEYBEE RESCUE A Backyard Drama by Loree Griffin Burns, photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz Charlesbridge, 2022 ISBN: 978-1-62354-239-9 Source: publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 8-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover provided by publisher through Goodreads.com. REVIEW Narrative nonfiction provides readers with information in the form of a story. Honeybee Rescue tells the story of a colony of bees that needed to be removed from an unsafe location and moved into a hive box. Burns does a fabulous job of presenting readers with the information they need to understand bees, colonies, and the risks involved with working with bees. The story provides Mr. Connery who finds a colony of bees in his old, leaky garage. He suspects they came from one of the hives in his yard. Regardless, they aren't likely to last the winter in the garage.  He calls Mr. Nelson who gathers his equipment and comes to gently and carefully vacuum up the bees in his specially designed bee...

EXTREME OCEAN Amazing Animals, High-Tech Gear, Record-Breaking Depths, and Much More! by Sylvia A. Earle with Glen Phelan National Geographic Kids, 2020 ISBN: 9781426336850 Source: Media Masters Publicity Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Discover the most outrageous aspects of the deep blue---from record-breaking depths to towering tsunamis, underwater giants to tiny sea creatures--along with ocean conservation challenges and what you can do to help. Dive into a world of aquatic mystery in this action-packed combination of science and adventure. Famed National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle leads readers on an in-depth tour of life beneath the waves. Come face-to-face with whales and sharks, learn about the newest and most hi-tech ocean gear and gadgets, experiment with hands-on activities, and join Earle as she recounts her most daring dives. Packed with fascinating tidbits, animal profiles, and up-to-date science, each chapter combines stunning pho...

INTO THE CLOUDS The Race to Climb the World's Most Dangerous Mountain by Todd Olson Scholastic FOCUS, 2020 ISBN: 9781338207361 Source: ARC from Blue Slip Media Ages 9-14 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A tale of survival and brotherhood atop one of the deadliest mountains on Earth. This fast-paced, three-part narrative takes readers on three expeditions over 15 years to K2, one of the deadliest mountains on Earth. Roped together, these teams of men face perilously high altitudes and battering storms in hopes of reaching the summit. As each expedition sets out, they carve new paths along icy slopes and unforgiving rock, creating camps on ledges so narrow they fear turning over in their sleep. But disaster strikes -- in 1939, four men never make it down the mountain. Fourteen years later, a man develops blood clots in his legs at 25,000 feet, leaving his team with no safe path off the mountain. Into the Clouds tells the stories of the men whose que...

GAMES OF DECEPTION: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany by Andrew Maraniss Philomel Books, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-525-51463-3 Source: JKS Communications provided an eBook copy for review. All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The true story of the birth of Olympic basketball at the 1936 Summer Games in Hitler's Germany. On a scorching hot day in July 1936, thousands of people cheered as the U.S. Olympic teams boarded the S.S. Manhattan , bound for Berlin. Among the athletes were the 14 players representing the first-ever U.S. Olympic basketball team. As thousands of supporters waved American flags on the docks, it was easy to miss the one courageous man holding a BOYCOTT NAZI GERMANY sign. But it was too late for a boycott now; the ship had already left the harbor. 1936 was a turbulent time in world history. Adolf Hitler had gained power in Germany three years earlier. Jewish peop...

HENRY, AVALANCHE RESCUE DOG Superpower Dogs by Stephanie Peters Little, Brown and Company, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-316-45362-2 Source: purchased Middle grade nonfiction  Ages 9-12 All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Join Henry, one of the stars of the IMAX film Superpower Dogs, as he emBARKS on a journey to become an avalanche rescue dog in this gripping true story, perfect for fans of Max! In Whistler, British Columbia, dogs can be found riding chairlifts, perched on skiers' shoulders, and even descending from helicopters--all in the race against time to save people caught in the path of an avalanche. Meet Henry, a lovable border collie, and the team of dogs and human partners he works with in the beautiful and sometimes dangerous mountains. Through the action-packed narrative, informative and engaging interstitials, and eight pages of stunning full-color photographs, young readers will experience real-life rescues and gain a new appreciation...

THE PERFECT HORSE The Daring Rescue of Horses Kidnapped During World War II The New York Times Bestseller Adapted for Young Readers by Elizabeth Letts Delacorte Press, 2019 ISBN: 978-0-525-64474-3 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA Narrative Nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK In this young readers adaptation of Elizabeth Letts' New York Times bestseller, one American troop will save the world's most precious horses during the final stretch of World War II. When a small troop of American soldiers capture a German spy, they uncover an unexpected secret: Hitler has kidnapped the world's finest purebred horses and hidden them in a secret Czechoslovakian breeding farm. But, starving Russian troops are drawing closer and the horses face the danger of being slaughtered for food. With little time to spare, Colonel Hank Reed and his soldiers cross enemy lines to heroically save some of the world's most treasured animals...

ROSES AND RADICALS The Epic Story of How American Women Won the Right to Vote by Susan Zimet Viking, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-451-47754-5 Source: purchased Ages 12 and up YA nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK The United States of America is almost 250 years old, but American women won the right to vote less than a hundred years ago. And when the controversial nineteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution - the one granting suffrage to women - was finally ratified in 1920, it passed by a mere one-vote margin. The amendment only succeeded because a group of women had been relentlessly demanding the right to vote for more than seventy years. The leaders of the suffrage movement were fearless in the face of ridicule, arrest, imprisonment, and even torture. Many of them devoted themselves to a cause knowing they wouldn't live to cast a ballot. This is their story. REVIEW In a relatively short number of pages, Zimet manages to t...

GORILLAS UP CLOSE by Christena Nippert-Eng, photographs by John Dominski and Miguel Martinez Henry Holt and Company, 2016 ISBN: 978-1-62779-091-8 Ages 10-14 Middle grade nonfiction Source: school library All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Stunning photographs, an eye-catching design, and complete with anecdotes and facts,  Urban Gorillas  explores the lives of two resident troops of gorillas at the Lincoln Park Zoo. With histories and biographical details for each ape, this book immerses readers in the gorillas' individual personalities while also presenting a fascinating window into their daily routines and care, touching on zoo habitat design and gorilla conservation. REVIEW  This is what narrative nonfiction ought to be:  fascinating, beautifully documented, with gorgeous illustrations, maps, and captions.  It's clear a lot of work went into this book.  Hours of observa...

VIETNAM A History of the War by Russell Freedman Holiday House, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3658-3 YA Narrative Nonfiction Source: purchased All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Was the Vietnam War a tragic mistake? Or was it, as President Ronald Reagan would claim, "a noble cause"? In an enthralling book, Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman provides a succinct account of perhaps the most puzzling and contentious of America s wars. Describing how a superpower caught up in Cold War politics became increasingly enmeshed in a conflict over 8,000 miles away, he then explains why twenty years later an exit was so difficult. In words and photographs he chronicles the unfolding events in Vietnam and at home as increasing numbers of young men were sent into the jungles to fight. After assessing the catastrophic damage, Freedman concludes the book with a hopeful epilogue on Vietnam today. A glossary, source notes, bibliography and index are incl...

LOST IN THE AMAZON A Battle for Survival in the Heart of the Rainforest by Tod Olson Scholastic, 2018 ISBN: 978-0-545-92827-4 Source: purchased Ages 9-12 Middle grade nonfiction All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Peru, Christmas Eve, 1970. It was supposed to be a routine flight, carrying 86 passengers across the Andes Mountains and home for the holiday. But high above the Amazon rainforest, a roiling storm engulfs the plane. Lightning strikes. A deafening whoosh sweeps through the cabin. And suddenly, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke is alone. The plane has vanished. She is strapped to her seat and plunging 3,500 feet to the forest floor. On Christmas Day, she wakes. She is injured, covered in mud, but strangely--miraculously--alive. And now, in a remote corner of the largest rainforest on Earth, the real battle for survival begins. REVIEW I really enjoyed the two previous Lost books by Tod Olson so I was excited to pick this one up....

SHACKLES FROM THE DEEP Tracing the Path of a Sunken Slave Ship, a Bitter Past, and a Rich Legacy by Michael H. Cottman National Geographic, 2017 ISBN: 978-1-4263-2663-9 YA Nonfiction Ages 12-18 Source: M edia Masters Publicity All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK A pile of lime-encrusted shackles discovered on the seafloor in the remains of a ship called the Henrietta Marie, lands Michael Cottman, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and avid scuba diver, in the middle of an amazing journey that stretches across three continents, from foundries and tombs in England, to slave ports on the shores of West Africa, to present-day Caribbean plantations. This is more than just the story of one ship it's the untold story of millions of people taken as captives to the New World. Told from the author's perspective, this book introduces young readers to the wonders of diving, detective work, and discovery, while shedding light on the history of sla...

THE BORDEN MURDERS: Lizzie Borden & the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller schwartz & wade books, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-553-49808-0 Source: purchased YA Nonfiction Ages 14 and up All opinions expressed are solely my own. ABOUT THE BOOK Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. In linear narrative, Miller takes readers along as she investigates a brutal crime: the August 4, 1892, murders of wealthy and prominent Andrew and Abby Borden. The accused? Mild-mannered and highly respected Lizzie Borden, daughter of Andrew and stepdaughter of Abby. Most of what is known about Lizzie’s arrest and subsequent trial (and acquittal) comes from sensationalized newspaper reports; as Miller sorts fact from fiction, and as a legal battle gets under way, a portrait of a woman and a town emerges. With inserts featuring period photos and newspaper clippings. REVIEW I knew very little about Li...