New Non-Fiction Series Alert!

Learning about history is one of my favorite topics when reading so when I was asked to review a new non-fiction series for kids called The Thrifty Guide to… I jumped right on board! I usually like learning about history in a narrative with a story that sucks me in, but reading these non-fiction books that were half humor, half history was VERY enjoyable! I think kids will really get a kick out of these!  

Teachers, if you teach a unit on the American Revolution or Ancient Rome, you NEED these books! I cannot wait to see what topics Jonathan Stokes tackles next!

I read both of the books over winter break and then as soon as we got back from break, I handed them to two of my students that I thought would like them! See our thoughts below on the two books in the series that are out. There are A LOT of similarities between the two titles but there were a few things that jumped out at us that we explicitly didn’t notice in both novels.

The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Rome –

• ·        Very funny! I loved all the funny sidebars with interesting information.

• A great mix of serious information and humor. Loved all the graphics, like Venn diagrams, maps, and pictures. This book is a text features lesson dream!  

• Finlay said, "I liked all the pictures of the battles and wars because I hadn'tseen anything like that before!" 
• Mrs. Kuehler can attest to the illustrations in the book - they are pretty awesome! 

• Finlay also said, "The entire book is very funny!"

The Thrifty Guide to the American Revolution  -

• ·        Lots of information about the war that is not usually taught in a textbook!
• Hayden liked the "pranking the past" parts best! A favorite was: 
• If you want to help Paul Revere spread the word that the British are coming, try upgrading his horse to a motorcycle. Something fast and sporty, yet sensibly priced, like a Kawasaki Ninja with digital fuel injections and a 649cc four-stroke engine. Or, if you really want to help Paul Revere spread the word faster, get him a cell phone." 

• ·        History told in a funny way. I’ve never laughed out loud so much while reading about history!

• ·        The tiny details throughout the book were INCREDIBLE! I loved how even the copyright date on the book’s publishing information page said it was copyright 2165 and that if you notice a typo to use the time machine to go back to 2163 and fix it! ;)