Website Review: GirlsHealth.Gov

GIRLSHEALTH.GOV is an informational website focusing on the health and well-being of girls.

Sponsored by the Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the website’s tagline is “be healthy, be happy, be you, beautiful.”

The information sources are divided into the following sections: body, fitness, nutrition, illness & disability, drugs, alcohol & smoking, your feelings, relationships, bullying, safety, your future, and environmental health. Each section provides an easy-to-understand overview and sub-pages exploring key ideas. Many of the pages include testimonials or experiences of teens that will be of interest to youth.

In addition to the major sections, users can also try quick quizzes, use interactive tools, and explore lists and tips. A search box provides an easy way to locate information by topic.

The website also links to social media. The Twitter feed contains links to youth health topics of interest across government websites. The Pinterest board contains short articles and images related to popular topics.

Librarians will find this website to contain useful information for teens taking health classes along with teens who have questions about specific topics related to personal issues such as relationships and bullying. Teachers will find the self-contained sections match well with health science topics such as fitness, nutrition, and environmental health. The website is also useful for addressing up-to-date topics such as Zika virus.

To visit the website, go to http://www.girlshealth.gov/.

Website Review: Flu Near You

FLU NEAR YOU is an informative and educational website focusing on community health in North America.

Users can identify where flu is more prevalent and also report instances of the flu.

Using data from the CDC, the Flu Map shows flu in your local area. The map can be expanded to show all of North America. Icons show areas exhibiting flu-like symptoms, any symptoms, and no symptoms.

The About section provides information about how the data is collected and who is sharing the data.

The News section features short articles about flu, prevention, and related health issues.

Librarians will find that this focused, easy-to-use website useful in teaching data literacy. The attractive format will appeal to students and the quality content will draw in teacher users.

To visit the website, go to https://flunearyou.org/.

Website Review: The Cancer Atlas

THE CANCER ATLAS is a website providing fascinating information about the global cancer landscape.

Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, World Health Organization, and the Union for International Cancer Control, the attractive and content-rich website contains sections focusing on different aspects of the problem.

The Data section provides access to an interactive map. Users view data based on metrics such as smoking prevalence, air pollution, or most commonly diagnosed cancer. This data can be presented on a world map or by specific country. Users can also display information on a list. A button is available to learn more about a particular metric. A comparison option is provided so users can compare data by country.

The Risk Factors section provides an overview to known risk factors along with specific factors such as tobacco, infections, diet and body composition, and UV radiation.

The Burden area discusses the global issues related to cancer noting issues in specific regions of the world.

The Taking Action area explores opportunities for cancer control.

Other areas include the History of Cancer and Glossary.

Librarians will find this highly-visual approach to cancer engaging for students. Use the website to promote your library’s many resources related to healthcare and cancer.

To visit the website, go to http://canceratlas.cancer.org/.

Book Review: The Last Leaves Falling

THE LAST LEAVES FALLING by Sarah Benwell tells the story of an lonely teenager dealing with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Set in Japan, Sora becomes increasingly isolated as his ALS progresses. He seeks solace in friendships he forms online with people who see him as more than his disease. These friends are supportive as he contemplates his end of life choices.

Benwell does an excellent job moving between online conversations and short narrative segments. Her portrayal of a teenager with ALS is authentic, painful, and heart wrenching, yet this beautifully written book isn’t depressing.

Librarians will find readers among those who enjoy realistic stories about Internet friendships, acceptance, and disabilities. Keep in mind that the topic of assisted suicide is central to the story.

To learn more about ALS, go to http://www.alsa.org/

Published by Simon & Schuster, June 2015.

Book Review: We Were Liars

WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart is an absorbing, edge-of-your-seat suspense with love, secrets, pain, and tragedy. It’s on lots of 2014 YA lists, so it’s worth another look.

The engaging story revolves around a wealthy family that reunites each summer on their private island. Readers follow Cady Sinclair’s frustrations in trying to put together the pieces of her life after a personal tragedy she doesn’t remember. Throughout the book, Lockhart weaves in short, dark fairy-tales that parallel the tragic storyline. The twists and turns along with the shocking conclusion make this perfect for a teen who enjoys escaping into the world of privilege, vacation homes, and summer romance. While many young adults will enjoy the distinct writing style, others may find it disjointed.

This thin novel contains short chapters and a quick-moving plot that will be popular with a wide range of readers. Early buzz about a movie adaptation will increase its popularity even more. Put this on your “read on the beach” summer book list.

An interesting website accompanies the book. It contains background information about the fictional family, story, and author. It also contains opportunities to extend the experience. Go to http://wewereliarsbook.tumblr.com/.

Book Review: Patient Zero and Red Madness

PATIENT ZERO by Marilee Peters tells a series of engaging true stories of the world’s scariest epidemics. Focusing on the courageous pioneers of epidemiology, each case follows the quest of a scientist to identify “patient zero”, the first person to contract and spread the disease. In each of the seven deadly diseases examined, scientists were able to build on the work of others to extend our knowledge in the hopes of preventing future catastrophes.

More people have died of disease than wars or natural disasters. The epidemics chronicled in this text include The Great Plague (1665), The Soho Outbreak (1854), Yellow Fever in Cuba (1900), Typhoid in New York City (1906), Spanish Influenza (1918), Ebola in Zaire, (1976), and AIDS in the U.S. (1980).

Peters’ writing style incorporates elements of mystery and horror to bring these compelling stories to life. Whether focusing on sympathetic victims like the infant in London who started the cholera epidemic or over-the-top characters such as Typhoid Mary, the cases are certain to jumpstart interest in other books related to disease and disaster. The glossary, index, and suggested readings are useful for youth readers.

Although students may be attracted to the layout and use of clipart, the book suffers from the lack of authentic primary source documents. Although the book points out that John Graunt collected health statistics, readers don’t get the chance to see his work. This omission would be a great opportunity to connect with online resources such as digital collections. Samuel Pepys’ diary accounts provide exciting insights into The Great Plague of 1665.

Maps play a central role in the world of many scientists seeking the elusive “patient zero.” Probably the best known is Dr. John Snow’s Mapping of the cholera epidemic of London. Check out an interactive map at http://goo.gl/Ff9qSw

Seeking online photographs is another way to enhance the book. The Library of Congress contains many excellent documents and photographs related to the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918. Chronicling American contains fascinating newspaper articles published during the epidemic at http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/pandemic.html. For more ideas, go to The Great Pandemic at http://www.flu.gov/pandemic/history/1918/

PATIENT ZERO mentions Google’s Flu Trends at http://www.google.org/flutrends/. Use this opportunity to introduce youth to this exciting source of data.

This book is particularly timely given the recent Ebola epidemics in Africa. Encourage youth to keep up-to-date on an interactive map from Healthmap at http://healthmap.org/ebola/

Another, recently published book RED MADNESS (2014) by Gail Jarrow focuses on the pellagra epidemic of the early 20th century in the American South caused by vitamin deficiency disease. Scientists found that enriching the diet with niacin helped to resolve the problem.

To learn more about maps in nonfiction literature, check out my articles in the October and December 2014 issues of Teacher Librarian.

Publisher ARC used for review.