Non-Fiction Book Reviews Non-Fiction Book Reviews TITLE:  The Story of the World, Volume 1 AUTHOR NAME:  Susan Wise Bauer NAME:  Caitlyn S AGE:  9 GRADE:  6 TEACHER:  Mrs. Strain WHY READ:  If you are a history buff and enjoy reading, this is the book for you. SUMMARY:  "Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it." A fun way to learn about the past is to read this book. It is in narrative form and covers the whole Classical period from the nomads to the fall of the Roman Empire and its legacy. It covers the period in great detail, and tells you things you may not have ever known. For example, did you know that when Julius Caesar described his "victory" in Egypt as "Veni,vedi,vinci"(I came, I saw, I conquered) he was really hiding some of his defeats? Or, did you know that the famous philosopher Aristotle, was Alexander the Great's tutor? WHY LIKE:  The interesting way the author presented history kept me glued to the book. I liked the author's narrative approach to making history come alive. CHARACTERS:  Every good and bad guy from the Classical period. WHY GOOD:  It is an enjoyable way to learn history. Learning history keeps you from making mistakes that people made before you. RECOMMENDATION:  Fantastic GENRE:  Non-fiction DATE:  10/17/2009   TITLE: The Japanese American Internment AUTHOR NAME: Michael Burgan NAME: Noah B AGE: 12 GRADE: 7 TEACHER: Ms. Larrain WHY READ: It shows how Japanese-Americans were not tolerated after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. SUMMARY: This book is about a Japanese-American family, the Uchidas, who are forced from their home by the Americans because they believed Japanese-Americans had something to do with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They are sent to an internment camp to suffer as trapped prisoners, but their hopes are strong, and they aim to survive. WHY LIKE: I liked this book because it was a different point of view of the Japanese-Americans and how they handled the war. Most Americans think that we treated everyone fairly, but according to the Japanese-Americans, we treated them like rats trapped in a cage. CHARACTERS: The main characters are the Uchida family. An entire family sent to an internment camp to survive a tough enviornment. WHY GOOD: This book is good because it shows a normal Japanese family taken to an internment camp because they are not tolerated. Although they suffer severe consequences for doing nothing, the Uchidas keep their hopes up and survive the internment camp. RECOMMENDATION: Excellent GENRE: Non-fiction DATE: 5/25/08 TITLE: Auschwitz AUTHOR NAME: Clive A. Lawton NAME: Joshuah B AGE: 12 GRADE: 7 TEACHER: Mrs. Gilbert WHY READ: It is about all the cruel things that happened at the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. SUMMARY: It is about what happened at the death camp, Auschwitz. An example of what happened is they used gas chambers to kill hundreds of people at a time. They also took peoples’ valuable items and used them. They made the people who could work well in a factory manufacture weapons for Germany to fight against the allied forces. WHY LIKE: It is a very interesting book although it is very short. It tells about what, specifically, happened to some people. There are also some photos of the death camp although they were not allowed to take pictures, so pictures were very rare. CHARACTERS: There are no main characters in this book. WHY GOOD: It is to understand what happened at the Aushwitz death camp and other death camps. RECOMMENDATION: Excellent GENRE: Non-fiction DATE: 2/19/08 TITLE: A Child in a Prison Camp AUTHOR NAME: Shizuye Takashima NAME: Chloe B AGE: 12 GRADE: 7 TEACHER: Ms. Larrain WHY READ: You should read this book because you can really understand what Shizuye talks about because she is an adolescent. Also, it is a great story about the three years a Japanese-Canadian girl spends at an internment camp. SUMMARY: This is a story about an eleven-year-old girl named, Shichan. She writes about how she and her family are removed from their home and are sent to and internment camp with other Japanese-Americans. WHY LIKE: I like this book because since Shichan is only a year younger than I am, I can relate certain things to her. CHARACTERS: Shichan (protagonist), Yuki (sister), David (Brother), parents WHY GOOD: This is a good book because it tells a great story and at the same time, it tells you a lot of information about how the Japanese felt and reacted to how they were sent to internment camps. RECOMMENDATION: Excellent GENRE: Non-fiction DATE: 3/17/08 Student book reveiws organized and maintained by Beth Richard, Media Specialist. Back to Student Book Reviews
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