librarian asking me for nonfiction book recs for middle/high school - please help!

[Noreen Claire]

One of our local librarians contacted me today to ask about purchasing books that would be useful for homeschool students. The text of her email is below. Could you help me come up with a list to pass along to her? Thanks very much!

"I have recently culled some out-of-date materials from the nonfiction section of the library, and many of these were books designed for use by students doing research projects. Examples of these are "Issues in Context" and "Opposing Viewpoint" single-subject books on topics like genetic engineering, stem cell research, climate change, etc. From our circulation data it seems that these all got very little (if any!) usage, so it doesn't seem like a good use of funds to purchase newer versions, but I do want to make sure we have materials that will be helpful to homeschooled students.

 

Are there any resources that you would consider to be necessary that the public library should have available? I know that's a very broad question, so please feel free to answer as broadly or specifically as you'd like!"

[MercyA]

The Fallacy Detective and the Thinking Toolbox

[HomeAgain]

Hakim's Story of Science series would be up there as well.

[prairiewindmomma]

Honestly, I’d be tempted to recommend a textbook for reference because I hear so many moms on the local boards not buying them due to $$$ and thereby under educating their kids. 

[vonfirmath]

How about some of the TEaching Textbook classes that are more appropriate for younger kids? (ie HS)

 

One that has been useful here (and all we had was the audible) was:
How to Become a SuperStar Student

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by vonfirmath

[heartlikealion]

Does it need to be a particular topic? 

We had Who Was books and Usborne Encyclopedias in the library I worked in. I was able to take it out of reference and I noticed someone checked out the history one. 

Before I left I ordered one on gender identity. 

I’d check for books on puberty or reproduction and related topics. I had a teen doing a book report and it was kinda a broad topic and some of our stuff was reference only.  

It’s a total crap shoot, at least here. You might get people checking out biographies once a year and several never touched. I replaced a couple dated ones with current ones on the same person. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by heartlikealion

[strawberries]

The Big Ideas Simply Explained series from DK: https://www.dk.com/us/promotion/big-ideas/

[Kareni]

A suggestion ~

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

 

Also the version for younger readers ~ How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids

 

both by Thomas C. Foster.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Carrie12345]

6 hours ago, Noreen Claire said:

Examples of these are "Issues in Context" and "Opposing Viewpoint" single-subject books on topics like genetic engineering, stem cell research, climate change, etc. From our circulation data it seems that these all got very little (if any!) usage, so it doesn't seem like a good use of funds to purchase newer versions,

I don’t have specific recommendations, but I would avoid these things in an “opposing viewpoint” context, even if they matched my viewpoint. I would want my kids to have the complete (age appropriate) science, not various opinions about it.

[Spy Car]

6 hours ago, MercyA said:

The Fallacy Detective and the Thinking Toolbox

Oh dear. Have you read these recently? Very highly problematic (understatement) IMO. 

The reviews on Amazon outline many of the issues. Not fit for a public library in my estimation.

Bill
 

https://www.amazon.com/Fallacy-Detective-Thirty-Eight-Recognize-Reasoning/dp/097453157X/ref=asc_df_097453157X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312400961658&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=912393090243121288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031190&hvtargid=pla-571646700377&psc=1#customerReviews

 

[Faith-manor]

8 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

Oh dear. Have you read these recently? Very highly problematic (understatement) IMO. 

The reviews on Amazon outline many of the issues. Not fit for a public library in my estimation.

Bill
 

https://www.amazon.com/Fallacy-Detective-Thirty-Eight-Recognize-Reasoning/dp/097453157X/ref=asc_df_097453157X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312400961658&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=912393090243121288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031190&hvtargid=pla-571646700377&psc=1#customerReviews

 

Agreed, years ago I was gifted a Fallacy Detective. Not.a.good.gift.

The misogynistic "humor" was a real turn off not to mention the fact that there was an awful lot of lifestyle criticism based on ultra conservative Christianity, and not a whole lot of actual instruction identifying logical fallacies. I felt it was a lot of indoctrination into a specific worldview, not general instruction in formal logic, debate, or philosophy.

[Noreen Claire]

Thank you!

[MercyA]

On 8/12/2021 at 7:24 PM, Spy Car said:

Oh dear. Have you read these recently? Very highly problematic (understatement) IMO. 

The reviews on Amazon outline many of the issues. Not fit for a public library in my estimation.

Bill
 

https://www.amazon.com/Fallacy-Detective-Thirty-Eight-Recognize-Reasoning/dp/097453157X/ref=asc_df_097453157X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312400961658&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=912393090243121288&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031190&hvtargid=pla-571646700377&psc=1#customerReviews

 

 

On 8/12/2021 at 7:35 PM, Faith-manor said:

Agreed, years ago I was gifted a Fallacy Detective. Not.a.good.gift.

The misogynistic "humor" was a real turn off not to mention the fact that there was an awful lot of lifestyle criticism based on ultra conservative Christianity, and not a whole lot of actual instruction identifying logical fallacies. I felt it was a lot of indoctrination into a specific worldview, not general instruction in formal logic, debate, or philosophy.

Thanks for the input, Bill and Faith. Sorry it took me so long to come back to this. 

I haven't actually read the books. ☺️ I just know that my daughter enjoyed them, read them multiple times, and knows her logical fallacies very, very well--much better than me. 🙂  I do remember telling her when I gave her the books that she might not agree with everything in them. She is good at weighing information and viewpoints on her own.

I asked for her opinion on the books today. I didn't mention anything that was said here. She said that she took slight issue with their description of the "Appeal to Force" fallacy. She also said she could think of at least one issue on which she disagreed with them--it had to do with personhood rights for chimpanzees. She is her mother's daughter. 😉 

I still think a book on logical fallacies would be a useful addition to the library. It wouldn't have to be these particular books. 

[Stacia]

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

[Syllieann]

On 8/12/2021 at 5:53 PM, Carrie12345 said:

I don’t have specific recommendations, but I would avoid these things in an “opposing viewpoint” context, even if they matched my viewpoint. I would want my kids to have the complete (age appropriate) science, not various opinions about it.

We have read some of these.  They are not anti-science.  It's usually an issue that educated people in the mainstream can disagree about and both sides are presented.  It would never be something like creation vs evolution.  Instead it might be something like gmo's.  They are good because we can feed more people with less land and all the details of that.  The opposing might be about the effect it has on ecological diversity over the long run.  Both are presented within the same book.  I really like them!

Edited August 20, 2021 by Syllieann

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

 

Thanks for the input, Bill and Faith. Sorry it took me so long to come back to this. 

I haven't actually read the books. ☺️ I just know that my daughter enjoyed them, read them multiple times, and knows her logical fallacies very, very well--much better than me. 🙂  I do remember telling her when I gave her the books that she might not agree with everything in them. She is good at weighing information and viewpoints on her own.

I asked for her opinion on the books today. I didn't mention anything that was said here. She said that she took slight issue with their description of the "Appeal to Force" fallacy. She also said she could think of at least one issue on which she disagreed with them--it had to do with personhood rights for chimpanzees. She is her mother's daughter. 😉 

I still think a book on logical fallacies would be a useful addition to the library. It wouldn't have to be these particular books. 

I think you might be a little bit shocked by how much not-germane-to-"logic" material the Bluedorn's included in this work to support their own ultra-conservative political theological extremism.

Bill

 

[EKS]

The young people's version of The Third Chimpanzee  

 

 

[Indigo Blue]

2 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I think you might be a little bit shocked by how much not-germane-to-"logic" material the Bluedorn's included in this work to support their own ultra-conservative political theological extremism.

Bill

 

It’s been a while since we used that book. I don’t recall noticing anything like that, but  I’m not disagreeing with you. I trust you. I just didn’t see that. Ds did learn a lot about fallacies, though, and what he learned has stuck with him. Now I want to get another copy of it and go through it again. 

[Teaching3bears]

I am thinking DK Eyewitness books and Usborne World History but there are so many good books.   

[Carrie12345]

7 hours ago, Syllieann said:

We have read some of these.  They are not anti-science.  It's usually an issue that educated people in the mainstream can disagree about and both sides are presented.  It would never be something like creation vs evolution.  Instead it might be something like gmo's.  They are good because we can feed more people with less land and all the details of that.  The opposing might be about the effect it has on ecological diversity over the long run.  Both are presented within the same book.  I really like them!

I didn’t necessarily mean to imply anti-science. I would just prefer to avoid, in the initial research stage at least, the presentation of information in “argument form”. What you describe, I might encourage for later consideration, or my kids might grab on their own. The way the collection is titled... it’s very unlikely that I’d put it on a list unless I was already somehow familiar. I do think that’s something for a librarian to consider when focusing on homeschoolers. 

A librarian might recognize that a book titled “Changing Bodies” is likely to get more parent-guided check outs than “Let’s Explore Our Bodies Together!” Or “How A Bill Becomes A Law” vs. “How A Bill REALLY Becomes A Law”. (Okay, I might purchase that one, lol.) 

Im just saying, “Opposing Viewpoint” in a title does influence my choice, and I think it would for many other people.

[Stacia]

Also, Amanda Gorman's The Hill We Climb if they don't already have it.

[Stacia]

 

https://twitter.com/hmcghee/status/1432364724491010048?s=20

 

[Stacia]

I haven't seen the young adult version but I have read (& highly recommend) the original version. Looks like the YA version will be out early next year.

Overground Railroad (The Young Adult Adaptation): The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America by Candacy A. Taylor