Our Guest Writer today is Jennifer Swanson - thanks so much for an illuminating and wonderful article about non-fiction. Take is away, Jen . . . !
Back in November, I was lucky enough to attend the Falling Leaves Master Retreat
for nonfiction writers. It was FABULOUS! Located at a YMCA camp
nestled in the mountains of the Adirondacks and overlooking beautiful Silver Lake Bay,
it was picture perfect for a weekend of learning about writing. The
leaves on the trees were decked out in bright oranges and reds and there
was just a nip of chilly weather in the air to brighten your cheeks.
This Florida girl was in heaven!
Aside from the
wonderfully peaceful environment, the weekend just hummed with energy.
The mix of new and established writers and as well 5 valued editors
from major publishing houses had my creative senses in a whirl.
All of the editor
talks were extremely interesting and informative. Listening to them, I
managed to take away a few notes on upcoming trends in nonfiction.
Naturally, a fair amount of talk centered around the Common Core and
how all newly published nonfiction books need provide teachers with the
necessary tools for teaching.
The editors made a big deal about this:
50% of classroom reading in elementary and middle schools will use nonfiction books
70% of classroom reading in high school will use nonfiction books
In response for the
increased demand, publishers will be providing many different types of
nonfiction books. One editor introduced a new term for a type of
nonfiction. She called it "Browsable nonfiction".
So, what is Browsable Nonfiction?
These books are examples of browsable nonfiction:
So, I guess you could
say that browsable books are books that have short bites of
information. They can be lists, like the books in the first section
above. Or they can have chapters filled with interesting snippets of
history or art. They can also deal with many different topics all in
one book.
The advantage of browsable books?
Perfect for the
reluctant reader or maybe just one that needs a book to keep their
attention, they are chock full of fun and exciting fun facts! These
books usually contain many vivid and visually entertaining photos - the
better to catch a reader's eye and interest. These diverse and unique
books are filled with fascinating information presented in easy to
read snippets and chapters. In this world where readers are deluged
with information and images 24 hours a day, these books not only
capture and hold a reader's attention, but also make for great
resources for tiny bits of trivia to share with your friends.
As far as the Common
Core goes, they can be great starter books for a research project. Or
for even finding a topic. Have to do write a biography but not sure
what interests you? Then pick up the How They Croaked Book, and
page through the chapters. Surely reading about the dramatic endings
of some of these people will liven up the most boring of biography
topics.
Browsable books often
contain interactive features like For Further Reading and Original text
from other sources, hands-on reference material, and easy connections a
reader can make. Hopefully, a small nugget of information will turn
into a large thirst for knowledge.
Narrative
Nonfiction books are also making a surge according to the publishers.
Narrative nonfiction, like the word narrative implies, has a storyline
to it.
For example:
School Library Journal awards Larry Dane Brimner's Birmingham Sunday with a starred review.
"The author successfully
blends the facts of the event with the intense emotions of the period
in order to bring it to life. ...The book is beautifully designed, with
good-quality, black-and-white photos, informative captions, and
pertinent pull quotes. A worthy addition to any collection."
The book contains
informational sidebars to augment the highly engaging text. These
provides opportunities for classroom discussions using Common Core
relative questions and topics.
But narrative
nonfiction is not only for history and biographies, it can also be used
very successfully in science books as well.
This introduction to
black holes takes readers from simple to complex by dropping
definitions and information slowly and clearly into the lively
narrative. Dramatic and amazing illustrations help to impart the sense
of the vast distances in space, of how atomic nuclei meld in the
intense interaction called fusion, and how the areas of a black
hole-the event boundary, the extreme gravity zone, and the
singularity-are defined. ... " -School Library Journal, starred review
The author provides additional information on her website and an extensive glossary to make this book very user-friendly.
What did I come away
with from my fantastic weekend in the Adirondacks? Upcoming nonfiction
books are interesting, exciting and ready to grab the imagination of
any child - from 1 to 101! Check them out!!
So tell us, what nonfiction books are you excited about this year? Go to our SPELLBINDERS blog
and put your favorites and suggestions in the comments so we can all
get inspired and learn about new titles. We're always looking for great
books to add to our "to-read" list.
--
Jennifer Swanson
is a self-professed science geek and author of 9 nonfiction books for
kids. When not writing she can be found searching for cool science
facts to share with her students. You can find more about Jennifer at
her website http://jenniferswansonbooks.com/
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speech-language
pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for
Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute
of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading
list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers
including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random 
Acts of Haiku." 
workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences.
From the time we started chapter books and then novels, they loved
realistic, contemporary fiction, and weren't really interested in most
of the genre fiction (sci-fi or fantasy or magic like Harry Potter which
frightened them). We enjoyed endless Kate DiCamillo, Sharon Creech,
Deborah Wiles, Lynne Rae Perkins, to name a few. But the older
they got, the more they wanted their books to have male MC's -
characters they could directly relate to in body and mind. And, outside
of genre fiction, it got harder and harder to find those relatable male
protagonists in contemporary MG and YA. So much was told from a
female lead character. So, I decided to write a book for them, narrated
by a teen boy. Your average teen boy, who is extraordinary only in the
quiet way we are each capable of being.
