Let’s face it, kids often think that nonfiction is boring. Who wants to read about facts when there’s so much delicious fantasy to be devoured? Book pairing can be a great way to hook readers on nonfiction.

Fans of the ghoulish and strange, such as the Goosebumps series will love Kelly Milner Halls’ book Tales Of The Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist. The best part? Halls has written several other great nonfiction books that will entice even the most reluctant readers.

Do you know an animal lover? Someone who has enjoyed Laurie Halse Anderson’s Vet Volunteer series? A child who adores stories like Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo will also enjoy Animals In The House: A History of Pets And People by Sheila Keenan.

Other nonfiction for animal lovers include Dewey The Library Cat by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter and The Rhino with The Glue-On Shoes: And Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and their Patients by Lucy Spelman and Ted Mashima.

Do you know a fan of thrillers and mysteries such as The Mysterious Benedict Society or the Alex Rider series? Check out The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul Janeczko.

Outdoor adventurers will find A Life In The Wild: George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts by Pamela S. Turner a good followup to Gary Paulsen’s books. If you’re looking for icy adventures, The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antartic Expedition by Caroline Alexander will provide that fix!

There are so many wonderful nonfiction titles for young history buffs. Anyone who has fallen in love with Anne Frank or Lois Lowry’s Number The Stars will also enjoy reading Carla Killough McClafferty’s book In Defiance of Hitler: The Secret Mission of Varian Fry.

It’s never too early to show kids that real life stories can be exciting and interesting!

Sydney Salter, author of MY BIG NOSE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, JUNGLE CROSSING, and SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK, always devours stacks and stacks of nonfiction (for research and fun!) before writing a fictional story.

Snuggled in my daughter’s bed for our evening read aloud, I tripped once again over a clumsy sentence. Pippi Longstocking–how could you? As a child, I idolized your spunky independence and raucous mess-making! How could one of my all-time favorite books disappoint me?

I had delighted in sharing Charlotte’s Web with my daughters. I loved exploring Charlie’s chocolate factory again, laughing about how my mother used to call me Veruca Salt–a surname so close to my own–when I misbehaved. Stuart Little was a little bit more bizarre than I’d remembered… And that got me thinking about how my other childhood favorites would stack up to my adult sensibilities.

Recently, thanks to the Internet, I figured out the title of one of my all time favorite stories, The Genie Of Sutton Place by George Selden.

11-year-old me: I discovered the book in the public library on a hot Palm Springs, California summer day–that delicious blast of air conditioning turned the book-filled shelves into an oasis. I remember loving the magic and the humor. I’ve been wanting to reread the book for years and years.

Now: I laughed loud enough and often enough to make my teenager express concern for my sanity. I delighted in the clever dialogue and admired the superb writing. The story is peopled almost entirely with adults, reminding me how children used to fit into adult lives, whereas now families tend to be more child-centric. I found myself wondering if the hilarious cocktail party scene would be eliminated if the book were published today (a dog transformed into a man imbibes too much). I relished my time spent with these characters–and I’m thrilled to finally own a copy. Returning this book to the library back in 5th grade might have turned me into the book collector I am today.

Wanting to laugh some more, I turned to How To Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell.

11-year-old me: I remember twisting with squeamish delight, wondering if Billy would really eat all those disgusting worms. And it was a short, easy read. Good for a last-minute book report for a procrastinator like me.

Now: I didn’t laugh as much as I expected, and that surprised me. But I was also impressed with Rockwell’s concise language and brief, yet apt characterization. The theme of peer pressure and manipulation reminded me of darker books like this year’s Printz honoree Nothing by Janne Teller, as well as all those stupid eating bets–bowls of gravy, trays of lemon bars–made by my husband’s fraternity brothers in college. Again, the parents were quite involved in the story. The boys’ parents communicated with each other regarding discipline, and the kids suffered consequences for misbehavior. At one point two of the boys go around to apologize to neighbors for making late-night noise. Would we ask our kids–or our characters–to do that now, I wondered? Mid-way through the book, I ran to the grocery store. I overheard a middle grade child reprimanding her mother. Things have really changed since 1973.

Finally, I opened my tattered copy of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume.

11-year-old me: Finally somebody understands me! I remember how much I loved reading about girls who weren’t so perfect or so nice. The relationships and problems felt so REAL!

Now: WOW! With the exception of a feminine-hygiene anachronism, the book reads incredibly modern. I couldn’t help but think about my 11-year-old daughter and the things we’ve been talking about recently. And, oh how it brought back memories! My friends and I snuck into one father’s laundry hamper to peek at his copy of Playboy–just like Margaret. But would that scene be included in a middle-grade story published today? I thought about the list of unmentionables that prevent novels from being accepted into school book clubs. Sometimes I worry that we try too hard to protect children from the difficult questions, experimentation, and curiosity Margaret and her friends experience, even though kids are still dealing with those same issues today. I’m not sure if my copy will survive many more readings, so I ordered a brand new book for my daughter. Mine cost me $1.25. My daughter’s cost $8.99. Sharing Margaret with my 6th grader? Priceless!

Rereading these books inspired thought-provoking conversations with my children, husband, and my own mother. And I’m thinking harder about the kinds of stories I hope to write. I encourage all of you to give your childhood favorites a grown-up read.

Sydney Salter, author of Jungle Crossing, hopes that her writing will also delight future grown ups.

Sometimes I feel like everything I do is against the odds! When I wanted to go college my parents wouldn’t co-sign my student loan. So instead of going straight to school I got a job and then traveled around Europe for a couple of years. By the time I was ready to go back to college I decided I’d try for every scholarship I could find. I sent out 72 letters to different private funding sources and one answered. They paid for my almost all of my tuition for the next four years.

I loved reading about the small newspaper office where Thomas helps his mother, the editor. How do you think journalism is changing in the electronic era?

This one is almost a spoiler! The third book in the series deals with Thomas and a blogger. Seriously, I think there is a danger with people mixing up blogs with news. Anyone can write anything online, but in a newspaper article there has to be at least three sources for a story.

The immediacy of electronic media also seems to be somewhat addicting. By that I mean people want news and they want it now. Headlines matter. But it may not be the whole story – and some people don’t seem to care about the more in-depth, investigative stories.

You have a background in nonfiction. What inspired you to write Fairview Felines: A Newspaper Mystery?

People always say to write what you know. And I know newspapers. Actually I love newspapers. I’m a total news junky. Since I’d worked at a newspaper just like The County Journal I’d always thought it would make a perfect setting for a mystery.

I don’t think there are enough mysteries for middle-grade readers. What are the unique challenges when it comes to writing a good mystery?

First of all you need to write it backwards. Not literally, that would be very hard! But you need to know who dunnit before you write the first chapter. This way you can work in all the “red herrings” as you develop the story lines and the characters. Which brings me the next challenge of writing a mystery – you can’t make it obvious or no one will read the book to the end.

Can you recommend other good mysteries for fans of Fairview Felines?

Really, almost all good books have some kind of mystery in them. My favorites? Holes, by Louis Sacher; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon; Funerals and Fly Fishing, by Mary Bartek; Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliet; The Sammy Keyes mysteries by Wendelin Van Draanen; and of course all the Sherlock Holmes books!

Finally, I loved all the funny headlines sprinkled throughout the novel. Will you write a few headlines to describe:

 Your writing process:

WRITER DANGLES BY THE SEAT OF HER PANTS TRYING TO TIE UP ENDING.

Your work space:

ARCHELOGIST DISCOVERS NOTES AND A DOZEN ‘TO-DO’ LISTS ON AUTHOR’S DESK DURING HISTORICAL DIG.

Your favorite food:

INDIAN RESTAURANT RUNS OUT OF TANDORI CHICKEN, NAAN, AND CHUTNEY WHENEVER AUTHOR VISITS.

Your cats:

POLICE CALLED FOR MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT RUCKUS; CATS CHASE TOILET PAPER ALL OVER HOME

 Your favorite hobby:

WOMAN GETS INTO WORLD BOOK OF RECORDS FOR HOLE IN ONE WHILE STANDING IN TREE POSE AND READING A BOOK.

Michele Corriel lives in Montana, where she writes and herds cats on a daily basis. She is also the author of Weird Rocks, a non-fiction picture picture book about the strange and wonderful world of rocks. To read more about Michele see her website www.michelecorriel.com

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