Read, Write, Repeat.

We’ve Got a Job  (Peachtree, 2012) by Cynthia Levinson tells the little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary-, middle- and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alabama, between May 2 and 11, 1963.

Their protest efforts succeeded where adults had failed, and they helped desegregate one of the most racially violent cities in America. Focusing on four of the original participants, who participated in extensive interviews, this book recounts the amazing events before, during and after the Children’s March.

There was such a lovely interview with Cynthia on Audrey Vernick’s Literary Friendships blog about how she got the idea to write this book, that I couldn’t possibly compete with it.

So, I decided to ask Cynthia about a topic that always fascinates me – the writing process.

Once you decided this was a story you had to tell, how did you start?

I read. This may sound obvious or old-fashioned because, these days, there are many sources of information. But, I made a concerted effort to read just about every nonfiction book I could find—for both adults and children—on civil rights and on the history of the South. Several of the books for adults had won Pulitzer Prizes and were, literally, voluminous. Periodically, I interspersed my fact-finding with wonderfully evocative historical fiction.

After a couple of months, when I started seeing the same information in multiple sources, I realized that I had covered the terrain as best I could. Still, I kept reading for another month. When I began to detect inconsistencies and contradictions in what I was reading, I knew that I had finally learned enough about both civil rights and its coverage to be able to evaluate the sources.

Without this depth of book-learning and, finally, analysis, I wouldn’t have known what questions to ask when I ventured from the library to the site of the events.

How did you find the children – now all grown up – that you interviewed for your book? And were they eager to participate, or did you have to convince them?

Fortunately, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute has been conducting video interviews with civil rights activists for the past 15 years. Portions of the recordings are posted on the BCRI’s website. And, many complete transcripts of these interviews are available for purchase. So, I contacted the interviewer, Dr. Horace Huntley, and the archivist, Laura Anderson, and asked for guidance on which transcripts to read. In addition, I contacted many of the people who were quoted or discussed in all those books I had read! Ultimately, it was a matter of making cold calls, just like a pre-Internet Encyclopedia salesman.

Most people I contacted—I considered dozens of people before settling on the final four—were very generous with their time and information. Audrey, for instance, invited me to her home where I got to see where Dr. King discussed strategy with her mother and the piano where her father’s choir leader practiced the song “We’ve Got a Job.” Another person offered to participate but, then, stopped responding to my inquiries; after many months of futile effort, I honored her ambivalence and stopped stalking her. A third person interviewed me—for good reason!—before agreeing to participate.

I knew it was important to show the events from various perspectives because history is not a single story. The second to last paragraph of the book summarizes the role that each of the four children played during the March. Finding the right mix of people who were willing to spend hours and hours being interviewed and then vetting what I wrote was a major undertaking.

What was the hardest part about researching this book? Did you ever despair that you wouldn’t be able to find all the information you needed?

The research was intense and prolonged but I despaired more about the writing than about the research. (Maybe this just says more about me than about the general process of writing nonfiction.) The reason for this gets back to the inconsistencies and contradictions I mentioned before. I also discuss this issue in my Author’s Note at the end of the book.

As we know from recent research on court trials, witnesses’ and participants’ perceptions of events differ, not only from each others’ but also over time. Some of the memories my interviewees shared with me did not accord with the written record or with other people’s memories. Sorting through these multiple perspectives required very fine-grain and sensitive probing and cautious writing.

An area that confounded me for months was the relationship between the civil rights protests and Birmingham’s mayoral election, which was going on at exactly the same time. As with the rest of the research, though, I found an amazing book on internal politics in three Alabama cities, including Birmingham, which sorted out for me how the election and the civil rights movement were integrally related.

Then, I certainly despaired about being able to write about municipal politics in an engaging way for ten-year-olds. As with the rest of the writing, my indefatigable editor helped me explain the issues clearly and succinctly.

What was the most interesting thing you learned while gathering your information?

Everything was fascinating! But, the areas that, perhaps, interested me the most were the ones where I—and many other people—wanted to resist the truth.

The first of these was the fundamental discovery that it was children, not grown-ups, who were jailed, attacked by dogs, and hosed. The second, related to this, was that extremely few white people in Birmingham knew about the marches, attacks, hosing, and jailings, even while they were going on. How could they not know what was happening in their downtown every day for almost two weeks? The answer, I discovered, is that the newspapers buried the information, and the city was so segregated, their lives did not intersect.

These were hard-to-accept but riveting truths.

How was fact-checking done? By you? By the publisher? By outside experts? All of the above?

Yes! I sent the manuscript to the people I interviewed, for vetting, as well as to several scholars. Peachtree’s editors also probed the “facts” in detail, to be sure they were actually facts, and also sent the draft to an outside reviewer.

We discovered several errors, which was both relieving and dismaying. I also revised some statements to make them less assertive and more nuanced. I’m immensely grateful to everyone who read the drafts, though I fear that errors may remain.

I am especially grateful to Jane Ann Baggett, a 10-year-old reader and writer who told me exactly what she thought of the manuscript from a reader’s perspective!

How long did it take you from your first forays into research and interviewing until you finished your final, submission-ready draft?

I never had a “final, submission-ready draft.” What my agent, Erin Murphy, submitted to publishers was a very extensive proposal.

Getting from the initial idea to the point of sending out the proposal took about eight months. Then, everything lay fallow for about a year while the proposal was rejected by 18 or 20 publishers. From the point that Peachtree bought the proposal to the time that the final manuscript, complete with photos and source notes and index, etc., was sent to the printer took another two years. During some of that time, I researched and wrote intensively; for many months in between, I had to allow my editor to work on other people’s books!

Did researching and writing this book change how you will approach future books? Do you have a more refined, clearer writing process now?

Although I thought I kept scrupulous source notes, fact-checking took an inordinate amount of time because I had to re-trace several research routes. So, I’m trying in my next projects to be more careful about foot-noting.

The writing process, however, has not, yet, become more streamlined. The reasons are that I’m trying my hand at picture book manuscripts, which require an entirely different style from long-form narrative, one that I need to learn. Also, each subject and its intended audience requires its own approach, its own format and voice. Perhaps if I muster the energy for another middle-grade or YA book, I’ll be able to apply the lessons I learned from We’ve Got a Job. Meanwhile, the lesson I learned is to take a break!

What advice would you give to writers who want to create in-depth nonfiction books? What should they keep in mind?

Love your subject. Love it so much that you have to pull yourself away from the research and writing to feed your family and see your friends. Keep loving it so that, when you get to the copy-editing stage, you’ll actually care whether or not the commas are consistent. Love it so that when it sees the light of day, you’ll be proud to share the story only you could tell.

Thanks for visiting us, Cynthia!

You can learn more about Cynthia and her book by visiting her website. The book is officially released on Feb. 1. And, if you visit the EMU’s Debuts blog that week, you’ll learn even more.

John Noltner and I worked together at a newspaper several years ago when we were both fresh out of college. I was a reporter, and he was a photographer, so we often ended up working together on articles.

It was immediately obvious how talented John was, so I wasn’t surprised when he left the newspaper and started his own photography business in Minneapolis. I also wasn’t surprised when he recently released his first book — A Peace of My Mind: Exploring the Meaning of Peace One Story at a Time.

John interviewed a wide range of people about their perspectives on peace — what they believe it means and how they work to incorporate it into their lives. There’s a homeless veteran. A Buddhist monk. A businessman. A potter. A college professor. A songwriter. An activist and more. Each person gets a two-page spread with a summary of their thoughts on peace, a brief biography and a luminous photo taken by John.

John joins Read, Write, Repeat today to share his story of how the book came to be.

How did you first get the idea for this project? Was it initially going to be just an art exhibit, or was a book always part of the plan?

When I began this project in 2009, I really had no idea where it would lead me. It was a conversation that I wanted to have and an idea that I wanted to explore, but really, at the time I had no idea how it would develop. The project lived at first online as a series of podcasts, then last year it was produced as a traveling exhibit. On Nov. 3 of this year it was released as a book.

How did you find the people you chose to feature? How many interviews did you conduct, and how did you choose which people to include?

Finding the subjects was a very organic process. I reached out first to people I knew, and asked who they would suggest I interview. From there, each subject suggested others to consider, and it grew out from there. With very few exceptions, everyone I invited to participate welcomed the opportunity to share their thoughts. I think there is a hunger for this kind of dialogue. And everyone that I interviewed for the project was included in the final piece.

What were your biggest learnings from listening to this wide variety of people share their thoughts on peace?

This entire process has been very encouraging for me…to spend time with such amazing people who are working toward a more peaceful world, in big and small ways, gives me hope. I’ve taken many lessons away, and there are some themes that recur. Here’s a Cliff Notes version of some of them:

• We often feel like issues of peace are so overwhelming that we cannot make an impact on them, yet we are each faced with choices every day where we have control over how we respond to people or to situations.

• Sometimes we can find peace in the places we expect it least.

• Peace takes practice, and if we find it difficult, that gives us reason to try harder.

• A position of peace is actually a position of strength and of courage.

• When we can find the good, even in our enemies, we increase the chances of a peaceful resolution.

• Fear and pride are two of the largest obstacles to peace in our lives and in the world at large.

• Working toward peace can be as grand as international mediation, or as simple as smiling at someone passing you on the street.

Were there any people whose views you didn’t agree with?

There were some thoughts that didn’t resonate with me right away, but as I listened to them, they began to make more sense. Really, that is the notion of this project … that we need to take time to listen to one another more fully, and if we can do that, our odds of working cooperatively toward some sort of common good are improved.

Our world doesn’t encourage us to slow down and take the time to listen to people. I wanted to create a space where that could happen, and art … photography … writing … can be a wonderful tool to accomplish that.

What were your goals when you took the photographs? Each person’s essence really seems to come through in them. So many people don’t enjoy having their photo taken. How did you make them comfortable enough to get
the shots you did?

I always conducted the interviews first, followed by the portrait. I work primarily as a photographer, yet for this project, a huge amount of time was devoted to the interviews with the subjects. When it came time to do the portrait, sometimes we were short on time. But because we had just come out of a very personal conversation for the interview, I think the subjects were already comfortable with me. And perhaps because there was not a lot of time for the photographs, they came off as simple and honest. Not overly produced. I think when that happens, the person’s humanity comes through.

What has the reaction been to your book so far? What’s been the most surprising response?

The book has been well received and I am excited to see what the next several months will bring. I think the most surprising response is that several colleges are considering using the book for next year’s common reading program, which would mean that all incoming freshmen for the college would read the book leading into their college experience. The notion of the book being used on a large scale like that is exciting, but I am equally encouraged by small book clubs and individuals spending time with it, and possibly considering some ideas that are new and fresh to
them.

What are your next goals for your peace project? Do you have other future projects planned?

If the book continues to sell well, I will use the proceeds to fund the next stage of the project, which would be an international version asking the same question: “What does peace mean to you?” At this point, it seems as though I will be doing a two-week trip through Central and South America as early as January in order to do new interviews and portraits.

Where is your book available?

The book is available directly on our own website.

It is also available on Amazon.com.

And, it’s at more than a dozen retailers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Here’s a list.

The book is for adults and young adults. It can be read straight through, or picked up and opened to a random page.

But no matter how you approach it, reading it is a hopeful, heartfelt experience.

When you’re a lifelong book nerd like I am, it’s nice to have a resource to turn to about nonbook-related subjects — like math.

For me, my go-to math resource is always my sister, Dr. Pamela Wells, shown here on the left. She regularly responds to frantic math questions related to my children’s homework or something I have to do for work.

One of my favorite memories is of a time I called her in a panic and described what I needed to figure out. She listened patiently and then said, “Oh, you want a weighted rolling average.”

Which, of course, is exactly what I wanted. I just didn’t know it.

Even if Pam weren’t my sister, she’d still be someone worth consulting about math.

She’s an associate professor of mathematics education at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she trains future elementary and middle school teachers. She also works a lot with practicing elementary and middle school teachers and their students. She has published articles in a variety of journals, including Primus, Teaching Children Mathematics and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Yearbook.

Pam says one of her favorite things to do is “design activities to increase students’ algebraic thinking,” and I’m glad that’s so because I never seem to be able to find the time.

Besides being a math expert, Pam is a fine cook, so she was the obvious choice to review a new children’s book about math and food, Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds by Ann McCallum (Charlesbridge, 2011).

As you’ll see, she was more than up for the challenge. Take it away, Pam!

When I ask my college students who are studying to be elementary teachers to describe math, I often get comments like, “Boring.” Or, “Lots of numbers and formulas I have to memorize.”

My goal in the courses I teach is to broaden my students’ view of mathematics so that they can see the beauty, creativity and usefulness of mathematics in their everyday lives. When they go out to teach elementary school children, I want them to pass along a sense of wonder that comes from searching for patterns and a seeing how many things that happen in life are related to mathematics.

After reading this book, I plan to use it with my students as an engaging way to combine math and cooking.

The book introduces children and their families to a variety of interesting mathematics through family-friendly recipes. For example, children can make tangram cookies and then play with their food before eating it! Tangrams (a seven-piece geometric puzzle based on an ancient Chinese puzzle) are quite addicting, so it is a good thing that the book provides a lot of ideas for puzzles to create with your cookie tangrams.

In another recipe, children gain experiences with patterns by creating Fibonacci snack sticks. Fibonacci, a famous Italian mathematician who lived in the 1700s, is known for a pattern of numbers he created that can be continued forever. I’m not going to tell you more about the pattern here, since that would spoil your enjoyment of the book. I will say, however, that you need to look carefully at the illustrations in the book to see what is going on with all the rabbits!

For each recipe, the author also provides a Math Appeteaser to continue families’ mathematical explorations.

So, pull out your apron, put on your thinking cap, and get ready to whip up some yummy snacks and whet your mathematical appetite at the same time.

If you’d like to learn even more about some of the mathematics introduced in Eat Your Math Homework: Recipes for Hungry Minds, check out the books listed below. They are family friendly, and many have activities for families to do together.

To go along with Fibonacci Snack Sticks (which are shown to the right by Pam’s neighborhood friends Caden, Ethan and Adelyn):

• Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’agnese (Henry Holt & Co., 2010).
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson (Gibbs Smith, 2002).

To go along with Fraction Chips:

• The Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Fractions Book by Jerry Palotta (Scholastic, 1999)

To go along with Tangram Cookies:

• Three Pigs, One Wolf, and Seven Magic Shapes by Grace Maccarone (Scholastic Press, 1997).
• Grandfather Tang’s Story by Ann Tompert (Crown Publishers, 1990).

To go along with Brownie Tesselations (which Adelyn is getting ready to create):

• A Cloak for the Dreamer by Aileen Friedman (Scholastic Press, 1994).

To go along with Pizza Pi:

• Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander (Charlesbridge, 1999).

To go along with Probability Trail Mix:

• It’s Probably Penny by Loreen Leedy (Henry Holt & Co., 2007).

Happy reading! And, happy eating!

And if you’d like to learn more about the many math books Ann McCallum has written, visit her website.

Thanks, Pam! If you ever have a comma crisis and need urgent advice, I’m your woman.

Debbie Bernstein LaCrois wrote her debut picture book, It’s Almost Time (Kane Miller, 2011), because her young son was fascinated by clocks.

So, she wrote a story replicating all the sounds they heard when they visited a local clock shop. Here’s how the publisher describes Debbie’s work:

It’s almost time … the gears are winding, getting ready to chime! Are you ready? Join the countdown to the most colossal cacophony of clock sounds ever! From chimes to ding dongs, from grandfather clocks to cuckoos, this collection of sounds will have young readers buzzing with excitement.

Today, I’m happy to welcome Debbie to Read, Write, Repeat. She was kind enough to answer some questions about how her book came to be.

How did you get the idea for your picture book?

My son loves clocks! We spent hours visiting the local clock store. The guy who works there is awesome and would wind the clocks so they would dance and sing. I wanted to capture the store and bring it home.

How long did it take you to write, revise and polish?

I wrote it six years before I submitted it. I researched the publishing process and wanted to be able to market my book. Because I was pregnant when I wrote the book, I knew it wasn’t the right time. Then, honestly, I forgot about it.

In 2010, I decided to submit another story I had written, and came across It’s Almost Time. I submitted both at the same time, with permission from the editor. I never did hear back about the other story.

What’s the biggest thing you learned while going through the publication process?

I learned so much! First was the consideration process. I was asked to do a rewrite because the beginning was similar to another book.

The original was: “Sshh, listen, it’s almost time.” It was changed to: “Tick tick tock. It’s almost time …”

Then I had to wait some more. Kira Lynn, my editor, wanted to publish it for Fall 2011 (this was May 2010), so the editing process moved quickly. She always told me to take my time and not rush. This is hard for me, because I tend to push things through when I am excited. She chose the illustrator, and gave me her name.

Of course, I Googled her (Sarah Chalek) and LOVED her artwork! I did not talk to her or meet her during this process. When I first saw the illustrations, I was speechless! She had added a horse to my book! A horse and a bluejay (which I now love)!!!

The illustrations change the story, but they make the book. I love the final product.

What advice would you give other writers hoping to be published?

Keep writing. Don’t give up. And really follow your instinct. Also, putting something away for a while is a great idea. When you pull it out, you know if it really has potential or if it’s just like a new toy you bought that you have to have, but soon realize it’s not so great.

Oh, and networking can help. And finally, find a critique group. Your friends are the worst editors, because they love it because it’s you. You need good, helpful feedback.

What other projects are you working on?

For writing, I’ve written my first middle-grade chapter book, which I’ve submitted and had sent back, but with positive feedback. I think I finally figured out what the problem is and can’t wait to go in and rework it.

I also have a few picture books. And of course, many in line in my mind waiting to come out!

Thanks for stopping by, Debbie!

If you’d like to learn more about Debbie, you can visit her website.

If you’d like to learn more about illustrator Sarah Chalek, you can visit her website.

Blaine Anderson joined Glee last season as the seemingly cool-and-collected lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, an all-boys a cappella glee club that competed against New Directions.

He quickly became more than that, however.

Blaine also befriended Kurt Hummel and shared his own experiences being bullied at his former school for being gay. He encouraged Kurt to stand up to David Karofsky and shared Dalton Academy’s zero-tolerance policy for harassment. After Kurt transferred to Dalton, his relationship with Blaine also became romantic. (For a look at how it all began, watch The Warblers’ a cappella version of “Teenage Dream”.)

It’s true that at the end of season two, Blaine, who’s ably portrayed by Darren Criss, didn’t attend William McKinley High. So even if I were the school’s librarian, I couldn’t officially recommend a book for him.

But because I’ve never seen a single faculty member at Dalton Academy or any evidence the school even has a library, I’d feel comfortable making a casual suggestion the next time Blaine stops by to visit Kurt.

And that suggestion would be Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory by Mickey Rapkin (Gotham Books, 2008).

Why? It’s a love song to the collegiate groups the Warblers were modeled after.

The book chronicles how the college a cappella movement started when the Yale Whiffenpoofs formed in 1909 and how it’s grown to where it stands today with intense rivalries, national championships, groupies (yes, groupies!) and increasingly complex and evolving arrangements.

Rapkin focuses on three college groups — the all-female Divisi from the the University of Oregon, the irreverent Hullabahoos from the University of Virginia and the tradition-bound Beelzebubs from Tufts University. He looks at everything from the groups’ histories and cultures and quest for vocal perfection to their egos, immaturity and inevitable conflicts.

And, it’s a hell of a read.

I read a lot of books. And this one was so good I had to put it down a few times because I just didn’t want it to end. Rapkin does a great job of making us care about the members of each group even when we’re cringing for crises going on in their personal lives or shaking our heads at some of their decisions. (Note to future a cappellers: NEVER set fire to the mansion an influential alumni is nice enough to let you use.)

The book is also chock full of musical minutiae — arrangements and key changes and choreography and costumes. I like that sort of thing, and if you do too, you’ll be fascinated.

This book would also show Blaine it’s OK to loosen up a little.

The Beelzebubs (who, by the way, sing background on all of Glee’s season two Warblers songs) are very traditional and buttoned up, at least publicly. But the Hullahoos perform in T-shirts, shorts and what looks like wacked-out liturgical robes for goodness sake. And all three groups have enough backstage drama to keep a small soap opera afloat for a season or two.

Despite this, group members can usually laugh at themselves. In fact, they spend almost as much time doing the sort of activities you might expect from overconfident college students — drinking … peeing on a competing group’s van … drinking … making inappropriate sexual references … drinking — as they do perfecting their harmonies.

Blaine’s a great character, but he’s very serious.

I’m not sure he’s intentionally cracked a joke on the show yet. Not that he hasn’t had unintentionally funny lines. My favorites?

“Do you know how many Gaps there are in Ohio? Tons!” (This was said to reassure Kurt that the Warblers would still have chances to perform even though they didn’t qualify for Nationals.)

And …

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a bigger fool out of myself. And that’s really saying something … because I’ve performed in theme parks.” (Said after Blaine’s public, Valentine’s Day seranade of a Gap employee did not have the romantic results he’d hoped for.)

If I were Glee’s librarian, I’d hand Blaine the paperback edition of Pitch Perfect, asking him to pay particular attention to the clever chapter subtitles, such as:

“Chapter One: Wherein twelve ladies in red ties are snubbed at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella — and contemplate returning for seconds.”

And …

“Chapter Ten: Wherein the Hullabahoos travel to Los Angeles for winter break 2007 and attempt to (among other things) gain admission to the Playboy Mansion.”

I’d also ask him to check out page 214 where the Hullabahoos have a major misfire on stage and all of Chapter 11 where Divisi — despite giving a strong performance — loses to the group it’s been focused on beating all year.

It would help Blaine see he doesn’t have to be perfect.

He needs to know that talented, successful people make mistakes all the time. Then, they recover and take more chances. Blaine hides a lot of his insecurities under a very composed, controlled exterior. And, that’s cool … sometimes.

But, if Blaine had been a part of New Directions last season when the kids all wore T-shirts proclaiming what they were most insecure about, I wonder what his would have said. He hasn’t let much slip so far. We know he was beaten up at his first school after attending a dance and that he regrets not standing up for himself. And he’s hinted his relationship with his father isn’t ideal.

I’m not saying Blaine has to wear his heart on his sleeve like so many other characters do, but I think he’d be happier if he learned to let down his guard a little and be OK with being human.

This book also qualifies as a GLEE-ful read because it emphasizes song choice.

And we all know how important that has been to New Directions. The book analyzes how The Beelzebubs sang Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” and, in the process, revolutionized how a cappella songs are arranged. How Divisi broke new ground performing Usher’s “Yeah.” How the Hullabhoos lived and died with U2′s “One.”

For the technically minded among you, there’s also a lot of detail about how an a cappella group is recorded to make the most of its sound — and both sides of the debate about how processed, auto-tuned and polished an a cappella album should be.

So all in all, I think Blaine would enjoy it, and so would you.

If you’d like to see which books I’ve recommended to other Glee characters, they are:

• Blaine Anderson – Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin.
• Finn Hudson – Struts & Frets by Jon Skovron.
• Sam Evans – Guitar Boy by MJ Auch.
• Quinn Fabray – Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
• David Karofsky – Dairy Queen and The Off Season both by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.
• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

The Glee Club at William McKinley High School has more than its fair share of divas.

But no matter how diva-ishly delicious Mercedes, Kurt and Santana can be at times, Rachel Berry always manages to eclipse their efforts.

As En Vogue memorably sang , “And now it’s time for a breakdown”

Rachel temporarily defected from the Glee Club after Mr. Schuster had Tina sing a “West Side Story” song instead of her.

She showed up at Glee Club rehearsal with duct tape covering her mouth to protest Mr. Schuster’s attempts to “silence her voice” after he gave a solo to someone else.

And, she encouraged Sunshine Corazon to join Glee Club so Sunshine could sing back-up. But when it became clear Sunshine was a phenom, Rachel gave her directions to a crack house instead of the auditorium where auditions were really being held.

Sure Rachel, who’s portrayed with neurotic perfection by Lea Michele, occasionally shows flashes of humanity. But ultimately, she always reverts to her true beliefs. That no one else in the Glee Club can hold a candle to her talent.

And, she may be right.

Finn, Rachel’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, believes she’s destined for stardom far beyond Lima, Ohio. And Quinn, Rachel’s best frenemy, has flat-out said, “You don’t belong here, Rachel. And you can’t blame me for helping send you on your way.”

And Kurt Hummel, who’s often battled Rachel for time in the spotlight even admitted, “She may be difficult, but boy can she sing. Bravo!”

Yet Rachel seems stuck in Lima, with the Glee Club the only outlet for her burning passion to perform.

So … if I were the librarian at William McKinley High School, I’d try to expand Rachel’s horizons and help her see some opportunities that exist outside Ohio.

I’d start by giving her Theater Geek (Free Press, 2010) by Mickey Rapkin. Rapkin spent a summer at Stagedoor Manor, a summer theater camp in the Catskills with a reputation for taking in theater-loving misfits and turning out high-quality performances and stars like Natalie Portman, Jon Cryer and Mandy Moore.

Rapkin’s day job is a senior editor at GQ, which I’m sure Rachel and Kurt would find fascinating.

But that’s not why Rachel needs to read this book.

This book would help Rachel in two ways.

First, it would show her a place she could belong. Stagedoor Manor prides itself on offering a home for talented theater kids who feel they don’t fit into their real life. As Jeff Blumenkrantz, a Stagedoor alum who went on to write the music to “Urban Cowboy” said, “I always felt other than. Let’s put it this way. I used to survive the school year, and the reward was Stagedoor Manor.”

Rachel would thrive in an environment where popularity is based on talent. One student who was not popular in his high school was a star at Stagedoor. When another girl from his school came to Stagedoor, she was floored. “For her, it was like ‘The Twilight Zone,’ ” the student said. “She couldn’t figure it out. Why is David Quinn the most popular person here?”

Rachel could go from being a slushie target to someone who mattered in a heartbeat.

Second, it just might help her see she’s not the only talented kid in America. Lots of kids with talent and theater dreams come to Stagedoor Manor and find themselves in supporting roles. (Case in point. Lea Michele, who plays Rachel on Glee, attended Stagedoor and never had a lead role. Not that she’s complaining now.)

Rachel would be a much nicer person if she had a dose of humility that she’d no doubt get after spending three weeks with kids who not only get subtle Sondheim references but have the vocal chops to execute “Sweeney Todd” and, perhaps, even beat her in a sing-off.

So I’d give Rachel the hardcover book, telling her to pay special attention to the anecdote about Courtney Love’s altercation with a hot dog vendor on page 13 and Chapter 7, appropriately titled “Hell Week.”

And, if Rachel liked the book, she could learn more about Mickey Rapkin at this website.

Rapkin has also written Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory (Gotham Books, 2008) which I’m sure Warblers’ front man Blaine Anderson would be interested in perusing. (And for all you Glee fans out there, this book also focuses heavily on the Tufts Beelzebubs, who provided the background vocals for Season Two’s Warblers’ songs.)

But perhaps that’s a recommendation for another day.

My recommendations for Glee characters so far:

• Rachel Berry – Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin.

• Kurt Hummel – Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

Max is a baseball player.

And, at least in America, eating hot dogs at the ball game is tradition.

So he was a great choice to review Hot Diggity Dog (Dutton, 2010), a nonfiction picture book about the history of the hot dog.

The book, written by Adrienne Sylver and illustrated by Elwood H. Smith, shares a lot of hot dog history, and it’s a juicy read.

It’s full of fun facts. For example:

• Most hot dogs are eaten in July.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt fed King George VI a hot dog when he visited America in 1939.
• Oscar Mayer has a car shaped like a giant hot dog called the Wienermobile. (I’ve been inside it, but that’s a post for another day.)

The book also has cartoon illustrations and some photography which … um … tastefully bring Sylver’s words to life. There are even two family recipes in the back.

Now, let’s hear from today’s guest reviewer Max. He puts mustard and ketchup on his hot dogs, but they’re not his all-time favorite food. He likes plain macaroni better.

Our reviewer: Max

Age: 8

Things I like to do: Play football. I’m also really good at baseball. I play outfield and third base.

This book was about: Hot dogs. On one page, there was a spaceship that looked like a hot dog, and a dog was in it, and the dog said some crazy stuff.

This book taught me:  That at first, hot dogs were sold without a bun.

The best part was when: There was a list of all the different kinds of hot dogs and the different toppings people put on them.

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: When the turkey is holding the sign saying, “Say yes to veggie dogs.”

Three words that describe this book: “Funny.” “Tasty.” “Cartoon.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: All the interesting things in the pictures — like coins and spaceships.

You should read this book because: It has really funny pictures.

Thanks, Max!

Are you hungry yet?  If you want more details, you can:

Learn more about the author by reading this interview or visiting her website.

Learn more about the illustrator by reading this interview or visiting his website.

Chances are, you’ve never heard of a chiru.

If that’s true, don’t feel badly. Chiru (chee-roo) are only found on the Tibetan plateau and surrounding areas. And because they have not survived in captivity, the only way to see them is to visit  their natural habitat.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin traveled 7,000 miles from her home in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to the Chang Tang Reserve in Tibet. The result is a nonfiction picture book, The Chiru of High Tibet (Houghton Mifflin, 2010).

The chiru are worth a book for several reasons. They’re rare. And, their wool can be made into warms shawls which people value because it’s very cold in that part of Tibet.

The chiru are also endangered. And although it’s illegal to kill them for their wool, people still do it. So every year, there are fewer and fewer chiru.

Briggs Martin tells the true story of George B. Schaller, a scientist who wanted to protect the Chiru by making the area they travel to each year to have their babies safe from poachers and development.

But first he had to find it. Four men helped him and followed the chiru through their long trek to the calving grounds. They walked for days, pulling food and supplies behind them through gorges, mountain passes, icy water and rugged terrain. Finally, they found the spot in the Kunlun Mountains.

Here’s what today’s reviewer had to say about the book.

Reviewer: Anneka.

Age: 9

Things I like to do: Go to art class, sing, help people and play computer games.

This book was about: Some men finding out where a mysterious breed of wild goats goes to have their babies. The men want to protect that spot because the breed is endangered.

The best part was when: The men found where the animals go.

I was worried when: The breed got to a fairly low population.

The book taught me: To be patient and persistent to achieve your goals.

Three words that describe this book: “Interesting.” “Tibet.” “Mountains.”

My favorite line: “Without the Chiru, there would be no story.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The interesting facts in the corner of many pages. (Editor’s note: And the cute picture of the baby chiru in the back of the book!)

You should read this book: To learn about the difference some men made.

Thanks, Anneka!

The Children’s Book Council’s Outstanding Science Committee of the National Science Teachers Association has named the book to the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12” list for 2011.

If you’d like to learn more about the author, visit Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s website, which has links to a book trailer and a radio interview. Or read her blog.

If you’d like to learn more about the illustrator, read Linda Wingerter’s blog. Or read this article about her work.

To learn more about the chiru, see this website. To learn more about how you can help protect them, visit the Wildlife Conservation Society.

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday.

Starting Feb. 14, you can see other Nonfiction Monday posts at this week’s host blog — Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian – which is a very cute blog worth checking out at other times, too.

Everything you do matters.

That’s the theme of The Boy Who Changed the World (Tommy Nelson, 2010) a picture book written by Andy Andrews.

The book is based on a concept called the butterfly effect – that an action as small as a butterfly flapping its wings can influence weather patterns across the world.

But the book doesn’t talk about butterflies.

It looks at the life of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug. He began life as an Iowa farm boy. As he grew up harvesting food, he became concerned about people who didn’t have enough to eat, so he went to school to study how to grow more food. The seeds he ended up developing helped feed hungry people all over the world.

That’s a good story right there, but Andrews shows that Norman couldn’t have made the contribution he did without help from other people who also wanted to make a difference.

People like Vice President Henry Wallace who supported Norman’s efforts to develop those special seeds. People like inventor George Washington Carver who taught a young Henry Wallace to love plants and nature. People like farmer Moses Carver who rescued a small George Washington Carver from outlaws who had kidnapped him.

Each action over several generations led to Norman’s being able to develop his very special seeds.

Let’s see what today’s guest reviewer has to say.

Our reviewer: Sonia

Age: 8

Things I like: My unicorn, reading, jumping rope, telling jokes and playing on the computer.

This book was about: A boy named Norman who changed the world. He wondered what it was like to be hungry all the time, and he wanted to help people who were. So he learned about plants and fed two billion people. But he couldn’t have done it without a lot of other boys before him.

The best part was when: The book says, “Or maybe it was …” Because Norman and Henry and George and Moses ALL changed the world.

I smiled because: I thought Norman’s hair was funny. It was curly in the front and straight in the back.

I was worried when: The Quantrill’s Raiders rode into the farm and burned the barns and kidnapped George.

I was surprised when: I learned about the butterfly effect.

This book taught me: Lots and lots of people can change the world by doing small things.

Words that best describe this book are: “Change.” “World.” “Butterfly Effect.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Every little thing you do matters.”  And “That means YOU can be the kid who changes the world.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The cool picture of Norman and Mr. Wallace in Washington, D.C. There are two butterflies on the window. And then in the back of the book there are more butterflies. In fact, there are butterflies on almost every page.

You should read this book because: I liked the story.

Thanks, Sonia!

Here are some things Sonia thinks she could do to help change the world:

• Not litter.
• Be kind and nice.
• Help people with no food.
• Work with animals.
• Smile.

This is Andrews’ first children’s book. He’s also written two adult books, The Noticer and The Traveler’s Gift, which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller List. To learn more about author Andy Andrews, visit his website.

To learn more about illustrator Philip Hurst, visit his website.

Other blog reviews of this book include:

• The Randleman Review
• More the Murrayer