Non-fiction for Middle School: Did You Know

Provides advice, tips, and strategies for teenagers who want to find, keep, and excel at part-time babysitting jobs. (127 p.)

An interactive trivia book from the Jeopardy! champion and best-selling author of Brainiac shares fun facts about the Earth's geographical points of interest, from how the biggest desert is actually covered in snow to the people who believed the planet was round before Columbus. Grade 5-8 (160 p.)

A fictional framework to present the true story of the building and launching of the Titanic and to give a "you are there" feeling as the ship goes down. Lavishly designed with authentic period photographs and illustrations throughout, Titanic Sinks! immerses you in the era of the Titanic and reminds you why it's still a cultural touchstone a hundred years after its demise. Grade 4-7 (72 p.)

Recreates the events surrounding the attack by a German U-boat on the Athenia in 1939 through firsthand accounts and interviews with survivors.

In the years following the Civil War, "Arctic fever" gripped the American public, fueled by myths of a fertile, tropical sea at the top of the world. Several explorers attempted to find a route to the North Pole, but none succeeded. Bound by Ice follows the journey of George Washington De Long and the crew of the USS Jeannette, who departed San Francisco in the summer of 1879 hoping to find a route to the North Pole. However, in mid-September the ship became locked in ice north of Siberia and drifted for nearly two years before it was crushed by ice and sank. De Long and his men escaped the ship and began a treacherous journey in extreme polar conditions in an attempt to reach civilization. Many—including De Long—did not survive. A riveting true-life adventure, Bound by Ice includes excerpts from De Long’s extensive journals, which were recovered with his body; newspapers from the time; and photos and sketches by the men on the expedition. The title also includes an epilogue, author’s note, bibliography, source notes, and index. (Lexile: 1050) (191 p.).