"I felt very emotional about segregation, about the way we were treated, and about the way we treated each other."

I had the good fortune of hearing Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan of Bookends Book Blog speak at the 2009 Michigan Association for Media in Education Conference in October. Their session focused on nonfiction books and graphic novels. The book that really caught my attention was Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose. I was interested to read the story of the teenager who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama nine months before Rosa Parks' historic moment. I have always known about Rosa Parks--"her" bus is on exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and my children love to get on the bus and hear the story. I had not, however, heard of Claudette Colvin and her place in history.

I was not disappointed when I finally had the chance to read this book. While Hoose tells the facts and fills in many interesting historical events that were taking place as Colvin's story unfolded, the most amazing words in this book are written by Colvin herself. She writes about her experiences, bringing them to life and demonstrating how courageous and frustrated she was. She gives a firsthand perspective of what it was like to be a teen living in a city that strongly enforced segregation.

As I read this book I thought about all the amazing pieces of history that we lose when stories are never told. Then, upon reading the Author's Note, I discovered that Claudette Colvin's story may never have been told in this amazing book. She did not seek out the spotlight. In fact, it took many years after his initial request for Colvin to agree to work with Hoose to tell her story.

Each time I talk about this book I have a student ask me where it is and if I have more copies--both reactions that any librarian could love! It's also wonderful to see this book get some award attention. It won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (Claudette Colvin and Phillip Hoose accepted the award together--video included on the site) and is on the shortlist for the new YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award (the winner will be announced at ALA Midwinter in Boston).

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose was published January 20, 2009. The copy I read was from my school library.

The Facts First! Nonfiction Monday round-up is hosted today at Picture Book of the Day.

"Going straight to the source and learning something new is like finding buried treasure."

Many of the blogs I like to read have been participating in Facts First! Nonfiction Monday posts. I have enjoyed reading about new nonfiction books and decided to share one that I purchased at the AASL conference in Charlotte this month. Go Straight to the Source by Kristin Fontichiaro is part of the forthcoming 8-title series "Super Smart Information Strategies." Fontichiaro, a school library media specialist and Michigan colleague and friend, writes about using inquiry strategies to discover more about primary sources.

What I like about Go Straight to the Source is that it covers several types of primary sources (pictures, objects, and print), helps students learn what a primary source is, and provides hands-on activities and examples to guide readers through the process of using these resources in research. Each activity reminds students to ask questions and write about what they see, think, and wonder. This page, for example, demonstrates how a reader might ask questions about a primary source image.

Fontichiaro also explains how regular people are creating primary sources that tell stories about them each day. In one activity she challenges students to look at the objects an adult has in his or her pocket and/or purse in order to learn more about the person. She then continues the activity and explains how a student might learn about another through the objects in his/her backpack.

Unfamiliar words are highlighted throughout the text and there is a glossary to help with both pronounciation and definitions of these words. There is also an index which is helpful in locating information about specific types of primary sources throughout the book. Go Straight to the Source is written for an upper elementary audience, but I will probably use many of the activities in middle school as well, especially because many of my students have never investigated primary sources or worked closely with a librarian in the past.

Go Straight to the Source will be published in January 2010. Other titles in the series include Find Your Way Online, Team Up Online, Find the Right Site, Hit the Books, Write it Down, Put it All Together, and Make the Grade.

This week Facts First! Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Diane Chen at Practically Paradise.