We are saying goodbye....

Inspired by A Splash of Red by Jen Bryant

After nine years of blogging, we have decided to take a break. We are both juggling so many other obligations it is challenging to keep up with reading and reviewing all the nonfiction titles being published.

Authors, publishers, and readers, we thank everyone for your support over the years.

All the best,
The Nonfiction Detectives
Cathy and Louise

Our Best of 2019

It is amazing how quickly a year goes by. It seems like just yesterday 2019 began, and here we are selecting this year's favorites, and in a few weeks the ALA Media Awards will be announced from Philadelphia, PA at ALA Midwinter. Cathy and I always wonder if any of the titles we reviewed will win an award. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Without further ado...

The Nonfiction Detectives' Best Of 2019!

Always Looking Up : Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer 

by Laura Gehl; Illustrated by Louise Pigott and Alex Oxton

Away With Words: the Daring Story of Isabella Bird  

Written by Lori Mortensen; Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell

Buzzing with Questions: the inquisitive mind of Charles Henry Turner

Janice N. Harrington; Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln

By Margarita Engle; Illustrated by Rafael López

Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor

Written by Laurie Wallmark; Illustrated by Katy Wu

Karl's New Beak: 3-D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life

by Lela Nargi; illustrated by Harriet Popham

Lost Forest
by Phyllis Root; illustrated by Betsy Brown

The Magnificent Migration: on Safari with Africa’s last great herds

by Sy Montgomery; with photos by Roger and Logan Wood

Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island

Written and illustrated by Jennifer Thermes

Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters 

by Carlyn Beccia



Moth: An Evolution Story
by Isabel Thomas and Daniel Egneus

Overview: Young Reader’s Edition 

by Benjamin Grant and Sandra Markle

A Place to Land
by Barry Wittenstein; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney



Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré
by Anika Aldamuy Denise; illustrated by Paola Escobar

The Poison Eaters: Fighting Danger and Fraud in Our Food and Drugs

by Gail Jarrow

Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland Into a Home

Written by Barb Rosenstock; art by Christopher Silas Neal

The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the Pillar of Hip-Hop  

by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Frank Morrison

Sonny’s Bridge: Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins finds his groove

Barry Wittenstein; iIllustrated by Keith Mallett

Superlative Birds

by Leslie Bulion; illustrated by Robert Meganck

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" 
by Deborah Heiligman

Overview: a New Way of Seeing Earth: Young Reader's Edition by Benjamin Grant and Sandra Markle

Overview: a New Way of Seeing Earth

Young Reader's Edition

Benjamin Grant with Sandra Markle

Crown Books for Young Readers. 2019

Grades 2 up

When astronauts view Earth from space, the sense of oneness they feel is termed the Overview Effect. It describes the awareness that we are all part of the same humanity.  Astronauts, when they see Earth from space, say the experience changes them forever. The view gives them a greater connection to Earth, its people, and the environment. 

The large-format sized book is divided into nine chapters. Each chapter examines a different aspect of our planet. From natures wonders to how humans are affecting the plant, each full-page color photograph is captioned, giving a brief explanation as to why it is included in the book. 

“Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, in Australia’s Northern Territory, is a giant sandstone rock formation that rises above an otherwise flat plan. Estimated to be 600 million years old, Uluru is 1,142 feet (348 m) high and 6 miles (9.7 km) around at the base. Like a land iceberg, Uluru also extends underground another 2 miles (3.2 km). The rock is a sacred site for the Aboriginal people of the area, who first settled there 10,000 years ago.”

Grant and Markle also include environmental concerns to encourage readers to contemplate their role in creating a healthy planet.

Back matter includes bibliography, resources on how you can help our planet to have a healthy future, and index that includes not only page numbers but coordinates to use when searching Google Earth or the satellite mode of Google Maps!

A truly awe-inspiring book.

 To write this review, I borrowed the book from my local public library.

New Nonfiction- December

Here are some nonfiction titles that are available in December.

Nazi Saboteurs: Hitler's Secret Attack on America by Samantha Seiple

Into the Blizzard: Heroism at Sea During the Great Blizzard of 1978 by Michael Tougias

Eclipse Chaser by Ilama Loomis and Amanda Cowan

Beetle Battles: One Scientists Journey of Adventure and Discovery by Douglas Emlen

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler’s List by Rena Finder with Joshua M. Greene

The Vegetarian Cookbook

Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer : Written by Laura Gehl

Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer

Written by Laura Gehl; Illustrated by Louise Pigott and Alex Oxton

Albert Whitman & Company. 2019

Grades 2 – 5

“The Hubble Telescope changed the way people saw the universe, and helped scientists make giant leaps in understanding space.”

In this picture book biography, Gehl tells the true story of Nancy Grace Roman (1925-2018), the scientist responsible for putting the Hubble Telescope into orbit.

Born in 1925, despite being discouraged, Roman studied and became an astronomer. In 1959, Roman joins the newly created NASA as their Chief of Astronomy and Relativity Programs. Though Congress approved funding for the development of the Hubble Telescope, it was not launched into orbit until 1990.

The text is engaging and the digital images draw readers’ attention into the story. Back matter includes an author’s note and timeline.

A nice addition to the growing number of books that celebrate women scientists.

I used an uncorrected proof sent to me by the publisher to write this review.