Rusch, Elizabeth. Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World.

Rusch, Elizabeth. Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World. Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt Brace  2018        76p.            $18.99           ISBN 978-0-544-67159-1          ms/hs  Nonfiction  E-BNS         

While asteroids assault our atmosphere on a daily basis with little impact on human lives, there have been some major strikes.  Rusch discusses several of the big hits, including one in Russia in 2013.  She offers a clear look into the activity in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, what can knock an asteroid out of its orbit, and the possibilities of a major Earth collision.  She describes the clues scientists use to discover long-ago impacts and explains the aftereffects of these collisions and the parts they have played in the history of our Earth.  She also examines the processes that scientists are developing that might prevent a major Earth-asteroid collision in the future. 

This book offers an incredible look into the world of asteroids.  The text is clearly written, if a bit more technically advanced than previous books in the series, and the excellent photographs are carefully presented and enhance the text.  The book ends with a section on what students can do, chapter notes, a bibliography of books, a list of web sites for students and teachers, a glossary, and an index.

The series is Scientists In the Field. This exemplary series con various outstanding titles about scientists who work in the natural world and make science and nature study much more accessible and interesting to budding naturalists.  These books offer an incredible look into hidden worlds at the frontiers of human knowledge.  The text is clearly written and the awesome photographs are carefully presented and enhance the text.

Summary: While asteroids assault our atmosphere on a daily basis with little impact on human lives, there have been some major strikes.  Rusch discusses several of the big hits, including one in Russia in 2013.  

Asteroids                                                                               --Susan Ogintz

Sanders, Bernie. Guide To Political Revolution.

Sanders, Bernie. Guide To Political Revolution. Macmillan/Henry Holt  2017  226p.  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-250-13890-3            ms/hs  Nonfiction  VG-BN         

Sanders addresses young people and describes the issues he is most passionate about -- health care reform, climate change, economic equality, Wall Street reform, higher eduction, immigration. He explains the need for economic justice and other changes he feels should be made in language that a middle-school student will understand. The illustrations help to break up the text and keep it from becoming too dense and dry for the reader. At times the illustrations also add a modicum of humor, which is most welcome. There are issues Bernie steers clear of, such as the US's involvement in wars, but he does a good job with the issues he decides to take on. The index and general organization of the book are good. This should be included in every collection serving young people, as Bernie Sanders' campaign appealed to many young people and should be available for people to learn about.
                                   

Summary: In this heartfelt appeal to young readers, Bernie Sanders makes his case for a kinder, more just America.

Politics                                                                                               --Carol Kennedy

Aronson, Marc, and Marina Budhos. Eyes of the World.

Aronson, Marc, and Marina Budhos. Eyes of the World. Macmillan/Henry Holt     2017  294p  $22.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-8050-9835-8  ms/hs  Nonfiction  E-BN    

“To see, to tell, to bear witness.  In a single image ... And show us all you have seen.”  Andre Friedmann and Gerta Pohorylle were two young Jewish refugees in the Europe of the 1930s.  Much better known by their professional names of Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, they were pioneering photojournalists who tried to open the eyes of the public to the dangers in Germany and to the Spanish Civil War.  They were determined to be the first to chronicle the fight against fascism and the tragedies of modern warfare, and their photographs went directly from the battlefields to the pages of the popular news magazines and the world's attention.  They put a “human face” on the horrors of war.  This descriptive narrative is an attractive resource, well researched and insightful.  The writing is cohesive and compelling in telling the ultimately tragic stories of the two subjects.  With a wealth of primary-source materials and photographs, the book ends with multiple appendices, a biographical listing of individuals and groups, a timeline of international events from 1929 to 2017, personal discussions with the authors, chapter notes, lists of resources, and an index. This is a must-purchase for all middle and high-school libraries.

Summary: This photo-biography of Robert Capa and Gerda Taro represents the lives of these pioneering photojournalists in spectacular style.  The descriptive narrative is an attractive resource, well researched and insightful.  The writing is cohesive and compelling in telling their ultimately tragic stories.

Capa, Robert; Taro, Gerda; Photojournalism                  --Susan Ogintz   

Berne, Emma Carlson. Escaping Nazis on the Kindertransport.

Berne, Emma Carlson.  Escaping Nazis on the Kindertransport.  Capstone Publishers   2017  112p  $29.99. ISBN 978-1-5157-4545-7  ms  Nonfiction  VG-BN

This insightful book presents primary-source information about the Holocaust.  Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, more than 1.5 million were children. The Kindertransport succeeded in rescuing nearly ten thousand children from the clutches of the Nazis.  It began after Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, in November 1938, and lasted until the formal start of the war.  The idea was proposed by a delegation of British Jewish leaders and members of the Society of Friends who requested their government offer sanctuary to Jewish children under the age of seventeen.  Well-researched and well written, this book provides an excellent examination of one of mankind's darkest periods.  It begins with a brief explanation of the rise of Hitler and his plans to annihilate the Jewish people, and discusses the Kindertransport through the first-person accounts of seven children who escaped.  The difficulties and struggles these children had in leaving their families and going to a strange place are not minimized but explained in context.  The author continues with a description of their trips by train and boat, their lives in England during and after the war and, while a few were amazingly lucky to reunite with their parents, their ultimate discovery that most of their families had perished in the concentration camps.  Berne offers the information in a well balanced, succinct, and lucid manner.  The writing is clear and concise, presenting the topic through both primary sources and narrative accounts.  The text is enhanced by the inclusion of black-and-white photographs and documents, and maps.  The book ends with a glossary, a timeline, a bibliography of books and Internet addresses, source notes, and an index.

Summary: This insightful book presents primary source information about the Holocaust.  Of the six million Jews killed by the Nazis, more than 1.5 million were children. The Kindertransport succeeded in rescuing nearly ten thousand children from the clutches of the Nazis.                     

Kindertransport, Holocaust-Jewish                                 -- Susan Ogintz

Braun, Eric. Escape From Alcatraz.

Braun, Eric.  Escape From Alcatraz.  Capstone Publishers    2017  112p  $29.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-4551-8        ms/jr  nonfiction  VG         

When Frank Morris, along with John and Clarence Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz in 1962, the story riveted the nation. How did three men escape from Alcatraz, the island prison that claimed to be inescapable?  Did the fugitives survive their attempt to flee authority? Or did they die crossing the San Francisco Bay? The three were never caught, and the case remains open to this day.

Young readers may not be familiar with this prison break and will definitely be intrigued by the unsolved mystery.  Author Eric Braun provides readers with claims by relatives that the escaped prisoners made it to Brazil.  He reviews theories about what happened to the men and shares facts gathered from people who dealt with the men and the escape first-hand.  The text will spark lively debate and would make a fine companion volume to the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and volumes from the Tales from Alcatraz series.            

Summary: How did three men escape from Alcatraz, the island prison that claimed to be inescapable?  Did they survive their attempt to flee authority? Or did they die crossing the San Francisco Bay?   

Alcatraz Prison, Prison Escapes                                   --Hilary Welliver

     

Braun, Eric.  Escape From Alcatraz.  Capstone Publishers    2017  112p  $29.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-4551-8  ms  nonfiction  VG-BN   

Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962 and have never been caught. This book represents a review of the confirmed facts as well as possible outcomes for these three men after they broke out of prison.      Life in prison is never easy, and it was many times worse at Alcatraz, according to the inmates there who spoke of it. Four men were determined to break out of Alcatraz. They developed a precise plan, had the patience to follow through on all of its steps, and finally put the plan into action. All but one escaped. To this day, no one knows what happened to the three who escaped. The author writes in some detail about the prisoners and their plan, and the subsequent search for them by state and federal officials. The tone of the book is established by its dark cover and page frames, and this tone continues throughout the book. All of the photos are done in shades of black, white and sepia, further enhancing the mood of secrecy that hovered over the  planning and implementation of the jailbreak. The text is followed by a bibliography that includes print and web sources, a gallery of photographs of Alcatraz, and lists of the key locations in Alcatraz and the key players in the escape. The book concludes with a glossary, critical-thinking questions based on the Common Core, a list of further resources in both print and web formats, and an index. Middle-school students will love this book, as will their teachers. This librarian certainly did, although she wonders: if the prisoners had put this much effort into legitimate life pursuits, they would not have had to escape from prison at all.              

Summary: Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962 and have never been caught. This book represents a review of the confirmed facts as well as possible outcomes for these three men after they broke out of prison.

Alcatraz Island-History                                           --Lynn Fisher