IRL: Resources for Teaching YA Nonfiction

   In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers  by Don Brown By: Jeanie Almazan, Ezekiel Basilio, Juliet Burger, Laura Bryan, Tiana Bernaola Review: The graphic novel In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers by Don Brown discusses the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years after the 9/11 terrorist attack that caused the destruction of the twin towers in New York and the loss of thousands of lives during and after the attack. In this novel, we go through the different perspectives and experiences of the people that were there during the attack and of the bystanders that were heavily affected from the results of the attack. The book begins from the view of Jules Naudet, a documentarian filming the New York fire department for a documentary only to capture footage of a jetliner crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He gives his statement saying,“I didn’t even have time to think… I just run… Then I feel someone jumping on top of me, and then the dust… At...

   Punching Bag  by Rex Ogle Reviewed by: Shyanne Nelson, Danny Nguyen, Mel Morales, Sydney Nanez, Adriana Negrete, Johnny Nguyen Review:      Punching Bag ’s first lines is a disclaimer, “This is a true story. This is my story. It happened to me. And as painful as it was for me to write, it may be equally or more painful for you to read—especially if you’ve lived through something similar,” which summarizes the experiences of both the narrator and reader (Ogle). However, though this book may be painful to read, it is exactly that reason that makes it such a pivotal novel. This book teaches readers what different types of love looks like through the many bonds Rex, our main character, has throughout the story. And who better to understand these facets of love than young adults who have or will share similar emotional experiences? This book is unapologetically real in its depiction of the toxicity of love and the beauty of mutual passion as told through the ...

Abuela, Don't Forget Me By Rex Ogle  I. Background on the Author  Rex Ogle was largely born and raised in Texas, where he spent the majority of his early childhood. After college, Ogle moved to New York City in order to pursue a career in editing, starting his career as an intern for Marvel Comics and eventually moving on to DC Comics. After working on several major brands, such as X-Men and Justice League, he then worked at Scholastic and Little Brown Young Readers, championing over a dozen New York Times Bestsellers such as Power Rangers, Star Wars, LEGO, Transformers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Neil Patrick Harris’s Magic Misfits.  Ogle has written stories under several pen names, such as Trey King and Honest Lee. His favorite pen name is Rey Terceiro, which is a nickname he received from his Abuela and translates in spanish to Third King. Under Rey Terceiro, he has written stories such as Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy, and Swan Lake: Quest for the Kingdoms. Under his a...