Rise Up: Ordinary Kids with Extraordinary Stories

by Amanda Li, Amy Blackwell

WINNER OF THE BLUE PETER BOOK AWARDS 2020___________"An inspirational book telling the tales of 29 amazing children. Children who have triumphed, overcome and persevered. Children who would put most grown ups to shame!" - Konnie Huq ___________This book tells the stories of girls and boys from around the world and the challenges they have faced and overcome.It features over 29 tales of amazing young girls and boys who have achieved the unimaginable – from surviving a plane crash in the jungle to striking against climate change. There are tales of triumphing over illness and injury, and of overcoming bullying. Entries include Greta Thunberg, Boyan Slat and Phiona Mutesi, to name a few. Each incredible story is narrated in an exciting and engaging style, and is combined with visually stunning illustrations by Amy Blackwell. Children can lose themselves in the remarkable true-life tales of ingenuity, courage and commitment. Practical tips and skills accompany every entry, from how to deal with altitude sickness to how to be more green. They provide children with an exciting springboard and the confidence to apply the knowledge to their own life situations – now and in the future.A perfect gift for every fearless child you know, these empowering stories show that no matter who you are, how old you are, and what you do, you can rise to the challenge.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Childrens

122 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2019

Reviews

[Mark Meiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

The stories are poorly researched, a number are not about kids, and the supplementary material consists mainly of inane non sequiturs.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, inspiring and wonderfully presented. This book very briefly tells the stories of many children who have achieved remarkable things. Each story then ends with some related facts, or tips of what the reader can do themselves.

I loved most of this book. It didn't just focus on obvious names (Malala, Greta, Pele), but included many people who I hadn't heard of or knew only a little about. There was a wide variety of nationalities and fields of endeavour included. I thought it worked best when the child was trying to achieve something important (e.g. Greta Thunberg, William Kamkwamba, Boyan Slat, Desmond Doss), or was thrust into extraordinary circumstances (e.g. Juliane Koepecke). There were also stories of some children who overcame obstacles of poverty to follow their passions (e.g. Joel Kioko, Phiona Mutesi), but I was less convinced of the worth of stories of the privileged folk who just set themselves challenges (e.g. Laura Dekker, Poorna Malavath). I'm not sure why these need to be celebrated.

However, all in all, this is a fantastic book and one I would like every child to read.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the individuals featured here aren't all youngsters--one, for instance, Ally Swinton, was 23 when he survived an avalanche--all of their stories are certainly inspiring. Teen and middle grade readers can easily draw inspiration from the examples of 29 ordinary individuals who rose to greatness by standing up for causes that mattered to them or overcoming great personal challenges. The stories told here are quite varied, starting with environmentalist Greta Thunberg from Sweden and concluding with Ayesha Farooq, Pakistan's first female fighter pilot with various stops along the way. I appreciated the author's attempts to cover the globe and acknowledge the many different ways that young people have risen up--through chess, by singing, and through public speaking. For some of the entries, the author has included a feature telling what the individual is doing now, offering survival tips or suggesting next steps to take if a reader is inspired by someone's example to do more. While I was familiar with several of these stories, I had not heard of some of them and was delighted to find even more young role models and activists to share with my own students. Colorful illustrations and accessible text and short blocks of information add to this book's appeal and make it a good addition to a classroom collection devoted to heroes, individuals making a difference or even social activists.

[Jojo Streb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ende Januar erschien im Arena-Verlag ein kurzweiliger Sammelband unter dem etwas sperrigen Titel "Rise Up: Außergewöhnliche Lebensgeschichten von starken Kids", der bereits durch seine farbenfrohe, abwechslungsreiche Gestaltungsart Lust zum Schmökern gemacht haben. Kann aber das Gesamtpaket hinter der bunten Fassade überzeugen?


Amanda Li präsentiert uns eine gelungene Bandbreite an neunundzwanzig erzählten Geschichten, die nicht nur unterschiedliche thematische Ansätze und Handlungsmotive, sondern auch Ethnien, Kulturen und Hautfarben abbilden. Im jungen Zielpublikum wird ein Bewusstsein für strukturelle Probleme der Welt geschaffen, die durch die Kreativität und den Mut dieser jugendlichen, idolisierten Figuren bekämpft wurden. Man wird angeregt, sowohl unseren Alltag in Überfluss und -druss in einem der reichsten Land der Erde als auch das eigene Konsumverhalten zu hinterfragen.


Jeder Jugendliche und dessen Beweggründe zu seinen Errungenschaften wird dabei auf vier Seiten Umfang vorgestellt. Die Autorin weiß mit gut formulierten, knappen Texten, die den Inhalt informativ und übersichtlich zusammenstellen, zu überzeugen. Zudem wird das Zielpublikum mit kreativ ausgewählten, ermutigenden Zusatzinformationen versorgt, die die jungen Leser*innen ernst nehmen und Mut zu eigenem Handeln auslösen. Diese Tipps sind vielschichtig gewählt: beispielsweise betreffen sie die Erläuterung konkreter technischer Vorgänge, aber auch das Selbstbewusstsein fördernde Vorschläge für das sichere Auftreten gegenüber einer Gruppe werden erläutert.


Zudem möchte ich hier erneut die hervorragende gestalterische Aufmachung hervorheben, die nicht nur die Taten der Kids abwechslungsreich illustrieren, sondern auch lesefördernd auf die Leser*innen einwirken kann. Die Heldentaten wecken oftmals die Motivation zum Anstellen eigener Recherchen.


Insgesamt ist "Rise Up" also ein Sammelband voller inspirierender Botschaften, der mir persönlich teilweise den Glauben an die Menschheit (oder zumindest an den jugendlichen Anteil) zurückgegeben und zum Nachdenken angeregt hat. Die Darstellungsweise ist außerordentlich gut gelungen. Das, was dem Buch aus meiner Sicht fehlt, ist ein Resümee. Eines, das die Gleichheit aller Menschen betont, die Notwendigkeit zur solidarischen Zusammenarbeit hervorhebt und, ja, eventuell auch eine subjektive Note der Autorin, die schließlich die Geschichten zusammentrug, beinhaltet, wäre schön und wünschenswert gewesen.


Nichtsdestotrotz möchte ich für diese Lektüre eine uneingeschränkte Leseempfehlung aussprechen. Vor allem für die jüngsten Leser mit wenig Geduld und Konzentration ist diese episodenartige Aufgliederung ideal, da man sich dem Stoff in kurzen Intervallen annähern kann.


"Rise Up: Außergewöhnliche Lebensgeschichten von starken Kids" ist ein liebevoll aufgemachter Sammelband mit inspirierenden Heldentaten und starken Botschaften.

[Merrilyn Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories of the 29 children in this book are impressive and inspirational. Some I had heard of (for example, Greta Thunberg,), but many I had not (Ayesha Farooq). Girls and boys from all over the world have been heroes and helped other people in the world to expect and do more. For each of the 29 children, there are two colorful (no photos) pages of biography outlining what it is he/she did to be "extraordinary." There is one page where related information is listed. For instance, in the article, "The Dramatic Dancing of Joel Kioko, Kenya" there's an additional page explaining "How to spin without getting dizzy" and "How to build up your strength and fitness." Sometimes, there is also a sidebar with news about "Where is he or she now?" Occasionally, the additional information could have been more closely related to the person's achievement. With Kevin Breel, a comedian who had overcome depression, the related info was about how to become a comedian and how to journal. Could it also have included a passage about caring for mental health? The extraordinary children's actions range from escaping an avalanche to creating Braille. This book would be a fantastic read-aloud. I will purchase it for my school library.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for work, as this is a book we are looking to incorporate into an upcoming 6th grade nonfiction unit on young changemakers. While this book doesn't explore any of the of the featured young people in depth, with all of the pictures and graphics, it is highly accessible and will be a nice starting point for our students to read about several interesting young people before they select one to research in greater depth.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations and some fantastic stories that children and adults alike will relate to.

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

29 regular children/young adults from around the world who have done amazing things. Great for browsing, but also for getting curious and reading more.

[Kaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book!

[Casey Rhoades · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is amazing. Short stories of kids who have done something awesome. Read this yourself and your kids and your parents and your cats. It’s awesome!

[Momma]

I thinks Rise up is for kids with big minds and big thinking the kids can create and think without this book the kids wouldn't be able to pay attention and to think harder.

[Zehra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zehra

[Alexina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nonfiction, informative collection of real people who beat the odds in order to change the world.

I think it was a healthy balance of older as well as current figures over a variety of genres and areas of culture. Such as: athletes, inventors, activists and more.

I also like the "extra resources" applicable to each person. For example, tips on surviving a shark attack which is attached to Bethany Hamilton's survival story. Or, tips on public-speaking after a story on Malala Yousafzai section.

Overall, positive and informative and appropriate for 4th-6th graders.

[Marie-Pier Dodier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Biographies simples mais moins émouvantes que dans d'autres livres du genre. Parties documentaires ajoutées intéressantes.