Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

I am a seventh grade science teacher looking for good context area nonfiction picture books. Any ideas of books, groups, or places to find recommendations?

That's a very good question, Lena. A few people have been in asking about nonfiction books, since some youngsters prefer them to stories they don't relate to, I guess. Come to think of it, I read a lot of non-fiction, but it all tended to be about animals, birds and flowers, and particularly identification guides.

Any subjects of special interest?

I'm sure you'll get some good ideas here.

As it happens, I just encountered Q Is for Quark: A Science Alphabet Book. I got excited thinking it was a way to introduce tots to science, but it's actually quite long and thorough - probably just right for your students.

If you do find another source of rec's, please come back and post a link here. :)

Oh, and I really don't know age/reading level, but I *love* the picture books by Joyce Sidman and they're for children older than tots, maybe including 7th-grade.

They're terrific for art and poetry, as well as for science. I think Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors is my favorite, and Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night is a Newbery book.

I also love the grammar & science books by Ruth Heller, for example Up, Up and Away: A Book about Adverbs. These might be aimed a little young, though, I don't know.

I think that the Eyewitness books are nice, because they are accessible to a wide range of reading levels.

I just read a great review of Owls: Our Most Enchanting Bird, by Matt Sewell, that sounds suitable for kids of all ages. I've added it to my reading list. He has other books about birds too, all beautifully illustrated in a quirky way that kids will love!

I've just been reading a book from Lonely Planet Kids, called The Travel Book. It's not listed on Goodreads yet - there is one of the same title that I think is for adults. There are four books in this Lonely Planet Kids series - I'll be posting on my blog about them later in the month. I'll update this thread then.

I definitely recommend the Eyewitness books and The Magic School bus series. The Magic School bus might seem a bit childish, but it still has some good info :)

We're reading a non-fiction book for February's Book of the Month - you can vote on the poll at the bottom of the GMGR front page until 31st January.

Strangely, none of our nominations - or any of those listed here - are in Goodreads MG non-fiction Listopia list https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...

But then I often forget about the Listopias until I want a specific book and I can't remember the title!

maybe It Couldn't Just Happen (Classical Conv): Fascinating Facts about God's World. I enjoyed it. Its info packed and I learned a lot