More Children's Middle Grade Non-Fiction by Linda Soules
The "So You Want To Be A..." Series
So You Want To Be A Crime Scene Investigator: A Kids' Guide to Forensic Science, Evidence Collection, Crime Labs, and the Detail-Minded Detectives Who Solve Mysteries Using Clues and Science
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Real forensic results take weeks, not minutes, and the analyst who processes the evidence is usually not the person who collected it. The job is documentation, patience, and refusing to guess. In So You Want To Be A Crime Scene Investigator, readers ages 10–14 learn how the work actually goes: securing a scene, photographing and sketching it, collecting fingerprints, DNA, trace evidence, and biological samples, packaging everything correctly, and maintaining the chain of custody that determines whether findings hold up in court. The book explains what laboratory disciplines really do — DNA analysis, toxicology, firearms and toolmarks, digital forensics, latent prints — and how investigators later testify to their work. Young readers get the path in: chemistry, biology, and math coursework, forensic science or natural science degrees, internships, crime lab training, and certification. The book distinguishes sworn officers from civilian technicians and explains both routes. It profiles working investigators and figures who shaped forensic science, and it is candid about the trade-offs: on-call hours, difficult scenes, the emotional weight, backlogged labs, and the well-documented limits of some forensic methods. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Animator: A Kids' Guide to Animation, Character Design, Storyboarding, and the Imaginative Artists Who Make Drawings Move and Stories Come Alive
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
A few seconds of finished animation can take a week. The skill that separates working animators from hobbyists is not drawing — it is understanding how weight, timing, and anticipation make an audience believe something is alive. In So You Want To Be An Animator, readers ages 10–14 learn how animation is really produced: storyboards and animatics, character design, keyframes and in-betweens, rigging, layout, lighting, rendering, and the revision notes that arrive at every stage. The book covers 2D, 3D, stop-motion, and motion graphics, and shows how a studio pipeline divides the work among dozens of specialists. Young readers see where animators work — feature and television studios, video games, advertising, visual effects, medical and scientific visualization, and independent film — and the path in: drawing and life-drawing practice, software skills, animation and art programs, portfolio reels, and internships. The book profiles working animators and figures who shaped the medium, and it is candid about the trade-offs: crunch periods, project-based contracts, competition for entry-level roles, and the reality that most animators work on someone else's vision before they get to tell their own stories. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Ballet Dancer: A Kids' Guide to Ballet, Dance Technique, Stage Performance, and the Graceful Artists Who Train Their Bodies to Tell Stories Through Movement
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Class comes first. Every morning, for an entire career, professional dancers return to the same barre exercises they learned as children — because the technique never stops needing maintenance. In So You Want To Be A Ballet Dancer, readers ages 10–14 learn what the art actually demands: daily class, rehearsal, pointe work, partnering, musicality, and the strength and flexibility training that support them. The book explains how a company operates — corps de ballet, soloists, principals, the ballet master, the choreographer — and how repertory is built, staged, and toured. Young readers get the real path: early training, choosing a school, summer intensives, pre-professional programs, auditions, apprenticeships, and company contracts. The book also covers what dancers do after performing, including teaching, choreography, notation, arts administration, and physical therapy. It profiles working dancers and figures who shaped ballet, and it is candid about the trade-offs: injuries, short careers, modest pay for most, intense competition, and the pressures around body image that the field has been working to address. The book treats these questions seriously and points readers toward healthy training environments. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Astronomer & Exoplanet Hunter: A Kids' Guide to Astronomy, Telescopes, Stars and Galaxies, and the Curious Scientists Who Search the Universe for New Worlds
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Nobody has ever seen most of the planets we know about. They were found in the way a star's light dips by a fraction of a percent, night after night, in data nobody looked at by eye. In So You Want To Be An Astronomer & Exoplanet Hunter, readers ages 10–14 learn how the search really works: the transit and radial velocity methods, direct imaging, gravitational microlensing, and the follow-up observations that confirm a candidate is a planet rather than an instrument error. The book covers spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres, what makes a world potentially habitable, and how astronomers write code to sift enormous data sets. Young readers get the path in: physics, math, and programming coursework, amateur observing, undergraduate research, graduate school, and postdoctoral work, plus where astronomers actually sit — universities, space agencies, national observatories, and instrument teams. The book explains how telescope time is won and why most discoveries belong to large collaborations. It profiles working astronomers and figures who changed the field, and it is candid about the trade-offs: scarce permanent positions, competitive funding, years on a single instrument, and results measured in decades. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Waterslide Tester: A Kids' Guide to Waterslide Testing, Theme Park Safety, Ride Design, and the Lucky Professionals Whose Job Is to Splash, Slide, and Make Sure Every Ride Is Perfect
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Yes, it's a real job. No, it isn't a summer of free rides. The people who test waterslides are engineers and safety inspectors carrying stopwatches, tape measures, and a checklist. In So You Want To Be A Waterslide Tester, readers ages 10–14 learn what the work actually involves: measuring exit speeds, checking water flow rates and depths, timing intervals between riders, inspecting fiberglass seams and joints, verifying that turns hold riders safely at every body weight, and documenting every result. The book explains the physics behind a slide — gravity, friction, water as a lubricant, centripetal force — and the safety standards a ride must meet before the public ever climbs the stairs. Young readers see the real careers behind the fun title: aquatic engineering, ride design, park operations and maintenance, lifeguard and aquatics management, and safety inspection. The book covers the math and physics coursework, engineering programs, certifications, and seasonal park jobs that lead there. It profiles people who do this work, and it is honest about the trade-offs: seasonal employment, early mornings, repetitive testing, weather, and real responsibility for other people's safety. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Coder (Computer Programmer): A Kids' Guide to Coding, Programming Languages, Software Development, and the Problem-Solvers Who Build the Technology We Use Every Day
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Programmers spend more time reading code than writing it, and more time fixing what's broken than building what's new. Debugging isn't the interruption — it's the job. In So You Want To Be A Coder (Computer Programmer), readers ages 10–14 learn how software really gets made: breaking a problem into steps, choosing data structures, writing and testing functions, tracking down bugs, reviewing teammates' code, and shipping updates to people who depend on them. The book explains version control, documentation, and why working on a team is a skill separate from writing code. Young readers see the range the field covers — web and mobile development, games, embedded systems, data science, machine learning, security, and scientific computing — and where programmers work, from small startups to hospitals, banks, and government labs. The book lays out the paths in: math and logic coursework, first languages worth learning, personal projects, computer science degrees, bootcamps, and open-source contribution. It profiles working programmers and figures who shaped computing, and it is candid about the trade-offs: sitting for long stretches, constant relearning, deadline pressure, and hard questions about privacy, bias, and what AI tools mean for the work. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Diplomat: A Kids' Guide to Diplomacy, International Relations, Embassies, and the Skilled Negotiators Who Build Peace and Understanding Between Nations
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Most diplomacy is unglamorous and slow: reading, listening, taking careful notes, and writing a cable at midnight that someone in a capital thousands of miles away will read the next morning. In So You Want To Be A Diplomat, readers ages 10–14 learn what foreign service work actually involves — negotiating agreements, reporting on political and economic conditions, issuing visas and passports, assisting citizens in trouble abroad, running cultural and educational exchanges, and coordinating disaster and humanitarian response. The book explains embassies and consulates, protocol, treaties, multilateral bodies like the UN, and why patience and precise language matter more than charisma. Young readers get the real path in: history, economics, political science, and language study, study abroad, internships, the competitive foreign service examination, and the assignments that follow. It also covers related routes — international organizations, NGOs, and trade and development work. The book profiles working diplomats and figures who shaped international relations, and it is candid about the trade-offs: relocating every few years, families uprooted, hardship and high-risk posts, representing policies you may personally question, and negotiations that take decades. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor: A Kids' Guide to Ice Cream Science, Flavor Development, Food Innovation, and the Creative Taste-Testers Who Dream Up the Scoops We All Scream For
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
A flavor that tastes perfect at room temperature can disappear at fifteen degrees. Cold numbs the tongue, so inventing ice cream means solving a chemistry problem before it's ever a creative one. In So You Want To Be An Ice Cream Flavor Inventor, readers ages 10–14 learn how new flavors actually get made: balancing fat, sugar, and solids, controlling ice crystal size and overrun, sourcing ingredients, running small test batches, and revising after consumer taste panels say something isn't working. The book follows a flavor from idea through pilot plant, shelf-life testing, nutrition labeling, cost analysis, and full production. Young readers discover the real profession behind the fun title — food science, sensory science, and product development — and where these people work: creameries, large manufacturers, flavor houses, and test kitchens. The book covers chemistry and biology coursework, food science degrees, internships, and dairy science programs. It profiles working flavor developers and figures who shaped the industry, and it is honest about the trade-offs: most concepts never launch, cost targets that reshape recipes, repetitive tasting sessions, and factory schedules that start very early. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Fashion Designer: A Kids' Guide to Fashion Design, Fabric, Trend Forecasting, and the Creative Visionaries Who Sketch, Sew, and Shape the Way the World Gets Dressed
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
The sketch is the easy part. Turning a drawing into something a person can actually wear means understanding how fabric falls, how a seam holds, and how to make the same garment fit a thousand different bodies. In So You Want To Be A Fashion Designer, readers ages 10–14 go inside the real process: research and mood boards, fabric sourcing, sketching, pattern making, draping on a dress form, sewing a sample, fitting it on a live model, and revising until it works. The book follows a garment from concept through tech pack, factory production, and the store rack, and explains the seasonal calendar that governs everything. Young readers discover how many careers live inside "fashion" — designer, patternmaker, technical designer, textile designer, stylist, buyer, merchandiser, costume designer — and how to get there: sewing and drawing practice, art and design programs, portfolio building, internships, and starting a label. It profiles working designers and figures who changed what people wear, and it is candid about the hard parts: brutal competition, long hours before a show, thin margins, and the industry's serious reckoning with waste, fast fashion, and labor conditions. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Candy Scientist: A Kids' Guide to Candy Making, Food Science, Flavor Chemistry, and the Sweet-Toothed Scientists Who Invent the Treats We Can't Stop Eating
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Sugar can become glass, sand, silk, or chew — and the only difference is temperature, timing, and what you stir in. Candy is one of the most demanding chemistry problems in the food world, disguised as the most fun one. In So You Want To Be A Candy Scientist, readers ages 10–14 learn how confections are really engineered: sugar crystallization and the hard-crack stages, chocolate tempering and cocoa butter crystals, emulsifiers, gelatin and pectin gels, aeration, acidity, and the humidity control that keeps a gummy from turning into a puddle. The book follows a candy from bench experiment through pilot batch, shelf-life testing, packaging, labeling, cost analysis, and full factory production. Young readers meet the actual profession behind the title — food science and product development — and see where these scientists work: candy makers, chocolate companies, flavor houses, and research labs. The book covers chemistry and math coursework, food science degrees, internships, and pastry and confectionery training. It profiles working candy scientists and figures who shaped the industry, and it is honest about the trade-offs: batches that fail, recipes reshaped by cost, and repetitive testing. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Animal Rescue Worker: A Kids' Guide to Animal Rescue, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Shelter Care, and the Compassionate Heroes Who Give Injured and Abandoned Animals a Second Chance
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
The animal that hides in the back of the kennel and won't look at you is the one who will teach you the most about this job. Rescue work is patience measured in weeks. In So You Want To Be An Animal Rescue Worker, readers ages 10–14 learn what the work actually involves: intake exams and quarantine, feeding and cleaning, behavior assessment, socialization and training, foster placement, adoption matching, and field response to cruelty cases, hoarding situations, and disasters. The book explains how shelters, humane societies, sanctuaries, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and animal control agencies differ, and how each fits into a community. Young readers get the real path in: volunteering, biology and psychology coursework, veterinary technician training, animal behavior certifications, wildlife rehabilitation licenses, and the fundraising and nonprofit skills that keep organizations running. The book profiles working rescue staff and figures who changed how animals are treated, and it is candid about the trade-offs: modest pay, physical work, bites and scratches, compassion fatigue, and the hardest reality of all — that not every animal can be saved, and that the people who do this work learn to keep going anyway. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Activist: A Kids' Guide to Activism, Social Justice, Community Organizing, and the Courageous Changemakers Who Stand Up and Speak Out to Make the World Better
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Marches make the news. What actually changes things is usually a spreadsheet of contacts, a meeting nobody photographed, and someone willing to show up for the eleventh year. In So You Want To Be An Activist, readers ages 10–14 learn how movements really work: researching an issue, building a coalition, organizing volunteers, fundraising, lobbying officials, drafting policy, running petition and letter campaigns, using media and social platforms, and measuring whether any of it moved the outcome. The book explains the difference between raising awareness and winning a concrete change. Young readers see where this work leads professionally — nonprofit and community organizing, advocacy groups, unions, legal advocacy, public interest law, policy research, and communications — and the paths in: student government and school clubs, volunteering, history and civics coursework, political science and public policy degrees, and internships with campaigns and organizations. The book profiles activists across a range of causes and eras, and it is honest about the trade-offs: modest pay, burnout, slow progress, internal disagreement, opposition, and campaigns that lose. It also encourages readers to think carefully about the causes they choose. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Lawyer: A Kids’ Guide to Law, Courtrooms, Justice, and the Sharp-Minded Advocates Who Fight for Fairness and Protect People’s Rights
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Most lawyers rarely see a courtroom. The work is reading, writing, and asking the question everyone else skipped — and the case is usually won or lost long before anyone stands up to argue it. In So You Want To Be A Lawyer, readers ages 10–14 learn what the profession actually involves: interviewing clients, researching precedent, drafting contracts and briefs, negotiating settlements, taking depositions, and preparing the evidence that trials are built on. The book explains how courts, statutes, and precedent fit together, and what lawyers owe their clients — confidentiality, loyalty, and honesty with the court. Young readers discover how wide the field runs: criminal prosecution and defense, corporate and securities work, family law, immigration, intellectual property, environmental law, public interest and legal aid, plus judges, clerks, and in-house counsel. The book maps the path — any undergraduate major, the LSAT, law school, internships and clerkships, and the bar exam. It profiles working lawyers and figures who changed the law, and it is candid about the trade-offs: student debt, long hours, adversarial pressure, clients you may not like, and cases that end unjustly. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Journalist: A Kids' Guide to Journalism, News Reporting, Investigative Stories, and the Determined Writers Who Uncover the Truth and Keep the World Informed
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
The story you're chasing is rarely the story you file. Reporting means following the facts even when they dismantle the version you were sure was true. In So You Want To Be A Journalist, readers ages 10–14 learn how news is really made: developing sources, interviewing, requesting public records, verifying claims against documents, fact-checking, writing to a deadline, and working with editors who push back. The book explains attribution and off-the-record rules, corrections, the line between reporting and opinion, and why two sources are better than one. Young readers see the range of the field — local and national news, investigative reporting, broadcast, podcasts, photojournalism, data journalism, sports, science, and foreign correspondence — and the path in: school newspapers, writing practice, journalism or subject-matter degrees, internships, and building clips. The book profiles working reporters and figures who changed the profession, and it is candid about the trade-offs: shrinking newsrooms, modest pay, irregular hours, public hostility, legal and physical risk, and the responsibility that comes with getting something wrong in print. It also takes seriously how readers can evaluate the news they consume. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Psychotherapist: A Kids' Guide to Mental Health, Talk Therapy, Emotional Wellness, and the Caring Professionals Who Help People Understand Their Feelings and Heal
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
The instinct to fix someone's problem is the first thing therapists have to unlearn. Most of the work is listening carefully enough that the person in the room hears themselves. In So You Want To Be A Psychotherapist, readers ages 10–14 learn what the profession actually involves: building trust, assessment, setting goals, and applying approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, family systems, play therapy, and trauma-informed care. The book explains confidentiality and its limits, professional boundaries, clinical supervision, documentation, and why therapists have their own therapy and consultation. Young readers see the paths in — psychology, social work, counseling, and marriage and family therapy — and what each requires: undergraduate coursework, a master's or doctorate, thousands of supervised clinical hours, licensing exams, and continuing education. It also covers where therapists work: private practice, schools, hospitals, community clinics, and the military. The book profiles working therapists and figures who shaped the field, and it is candid about the trade-offs: emotionally demanding work, insurance and paperwork, clients who don't improve, vicarious trauma, and the self-care that sustains a long career. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Psychologist: A Kids' Guide to Psychology, the Human Mind, Behavior Science, and the Curious Professionals Who Study Why We Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Psychology is not mind reading. It is the far harder discipline of measuring something invisible — attention, memory, fear, motivation — well enough that another researcher can test whether you were right. In So You Want To Be A Psychologist, readers ages 10–14 learn what the field actually involves: designing studies, recruiting participants, running experiments, analyzing statistics, and submitting findings for peer review. On the clinical side, it covers assessment, psychological testing, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment. The book explains research ethics, informed consent, and why replication matters after years of the field examining its own methods. Young readers see how many directions the profession runs — clinical, counseling, school, developmental, cognitive, neuropsychology, forensic, sports, and industrial-organizational psychology — and where psychologists work: universities, hospitals, schools, courts, clinics, and companies. The book maps the path: psychology and statistics coursework, research assistantships, a PhD or PsyD, supervised hours, and licensure. It profiles working psychologists and figures who shaped the discipline, and it is candid about the trade-offs: long training, competitive funding and admissions, insurance paperwork, and questions the science still hasn't answered. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be An Architect: A Kids' Guide to Architecture, Building Design, Blueprints, and the Creative Thinkers Who Imagine and Shape the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
A building has to stand up, keep the rain out, meet the code, come in on budget, and only then be beautiful. Architecture is the art of getting all five at once. In So You Want To Be An Architect, readers ages 10–14 learn how buildings really get made: meeting the client, studying the site, sketching and modeling options, developing drawings, coordinating with structural, mechanical, and electrical engineers, navigating permits and zoning, bidding the work, and visiting the construction site to answer the questions no drawing anticipated. The book explains scale, light, circulation, materials, accessibility, and sustainable design. Young readers see the range of the field — houses, schools, hospitals, museums, landscape and interior architecture, urban planning, historic preservation — and the path in: drawing and math coursework, model building, a professional degree, internship hours, and the licensing exams. The book profiles working architects and figures who reshaped how people live, and it is candid about the trade-offs: long training, modest early pay, all-night deadlines, budgets that cut good ideas, and projects that take a decade or never get built at all. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Teacher: A Kids’ Guide to Education, Classroom Life, Lesson Planning, and the Inspiring Mentors Who Help Young Minds Learn, Grow, and Shine
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Knowing something and being able to teach it are different skills. The second one is harder, and it is built out of planning, patience, and figuring out where a student actually got lost. In So You Want To Be A Teacher, readers ages 10–14 learn what the job really involves: writing lesson plans, adapting one lesson for thirty different learners, managing a classroom, assessing what students have understood, communicating with families, and the hours of grading and preparation that happen after the last bell. Young readers see the range the profession covers — elementary, middle, and high school, special education, ESL, music and art, career and technical education, librarians, counselors, and administrators — and where teachers work: public and private schools, charters, international schools, and homeschool support programs. The book lays out the path: subject coursework, education degrees, student teaching, certification exams, licensure, and master's programs. It profiles working teachers and figures who changed education, and it is candid about the trade-offs: modest pay, large classes, limited supplies, standardized testing pressure, burnout, and students whose hardest problems live outside the classroom. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available.
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So You Want To Be A Librarian: A Kids' Guide to Libraries, Book Curation, Information Science, and the Resourceful Guides Who Help Us Find Stories, Answers, and Adventures on Every Shelf
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Most people picture the reading. The real work happens at a reference desk turning "I need something about science" into the book someone actually needed, in a cataloging record no patron will ever see, and in a budget meeting about which titles the collection can't afford this year. In So You Want To Be A Librarian, readers ages 10–14 learn what the profession actually demands. The book covers the paths — public, school, academic, special and corporate libraries, archives — and explains what an MLIS requires, how the specializations differ, and what the work pays. Young readers discover the human side (the reference interview, reader's advisory, teaching information literacy so people can evaluate what they find), the technical side (cataloging and metadata, library systems, collection development), and the fact that a librarian is one member of a staff whose specializations combine into work no single person could do alone. The book profiles librarians who shaped the field, and it is honest about the pressures: book challenges and intellectual freedom, the privacy of patron records, flat budgets, and the communities that arrive at the library because other institutions have failed them. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available for classroom and library use.
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So You Want To Be A Geologist: A Kids’ Guide to Geology, Rocks and Minerals, Earth Science, and the Curious Scientists Who Read the Stories Written in Stone Beneath Our Feet
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Children's Nonfiction (Middle Grade)
Most people picture the rock hammer. The real work happens on a ridge at 6 a.m. logging a section by hand, in a core shed measuring the same twenty meters of drill sample for the fourth time, and at a screen turning a season of field notes into a map somebody will make a hundred-million-dollar decision from. In So You Want To Be A Geologist, readers ages 10–14 learn what the science actually demands. The book covers where geologists work — mining and mineral exploration, energy, environmental consulting, hazard monitoring, water resources, government surveys, universities and museums — and explains how the education stacks up, why field camp matters, and which paths require a master's degree. Young readers discover the field side (mapping, sampling, reading a landscape for what it used to be), the lab and technical side (petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, GIS, dating methods), and the reasoning that runs through all of it: building a story about deep time from evidence that is incomplete on purpose. The book profiles working geologists and figures who reshaped the science, and it is honest about the trade-offs: field seasons away from home, remote postings, a job market that rises and falls with commodity prices, and the hard questions that come with extractive industry work. Part of the award-winning So You Want To Be A… series. A free Teacher's Companion Guide is available for classroom and library use.
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