Product Description

Research indicates boys are interested in reading nonfiction materials, yet most children's librarians prefer to booktalk fiction. Offering citations for more than 1,100 books, "Gotcha for Guys!" deals specifically with books to pique the interest of middle grade boys. A series of booktalks are grouped within chapters with like titles such as: "Creepy-Crawly Creatures," "Disasters and Unsolved Mysteries," "Action and Innovation," and "All Things Gross." Complete booktalks are presented in a beginning section of chapters 1-9. A second section in each of these chapters contains short annotations and talks for other books of interest, and a third section offers lists of well-reviewed titles to consider for boys. The book is enhanced with book cover art and reproducible lists for teachers and librarians.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1273828 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.45 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 269 pages

From School Library Journal
This resource provides citations for more than 1100 books that have been successfully booktalked by the authors or that have received positive reviews from SLJ, Horn Book, or Booklist. Ten chapters cover 10 areas of interest to boys in kindergarten through eighth grade, including U.S. history, world cultures, science, action and innovation, disasters and unsolved mysteries, and hot topics like magic, drawing, and fascinating facts. Each section has three parts. "New and Notable" suggests books published since 2004, and includes a complete citation with booktalk. Older books are annotated in the "Not to Be Missed" section, where citations indicate whether a booktalk is available in an earlier "Gotcha" book. The third part of each chapter lists books with favorable reviews that are "Worth Reading." Suggested ages are included for each title. There is a definite need for booklists such as this. For additional reading and programming ideas, see Michael Sullivan's Connecting Boys with Books (ALA, 2003). Highlighting numerous titles on varied topics can only improve librarians' ability to serve this often under-reached segment of our reading population.—Julie R. Ranelli, Kent Island Branch Library, Stevensville, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
This title in the Gotcha series focuses on nonfiction books to get boys excited about reading. There are citations for more than 1,100 books grouped by themes such as "Prehistoric Creatures," "All Things Gross," and "Disasters and Unsolved Mysteries." The last chapter, "Hot Topics," includes books on things such as riddles, games, and fascinating facts. With the exception of this last chapter, each chapter offers complete booktalks, short annotations and talks for additional books, and lists of titles that have been well reviewed. These lists also indicate if a title was discussed in a previous Gotcha book. Although aimed at the middle-school crowd, many of the titles seem more suited to grades 4-6 and would be considered high/low at grades 7-8. This title is helpful for nonfiction collection development and can be used as a starting point for creating attractive, themed displays. Esther Sinofsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

""Gotcha for Guys!" is meant specifically for books that every boy will be comfortable toting around and reading probably out loud as they share the cool things they are discovering....A must-have as a book selection reference." -

Children's Literature Network