Comments on: Good Biographies for 9-to-12-year-olds http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/ Janice Harayda Reviews Fiction, Nonfiction and Poetry for Adults and Children Mon, 20 May 2013 13:35:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: 1minutebookreviewswordpresscom http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-596 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:47:47 +0000 http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-596 A thousand thanks. Parents will be grateful to you, too. Even when a critic loves a book, people may wonder, “What if my taste differs from the critic’s?” So comments like yours can be extremely helpful to them (and are one reason why I love blogging). I’ve never read the Ruby Bridges book but have heard great things about it. Hope I can get to it soon.

You’re so right about the bad biographies. People often ask, “Why doesn’t the ALA give more Newbery Medals for nonfiction?” It’s my impression that part of the answer is that the ALA doesn’t see as much good nonfiction as it would like. And when the judges find somebody like Freedman, they embrace him.

]]> By: Mrs. K http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-595 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:00:00 +0000 http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-595 That said, I’ve known several third/fourth/fifth graders whose “entry level biography” has been Lincoln: A Photobiography (the pot of this genre?). Really good — particularly in light of all the BAD BAD BAD children’s biographies out there. Ever visit this section of the library? Depressing. A terrific memoir for this age is Ruby Bridges, “Through My Eyes.” I also recommend “Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary.”

]]> By: Mrs. K http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-594 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 00:34:42 +0000 http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/good-biographies-for-9-to-12-year-olds/#comment-594 Yup, he’s great. I’ve taught Eleanor: A Life of Discovery to three different sets of middle school girls with great success — in a few cases, I’ve had girls develop an intense devotion to this insecure, awkward child who becomes a compassionate world leader. It’s a great gift for high school girls, too.

I wouldn’t necessarily give it to a nine-year-old, though. It deals quite frankly with FDR’s affair and 6th-8th graders are better able to explore the difference between public and private morality.

]]>