IRL: Resources for Teaching YA Nonfiction

The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden & the Trial of the Century By Sarah Miller Project Contributors: Christianne Reyes, Robert Rojas, Brooke Reed, and Nathaniel Roe About The Author Sarah Miller's successful career as an author rooted from when she started writing her first novel at the age of ten. Living in Michigan with her family, Miller has so far written a total of five novels, focusing on historical fiction ad nonfiction. Miller's debut novel, Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller , was a work of historical fiction retelling Annie Sullivan's experiences working to educate and assist Helen Keller. This novel garnered numerous awards and honours, such as the ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, the Booklist Editor's Choice, and the Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth. Beyond this initial publication, her other four works have also accumulated many different accolades. All of Miller's novels are classified as historical fiction and nonfiction,...

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson Project Contributors: Lindsey Mullen, Mikaela Toledo, Kevin Palacios Review: Laurie Halse Anderson’s poetic memoir Shout offers an emotional truth on sexual assault and the scars that linger after. Anderson chooses to write her memoir in free verse to allow her words to have more freedom and interpretation within the reader. Through a series of short poems, she spells out how her trauma has shaped her. Ander son incorporates allusions to her famous novel Speak. These allusions highlight the various incidents she has experienced throughout her life. It was with this preliminary novel that Halse Anderson opened the door for readers to gain insight on the aftermath of sexual assault. Yet, in her new novel Shout , which was recently published in March 2019, Anderson writes a testament to the various life-alternating events she faced as she blossomed from a young girl who wandered around the streets of a new neighborhood, to a teen who takes a lea...

Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World by Sarah Prager Project Contributors: Tiffani Corona, Jackie Conde, Jade Crawford, and Xyvil Dapal Book cover, 2017.  Taken from GoodReads. Book Review Illustration of Frida Kahlo in Queer, There, and  everywhere from Epic Reads. Queer author Sarah Prager wrote the book “Queer, There, and Everywhere”. “Queer, There, and Everywhere” was published in 2017. “Queer, There, and Everywhere” was the first LGBTQ history book to have ever been published. “Queer, There, and Everywhere” is a unique book that dives in the lives of 23 high-profile figures who internally fought and battled with their sexuality. Featured in this book are high-profiled figures like Abraham Lincoln, Frida Kahlo, and Eleanor Roosevelt. “Queer, There, and Everywhere” highlights important parts of the people’s lives featured in the book that did not make it in history books. These true stories uncover the truth behind the live...