Jeff Belanger. Who's Haunting the White House?: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live
There. (Sterling, 2008)
Harry Truman saw them. Winston Churchill felt their presence. Mary Todd Lincoln actually called
them forth, and Abraham Lincoln is one of them. Dolly Madison tried to stop the workmen from
digging up her garden to plan the Rose Garden sixty years after she died. These are the specters that
lurk in one of the most historic, and haunted, buildings in America.
Don Brown. Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution.
(Roaring Brook Press, 2013)
The British soldiers living in Boston during the Revolutionary War got one of the nastiest surprises in
history. One morning, a soldier cried that there was a line of cannons looking down at them!
Nonsense, said an officer, there aren't any cannons for 300 miles. Then he looked up...
Timothy Decker. For Liberty: The Story of the Boston Massacre. (Calkins Creek, 2009)
For those elementary and middle school kids who remember their picture book days as the last time
they loved reading, here is a powerful take on a grimly fascinating event. This is "small" history;
fifteen minutes that changed the world, and the drama is enhanced by stark, black and white
illustrations that evoke both David MacAulay and the Manga form. Perhaps its greatest gift is to
individualize the players, making the tragedy all the more human. This is history that comes alive.
"Dog Heroes" [Series] (Bearport Publishing)
Meish Goldish. Baghdad Pups.
Meish Goldish. Bomb-sniffing Dogs.
Sunita Apte. Combat-Wounded Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Disabled Dogs.
Melissa McDaniel. Disaster Search Dogs.
Shelley Bueche, Chris Puls. Dog Scouts of America.
Judith Bauer Stamper. Eco Dogs.
Donna Latham. Fire Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Ground Zero Dogs.
Melissa McDaniel. Guide Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Hollywood Dogs.
Frances E. Ruffin. Medical Detective Dogs.
Frances E. Ruffin. Military Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Pest-sniffing Dogs.
Frances E. Ruffin. Police Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Prison Puppies.
Bendix Anderson. Security Dogs.
Margaret Fetty. Seizure-Alert Dogs.
Linda Tagliaferro. Service Dogs.
Lori Haskins. Sled Dogs.
Maida Silverman. Snow Search Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Soldiers' Dogs.
Meish Goldish. Surf Dog Miracles.
Linda Tagliaferro. Therapy Dogs.
Frances E. Ruffin. Water Rescue Dogs.
Dan Greenberg. Wilderness Search Dogs.
"Extreme Cuisine" (Series):
Meish Goldish. Baby Bug Dishes. (Bearport, 2009)
Meish Goldish. Bug-a-licious. (Bearport, 2009)
From cricket lollipops to roasted ants in the movie theatre, here are the stories of bug foods from
around the world. Part cook book, part social study, and all queasy, this is a fun nonfiction written at a
very accessible level.
Meish Goldish. Mammal Menu. (Bearport, 2009)
Dinah Williams. Shocking Seafood. (Bearport, 2009)
Dinah Williams. Slithery, Slimy, Scaly Treats. (Bearport, 2009)
Meish Goldish. Spider-tizers and Other Creepy Treats. (Bearport, 2009)
Dennis Brindell Fradin & Judith Bloom Fradin, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. The Price of Freedom:
How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. (Walker Books, 2013)
Some are willing to risk their own freedom to secure the freedom of others .In America's darkest
hour, the lead up to the Civil War, some very regular people made an extraordinary sacrifice, standing
up to say all people should be free when many of their countrymen, and the law, did not agree.
Russell Freedman, illustrated by Peter Malone. The Boston Tea Party. (Holiday House, 2012)
Can you start a war without soldiers or firing a shot, but with humor, costumes, and what was
basically a big party instead? America did it; find out how.
Joe Funk. An Inside Look at the U. S. Navy SEALs. (Scholastic, 2011)
A first look at the men, machines, weapons, vehicles, and missions of the best of the best elite
fighting forces in the world, including a look at how they took down Osama bin Laden.
Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. Gee Whiz! It’s All About Pee. (Viking Juvenile, 2006)
Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by Elwood H. Smith. The Truth About Poop. (Viking, 2004)
Kelly Milner Halls and William Grahasm Sumper. Saving the Baghdad Zoo. (Greenwillow Books, 2009)
War destroys lives, and not just human lives. A handful of brave people, led by an American Army
officer, took on the challenge of saving the animals in zoos all over Baghdad during the Iraq War. With
bullets flying around them, they wrangled lions, alligators and many more animals. Heroes come in
some surprising shapes.
"Horror Scapes" series:
Michael Burgan. Dracula's Dark World. (Bearport, 2011)
Natalie Lunis. Tut's Deadly Tomb. (Bearport, 2011)
Stephen Person. Ghostly Alcatraz. (Bearport, 2011)
Stephen Person. Voodoo in New Orleans. (Bearport, 2011)
Steven L. Stern. Witchcraft in Salem. (Bearport, 2011)
Sheila Griffin Lanas. Mo Willems. (ABDO Publishing, 2012)
Doodling his way to the top!
Jennifer Morse. Guiness Book of World Records 2009. (Scholastic Reference, 2008)
Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce. Ghosts: A Nonfiction Companion to A Good Night for
Ghosts. [Magic Tree House Research Guide] (Random House, 2009)
It is always great to get a kid hooked on a series, but so much better to hook them on a series that
has both fiction and nonfiction books. We don't give nonfiction enough credit, nor do we honor the
fact that so many boys want to connect their reading with real life. Well, in this case it is real death in
the form of real ghost stories, highly illustrated and quickly told. Great for those kids already addicted
to the series, and a grand introduction for those who aren't.
Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce. Leprechauns and Irish Folklore: A Nonfiction
Companion to Leprechauns in Late Winter. [Magic Tree House Research Guide] (Random House,
2010)
Who needs a story written ABOUT some of the best stories ever? Why not just enjoy Irish folklore?
Revel in the playful, and sometimes not so playful, deeds of the wee folk, whether meeting to dance
beneath the stars, tearing apart houses that were built on fairy roads, or spiriting away their little
hoards of gold. Learn how to find that gold, how to lift a fairy spell, and what it means when a Banshee
wails outside your window.
Dorothy Hinshaw Patent. Dogs on Duty: Soldiers’ Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond. (Walker,
2012)
When can a dog be a SEAL? When it is a military Working Dog! Meet these four-legged heroes and
see how they are raised and trained, and how they save lives and serve their country.
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Special Edition 2009. (Scholastic, 2008)
Michael Sandler. "Fast Rides" (Series):
Dynamic Drag Racers. (Bearport, 2011)
Electrifying Eco-Race Cars. (Bearport, 2011)
It's where gear-heads, speed-freaks, tree-huggers, and techno-nuts meet to say... "Wow!"
Hot Hot Rods. (Bearport, 2011)
Jet Powered Speed. (Bearport, 2011)
"Scary Places" (Series)
Dinah Williams. Abandoned Insane Asylums. (Bearport, 2008)
Sarah Parvis. Creepy Castles. (Bearport, 2008)
Michael E. Goodman. Dark Labyrinths. (Bearport, 2008)
Sarah Parvis. Ghost Towns. (Bearport, 2008)
Sarah Parvis. Haunted Hotels. (Bearport, 2008)
Dinah Williams. Haunted Houses. (Bearport, 2008)
Dinah Williams. Spooky Cemeteries. (Bearport, 2008)
Steven L. Stern. Wretched Ruins. (Bearport, 2010)
Bill Wise, pictures by Adam Gustavson. Silent Star: the Story of a Deaf Major Leaguer William Hoy.
(Lee & Low, 2012)
William Hoy was the first major league baseball player to throw out three runners at the plate from
the outfield in a single game. More than a hundred years later, only two others have done it. He is still
among the top 25 base stealers in major league history. But don't cheer for him; he couldn't hear you.
Few are good enough to play pro baseball, but how much harder would itbe if you couldn't hear your
coach? Or the crack of the bat? Or your teammates yelling for the ball? Or even the umpire calling
balls and strikes? We often say people with disabilities are just like everyone else. William "Dummy"
Hoy wasn't; he was better.
"The Work of Heroes: First Responders in Action" (Series)
Meish Goldish. Doctors to the Rescue. (Bearport, 2012)
Meish Goldish. Firefighters to the Rescue. (Bearport, 2012)
Nancy White. Paramedics to the Rescue. (Bearport, 2012)
Nancy White. Police Officers to the Rescue. (Bearport, 2012)
Meish Goldish. Animal Control Officers to the Rescue. (Bearport, 2013)
"When I grow up, I want to be a police officer...or a veterinarian... or a superhero." Well, why not
become a little bit of all three? Find out how in this look at animal control officers.They are a long way
from the old dog catchers!
| Books For Boys Suggestions by Michael Sullivan Elementary Boys: Nonfiction - History and Social Studies |
| Go To: Books for Boys Mike's Books Coming Appearances Book a Program Mike's Resume Mike in the News Poetry Email Mike Home |
| The Web Home of Michael Sullivan teacher, librarian, chess instructor, author, storyteller, expert on boys and reading. |
| Newest: Nancy Bo Flood, photography by Jan Sonnenmair. Cowboy Up!: Ride the Navajo Rodeo. (Wordsong, 2013) How do you get a handle on the big, crazy world of rodeo? One rider, one bull, one bucking bronco at a time. From kinderarteners on bucking sheep to the clowns that face down raging bulls, here is one day in one rodeo with pictures so close you can feel the thousand-pound bull's breath. Meish Goldish. "Dog Heroes" [Series] Disabled Dogs. (Bearport Publishing, 2012) Ground Zero Dogs. (Bearport Publishing, 2012) Soldiers' Dogs. (Bearport Publishing, 2012) Surf Dog Miracles. (Bearport Publishing, 2012) Dinah Williams. Creepy Stations. [Scary Places] (Bearport, 2013) Thousands of people pass through train stations every day... and some stay for hundreds of years. Train wreck victims, murder victims, and the only Pony Express rider killed in the line of duty; the various ghosts that are said to inhabit those places where so many people come to move on, and some never do. |
