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| Book received at no charge to facilitate review. |
Washington can think of no better way of spending his summer vacation than at a basketball tournament performing as a star in the sport he loves. When his parents inform him he must give up his spot in the tournament to focus on his reading skills, Washington feels as if his life is ruined. It gets worse when his parents insist he accompany them on a family reunion to East Texas with extended family he barely knows.
While reading under a tree and with the help of red dirt, Washington travels back in time to witness the horrors of slavery through the lives of his predecessors. The cruel treatment a slave receives for merely reading a book shocks Washington. Will his life ever be the same after what he sees and will he recognize literacy is a gift?
Dirt expounds not only on the importance of family but also the importance of education. A must read for the young adult reader who might need to be reminded of the importance of literacy. An inspiration to African American community of what education can accomplish and a sober reminder to others of the dark past we sometimes forget.
Rating ★★★★☆
This book can be purchased from the following retailers:
Prosper Denton makes his boss eat dirt. And on his first day in her employ, at that.
Oh, it’s not as bad as it sounds. See for yourself:
Charley raised the dirt to her mouth. She sniffed: wood smoke, grass, damp like a sidewalk after it rained. She tasted: grit, fine as ground glass, chocolate, and what? Maybe ash? She closed her eyes as soil dissolved over her tongue, and slowly, slowly, almost like a good wine, the soil began to tell its story. She tasted the muck, and the peat, and the years of composted leaves, the branches and vines that had been recently plowed under, and the faint sweetness the cane left behind. She swallowed: a moldy aftertaste she knew would stay on her tongue for the rest of the afternoon.
Okay, so maybe the moldy aftertaste is that bad. But the lesson is invaluable.
You see, Charley Bordelon has just inherited an 800-acre sugar cane plantation in middle-of-nowhere Louisiana. The man she’s been paying to run it until she can relocate with her daughter from L.A. has not only not been doing his job; he then up and quits on her the day she gets to town.
So Charley finds herself a young, black, single mother from another state struggling to find a foothold in a town of old white men who’ve been there generations and would be more than happy to buy her out when she fails at this endeavor.
If Charley has any hope of succeeding (and putting all those jerks in their places), she’s going to have to dig in with both hands. Luckily, she’s not afraid of a little dirt ;)
Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth: All About Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, & Even DIRT! 
Written by Steve Tomecek
Illustrated by Fred Harper
National Geographic Society 6/09/2015
978-1-4263-1903-7
128 pages Age 8—12
“Geologist Steve Tomecek, aka The Dirtmeister, and his sidekick Digger unearth all kinds of amazing information in this comprehensive book about geology. Clear explanations of geologic processes will teach future geoscientists the fascinating topics while fun facts and simple experiments reinforce the concepts. So grab your shovel and get ready to play IN THE DIRT.” [back cover]
Review
Divided into ten relatively short, but in-depth, color-coded chapters, (such as “The Dynamics of Soil,” “How it (Earth) All Began,” and “Digging Old Dead Things”), Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth will teach kids a lot about geology and how it helps answer many questions. While very educational—teachers will love it—the kid-friendly book is equally entertaining. Kids are at the center of Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth. In fact, each chapter begins with a question put forth by a middle-grade-aged kid:
“Is that you down there, Dirtmeister?
I thought I recognized your dirtmobile.
My name is Richie and I have a quick
question . . . How did the Grand Canyon
get to be, you know, so grand?”
(Richie, in chapter 6, “What Goes Up Must Come Down”)
Other kids ask questions about such things as volcanoes, earthquakes, the shape of the continents, if can rocks make other rocks, and if dinosaurs are really extinct. The questions are interesting and the answers fascinating and fun. The Dirtmeister adds “cool” facts he calls “Dirtmeister’s Nuggets,” short biographies of important people, and simple experiments that let kids see geology at work. The illustrations are cartoonish and the images of Dirtmeister and his sidekick Digger are quite expressive. The art, especially the first spread of each chapter and its graphic novel layout, help draw in the reader and make the book feel personal, as if Dirtmeister is talking directly to the you. The remaining of the book is filled with photographs, illustrations, diagrams, and text that answers each question and then digs a bit deeper.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth from cover-to-cover. Being a National Geographic Kids publication I should have realized, even before turning to page 1, that I was in for a humorous, engaging, and educational read with incredible illustrations by Fred Harper. Geology, heck science of any kind, was never this easy to understand or could grab me from start to finish. I was amazed at geology’s reach. Topics included not just how to find Earth’s age, but how she came into existence.
The variety of subjects, tied into the Earth’s soil and its importance to humans, makes Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth ideal as an adjunct middle grade science text. I think elementary teachers could also find ways to utilize this book in their science classrooms. The entire book is kid-friendly and larger words are defined (in context). Home-schoolers should not miss a page of Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Earth. The author has correlated each chapter with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)* and STEM** Science Standards, both for grades 3 to 8. These follow the final chapter. There is also an extensive Index.
From volcanoes spewing hot lava and earthquakes splitting open Mother Earth, plus experiments such as designing rocks, building sediments, and simulating the Big Chill, Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth is probably the dirtiest middle grade book ever written—parents and teachers will approve. Oh, yeah, so will kids!
*NGSS was developed by the National Research Council and are based on the Framework for K—12 Science Education. Website: http://nextgenscience.org/
**STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. Teachers can find relevant information on STEM at the National Education Association (NEA), PBS, and at Teach.com.
DIRTMEISTER’S NITTY GRITTY PLANET EARTH: ALL ABOUT ROCKS, MINERALS, FOSSILS, EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANOES, & EVEN DIRT! Text copyright (C) 2015 by Steve Tomecek. Illustrations copyright (C) 2015 by Fred Harper. Photographs copyrights vary and are listed in the book. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC.
You can buy Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—National Geography.
Learn more about Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth HERE.
Information for Teachers and Librarians HERE and HERE.
National Geographic + Common Core is HERE.
More for Kids from National Geographic Kids HERE.
Meet the author, Steve Tomecek, at his website: http://www.dirtmeister.com/
Meet the illustrator, Fred Harper, at his website: http://www.fredharper.com/
Find more books at the National Geographic Kids website: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
ALSO BY STEVE TOMECEK
Dirt (Jump Into Science®)
Moon (Jump Into Science®)
Sun (Jump Into Science®)
Rocks and Minerals (Jump Into Science®)
Stars (Jump Into Science®)
Rocks and Minerals (National Geographic Kids Everything)
Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved
Full Disclosure: Dirtmeister’s Nitty Gritty Planet Earth: All About Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Even DIRT! by Steve Tomecek & Fred Harper, and received from National Geographic Society, is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Filed under:
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The Dirtmeister 
Things in China can quickly get a bit “gritty” (to put it kindly) and if you don’t keep on top of your cleaning, which I don’t, think can get downright nasty. This is our second and least used balcony which hasn’t been cleaned for at least 6 months. I still didn’t clean it, but I did find that it makes a fun drawing medium.
Someday I’ll work my way up to something awesome like this.
It’s that time of year again. A time to dream about the garden! Many people begin cleaning their homes but my mind travels to the garden. I am not a master gardener, but I love digging and planting and waiting to see what comes up! This year I am planting with my niece in mind. She is getting married in August and I love the idea of snipping off blooms for her center pieces!
I picked up some seeds at the nursery today and will place an order at Burpee for some fancy zinnias!
HOORAY for SPRING!!!! Rocks in my shoes, dirt in my hair, hahaha! FUN in the sun!
…Okay, so we are expecting snow tomorrow and Monday… but I am already growing flowers in my dreams.
Filed under:
Just for fun,
The Great Outdoors! 
“Don’t pray for rain if you’re going to complain about the mud!”
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I understand just how you feel about the creative potential of the soil, Leslie! I put kale, broccoli and lettuce in the garden two weeks ago and now with all the rain we’re having, I’m so glad I took advantage of those two dry days to get out in the dirt. Like you several years ago, now, I planted hydrangeas in the fall so that when July came, my son and his bride could have both blue and greenish-white blooms for their tables. They were NOT disappointed. And seeing my Chinese nieces as flower girls prompted a watercolor/conte drawing that became the cover for their memory book called, “Daughters of China: Sisters in America.” (I saw your celebration bouquet on Kevan’s post and just had to offer my congratulations also!)
Gretchen! A fellow gardener and artist!!! YOur flowers sounded so beautiful. I LOVE hydrangeas… not sure if my thumb can grow them but I am willing to try! Would love to see your drawing. There is nothing like working hard in the garden and then sitting in it!!! I am making plans to have more sitting places this year. I have a lot of shade so a garden out back is always a challenge! Great to meet you!!! -les