Five Faves: Informational Books About Eclipses

One of my newer bucket list goals is to see a total solar eclipse. When I realized that this year's eclipse would be the week after my kids' spring break, I went into chaotic research mode to see if we could find a way to get to a part of the country where we could see the eclipse in totality. Alas, we can't make it work this time, and I'm still not over it. Maybe 2026 in Iceland--how cool would that be?! Whether you can experience the eclipse in person or just wish you could, you can still have the joy of learning more about eclipses with the following informational reads!

Casting Shadows: Solar and Lunar Eclipses With the Planetary Society
By Bruce Betts
Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Pub Group, 2024, Informational. 32 pages.

Learn about the different types of eclipses, where and how you can safely see them, why they happen, and cool things that can happen during the different types of eclipses. Beautiful, full-color photographs go along with the wealth of information.

Eclipse
By Andy Rash
New York: Scholastic Press, 2023. Informational.

A father and son share in the excitement and beauty of a solar eclipse. Told in countdown style, a little boys learns about an eclipse to happen in a month's time and then follows him and his father in different moments leading up to the eclipse, how time seems to stand still during the eclipse, and ends describing the moments after and the memories the pair will cherish in the far distant future.

Eclipse Chaser: Science in the Moon's Shadow
By Ilima Loomis
Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. Informational. 79 pages.

Readers follow a solar scientist and her team as they attempt, with varying degrees of success, to study the sun's coronal atmosphere during solar eclipses. Descriptions of what the scientists found in the past and what they were looking for in the future, and why, are explained clearly.

Exploring Eclipses
By Jill Sherman
North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2018. Informational. 32 pages.

Exploring Eclipses explains how people in the past viewed and tried to make sense of eclipses, the different types and parts of eclipses, and how eclipses are studied today.

A Few Beautiful Minutes: Experiencing a Solar Eclipse
Written by Kate Allen Fox
Illustrated by Khoa Le
New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2023. Informational.

An ode to the awe-inspiring nature of a solar eclipse and how it reminds humanity of their tininess in the universe and brings people together over a few beautiful shared moments.

Comments

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: Fresh Start

Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard. Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...

Review: Will's Race for Home

Willl's Race for Home By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages. Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable. This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...

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