To Hope and Back

To Hope and Back: The Journey of the St. Louis
By Kathy Kacer
Second Story Press, 2011. 204 pgs. Middle grade nonfiction

In 1939, over 900 Jews sought refugee from Hitler and the rise of Nazism in Germany by boarding the St. Louis and heading to Cuba. Having purchased costly tickets, which in some cases used up families' entire life savings, they were treated kindly by the crew, including Captain Schroeder, and they were anticipating a new life in Cuba, or after a brief stay in Cuba, in the U.S. However, as the ship was racing across the ocean, trouble was brewing, as Nazi propaganda convinced many Cubans the soon-to-arrive Jews were poor, dirty criminals. As the ship reached Cuba, no one was allowed to disembark. While a few concerned people tried to convince either the Cuban government or the U.S. government to allow the emigrants in, the Jews feared what would happen if no one would take them--because returning to Germany would mean almost certain death.

This is a first-rate book that blends fiction with nonfiction, as it follows two children, Lisa and Sol, who really traveled on the ship but who didn't necessarily experience everything that was attributed to them. I had heard of the St. Louis, but this made the story of the people come to life--and showed some of the consequences of the decisions made by hostile/weak governments.

4 stars. Clean read.

Duped!: True Stories of the World's Best Swindlers

Duped!: True Stories of the World's Best Swindlers
By Andreas Schroeder
Annick Press, 2011. 157 pgs. Middle Grade/Teen Nonfiction

This book covers eight stories of deception, from an alien invasion that set many parts of the U.S. into a panic to a man who first wrote and then pretended to discover two original works from Shakespeare, all in an attempt to impress his father.
Some of these stories were more interesting than others, and the book seemed to end a little abruptly, but overall, this is a good choice for reluctant readers. Its quick stories, along with comic-style illustrations, make it a fast and easy read, but it's also one that makes you feel a little smarter afterwards.

3 stars. Clean read.

Boo: The Life of the World's Cutest Dog

Boo: The Life of the World's Cutest Dog
By J.H. Lee
Chronicle Books, 2011. 1 vol. (unpaged). Middle Grade Nonfiction

Boo, the adorable Pomeranian dog who has acquired Facebook fame, shares with readers what it's like to spend a day in his life, from sleeping to playing to wearing stylish outfits to hanging out with his best dog friend Buddy to sleeping some more.

This is a must-read for any dog-lover. Boo is super cute, and readers will get a chuckle out of all of his pictures--and will probably want to go out and buy a Boo of their own.

3.5 stars. Clean read.

Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word

Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word
By Bob Raczka
Roaring Brook Press, 2011. 43 pgs. Middle Grade Poetry

This is a collection of poems all formed using letters from a single word. For example:
creative
i
crave a
art

However, the poems are arranged in order of how the letters appear in the word order:
creative
          i
cr a     ve
      a
  r     t

I like the idea here; it's fun to see poems developing from a single word. However, sometimes the arrangement made it hard to know where one word ended and the next word started. Granted, there is a wider space between words than between letters that just go onto a second or third line, but it's not quite as clear as I'd like to make it a smooth read. However, on the page following each poem, there is a line-by-line, easy-to-read version of the poem.

3.5 stars. Clean read.

The Adventures of Mark Twain

The Adventures of Mark Twain
By Huckleberry Finn with considerable help from Robert Burleigh and Barry Blitt
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, c2011. 1 volume, unpaged. Middle grade nonfiction

One of Mark Twain's most famous characters, Mr. Huckleberry Finn himself, takes readers through a brief synopsis of the famous author's life. Complete with Huck's customary speech, readers get a feel for both the author and Huck. This is a funny, albeit really brief, biography, but the idea of a character describing his author's life is amusing and the content could be enough to make readers want to learn more about Twain. The language is fun and will have readers chuckling--or even wanting to make up a few new phrases themselves.

One small piece of nudity.

4 stars.

Black Gold

Black Gold: The Story of Oil in Our Lives
By Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. 181 pgs. Teen nonfiction

Albert Marrin's timely book starts out explaining what oil is and where is comes from, then moves into its impact on the world, particularly how it relates to warfare, both in the sense that more oil reserves make for a better army and in the sense that countries are willing to go to war to get more. The book also discusses the problems with oil--such as natural disasters and the dwindling supply and concludes by discussing some possible alternatives to relying on oil and the pros and cons of each.

The book starts out slowly--the explanation of how we get oil is a little dry--but then it picks up considerably. Readers who push through will be rewarded with an enlightening look at how oil impacts us--and will likely be worried that the dwindling oil supply will run out any minute. Despite striking fear into the heart of the reader (or maybe because of it), this is the type of book that really makes readers think about the world we live in. Another excellent piece of nonfiction from Marrin.

4.5 stars. Clean read.

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet below the Chilean Desert

Trapped: How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet below the Chilean Desert
By Marc Aronson
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 134 pgs. Middle grade/Teen Nonfiction

On August 5, 2010, a collapse in the San José mine in Chile trapped thirty-three miners underground, attracting the world's attention. For the next seventeen days, drillers and mining experts from around the world worked with native Chileans to try to reach the miners and determine if anyone had survived. Miraculously, they all had, but it took several more weeks, and more international assistance, to extract the miners from 2,300 feet below the earth.

Aronson's book is interesting in that it focuses not so much on the miners and their families but on the people who were anxiously trying to get them out--from the nine drill teams working to establish first contact, to the three teams that later were working toward getting the miners out. At the beginning, Aronson also provides some background theories about the tectonic plates and how the Chile is earthquake prone, as well as information about mining, venturing off into a discussion about Hephaestus and how, like the Greek god, miners are often under-respected. I enjoyed the background information about Chile and mining; the Greek tangent didn't quite work for me. Overall, though, I liked this concise account of what happened in Chile and the people who worked to make rescue possible.

3.5 stars. Clean read.

Flesh and Blood So Cheap

Flesh and Blood So Cheap
By Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. 182 pgs. Middle Grade/Teen Nonfiction

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory caught on fire and 146 workers died, either trapped inside the building or leaping out the windows to their deaths. This event horrified the New York community, and investigations into working conditions ensued. This event had a profound impact on American life, and Marrin provides readers with a great understanding of the event. He discusses the workers (many of whom were Italian and Russian Jewish immigrant girls, working as breadwinners for their families), the garment industry (including sweatshops and factories) and the strike that took place shortly before the tragedy, the tragedy itself, and the aftermath. The book rounds out with a comparison of sweatshops of the past with sweatshops in developing nations today.

A highly informative book, it actually spent less time talking about the fire itself and more time talking about the conditions that led up to it and on the strike preceding it, but it gives a great look at why something like this tragedy occurred--how workers were desperate for jobs but trying to improve working conditions, while employers were looking for cheap labor and used shameful tactics to get it. Informative and interesting, I read this in one sitting.

4.5 stars

Amelia Lost

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
By Candace Fleming
Schwartz & Wade Books, c2011. Middle grade/Teen Nonfiction

In 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared while completing one of the last legs of her flight around the world, vaulting her into the status of a legend. Before that, though, she was a little girl who loved an adventure, a teenager dealing with her father's alcoholism, and a young woman who initially thought she might want to be a doctor and then decided she wanted to fly and carefully courted the spotlight to vault herself to the status of a hero.

Here, Fleming gives readers insights into who Amelia Earhart really was, in a biography that clearly demonstrates Amelia's spunk as well as some foibles, such as how her future husband already had a wife when he and Amelia met. It's told in alternating chapters about Amelia's last radio contact and the people who heard her but couldn't find her, and chapters about her life. All in all, I vote this one of the best pieces of young adult nonfiction I've ever read; it's easily accessible to readers, has an inviting format, and is informative and entertaining. I was hooked from the first page and wholeheartedly recommend this book to history buffs, anyone wanting to read about spunky women, and those just looking for a great read. Five stars.