IRL: Resources for Teaching YA Nonfiction

   Name  HOW WE GOT TO THE MOON" John Rocco Sindy Ramirez, Yahir Mendoza, Soenna Racz, Alexa Morga, Minh Nguyen Biography:  Early Life and Education John Rocco is an acclaimed American author and illustrator best known for his contributions to children's literature. Born on July 9, 1967, in Providence, Rhode Island, Rocco grew up passionate about storytelling and art. His journey into the creative world began with a love for comic books, fantasy novels, and classic illustrations, which shaped his distinctive style. Rocco attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and later continued his studies at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. These formative years honed his skills as an illustrator and set the foundation for a career in fine art and commercial illustration. John Rocco at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Success Stories Conference in 2008. Career Highlights Before delving into children's books, Rocco worked as an art d...

  The Beasts in Your Brain: Understanding and Living with Anxiety  Written by Katherine Speller and Illustrated by Harshad Marathe Reviewed by V. Covarrubias, K. Delacruz, A. Estrada, D. Gonzales, G. Gonzalez Review: The Beasts in Your Brain  is a non-fiction novel by Katherine Speller, illustrated by Harshad Marathe. Simply put, this novel is a valuable guide for teens struggling with mental health and those who care about them. This novel examines the human experience of mental health challenges through adolescence. The book explores the "beasts" that reside in our minds, representing issues such as anxiety, depression, and other emotional or psychological struggles, and dives into how these internal forces mold our perceptions, behaviors, and relationships. Within the book, there are various chapters with different tools and explanations about how one may be feeling mentally, along with some struggles that are being faced. Speller gives tips and reassurances about how ...

  Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow Reviewed by Brooklyn Cameron, Kayla Cortez, Justin Wong Benavidez, and Marcus Adams Review:      Gail Jarrow’s Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes focuses on the spiritualism movement of the 19th and 20th century. This included mediums, hoaxes, seances, and magic. The whole movement was started by the two Fox sisters. Margaretta and Catharine Fox were able to trick and scam customers into believing that seances and communicating with spirits were real. They did this by having people pay to hear ghost communications through rapping noises that occurred during sessions. This era came at a time where Spiritualism was needed, as there were lots of families needing to communicate with deceased loved ones at the time. Jarrow then heavily focuses on Harry Houdini, a famous escape artist and magician, and his relationship with Arthur Conan Doyle, the creat...

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of The Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat Reviewed by:  Theo Ramirez, Cristina Rivas, Kamea Robinson, Christian Sanchez & Odalys Sanchez Biography : Christina Soontornvat is an author, speaker, and scientist driven to educate children of all ages. She is best known for being a New York times bestselling author of work from children’s picture books like The Ramble Shamble Children to graphic novels like her best seller, The Tryout. She has received numerous awards including three Newbery Honor awards for her books written for middle school readers which notably made her the only author to be awarded the honor for both fiction and nonfiction in the same year. All of her work and accolades are the result of her love for reading and storytelling, which she travels worldwide to speak about to audiences of children and educators alike. Outside of this passion, she also holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree ...