Praise for We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport:
* "Historical context, personal stories, and letters are seamlessly integrated in this history of frightened refugee children in a new land and their brave parents' making 'the heart-wrenching decision' to send their children away with strangers to a foreign country. Well-crafted, accessible, and essential." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[A] moving tribute to the organizers of the Kindertransport and to the courage of the children involved. Generously illustrated with black-and-white photographs, the book is extremely well researched and a valuable contribution to Holocaust literature." — Booklist
Praise for D-Day: The WWII Invasion that Changed History:
* "Hopkinson has compiled a comprehensive and absorbing overview... this insightful title, chock-full of primary sources, is a strong purchase." — School Library Journal, starred review
"Hopkinson is particularly adept at directing attention to the stories behind the heroic stories." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"How does an author sequentially chronicle multiple, rapidly developing, and simultaneous events and maintain not just coherence, but suspense? Hopkinson employs her signature kaleidoscopic style effectively here: synthesizing complex events into a compelling narrative arc, and sampling myriad voices to add texture and color to the story, while never losing sight of the bigger picture." — The Horn Book
"Such major figures as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley get plenty of attention, but more is given to the experiences of the soldiers who waded ashore under fire or parachuted behind enemy lines. Hopkinson weaves their personal accounts with those of observations by Ernie Pyle and others to bring the invasion vividly to life... An attractively packaged, engrossing history that will appeal to readers fascinated with military strategy." — Kirkus Reviews
"With thoroughness and clarity, this title brings D-Day into focus by breaking it down into components and focusing on human voices and perspectives... provides a wealth of information clearly presented alongside many black and white photos, resulting in an engaging read even for those who may not be interested in a book about military history. The complexity of the historical task undertaken, the challenges of the terrain, and the courage required of those involved is conveyed by the author without hyperbole and by allowing the participants to tell their own stories. Highly Recommended." — School Library Connection
Praise for Dive! World War II Stories of Sailors & Submarines in the Pacific:
* "Hopkinson crafts a gripping narrative... Fascinating World War II history for history buffs and browsers alike." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Readers wait anxiously alongside crew members amid silence and dangerous heat and oxygen levels as the submariners narrowly escape enemy detection or brace for depth charge explosions that rattle bones, fray nerves, and signal possible death... With a fascinating blend of submarine mechanics and tales of courage, readers will dive in deep." — Booklist, starred review
* "It's an appealing, engrossing package for readers fascinated by heroism and military strategy." — The Horn Book, starred review
"The real appeal, of course, is danger and heroism, and in drawing liberally from first-person accounts by surviving veterans, Hopkinson often emulates the tone of Greatest Generation memoir... And kudos to Hopkinson, whose eagle eye even located the contingent of women nurses evacuated by sub from the Philippines." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A riveting narrative nonfiction selection for middle school collections." — School Library Journal
"The diverse individual stories... make the history come alive." — School Library Connection
Praise for Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark:
A Sydney Taylor Notable Book
An NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
A Bank Street Center for Children's Literature Best Children's Book of the Year selection
A Cybils Award Finalist
"[A] spirited, inspiring, and extremely well-researched book... ideal for both classroom use and independent reading." — Booklist
"With numerous pictures and illustrations accompanying the text, this is a fascinating look at a little-known corner of WWII." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Titanic: Voices from the Disaster:
A Sibert Honor Book
A YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist
An ALA Notable Children's Book
An IRA Teacher's Choice
A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Book
A Cybils Award Finalist
"An affecting portrait of human ambition, folly and almost unbearable nobility in the face of death." — The Wall Street Journal
"A meticulous recounting of the disaster... Hopkinson's reporting is so rich with information that it will be equally fascinating to young readers and adults alike." — Los Angeles Times
* "Hopkinson knows precisely what's she doing in her coverage of the Titanic disaster... [A] fine book." — The Horn Book, starred review
* "Fascinating... A thorough and absorbing re-creation of the ill-fated voyage." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Riveting." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "An absorbing and richly satisfying read." — School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Up Before Daybreak:
* "Rarely have the links between northern industry, southern agriculture, slavery, war, child labor, and poverty been so skillfully distilled for this audience." — Booklist, starred review
* "Superb nonfiction writing." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Excellent." — School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Shutting Out the Sky:
A Jane Addams Peace Award Honor Book
An Orbis Pictus Honor Book
An ALA Notable Book
A Sydney Taylor Notable Book
* "Nonfiction at its best." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "[A] fascinating read." — School Library Journal, starred review
2021-08-18
A dive into pandemics past and present published while Covid-19 continues to rage.
In the first entry in a nonfiction series focused on deadly events, Hopkinson pays particular attention to the Great Mortality, as the second exceptionally deadly assault of bubonic plague was contemporaneously known in Europe (the first began in sixth-century Constantinople). The high-interest narrative explains the value of primary sources and then makes use of them to describe the impact of this wave of the plague as it killed up to 60% of the European population beginning in 1347. Hopkinson notes that scholarship is still emerging on the plague’s impact in Asia and Africa at this time, hence the focus on Europe. Following chapters touch upon later plague outbreaks, the influenza pandemic of 1918, Covid-19, and, briefly, cholera, smallpox, polio, tuberculosis, and HIV. MERS and SARS are named in passing; the devastation of Indigenous people in the Americas does not come up. Text boxes provide additional information on vaccines, the binomial system for naming living things, and related topics. The book describes prejudice as people scapegoat certain groups during disease outbreaks, such as with medieval pogroms, but the rise in anti–Asian American violence during Covid-19 is not discussed. Although simple and reassuring enough for elementary readers, this effort never shirks grim details or skips over important information.
A useful, engaging introduction to the history of pandemics. (glossary, activities, journaling advice, further reading, source notes, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
