Students in grades 4, 5, and 6 have been hearing book talks this week and checking out the new 2013/14 Dorothy Canfield Fisher books. There are lots of GREAT reads this year. Two fabulous non-fiction selections are a biography of Temple Grandin and the story of the race to build the Bomb during WW II.
Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World is they biography of an autistic woman who explored (among other things) humane ways to handle cattle. She had a difficult childhood because of her differences, yet grew up to be a brilliant inventor, speaker and teacher at the college level. Her story is inspirational. There is also an HBO video about her starring Claire Danes that is well worth watching in conjunction with this book.
Bomb: The race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon is the ultimate spy story and a piece of non-fiction that reads like it can't be true. But it is. It's the history of how the atom bomb was invented, the enthusiasm of the scientists who were engrossed in inventing something so huge, the politics around keeping it secret, the spies who were sent to steal plans so other countries could have a bomb too, and, finally, the aftermath of finally dropping the bomb on Hiroshima. There is so much to think about in this book. We have one copy in the library, and there is already a long wait list. Another copy is on order. So, if you want to read this amazing book, get your name on the reserve list, or try the public library, or better still, buy it!
I have copies of the new DCF list with annotations for all books. Feel free to pick one up in the library. And remember, if you are a parent, you can get a FREE library card and check out up to 10 books at a time. Reading to or with your child is the number one way to help them be better students. If you don't already have a card, come on in and get one. And if you do have a card, come check out some great books. We have THOUSANDS!!!
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