1 . National Non-Fiction November is the perfect time to pick up a true life story. Here come a series of illustrated biographies (带插图的传记), which surely give you a good try.
The Fossil Hunter written and illustrated by Kate Winter
Discover pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning, who once searched the cliffs and seashores for rocks and shells. Her work made the way for some of the most important discoveries about dinosaurs. Lots of illustrations bring Anning’s interesting story to life.
Walter Tull’s Scrapbook written and illustrated by Michaela Morgan
This award-winning book is presented as a scrapbook (剪贴簿) with photos, documents and records to tell the life story of Walter Tull-one of the first black British professional football players and one of the first black officers in the British Army. Follow Tull from his childhood, through his football years, to his death in the First World War.
Nina written by Traci N. Todd and illustrated by Christian Robinson
Meet Eunice, who sang before she could talk, and journey with her from the piano chair of her childhood to the huge concert halls where she performed as Nina Simone. This beautiful biography tells the story of a gifted musician and activist.
Counting on Katherine written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count, including her steps along the street and the number of dishes she washed in the sink. She went on to work as a mathematician at NASA, helping to make impressive space missions possible.
1. Which book would be picked up by a sports-lover?| A．Nina | B．The Fossil Hunter |
| C．Counting on Katherine | D．Walter Tull’s Scrapbook |
| A．They describe scenes in the future. |
| B．They record a person’s real life story. |
| C．They introduce the author’s experience. |
| D．They are written and illustrated by the same person. |
| A．A novel. | B．A magazine. | C．A guide book. | D．A travel brochure. |
2 . Reading is often seen as an individual activity, but it definitely doesn’t have to be. If you join a book club, reading with others can be a positive social interaction.
In such a fast-paced world, sometimes it’s challenging to find the time and motivation to read. By joining a book club, you make a commitment to read the book of the month or the week and discuss your insights with others.
Reading is one of the most important things you can do for your brain, but reading with other people can make it even better.
Another plus is that at a book club you get together with your club members regularly, with whom you can share not only your thoughts about books but also other aspects of life.
| A．This can help you meet your reading goals. |
| B．Joining a book club can offer you many benefits. |
| C．Book clubs can boost your happiness and well-being. |
| D．Do you often have difficulty finishing reading a book? |
| E．This brings a sense of community, belonging, and friendship. |
| F．Have you found yourself always reading similar types of books? |
| G．Meeting with others and exchanging ideas about things is the key. |
1. What can kids do through Bryan’s Facebook page?
| A．Listen to stories. | B．Chat with friends. | C．Enjoy nice photos. |
| A．His father. | B．His mother. | C．His grandmother. |
| A．Join him in reading stories. |
| B．Record kids’ daily life. |
| C．Spend more time with kids. |
4 . You might find a few good recommendations helpful when it comes to adding to your reading list.
South to America
by Imani Perry
$26.67
In this story, a native Alabaman returns home and looks at her state with fresh eyes, and learns about the stories and experiences of others she meets along the way. By weaving these stories together, Perry has crafted a book that takes you not only below the Mason-Dixon line but also through the country as a whole.
The Candy House
by Jennifer Egan
$25.20
Bix Bouton has a successful company and is desperate for new ideas. After he joins a conversation group, mostly professors from Columbia, one of whom is experimenting with downloading or externalizing memories, he gets his big new idea—Own Your Unconscious. This technology allows you to get every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange: for access to the memories of others.
The Paris Apartment
by Lucy Foley
$26.67
Jess needs a fresh start and turns to her half-brother, Ben, who lives in Paris, for a place to stay. When she arrives at his apartment, however, he’s not there. Although she comes to the city of lights to escape the past that has been disturbing her, she finds herself enter Ben’s future.
The It Girl
by Ruth Ware
$26.67
April was the first person Hannah met at Oxford. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends. One day, April was dead and the murderer was arrested. Now, a decade later, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist presents new evidence that the murderer may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and digs deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide… including a murder.
1. Whose book should you choose if you’re interested in sharing your memories?| A．Imani Perry’s. | B．Lucy Foley’s. |
| C．Ruth Ware’s. | D．Jennifer Egan’s. |
| A．The truth behind a young girl’s murder. |
| B．The simple way to make candy at home. |
| C．How a girl travels to her brother’s future. |
| D．What an Alabaman experiences in her state. |
| A．A love story. | B．A crime novel. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A historical novel. |
5 . Books are excellent gifts. Here are four of the year’s most talked-about titles.
Ordinary Monsters | By J. M. Miro
Miro has temporarily abandoned literary fiction in favour of a new series of historical fantasy novels. Ordinary Monsters is about a group of children with magical gifts who come together and pool their powers to escape the bad shape-shifting man that’s going after them.
Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces | By Elamin Abdelmahmoud
The soundtrack to The O. C., a drama series, and the strange beauty of Highway 401 were important factors in developing selfhood of Abdelmahmoud. This book describes his own experience of moving from Khartoum, Sudan, to Kingston, Canada, in the early 2000s at age 12.
A Magic Steeped in Poison | By Judy I. Lin
Harry Potter has his magic stick. And Ning, the heroine of Lin’s first novel, has tea, which in her world carries magical properties. Lin has created a pleasing Young Adult fantasy rich in Chinese mythology (神话). In this book, Ning enters a competition to find the most gifted tea master, Shennong.
A Ballet of Lepers | By Leonard Cohen
Unlike many other posthumous (死后出版的) works, you can count on Cohen’s to be worth your wait. Before his death, he said that the novel contained in the book, which was never published, was likely better than The Favourite Game, a novel he published during his lifetime. This book also includes a radio play script (剧本) and a handful of short stories.
1. Which book is a mirror of the author’s life story?| A．Ordinary Monsters. | B．Son of Elsewhere: A Memoir in Pieces. |
| C．A Magic Steeped in Poison. | D．A Ballet of Lepers. |
| A．They are about teamwork. |
| B．They are based on an imaginary world. |
| C．They both involve Chinese characters. |
| D．They draw inspiration from other novels. |
| A．It is a collection. | B．It is Cohen’s best novel. |
| C．It is a fantasy novel. | D．It is adapted from a play. |
6 . Classic literature (文学作品) includes older works that have experienced the test of time and that are still widely read today. Whether you’re a student or just an eager reader hoping to explore classic literature, you may be wondering where to begin.
Read summaries of what the work is about. You can find descriptions or summaries of classic works of literature online.
If you’re trying to gain a better understanding of a difficult text, underlining passages may not be enough. Instead, try making comments or notes in the margins (页边空白).
After you finish a chapter, write a brief summary of everything important that happened. Make sure you address the major plot points, how those points influence each character, and how that chapter fits into the context of the larger book.
After you finish reading a book, it may be useful to learn about what others have learned from the text.
| A．Start reading and keep reading. |
| B．Try reading and learning with a group. |
| C．Write your chapter summaries without consulting the text. |
| D．Go online and see if there is any valuable information on your book. |
| E．You can also read the back cover of the book to gain a basic idea of the story. |
| F．Your comments or notes can help improve your understanding of the material. |
| G．Skimming will help you gain a basic understanding of the plot, characters, setting, and concepts. |
7 . What will you do when one of the few bookstores in your neighborhood shuts down? If you’re Latanya DeVaughn, you will make a new and improved one! The Bronx mom and writer has always dreamed of opening her own bookstore, so after watching yet another close its doors for good during the pandemic, she saw her chance.
While Latanya said every neighborhood deserved a bookstore, opening physical stores on every block simply wasn’t an option. So she decided to bring the books to her neighbors, instead, by turning a bus into a bookmobile! With the help of her community, she raised money for her dream and, at the end of 2021, it came true! Bronx Bound Books rolled out in style as a bus with orange cube bookshelves. “People love the way it smells,” Latanya added. “One woman said the wood smell makes her feel like she’s at home.”
Although the bookstore on wheels carries around 3,0000 new and used books, it has more room than you might expect! Latanya also makes sure to stock books with a range of diverse characters so all readers can see themselves in the pages. Of course, her collection also features works of renowned Black authors like James Baldwin and Alice Walker. “It’s meant to be that way,” she explained, “because I remember going to bookstores and having to look through books just to find someone that I felt I could resonate with (引起共鸣).”
Setting up her bookstore in a new spot each day, Latanya is doing her part to make sure that everyone in the Bronx has books to read. That’s what Bronx Bound Books is open for. “I can’t open up a bookstore on every corner, but I can probably pop up on a lot of different corners,” she said.
Thanks to Latanya and Bronx Bound Books, the Bronx is becoming a heaven for book lovers day by day. I’m sure that the little bookstore will continue to develop quickly!
1. How did Latanga DeVoughn respond to the shutdown of bookstores?| A．She set up her own special bookstore. |
| B．She purchased and reopened them soon. |
| C．She opened common stores on every block. |
| D．She asked her neighbors to open a new one. |
| A．it’s hard to stock books with diverse characters |
| B．all renders can see themselves in Black authors |
| C．the collection of Bronx Bound Books is diverse |
| D．finding someone with common interest isn’t easy |
| A．To recycle old books around the neighborhood. |
| B．To raise money for Latanya DeVaughn’s dream. |
| C．To open up a bookstore on every corner worldwide. |
| D．To make reading accessible to everyone in the Bronx. |
| A．Conservative. | B．Unaffordable. | C．Promising. | D．Controversial. |
8 . Looking for a cool new book this season? TFK Kid Reporters read and reviewed some of the best books of the year.
Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero
Yusuf Azeem is hoping to have a great first year in middle school. Standing in his way are the hate notes left in his locker and his struggle to find his place in a new community. Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero, by Saadia Faruqi, will appeal to readers who like stories about everyday kids overcoming challenges and finding inner strength.
Black Boy Joy
The short stories in Black Boy Joy, edited by Kwame Mbalia, celebrate the pleasures of Black childhood. There are also stories about victories, competitions, and getting dressed for their first day of school. Most are short, with simple plots. People who enjoy bite-size stories of happiness will like this collection.
Paradise on Fire
In Paradise on Fire, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Addy is a shy, 15-year-old girl who escaped from an apartment fire that killed her parents. When a fire breaks out at the wilderness camp, Addy knows what to do. Will Addy be able to lead her fellow campers to safety? Readers will love the mix of suspense, action, and emotion in this book.
Chunky
Chunky was written by Yehudi Mercado. In the book, Hudi tries sports, which, however, take him away from what he's truly passionate about: comedy. His imaginary friend, Chunky, appears throughout the story to help Hudi achieve his dreams. Chunky is a great book for kids who want to read about friendship, family, and try to find where they might fit in.
1. Which of the following tells about happy childhood?| A．Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero. | B．Black Boy Joy. |
| C．Paradise on Fire. | D．Chunky. |
| A．A girl trying to escape from danger. | B．A boy suffering at school. |
| C．A boy participating in a summer camp | D．A girl taking an interest in comedy. |
| A．A comedian. | B．Hudi's classmate. | C．A shy boy. | D．An unreal friend. |
9 . Famous bookstores worldwide
Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice
It translates to “high water bookshop”. This bookstore tries hard to prevent its books getting flooded. After all, the bookstore lies in a city famous for its floods, and it opens right onto a canal. Kate Storm says, “Unlike many other bookstores, Libreria Acqua Alta stores its books in bathtubs, various types of boats in addition to high shelves. This makes the bookstore a famous one worldwide.”
Powell’s, Portland
Powell’s is the largest independent bookstore worldwide. Michael Powell Started his first bookstore by borrowing $3, 000 in 1970 in Chicago. His father, Walter Powell, worked with him for a summer in his Chicago store and liked it so much. His father later went home to Portland and opened his own bookstore, Powell’s. Soon, Michael joined his father, and now the store is run by Michael’s daughter, Emily.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires
Built by architects Peró and Torres Armengol, it first opened as a theater in 1919, particularly famous for its tango performances. Ten years later, it was turned into a cinema, and was the first in the city to screen films with sound. In 2000, the theater was in danger of being pulled ·down. But it was purchased by Grupo Ilhsa, redecorated and reopened as a bookstore, with the beautiful original opera boxes and original pictures on the roof remaining. It now draws 1 million visitors a year.
Livraria Lello, Porto
Livraria Lello is famous for its old-world great decoration, like its special stairs. It was opened in 1906 by brothers José and António Lello—by then already booksellers—and designed by architect Xavier Esteves. Livraria Lello is now such a successful tourist attraction that they can charge a lot to get in.
1. What’s Libreria Acqua Alta famous for according to Kate Storm?| A．Its books’ types. | B．Its way of storing books. |
| C．Its closeness to Venice. | D．Its shape as a special boat. |
| A．It’s a family business. | B．It has a 50-year history. |
| C．It’s open only in summer. | D．It’s the largest bookstore worldwide. |
| A．They once served as a great cinema. |
| B．They belong to José and António Lello. |
| C．They have historic and architectural value. |
| D．They are free for tourists wanting a visit. |
