Just wanted to highlight what I consider to be a gem of a non-fiction series by published by DK for teens and adults: the Big Ideas Simply Explained series.
These general interest non-fiction books cover a broad topic such as Math, Law, Philosophy, and Psychology using interesting pictures, infographics, charts, timelines, illustrations and more to help explain the bigger topics at hand.
These award-winning books provide a perfect introduction for teens and students, and since they offer a concise, thought-provoking format, they make a great refresher for adults interested in a subject without dumbing anything down. Visually, the books themselves are stunning and recognizable. As you browse the non-fiction collection, you can’t help but notice the colorful spines calling out to you! I predict that these books will become a patron favorite, much like the No-Fear Shakespeare books, because they offer quality information in an unique and accessible way. If you haven’t yet picked up a copy, now’s your chance – they are currently on display in TeenSpace.
In honor of Earth Day, here is a list of nonfiction and fiction titles that explore a variety of aspects of environmental conservation issues and thing YOU can do to help save the planet!
Nonfiction:
Eyes wide open: going behind the environmental headlines by Paul Fleischman.
A summary of today’s environmental challenges also counsels teens on how to decode conflicting information, explaining the role of vested interests while identifying the sources behind different opinions and sharing suggested online resources to help teens make informed consumer choices.
Generation green: the ultimate teen guide to living an eco-friendly life written by Linda Sivertsen and Tosh Sivertsen.
This book lays out the inside scoop on the biggest issues affecting our planet, such as global warming and overflowing landfills; offers dozens of tips on how to shop, dress, eat, and travel the green way; includes interviews with teens like you who are involved with fun, innovative green causes; shows that being environmentally conscious can be a natural part of your life — and your generation’s contribution to turning things around.
Imaginary borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez with contributions by Russell Mendell.
“In this personal, moving essay, environmental activist and hip-hop artist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez uses his art and his activism to show that climate change is a human issue that can’t be ignored.”– Provided by publisher.
Unstoppable: harnessing science to change the worldby Bill Nye
Bill Nye crystallizes and expands the message for which he is best known and beloved. That message is that with a combination of optimism and scientific curiosity, all obstacles become opportunities, and the possibilities of our world become limitless. With a scientist’s thirst for knowledge and an engineer’s vision of what can be, Bill Nye sees today’s environmental issues not as insurmountable, depressing problems but as chances for our society to rise to the challenge and create a cleaner, healthier, smarter world.
We are the weather makers: the history of climate change by Tim Flannery ; adapted by Sally M. Walker.
Offers a look at the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future.
Fiction:
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Hoot by Carl Hiassen
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy’s attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Rootless by Chris Howard
In a world devastated by war and disease, a young tree builder searches for the last trees on earth.
Carbon Diaries 2017 by Saci Lloyd
In 2017, two years after England introduces carbon dioxide rationing to combat climatic change, eighteen-year-old Laura chronicles her first year at a London university as natural disasters and political upheaval disrupt her studies.
There are lots of great ideas out there for crafts and activities to do as well. I wish you all a safe and healthy Earth Day! – Mrs. Long
We love to see photos from our virtual teen programs! Please keep sending them in to [email protected]
From Plants and Bugs Creative Workshop with Chris Vivas on Monday, April 12.From the Baking Coach take home kits Faux Hamburgers and Fries for April Fool’s Day!
Not every research topic is something you would want broadcast over the loudspeaker; we get it. After working with teens for over a dozen year, I REALLY, REALLY, do get it! To help you out, we have put out a handy cheat sheet in TeenSpace that you can use when searching for books on sensitive subjects. That being said, don’t be afraid to ask a librarian for help if you can’t find what you are looking for, and remember everything that you check out remains confidential and private.
To celebrate Poetry Month, check out some novels written in verse. A verse novel is a type of narrative poetry in which a novel-length narrative is told through the medium of poetry rather than prose. Here are some favorites:
Here are some favorites:
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
When Xiomara Batista, who pours all her frustrations and passion into poetry, is invited to join the school slam poetry club, she struggles with her mother’s expectations and her need to be heard.
The crossover by Kwame Alexander
Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.
Home is not a country* by Safia Elhillo
A novel in verse follows the experiences of a misfit teen in a discriminatory suburban community who questions her mixed heritage before unexpected family revelations force her to fight for her own identity.
Ask me how I got here by Christine Heppermann
A novel in verse traces the experiences of a young woman who becomes pregnant after one careless night and decides to have an abortion but struggles with depression before reconnecting with a former teammate who is going through her own difficulties
We are the ashes, we are the fire * by Joy McCullough; with illuminations by Maia Kobabe
A novel in prose and verse by the author of the National Book Award-longlisted Blood Water Paint follows the experiences of a teen who finds courage in the story of a 15th-century avenger when her sister’s rapist is set free without prison time.
Loving vs. Virginia: a documentary novel of the landmark civil rights case by Patricia Hruby Powell
Written in blank verse, the story of Mildred Loving, an African American girl, and Richard Loving, a Caucasian boy, who challenge the Viriginia law forbidding interracial marriages in the 1950s.
Brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The author shares her childhood memories and reveals the first sparks that ignited her writing career in free-verse poems about growing up in the North and South.
