Nonfiction

=This page is for reading recommendations. Please add a review when you find a great nonfiction "read."=

**TEAM MOON** by Catherine Thimmesh - This fascinating book begins with the Kennedy speech that started the space race. The book is laid out by the challenges that the astronauts of the Apollo 11 moon mission and members of Mission Control faced. The astronauts faced alarms even before they got to the moon. Upon landing they were not sure if the space suits would work. After Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin collected samples of lunar rocks and dust, they met up with Mike Collins at the Columbia. When they returned to earth, there was a fiery reentry, but the chutes successfully deployed. Then astronauts had to sit in quarantine for a month before being released.

This book opened my eyes to all the people that made the Apollo 11 moon mission possible. Some people think that the moon mission was run by a super tight circle made up of choice members of NASA. In reality it took 400,000 people to get Apollo 11 of the ground.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested about the space race or the moon missions. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Reviewed by Isaiah O.


 * 14 COWS FOR AMERICA** by Deedy, Carmen Agra, in collaboration with Wilson Kemeli Naiyomah - 327/DEE - The author tells the true story of how Mr. Naiyomah's Maasai community reacted when they heard about the attacks on the U. S. on September 11, 2001. According to Kameli, who studied in the U.S. on a scholarship, his people teach that you heal the pain in another's heart by giving something close to your heart. So the community presents 14 much-loved cows to the American ambassador and his wife as a gift of consolation to the people hurt by September 11th. It's hard to read the author's note without tears coming to your eyes.


 * BEFORE COLUMBUS: THE AMERICAS OF 1491** by Charles C. Mann - 970/MAN - What a beautiful book! And up-to-date, too. Have you ever wondered how a handful of Europeans were able to wrest the homeland of native Americans? Have you wondered why the native American civilizations more technologically advanced when the Europeans arrived in the Americas? According to the latest theories supported by anthropological finds, there are logical explanations that we are just now beginning to understand. The American natives did not have the same relationships with animals that Europeans had, nor did the geography of the land foster the same inventions that arose in Europe. I don't want to give away the answer to mystery posed in my first question, but I will say it mostly involved diseases and ecology. This is a very interesting book.


 * AFRICAN CRITTERS** by Robert B. Haas - 779/HAA - This photography book is actually the result of some African safaris with cameras instead of guns. The author not only has included stunning photos, he tells the story of how each one came to be. Along the way, he weaves in facts about each animal. It was enthralling. I do this as a read-aloud with 4th grade every year, so if you weren't at our school for 4th grade, be sure you take a look at this memorable book.