Some say truth is stranger than fiction. I think at times it can also be more interesting. Such is the case with two children’s nonfiction titles I recently read.
The first was Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh. This book takes a look at some of the behind-the-scenes players in NASA’s mission to walk on the moon. As expected, this mission was no small task, and thousands of people were involved in making it a success. There were the engineers who built the lunar module and needed to test it over and over before it even went into space. There were the satellite operators responsible for beaming the images to televisions all over the world. There were the seamstresses who sewed together twenty-two layers of material for each spacesuit worn by the astronauts. The list goes on and on. While the mission was indeed a great scientific achievement, Thimmesh really focuses on its human aspects. I think that’s what makes this book so good. It really brings this historic event to life for younger generations who didn’t live through it themselves.
Next up was Ain’t Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson. Nelson spent many years researching the legend of John Henry. The prevalence and variety of folk songs about the steel-driving railroad man led Nelson to believe that there could have really been a man named John Henry who worked on the railroad. This fascinating book covers Nelson’s search to find the truth behind the legend of John Henry. Each discovery along the way pushes him forward to finding the real John Henry. What makes this book even better is the way the author incorporates information about how he works as a historian. He describes the way one tiny piece of information can lead to huge breakthroughs, as well as dead ends he sometimes encounters along the way.
These are two great nonfiction titles for upper elementary readers and beyond. Both authors write in a great narrative style that’s easy to read and understand. The topics covered are fascinating, particularly for kids interested in history.
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