This nonfiction book
chronicles the lives of the Romanov family, the last of the Tsar’s of
Russia. Beginning with the life history
of Tsar Nicholas II, the book tells the tale of his meeting Alexandra, their
courtship and marriage, and the subsequent children that arrived. The book ends with their brutal murder and
the mystery surrounding what happened to one of their most famous daughters,
Anastasia. Interposed throughout the
book are facts about Russia’s history as well as first-hand reports from
peasants and workers as to what their life was like during the same time period.
Content Notes:
While the book ends
with the famous murders of the Romanov family, the book was tastefully
written. I would recommend this to any
middle school or higher student interested in learning more about Anastasia,
the Romanov family, or Russia during World War I.
Teacher Notes:
I loved this book & had
a hard time putting it down. I’ve always
been fascinated with the story surrounding Anastasia Romanov and this book
chronicled her life in a way I hadn’t seen before. I highly recommend this book to my students!
Book Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyxp8_crFNM&list=PLmfsLzvqhAW5W4xzKV8h5UWuL-i3aJZNQ&index=16
This nonfiction book
chronicles the events that led to the largest man-made explosion prior to the
detonation of the atomic bomb. Filled
with photographs and interviews, this griping non-fiction book entices the reader
to become lost in the devastation of the explosion and how families recovered
afterwards.
Content Notes:
This book discusses
family members being killed as well as includes a picture of a makeshift morgue
with bodies covered by sheets.
Teacher Notes:
I normally have a really
difficult time reading nonfiction books, and I absolutely loved this book. For any kids who have a hard time reading
non-fiction or who enjoy reading about disasters, they would love this book
too!
This nonfiction book
relays statistics and true stories about people who are involved in the human
trafficking epidemic in the world. The book
is divided into sections that discuss the different types of slavery (from
debt-bonded slaves to sex trafficking slaves) and the final chapter outlines what
is currently being done to help fix the problem. It also lists websites so the reader can look
up how he or she is inadvertently contributing to the human trafficking
problem.
Content Notes:
The book does talk
about the sex-trafficking industry. It
also describes the physical abuse many slaves face in captivity.
Teacher Notes:
This is a very tastefully
written book about the current human trafficking problem. Because of the discussion on sex-trafficking,
I would not recommend this book to any student lower than an 8th
grade level. I do think we need to
educate our students about this problem & have real discussions about ways
they can protect themselves & help others.
This book is collection
of true stories of 14 people who hid like Anne Frank did during World War 2.
Content Notes:
The stories are
children friendly in talking about hiding during the Holocaust.
Teacher Notes:
I found
this book to be a little hard to read.
If students like The Diary of Anne
Frank or if they like to learn more about the Holocaust, they would enjoy
this book. As a teacher, this book would
be good to use as a whole class read aloud since each story is a self-contained
story. A similar book that I enjoyed
more would be Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust
by Allan Zullo & Mara Bovsun.
