Reviews for Nostradamus

The average rating for Nostradamus based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-01-17 00:00:00 JAMES HEATH *Another year winding down, and another read aloud of Alfred Nobel in our final unit. This is a fascinating read for all of us, and I've found that this one generates a great discussion. My words from a year ago below are right on for me again with a different group of students. I find myself very impressed with the depth of the stories found in our grade level curriculum. We really delve into some deep, very involved topics. We've read about many people throughout the year where students learn about them being awarded with the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. It's just a phrase to them. Then, alas, we finish things off with a story about the man behind the prize. I have my students make predictions before reading about what they thought this man must've done in his lifetime to accomplish such a feat. Needless to say, they're very surprised of his famous invention and the focus of the story. It's a tough connection for all of my students to make as to how the prize went into place with his name, but I love that we focus on this book to teach the topic. This is an extremely quick read for them, and many find the topic fascinating.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-04-30 00:00:00 george loftis I knew the basic story of Alfred Nobel before I read the book: Nobel was the inventor of dynamite but wanted to leave a positive legacy to the world with his wealth. After his death, his estate is used to award Nobel prizes to leaders in several fields. This story does a wonderful job of distilling these basic facts and the realistic illustrations make it an engaging text. Unfortunately, the writing is not as clear or strong as it could be. I found parts of the story choppy or disconnected. And while Wargin makes a good effort to make the story simple for young readers, I felt that she didn't include quite enough information for young readers to truly understand Nobel's motivations for creating his awards. I will purchase this book for my elementary school collection because I believe it fills a niche and presents a biography of an important, notable individual. While I wish the text is a bit stronger, The Man Behind the Peace Prize will make a good read aloud and it's a book that will be used from year to year.