National Non-Fiction November

National Non-Fiction November is a celebration of Information books that has been around for the last few years and which grew out of National Non-Fiction Day.  It was founded by the Federation of Children’s book Groups and they are still responsible for its success.

#NNFN2020 and #ThePlanetWeShare

This year the theme is The Planet we share, which is something that has been highlighted by many people, but especially Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg.  The three titles that I have been asked to review look at different areas of concern, but they have all acted as catalysts to get young people engaged in the world around them and in motivating them to become involved in creating solutions for the future.

All of these titles are published  by the educational publisher Raintree.  The company was founded in the 1990s as Heinemann Library and then in 2004 they introduced Raintree as part of the Group.  Four years later the publishers were brought by the American company Capstone and have been part of that group ever since.  They have always specialized in information books for the curriculum and most school libraries, especially in primary schools, will have a wide selection of their titles.

“You are eating Plastic every day” by Danielle Smith-Llera  is a book that is aimed at the lower secondary age group and possibly the top of KS2.  The text is easily accessible and looks at the world wide impact that plastic is having on our environment.  The illustrations are full of impact and many young readers will find the images quite shocking.  the book has been published in 2020 and it is good to see that the pictures and text reflect current realities. This is actually quite a short book, with only 57 pages of text, but it also has a good glossary, index and bibliography.  The only thing I would say about the bibliography is that some of the reference might be aimed at a more mature audience than the book itself.  However this will make an excellent addition to the school library and act as a great introduction to further research.

https://www.raintree.co.uk/media/15066/you-are-eating-plastic-every-day-activity-sheet.pdf

“Climate Change and You” by Emily Raij is aimed at a younger audience.  I would definitely place it in the lower KS2 range, although it could be used in KS1 to support an introduction to this topic.  The text is well laid out, with short sentences, large font and a pictures on every double page spread.  I particularly like the highlighted terms in the main text which are then explained in the glossary at the back; this makes linking the two areas quite easy.  There is a short index as well as the glossary and a very short list other other books and websites’ although all the other books are Raintree titles.  The publication date is shown as 2021, so I have been lucky in being shown it at such an early time.  It is definitely one of those titles that will become a staple of the school library and classroom and it will provide a good introduction to a vital subject.

“Saving British Wildlife” by Claire Throp is part of a series called ‘success stories’, which rather gives the hint that this is going to be about positive changes that have happened over the last few years.  The book starts out by talking about a survey that was undertaken in 2016, which resulted in a report called “The State of Nature“.  It provided the frightening statistic that 56% of our wildlife was in decline.  The book then goes on to explain the various issues which have  affected our wildlife and the ways that organizations and individuals have tried to improve matters.  Most of the book looks at different types of wildlife, so there is a chapter on birds, mammals, fish, insects and amphibians, before looking at those species that are still in danger.  This book also uses the highlighted text and glossary link system as well as having a good index and bibliography with quite a few online links.  Once again this book is aimed at KS2 and the wonderful illustrations and attractive layout make it very appealing.

The latter two titles are both give a book banding of ‘Dark Red’, which many schools will find helpful.

Trouble in a Tutu by Helen Lipscombe

It is fair to say that there seems to have been a resurgence in interest with regard to books and ballet.  Although there has been a long term interest with picture books we went through quite a long period where middle grade and YA titles were definitely out of fashion.  Over the last few years we have seen a change, but the books tend to have more of an edge to them and ballet is just part of the plot structure.  This delightful series mixes ballet and spying and is perfectly aimed at its middle grade audience.

This is the second book in the series, the first being “Death en Pointe” and it follows the heroine Milly during her second year at Swan House Ballet School, which is also a school for spies.  In this book we see the re-appearance of a famous villain who calls himself ‘The Mouse King’, after the character in the Nutcracker Suite.  He has been in hiding for several years, but now seems determined to have his revenge on the school and also on Milly’s mother (who is a spy as well as a world famous Prima Ballerina). We also see the appearance of another famous dancer who takes up the role of Head of Ballet; Max Deverall is a friend of Milly’s mother, but she wonders if they are too close and why do Max and his daughter Leonora seem so perfect?  Importantly can Milly and her friends solve the mystery surrounding the Mouse King and save the school from being closed?

Once again we have a wonderful story full of adventure and mystery, where both the adults and the young people have to work together to get results.  In the first book Molly had rescued her mother after nearly a year in captivity, so it is understandable that she is somewhat protective of their relationship.  However, when Max appears on the scene Molly is definitely envious of his relationship  and her jealousy seems to cloud her judgement.  But what if he is linked to the Mouse King and Molly is the only one that can see through his charming ways?  The author has given us a bit of a conundrum that takes a lot of unraveling and we have to wait until the end of the book to find out the truth of the matter. One of the major strengths of these stories is the relationships between the school friends, so it is a shock to Molly when they do not automatically support her view of the situation.  Thankfully we are able to work through the various elements of the plot and reach a conclusion.  The author has however left some ‘doors’ slightly open, so that we have the lead into the next title in the series.  I am sure that there are many fans who can’t wait for the next exciting installment, I know I am one of them.

 

Helen Lipscombe is a graduate of the Bath Spa course on ‘Creative Writing for Young people’ and this is the second title in her series.  She grew up in Wales and says that she has been writing since she was a small child.  She trained as a graphic designer at the Exeter College of Art and Design and has worked in Singapore, the Caribbean and London.  Helen now lives in the Cotswolds with her family and is busily writing her magical stories and researching as much about ballet as she can.