Looking for some customized guidance or private learning opportunities? We offer one-on-one coaching (charged by the half hour) on a variety of topics. Tutoring is also available to support a project you are currently working on.
Nonfiction book coaching for teens:
Nonfiction book coaching for tweens:
Fiction books about real world events and issues for tweens:
Nonfiction book coaching
Reading books, especially informative books by credible experts and journalists, is a vital way to learn about new topics and to grow one’s knowledge about familiar topics. Many neurodiverse people especially benefit from autodidacticism (self-learning) and developing these skills early on helps with lifelong learning. Additionally, becoming familiar with reading informative books sets a strong foundation for future higher education and professional development.
My nonfiction book coaching supports readers in reading these books, giving opportunities to recall and reflect, offering exercises for note-taking and digging deeper, and by providing feedback on projects of your choice. Everyone reads and learns differently, and I want to support individual styles and help to bolster skills that you want to develop.
These books are all interdisciplinary, including history, science, politics, sociology/anthropology, philosophy, and/or other disciplines. Each book engages with most or all of the themes proposed by the National Council for the Social Studies as well as the Common Core’s Reading Standards (History/Social Studies, Informative, Scientific and Technical). If there are particular standards you are interested in fulfilling, I am happy to work with you to ensure they are covered and recommend books that would fit both your learners’ interests and educational needs.
If there is a book that is not listed that you would like this type of coaching on, please feel free to inquire with me about setting up a coaching/tutoring arrangement. There may be extra charges for preparation on books I have not read (or read recently).
| Coaching Type | Subjects | Coach Name |
|---|---|---|
| Tween Book Coaching | Science, Social Studies, History | Dr. Sabrina M. Weiss |
| Teen Book Coaching | Science, Social Studies, Social Justice, Political Science, History | Dr. Sabrina M. Weiss |
Teen Books
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Dr. Robert Sapolsky
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping is a terrific introduction to neuroscience in the context of stress and how our bodies experience and cope with stressors (physical and mental). Written by Dr. Robert Sapolsky, acclaimed neuroscientist at Stanford University, this book connects to many college-preparatory topics, such as the biochemistry and neurology of stress, how we cope and manage stress, and reflects on how evolutionary adaptive biological systems can be pushed into unhealthy statuses in today’s world.
Personal note: I had the privilege of taking courses from Dr. Sapolsky, and he is outstanding at explaining complex concepts in engaging and thoughtful ways. He has also updated this book to acknowledge changes in social and scientific standards, and approaches difficult topics with respect.
The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan
Written in 2001, 5 years before the bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma, this book explores the relationships between humans and plants from social, historical, and scientific perspectives. Through the four plants discussed – the Apple, the Tulip, Marijuana, and the Potato – Pollan explores topics like sugar in our diets, economics, prohibition, and oppression.
This is a great interdisciplinary, topic-focused approach to the history, anthropology, science, and social dimensions of interactions between humans and plants.
Note: this is the original edition written for adult readers. A young reader’s edition was just recently released, and it is available as a tween coaching book.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
“What shall we have for dinner?” In this groundbreaking book, Michael Pollan seeks to answer this question through a rich discussion about what it means to be an omnivore, yet for us to rely on a heavily industrialized food system centered on corn. Using a combination of science and journalism, Pollan explains how corn became central to the American diet, interrogates why cheap food is more valued than tasty/nutritious food, and explores alternatives like pasture-raised farming and wild foraging.
This interdisciplinary book helps us to understand systems of food growth, production, and distribution, and brings in scientific and historical context to understand the past, present, and future of food.
Note: this is the original edition written for adult readers. A young reader’s edition is available and it is available as a tween coaching book.
So You Want to Talk About Race? by Ijeoma Oluo
Are you confused about race? Do you have questions about why this is such a big deal in the United States and elsewhere? Are you unsure about how you can engage in these conversations, especially if you are not Black or a member of another racial minority group? Do you have questions about race that you’re afraid to ask?
This book by Ijeoma Oluo is an excellent introduction to people not used to thinking about racism, racial injustice, and structural inequality. It is honest and direct, and challenges readers to think about uncomfortable ideas in pursuit of growth. I believe that offering support for readers that is non-judgemental and informative will help with this growing process.
The Persuaders by Anand Giridharadas
As people in the United States become more politically polarized, it’s growing harder to see the value of persuasion in making constructive social change. This book educates about the value of persuasion, sharing stories of political persuaders, including a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement, a feminist working against Trumpism, as well as elected officials Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to show how different strategies of persuasion can help us to engage with many different types of people.
This is a great book to help those among us who have become cynical about politics, or who are stuck feeling like no one ever changes their mind. We can all do something to help persuade someone within our reach, and the tools learned in this book will help us to reframe and return to these efforts.
Why We’re Polarized by Ezra Klein
Why are we so politically polarized in the United States today? Were things this bad before? Ezra Klein is an established political analyst and journalist who provides an educational and informative background on political polarization in the United States that helps us to better understand why things are the way they are now. This book incorporates political science and political history, providing many useful historical examples to illustrate key points.
This is an excellent book that covers political history in a way that is deeply relevant to politics today. It is important for us to recognize what are new dynamics and what are elements that have always been present in our political system. By learning the history of this topic, we can be more effective in our political and social engagement as we work towards positive change.
Tween Books
The Botany of Desire: Young Readers Edition by Michael Pollan
This is a middle-grade version of Pollan’s outstanding book, The Botany of Desire, with more approachable writing and a substitution of the original chapter on cannabis with a chapter on caffeine (coffee and tea) to make it more age-appropriate.
Publisher synopsis: [Pollan] links four fundamental human desires—sweetness, beauty, energy, and control—with the plants that satisfy them: the apple, the tulip, coffee, and the potato. In telling the stories of four familiar species, Pollan illustrates how the plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. And just as we’ve benefited from these plants, we have also helped them to thrive.
The Botany of Desire is perfect for STEM-focused young readers who want to learn more about:
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- human history, biology, and environmentalism
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- climate change and its impact on our relationship with plants
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- gardening and the human-plant relationship
Note: this is a tween-level adaptation of the original book, which is available as a teen coaching option.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Young Readers Edition by Michael Pollan
This middle grade level adaptation of Pollan’s classic, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, explores the same questions about where our food comes from, how food has changed over time, and what we can do about our food. Using a more approachable format for middle grade readers, this book is an outstanding interdisciplinary social studies book focusing on food and teaching about the science of food crops like corn, economics, industrialized food production, environmental issues, health concerns, and many other related topics. Pollan engages with readers and encourages us to take initiative in learning about where our food comes from and finding ways to make change in our communities.
Note: this is a tween-level adaptation of the original book, which is available as a teen coaching option.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi
This is a young readers edition remix of Kendi’s landmark work, Stamped from the Beginning, which provides an exhaustive history of how racism has historically been woven into so many foundational parts of the United States from its beginning. This is an essential book for understanding what critical race theory is and why it is important. Kendi’s concept of antiracism is a core concept that everyone should understand and practice, and he presents it approachably and constructively for younger readers with the help of Jason Reynolds.
This book covers history, critical race theory, social justice (and injustice), structural oppression, and more, in a vivid and engaging format that will be more interesting for learners (like me) who struggle with traditional teaching of history as facts and dates only. This book will make us upset, angry, hurt, confused, and hopeful as we share this untold story, and it’s important to allow ourselves to feel these emotions so we can become better as individuals and as a society.
Fiction books about social, historical, or current events:
These books are fiction books – stories with fictional characters and events – but they tackle real world issues and events like racism and censorship. By reading a fictional book on a real world issue, we can be more engaged personally in an issue or event and approach learning about the historical or social facts with more empathy. Coaching on these books will include opportunities to extend explorations and discussions real world events and issues.
Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King
We are seeing a new movement attempting to censor books in schools and libraries today, and many of us are troubled by it. This book is an excellent introduction to the issue of censorship that using a fictitious middle grader and his friends to explore the factual, emotional, and social dimensions of censorship and how it affects learning and our communities.
The book that is censored in this story, The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, is a real book (about a fictitious character experiencing the Holocaust) that has actually been censored, and would be a great book to read in tandem with this one. Out of respect for the heavy subject matter of The Devil’s Arithmetic, I will not offer it as a coaching option because I believe that families should approach the book in a way that fits with their values and learners’ emotional support needs. However, I highly recommend reading it, as Yolen is an outstanding author and the book has been lauded across communities for its honesty and power.
Troublemaker by John Cho
Troublemaker follows the events of the LA Riots through the eyes of 12-year-old Jordan as he navigates school and family. This book will highlight the unique Korean American perspective that is often erased in this history while acknowledging the hurts done to the Black American community.
12-year-old Jordan feels like he can’t live up to the example his older sister set, or his parent’s expectations. When he returns home from school one day hoping to hide his suspension, Los Angeles has reached a turning point. In the wake of the acquittal of the police officers filmed beating Rodney King, as well as the shooting of a young black teen, Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner, the country is at the precipice of confronting its racist past and present. (publisher synopsis)
This is an outstanding book by John Cho, the Korean-American actor and comedian, that presents a heartfelt and deeply human story of a fictional character who experiences the real world L.A. Riots that happened. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook either as a primary or secondary text (along with reading it) because Cho himself narrates the book, which includes some Korean language dialogue and words that are better when heard as they are accurately pronounced.