Two intrepid librarians

Two intrepid librarians review the best nonfiction books for children

Monday, January 21, 2013

THE NONFICTION DETECTIVES' TIPS FOR EVALUATING NONFICTION


Nonfiction is a hot topic right now. It kicked in when states began adopting the Common Core State Standards. It makes us happy to know more children will be exposed to nonfiction, because we LOVE it!  

Recently, we were asked to present a workshop for librarians on how we evaluate nonfiction. What do we think about each time we crack open a book. We thought we'd share the highlights from our workshop with you.

WHAT TYPE OF NONFICTION IT IS?

Once we determine the type, we move on to the meatier stuff.

WHO IS THE AUTHOR? 

  • What are the author's credentials?
  • We read the introduction, preface, author’s note, and author's note (if provided).

BACK MATTER

  • How much of the author’s research is documented?
  • Does the book have the following: Epilogue, Author's Note, Appendix, Glossary, Source Notes, Bibliography, Bibliographical Information, Timeline, Index, Table of Contents?
  • Is a nonfiction book still good if it lacks any or all of these things?

ORGANIZATION
How is the information presented?
Is it:  Chronological, Description/List/How-To, ClassificationCause and Effect?

WRITING STYLE


TONE
Is the author trying to persuade readers or present a particular point of view?

DESIGN
This is how everything in the book is put together (maps, charts, photos, side bars, captions, etc...). Do sidebars or information boxes force readers to turn several pages before break up sentences?  How do the text and visual elements work together to help readers digest the information?

AUDIENCE
Once you’ve read the book, ask yourself: Who is the target audience? Do all of the ingredients match the target? 

All books are flawed. The question is: Do the flaws detract from the overall quality?


11 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this. It is always helpful for have a guide for nonfiction, which can be tricky sometimes, especially if it is on an unfamilar topic.

    PS - I loved Seeing Symmetry.

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  2. Thanks, Alex. We also are a fan of Seeing Symmetry.

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  3. "All books are flawed. The question is: Do the flaws detract from the overall quality?"

    Best point I have read about book reviews in a long time. As an editor, there's always something I wish I could have done better... but as you say, hopefully the flaws are minor enough not to detract from the overall quality.

    Rebecca

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    1. It would be interesting to learn how an editor finally decides a book is finished.

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  4. Thank you so much for this post. It gave me a lot to think about. Although I have been evaluating books (both fiction and nonfiction) that I have been placing in my classroom library, I never had such a wonderful, well thought out list to work from before. I can't wait to share this with my students.

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    1. Thanks, Becky. It is always helpful when we can help each other out.

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  5. I'm trying to design a non-fiction book report/project assignment for my high school students. I would like them to do this kind of evaluation with a book that they have selected. They'll do this as a report before I have them present the book and teach their classmates a reading strategy that they can apply to the book. Thanks for giving me a great starting point!

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    1. KT Horning's book would also be a wonderful resource for your project.

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  6. Tomorrow, I'm doing a workshop on using nonfiction in the classroom. I am opening with your blog and this post. You have the BEST information and recommendations out there. Thank you.

    Kimberley
    First in Maine

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