| Top Teen Nonfiction of 2011 Jan 9th 2012, 11:04 An array of nonfiction books is causing a sensation among teen readers. Covering a variety of topics from revolutionary traitors to the bicycle helping pave the way to women’s liberation, these young adult books inspire readers to want to learn more about the world and its history. The five books listed below are incredibly well researched by noted authors, researchers and historians who devoted several years learning about their subjects. All have already been nominated for major 2011 and/or 2012 awards. 
PriceGrabberBenedict Arnold leaps from the pages of The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery by Steve Sheinken. Sheinken's in-depth research reveals the man who could have been a hero of the American Revolution, but instead gave military plans to the British and became a notorious traitor. Written as narrative nonfiction, the life of Benedict Arnold reads like an adventure story while giving factual information based on primary documents. This book is a finalist for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. Although published for middle graders (ages 9-12), I recommend it for readers 12-up. (Flash Point, 2010. ISBN: 9781596434868) Read my review of The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery. 
Random HouseOn March 25, 1911 a factory fire tore through the Triangle Waist Company factory in New York City killing 146 people within minutes. Many of the victims were young women newly immigrated to America. The horrific tragedy was a call for change in factory conditions and brought attention to the plight of many immigrants. Albert Marrin, an established historian and award-winning author of several nonfiction books, introduces readers not only to the Triangle Fire tragedy, but to a timeline of the social conditions leading up to the event and the changes it inspired. Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy was a 2011 National Book Award Finalist for Children’s Literature. I recommend this book for ages 12-up. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. ISBN: 9780375868894) 
PriceGrabberWho could have foreseen the path the bicycle would pave in the way of women’s rights? Sue Macy, the author of Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) looks at the invention of the bicycle during the height of its popularity in the late nineteenth century and the doors it opened for women. With a detailed historical timeline of events, vintage photographs, and insightful quotes from famous women’s rights suffragists, the author makes a convincing argument on the role the bicycle played in elevating women to a new status. This book is a finalist for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. I recommend it for readers ages 12-up. (National Geographic, 2011. ISBN: 9781426307614) 
PriceGrabberBootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition is a detailed historical look at the fourteen years of lawlessness in America that occurred when Congress decided to make alcohol illegal. With the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment outlawing the manufacturing and sale of alcohol in America the era of Prohibition began. Along with it came the rebellion of thousands who would risk death to create and sell their own version of the liquid refreshment. The result was the rise of criminal behavior that made it possible for gangsters like Al Capone and underground organizations to become powerful and murderous. Journalist Karen Blumenthal creates a compelling historical text that looks at the emotion behind the laws that led to murder and lawlessness in the early twentieth century. This book is a finalist for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. I recommend it for readers 12-up. (Flash Point, 2011. ISBN: 9781596434493) 
Clarion BooksThe story of sugar has long and winding in history and dates back to its first harvest in 8000 B.C. in the island of New Guinea. In the beginning a sweet wild plant, the cane plant and its sugary byproduct quickly became a luxury of kings and soon became a necessity for even the poorest man. The rich history of the cane plant and its relationship to key historical events such as the slave trade, the Declaration of Independence, and the Industrial Revolution is carefully explained in this narrative nonfiction book by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. With the intent of provoking thought about the connection between sugar and slavery and its impact on history, the authors create neither a textbook nor a novel, but a narrative history to be taught to middle school and high school age students. Sugar Changed the World : A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science is about the legacy of sugar and how it changed the world. This book is a finalist for the 2012 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults. I recommend it for readers 12-up. (Clarion Books, 2011. ISBN: 9780618574926)  | |
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