Breaking News : Why Media Matters by Raina Delisle

Breaking News: Why Media Matters

Book 10 in the Orca Think series

Raina Delisle; Illustrated by Julie McLaughlin

Orca Book Publishers. 2023

As we head into the next presidential election, making sure we can detect facts from fake news is a must. In, Breaking News, Canadian journalist, Raina Delisle, an award-winning writer whose work as been featured in magazines, newspapers, and on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), offers a very balanced look at the media industry, its history, its role of keeping the public informed, and the challenges news outlets face with the rise of disinformation (fake news) on social media sites.

The six chapters are: News You Can Use; Media Matters; Making the News; Press Under Pressure; Saving Journalism; Become a News House. 

The narrative is engaging and takes into account the many challenges news outlets face today, and throughout history. In Chapter Four, Press Under Pressure, Delisle states: “News organizations and journalists face lots of challenges today, many of which have been brought on or intensified by the internet and social media.” Delisle explores how, in the early days of the internet, media outlets offered their stories for free. As people became dependent on the free news sites, to save money, they canceled their print subscriptions. Thus, advertisers moved their ads online, to Google and Facebook, making it challenging, or impossible, for many newspapers and magazines to stay in business. 

Competing for readers attention has brought about journalists writing more sensational stories. “If it bleeds, it leads.” 

Delisle does an excellent job of balancing the negative with the positive. For example, though many newspapers and magazines have shuttered newsrooms, leaving many small towns with no local news, there is a growing movement of non-profit news outlets that are fighting fake news by reporting the facts. 

Side bars are throughout giving more details of what is explained in the text.

Included is a glossary, a list of resources, and index.

I personally found the book insightful and gave me tools to better help me tell fact from fake news as I look for news I can believe. 

Women Heroes of World War I & Reporting Under Fire

Women Heroes of World War 1: 16 remarkable resisters, soldiers, spies, and medics 
by Kathryn J. Atwood
Women in Action series
Chicago Review Press. 2014
ISBN: 9781613746868
 -- and
Reporting Under Fire: 16 daring women war correspondents and photojournalists
by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Women in Action series
Chicago Review Press. 2014
ISBN: 9781613747100
Grades 8 and up
This reviewer used copies that were sent by the publisher.

We all know war is dangerous. Not only for the soldiers doing the fighting, but also for those who go underground to work as spies or resistance fighters to being on the front lines as a reporter. Though I have only seen these two entries in the Women in Action series, I was impressed with how well the books cover the topics in an engaging writing style that immediately draws readers in.

Using dialogue, direct quotes, document and diary experts, Women Heroes of World War I tells the true stories of 16 women from around the world who served their countries during their time of war. The book is divided into four sections: Resisters and Spies, Medical Personnel, Soldiers, and Journalists. At the beginning for each section, Atwood includes historical background information that gives readers a full understanding of what was happening at the time. Though most names will be unfamiliar to many, they were to me -- Edith Cavell, Marthe Cnockaert, Louise de Bettignies, Flora Sandes -- I did recognize American mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. The fast-paced narratives recounts the suspense-filled stories of these exceptional women, many who would be caught and executed, fighting for freedom. 

Reporting Under Fire is similar in format as it recounts the remarkable exploits of 16 women who risked their lives to bring back the scoops from the front lines. The book is divided into six sections: World War I, 1914-1918; Between World Wars, 1920-1939; A Second World War, 1939-1945; A Cold War, 1945-1989; Ancient Peoples, Modern Wars, 1955-1985; A Challenge That Never Ends, 1990-Present. Some of the women included are Henrietta Goodnough, aka Peggy Hull, Louise Bryant(her time with husband John Reed is the story of the film, Reds), Dorothy Thompson, Janine di Giovanni, Robin Wright, and Martha Raddatz. Also, Martha Gellhorn, considered one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century, and photographer Margaret Bourke-White.  

Hollihan's narrative is exciting and sheds light on not only the dangers these women faced, but their struggles to be accepted in a field historically dominated by men. 

Back matter for these books include maps, historical black & white photographs, epilogue, glossary, notes, sidebars, bibliography, and index.

Each of the women portrayed in these books were as different as they could be. Some might have been more clever or more gifted in their field, yet their commitment to their ideals is inspiring. Their stories are worth reading, both for they role in our history, and for the opportunities they made possible for the next generation of adventurous young women.

Nonfiction News- January 2014

It's an exciting time of year for book awards. Here are some awards you may know and some that may be new to you.

The Cook Prize

The Bank Street Center for Children's Literature has named its finalists for the 2014 Cook Prize for best STEM picture books. Third and fourth grade students are invited to help choose the winner.

The ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced live from Philadelphia next Monday at 8:00 a.m. Viewers may stream the announcements live. 

ALA's Notable Children's Books committee will be discussing books from this list during ALA's Midwinter Conference later this week. The list contains fiction, nonfiction and poetry published in 2013.

School Library Journal's Battle of the Books announced this year's contenders. Two nonfiction titles made the cut. The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins and March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell.

Round two judges are currently reading and deliberating for the Children and Young Adult Literary Bloggers' Award (CYBILS). Winners will be announced on February 14th.

Click here to see the finalists in the elementary & middle grade nonfiction category.

Click here to see the finalists in the young adult nonfiction category.

Click here to see the finalists in the books apps category.

Calling Caldecott Ballot Now Open

The Horn Book's Calling Caldecott blog has opened the ballot for the first round of voting until 9 a.m. on Tuesday. Click here to see access the ballot.

Mock Sibert Award

Two blogs, Kid Lit Frenzy and Unleashing Readers, have announced their picks for Mock Sibert Award. 

Click here to see Aly's list from Kid Lit Frenzy. 

Click here to see Kellee's list from Unleashing Readers.

Nonfiction News- December 2013

Horn Book released its 2013 Fanfare (best books) last week. Seven nonfiction titles graced the list this year.

Librarians at the New York Public Library revealed their latest list of 100 Best Books for Reading and Sharing in a colorful PDF. The list includes many nonfiction titles for children from 2013.

The Hamilton-Wenham Public Library in South Hamilton, MA has compiled an excellent list of nonfiction books for teen readers. (Thanks to Chris Barton for pointing out this resource on Twitter.)

Give the gift of books this holiday season. Each time you read a book from www.wegivebooks.org, the organization donates a book to a child or group in need. There is a great selection of children's books on the site including one of Louise's favorite books of 2013: Rabbit's Snow Dance.

We leave you with some nonfiction book trailers to share with the children in your library or school.

Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton by Meghan McCarthy

The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins

Wild Boy by Mary Losure

Nonfiction News- August 2013

Here is our monthly round-up of what's new in nonfiction children's books.

NPR's Backseat Book Club recently released its list of 100 Must Reads for Kids 9-14. The list is comprised of mainly fiction, but several nonfiction books made the list including...

The Lincolns by Candace Fleming

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery by Russell Freedman

Bomb: The Race to Build-and Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Did you know each Scientists in the Field book has its own discussion guide created by Ed Spicer for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt?
Check out these excellent SIF resources here: http://www.sciencemeetsadventure.com/resources/

The Boston Globe/ Horn Book Awards Ceremony will take place Oct. 4th and 5th at Simmons College. This year's theme is Building Character. Early bird registration is $99 per person for both days.

Electric Ben by Robert Byrd won in the nonfiction category this year. Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building by Christy Hale and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney were the Nonfiction Honor Winners.

 Click here for more information about how to register to attend the event.

It's CYBILS season. The Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards are upon us. If you're a kidlit blogger, you may apply to be a panelist or judge right now. The application is open until August 31st. Start thinking about which books you want to nominate. Nominations begin on October 1st, so you have plenty of time to think about which books you think are worthy. This year the nonfiction categories have been restructured. There is an elementary/middle grade nonfiction category and a young adult nonfiction category.

Nonfiction News- July 2013

A recent Mind Shift article has been getting some attention online and with good reason. Holly Korbey interviewed Vicki Cobb from Interesting Nonfiction for Kids (I.N.K.) about how to get children interested in reading nonfiction. Cobb also recommends nonfiction books for kids to read over the summer. In case you missed it, Louise recommended fiction books for children in a Mind Shift article in June.

Speaking of I.N.K., teachers should  bookmark this post on the Interesting Nonfiction for Kids site. Elizabeth Rusch has compiled a list of online teachers' guides for dozens of nonfiction books. The links are organized by subject (history, math, science, etc...). I.N.K. hopes to encourage more teachers to bring nonfiction texts in the classroom.

Have you ever wondered how an author brings a new project to fruition? Melissa Stewart has created an interactive timeline that documents the ten years it took to publish her latest nonfiction book, No Monkeys, No Chocolate. Be sure to share this with children in your library or school. Kids are usually quite curious about the process of publishing books.

Here's something to look forward to in 2014. Steve Sheinkin's new nonfiction book is scheduled to be released in January. Steve was on hand at a Macmillan breakfast during the American Library Association Annual Conference, and he talked about The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights. The book is set at the Port Chicago naval base in California during World War II. Sheinkin documents how a group of African American workers were charged with mutiny when they refused to return to work due to unsafe working conditions. Sheinkin, who is known for doing meticulous research for his books, references dozens of books, articles, Navy documents and oral interviews conducted by Dr. Robert Allen of Berkeley. You can read more about Sheinkin's project in this blog post on the Teaching Books site.

Steve Sheinkin talks about his latest book at a Macmillan event in Chicago.

Nonfiction News

Nonfiction News 

June 2013

Over at Interesting Nonfiction for Kids, Elizabeth Rusch details the the field research she did for her latest book. Eruption!: Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives. Talk about dedication; you won't believe what Elizabeth went through to see a volcano up close. Read Elizabeth's post: On How Research Can Make You Throw Up.


School Library Journal recently posted highlights from SLJ's Day of Dialog in New York. Picturing the World: Informational Picture Books for Children was this year's theme, and five authors and illustrators of children's nonfiction took part in the panel discussion. Naturalist and author/illustrator, Jim Arnosky, spoke about the inspiration for his work and writing for children. Arnosky's lastest book is Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life.

Betsy Bird (aka: The Nonfiction Dialogue Stickler of Doom) takes on the issue of invented dialogue in nonfiction for children following Marc Tyler Nobleman's Horn Book article, Danger: Dialogue Ahead!

Want to motivate kids to pick up nonfiction books for pleasure this summer? Show them book trailers. It can be tricky finding book trailers for nonfiction books as Travis Jonker pointed out in December in his blog post, A Humble Demand: More Nonfiction Book Trailers Please.

It looks like Travis is getting his wish. Here's a book trailer for Bomb: The Race to Build- and Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin.