1. HITLER YOUTH: GROWING UP IN HITLER’S SHADOW by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell (2005). Hitler Youth: growing up in Hitler’s shadow. Scholastic
Focus.
Plot Summary
Hitler Youth is an illuminating social history of young people that grew up under Hitler’s reign. Beginning with Hitler’s rise to power and concluding after his suicide, it weaves together first-hand accounts of youth that dedicated their lives to him, and those who lived in fear of him.
Critical Analysis
This book received the Newberry Honor and the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor in 2006. Bartoletti thoroughly researched this book and her passion for the topic is evident. The vast number of interviews and photographs give the book its authenticity and humanity. The author has documented her sources well and provided the reader many avenues to validate her assertions.
The narrative follows a chronological progression. It begins with a table of contents, then follows with mini-biographies of the youth featured in the book. At the back, Bartoletti has included an epilogue with information on what became of them after their stories in the book concluded. Next, there is a timeline of the Hitler Youth and extensive notes from the author about the photographs and quote sources. There is also a lengthy bibliography organized by topic, a section for acknowledgments, and lastly an index for ease of searching. This is a riveting, eye-opening book, that every person should read.
Review excerpts
- Booklist: “The handsome book design...will draw in readers and help spark deep discussion...”
- School Library Journal: “Bartoletti lets many of the subjects' words, emotions, and deeds speak for themselves, bringing them together clearly to tell this story unlike anyone else has.”- Library Media Connection: “In fluid prose that brings history alive...”
Connections
- Further reading: The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
- Students can research WWII and related topics.
2. JUST A SECOND: A DIFFERENT WAY TO LOOK AT TIME by Steve Jenkins
Bibliography
Jenkins, Steve. (2011). Just a Second: a different way to look at time. Houghton Mifflin Books for
Children.
Plot Summary
This nonfiction picture book is all about the passage of time and how to make that abstract concept understandable to young children. Steve Jenkins uses analogies and illustrations to relate familiar events to measurements of time, such as the second, a minute, one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year. Pages are also dedicated to “Very quick” and “Very long” things, too.
Critical Analysis
Steve Jenkins writes nonfiction books for young readers to explain basic concepts of our world. In Just a Second, he accomplishes this by relating an intangible idea like a second, to an imaginable one like, a “cheetah sprinting flat out...” The book is organized in a logical sequence, the shortest amount of time progressing to the longest. The back of the book includes a history of the universe, a graph of Earth’s human population, timelines that show the lifespans of various plants and animals, and a timeline of the history of keeping time.
There is a note at the back of the book about the source of the information it contains, but it does not include a bibliography or extensive notes. The author also illustrated the work, and the layout and placement of the pictures draw the reader in and engage their minds. Steve Jenkins has an excellent reputation and has received numerous awards for his children’s books. This book will captivate young imaginations and spark curiosity.
Review excerpts
- Publisher’s Weekly: “Jenkins brings fresh perspective to the passage of time in a thought-provoking picture book that features his typically elegant cut-paper collages.”
- School Library Journal: “...Jenkins renders this package both eye-catching and mind-boggling. Teachers will find good jumping-off points here for math, science, and history discussions.”
Connections
- Students can create and illustrate a flipbook for a unit of time from the book.
- Further reading: Eyewitness: Time & Space by John Gribbin, In Search of Time: The Science of a Curious Dimension by Dan Falk.
3. THEY CALLED THEMSELVES THE K.K.K.: THE BIRTH OF AN AMERICAN TERRORIST GROUP by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. (2010). They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: the birth of an American terrorist group. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Plot Summary
They Called Themselves the K.K.K. is a social history of the birth and life of the Ku Klux Klan. With photographs, interviews, and magazine excerpts, Bartoletti shows the audience how and where the group came from, and its impact on our society.
Critical Analysis
Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a well-known children’s author. She has an award-winning reputation for her nonfiction work. This book, as with her others, is well-sourced and vetted. Her writing is captivating and is amplified by her use of evidence. This is another work that can’t be missed.
The cover is a striking photograph of a white Klan hood in front of a black background. The title and subtitle are in serif font. The text over the white hood is in black, while the text on the black background is in white. It is all designed for impact. The title page opens the book with a powerful quote from W.E.B. Du Bois. There is a table of contents and a note to the reader before the chapters begin. At the back, there is an extensive Civil Rights timeline stretching from 1863, when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, to 2008 when Barack Obama was elected president. Quote attributions, a bibliography, and source notes follow. Lastly, there is an index. The entire book, from cover to cover, is black and white, except for the red tassel atop the Klan hood on the cover.
Review excerpts
Connections
- Explore the resources Bartoletti has on her website: background, excerpts, and interviews.
- Students can research a related topic.
4. OUR ELEANOR: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT’S REMARKABLE LIFE by Candace Fleming
Bibliography
Fleming, Candace. (2005). Our Eleanor: a scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt’s remarkable life. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Plot Summary
Our Eleanor is a unique biography that pays tribute to a beloved figure. The narrative is driven by photographs of her life. Like many biographies, it begins with her birth and ends with her death, but this book thematically segments everything in between. There are sections like, “Sad Little Nell”, “Devoted Wife and Mother” and “The War Years”, that each center around photographs and stories.
Critical Analysis
Candace Fleming’s adoring biography of Eleanor Roosevelt achieves its purpose. The reader comes away with a greater appreciation for the former First Lady. The cover of the book is simple and inviting, with a large, soft lens photograph of Eleanor in the middle. The main title is in scripted font across the top. A placard with the book’s subtitle is at the bottom. Each page within is designed to appear like it came out of a scrapbook. There are varying fonts and styles, the pages are divided with decorative lines and designs, and sections of text accompany each photograph. At times, it feels like you are reading a magazine.
The book begins with acknowledgements, followed by a table of contents. The author included a personal note next, then a timeline titled “Eleanor’s Days” and a Roosevelt family tree. At the back of the book, there is more information about Eleanor, credits for the pictures it uses, copious source notes, and an index.
Review excerpts
- Library Media Connection: “Entertaining and enlightening reading, this book is for junior and senior high students, and adults who want to know more about this amazingly human individual.”
- School Library Journal: “Fleming is honest, respectful, and astute throughout, addressing both successes and controversies with balance.”
Connections
- Further reading: Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt? by Gare Thompson
- Students can research her using the websites provided at the back of the book.
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