Genre 4 Nonfiction and Biography

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow

Bibliography

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 2005. Hitler youth: growing up in Hitler's shadow. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction. ISBN 0439353793

Summary
Bartoletti uses text and photographs to tell the story of the Hitler Youth group who were promised a great future for themselves and for Germany.  She explores the fervor, passion, and loyalty of the group which grew to 3.5 million children. Not ending there, however, readers will also learn about those who resisted to the point of loss of life and of those who went through de-Nazification.

Critical Analysis

Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Sibert award winning author, uses primary sources to accurately portray a part of Nazi Germany which most youth have not even considered. She includes a time line, sources for quotes, and a bibliography to support the facts about the young, German boys and girls of World War II.

"I begin with the young. We older ones are used up . . . But my magnificent youngsters! Look at these men and boys! What material! With them, I can create a new world," so stated Adolf Hitler in his quest for power and a new Germany. The photographs and accompanying text make this an unforgettable book which should be in every school. One doesn’t just read about the events, but also sees pictures such as the very young girls giving the Nazi salute at school. The reader also sees a photograph of a young boy aiming a bazooka and another of boys shooting machine guns. The book has a photo which allows us to see the eyes of a thirteen year old who was taken as a prisoner and other photos of three who resisted the Nazi movement and were beheaded. The text accompanying each photograph perfectly relates its message.

The font and design are reader friendly. The layout is inviting with black and white photographs on every double-page spread. The book includes a table of contents for the ten chapters, introduction, and the other sections.

Most youth know about the treatment of the Jews, but Bartoletti also shares about the euthanasia program which killed the “useless,” including Germans who were elderly and “those who suffered from epilepsy, mental illness, blindness, deafness, mental retardation, and severe deformities.”

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow invites readers to think about how youth were captivated with the Nazi movement. Today’s readers will have opportunities to analyze the situations of the German youth and will be encouraged to read more about the subject while making applications for present day living. It has just the right amount of information to spark discussion and deeper level thinking.

Review Excerpts

Horn Book Guide - With clarity and apt quotation (scrupulously sourced), Bartoletti's tracing of the Hitler Youth movement particularizes the events of Nazi Germany from rise to fall and is given further specificity by her recurring attention throughout to several individual young people. 

VOYA - How could so many Germans go along with Hitler's inhumane public policies that led to the deaths of millions? This book, through the testimony of youth, successfully answers that question.

School Library Journal - The large period photographs are a primary component and they include Nazi propaganda showing happy and healthy teens as well as the reality of concentration camps and young people with large guns. The final chapter superbly summarizes the weighty significance of this part of the 20th century and challenges young readers to prevent history from repeating itself.

Booklist Reviews - Most of the accounts and photos bring close the experiences of those who followed Hitler and fought for the Nazis, revealing why they joined, how Hitler used them, what it was like.

Connections

Read other books about World War II such as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. ISBN 9780375931000

Students conduct an inquiry learning project related to World War II.

Students create a presentation about youth of World War II on a Web 2.0 tool.

Students discuss citizenship and loyalty to a country.

Students discuss the Nazi book burnings. Then, they discuss book banning and intellectual freedom. Students plan a Book Banning Week project.

Read other books by Bartoletti. The nonfiction books can be found at: http://www.scbartoletti.com/?page_id=105

Awards

BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award

Newbery Honor Book, 2006

Robert F. Sibert Honor Book, 2006

Orbis Pictus Award, 2006

Parents Choice Award, Gold Winner

Volcanoes

 

Bibliography

Simon, Seymour. 1988. Volcanoes. New York: Morrow Junior. ISBN 0688140297

Summary

Simon delivers a simple to understand text with colorful pictures to help readers understand the four kinds of volcanoes. Mauna Loa in Hawaii and Mount St. Helens are two of the highlighted volcanoes with before and after eruption photographs of the latter. The history and causes of volcanoes are also presented.

Critical Analysis

Two great names in science, Simon Seymour and Smithsonian, join together to produce a wonderful book about volcanoes. Even reluctant readers will appreciate learning about the history, causes, and types of volcanoes when they read Simon's writing and view the large, colorful photographs. Two colorful aerial views of Mount St. Helens are partnered with text which states, “Compare the way Mount St. Helens looked before and after the eruption. The entire top of the mountain was blown away.”

The book is well organized with a logical layout.  Simon begins by explaining how volcanoes have been viewed through history and follows with simple explanations of the science behind volcanoes. He then describes various volcanoes in the world and includes the effect they had on people living in the area.  

The design and style are attractive and inviting. The combination of large, colorful pictures with Simon's explanations make this a book which can be used to introduce a unit, to complement a study, or for enjoyable nonfiction browsing. Simon finds ways to help young readers envision the descriptions such as his use of a simile to describe the cinder cone volcano stating that it looks like an “upside-down ice cream cone.” The amount of information is very appropriate and understandable for the elementary student, but don't be surprised if older students also pick up the book.

Review Excerpts

Publisher's Weekly - "A good choice for reading aloud."

School Library Journal- "An armchair tour of some of the more impressive volcanoes around the world." 

Kirkus Reviews - "A masterful introduction to volcanoes." 

Connections

Use as introduction for a writing assignment - "Imagine you are able to view a volcano. Describe what you see, hear, smell, and feel in the air."

View website: http://www.seymoursimon.com/index.php/blog/tags/tag/Volcanoes

Study igneous rock.

Study how Hawaiian Islands formed.

Conduct an experiment showing action of a volcano and compare to an actual volcano. 

Know and write the warning signs of a volcanic eruption and then plan and write an escape plan.

Read other nonfiction books by Seymour Simon such as Tornadoes. ISBN 978-0064437912

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

Bibliography

Fleming, Candace. 2011. Amelia lost: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart. New York: Schwartz & Wade. ISBN 9780375945984

Summary 

Candace Fleming writes about Amelia's life from childhood while taking readers through the events of her final journey as readers wonder what happened to Amelia Earhart and her companion on their "Equatorial Around the World" trip. Amelia relished her independence and had very different goals and interests than other girls in her days. These interests and the reporter who became her husband were instrumental in her road to fame as a great woman aviator. The book contains photographs, maps, and notes which were written by Earhart. Ages 9 and older.

Critical Analysis

Fleming, an award winning author, has compiled impeccable research to soar with this award winning book. Amelia Lost contains images of documents, news stories, photographs, and maps. Some of the images include a childhood report card and an adulthood flight log with Earhart's handwriting. Fleming writes that Amelia encouraged women “to challenge themselves and seize their dreams” and then provides evidence through Amelia’s writing, “Women must try to do things as men have tried.” The book has a bibliography and note sources.

Fleming weaves back and forth, chapter by chapter, through the life of Amelia and through her final flight. The gray and white pages of the alternating chapters which have headings and subheadings enable the reader to clearly understand the layout and design of the book. An index provides a reference for the time of each chapter for further clarity. The sidebars and photographs invite readers to become absorbed in learning about Amelia. The addition of “Finding Amelia on the Web” invites readers to continue learning about the amazing life of Amelia Earhart.

Review Excerpts

Starred Kirkus Reviews – “The narrative shifts could have been maddening, for suspense reasons alone, but a rhythm is established and the two plot lines gracefully fold into the conclusion." 

Horn Book - "readers will come away with a fresh view of the feisty, pioneering woman and the events leading up to - and following - her disappearance."

Starred School Library Journal – “This book is splendid. Hand it to everyone.”

Library Media Connection – “Fleming has done a great job of introducing this important woman to young readers.”

Connections

Compare and contrast Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart and their accomplishments.

Write a newspaper article about an event in Amelia Earhart's life or about the final flight.

Investigate further at a website dedicated to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart while also sharing information about her life and her career. http://tighar.org/  

Investigate an online collection of digitized pictures, maps, diaries, and the George Putnam collection of Amelia Earhart papers. http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/
See Soaring Wings: A Biography of Amelia Earhart written by her husband, George Palmer Putnam. ISBN 9781135816131
 

Awards

Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction, 2012 

Notable Children's Book, 2011