YA Resource: Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different
Written by Karen Blumenthal

Published in 2012 by Square Fish Publishing
Ages 12-18 years | Grades 6 and up

ISBN: 978-1250014450

Awards
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Nominee (2013)




Review
Karen Blumenthal tells the story of Steve Jobs, a college dropout and innovator. The biography takes readers through the complicated life of Jobs, as he was often disliked by his peers and fixated on making something work at all costs. Adopted at a young age, Steve Jobs moved on to become the founder of Apple, creating the company in his parent's garage at the age of 21. Jobs saw a need for a desktop computer and, along with Steve Wozniak, engineered the first MacInstosh all-in-one PC (personal computer) in 1984. Furthering the technology world, Jobs founded and cultivated the now successful animation film studio, Pixar, digitizing cartoons and redefining animated films.

Simply put, Steve Jobs was a genius who kick started the technology movement of the future. Blumenthal's biography tells the complex story of the man behind Apple.

Professional Reviews

Publisher Weekly
Kirkus 

Teaching Ideas

Computer Technology  
1. C/T 9-12.9: Plan and apply strategies for gathering information, using a variety of tools and sources, and reflect on alternate strategies that might lead to greater successes in future projects.
Students will work on their persuasive writing and reporting skills a they research a local, state, national, or international issue of personal interest, develop their argument, and present their opinions in a series of five two-minute persuasive podcasts.

English
2. 10.2a:  The student will analyze, produce, and examine similarities and differences between visual and verbal media messages; use media, visual literacy, and technology skills to create products.
Students will write and publish an autobiography using the Book Creator for iPad.

Music Theory/Literacy
3. HG.2: The student will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines by incorporating appropriate voicings and ranges and using a variety of sound, notational, and technological sources.
Using the iPad app Symphony Pro students will compose a piece of sheet music and then compose a piece of their own to playback for their audience to hear. 

Theater Arts
4. TIII.6 (4): The student will demonstrate the application of theatre design by building a scale model of a setting for a stage or contemporary media production.
Students will design a set to scale using the StageWrite for iPad app. The app will allow students to account for set design with respect to spacing, choreography, and traffic patterns and movements for school-wide theatrical productions. 

Visual Arts and Computer Technology
5. AIV.6: The student will select subject matter, symbols, images, and media to communicate ideas and themes.
C/T 9-12.9: Plan and apply strategies for gathering information, using a variety of tools and sources, and reflect on alternate strategies that might lead to greater successes in future projects.
Using the iMotion HD app, students will create a create a time-lapse film using still images taken during their photography class. iMotion HD will allow students to generate their end of semester art portfolio in digital form. 

Partner Titles

Steve Jobs: Genius by Design by Jason Quinn and Amit Tayal details the life, inspiration, and creative process of Steve Jobs. Told in graphic novel format, students will find themselves drawn to the life of the man who thought different. This title was chosen because of the author's experience in writing graphic novels and because the format and content of the book will be of high interest to students. (Kirkus Review)

Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World by Jack Andraka and Matthew Lysiak is a biography memoir of Jack Andraka's mission to create a better method for early cancer detection. After his best friend passes away from pancreatic cancer, Jack, a scientist and inventor, creates  a strip of paper capable of detecting multiple forms of cancer four hundred times more effectively than the previous standard. This title was chosen because of it memoir point of view and for its notable scientific research on cancer detection. Students will also find this book of high interest as it chronicles the invention of a teen and also skirts the issues of overcoming depression and homophobic bullying. 

(Kirkus Review)


Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace is an all access pass inside Pixar Animation. Ed Catmull, Pixar co-founder along with Steve Jobs, brings readers into the heart of Pixar's manifestation with insight to meetings, ideas, sketches, and the process of producing the first film. Readers will learn about how to develop a creative culture through Catmull's blueprints and philosophies on the creative process. Creativity Inc. was chosen because it was co-written by Amy Wallace, who currently serves as editor-at-large at Los Angeles and Times magazine and because of Ed Catmull's experience as the co-founder of the company. This book would also be of high interest to students as it discusses the creative culture and animation production.

(Kirkus Review)


The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network by Katherine Losse is a memoir about her time working with Mark Zuckerberg during the startup days of Facebook. Fully engulfed in the social media world, Kate begins reevaluate her "social" life and rethinks the way she interacts with people in person and virtually. The book was chosen because of its memoir perspective and firsthand accounts of working with Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook. It will also be of high interest to students as it centers on the internet and social media and current social media trends. (Kirkus Review)


The Circle by Dave Eggers introduces Mae Holland, the newest employee at the Circle. The Circle is one of the nation's most powerful internet and social media company, creating the perfect all-in-one service for users. Mae feels like she has been given the opportunity of a lifetime and relishes in all of the perks her job has to offer, but fun quickly turns to fear as Mae learns that she is in a world without privacy. The Circle was chosen for because it was written by an awards winning author and would be of high interest to students as it fictionalizes the industry of the internet and social media. (Kirkus Review)

Further Exploration

The book trailer can be used as and introductory activity or anticipatory clip for students before they read the biography. 

An interview with Karen Blumenthal for Yalsa's The Hub gives readers insight to Blumenthal's research methods, inspiration, and the role school librarian's had in her writing process. 

iTunes U is a new Apple program that brings the classroom to students. This innovative app allows students to hand in homework, complete class discussions, and interact with textbooks. 

The History of Apple in 2 Minutes is a YouTube video that follows the chronological progression of Apple, noting the contributions of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. This can be incorporated into an anticipatory guide for students before reading the book. 

TIME's feature, The Apple Revolution: 10 Key Moments, chronicles Apple's foundation through the years, beginning with 1976. This is a great resource to give students context and background information about the company. 

A YouTube video of author Karen Blumenthal's YALSA 2013 Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist acceptance speech. In her speech Blumenthal recounts her research for the biography, quoting Steve Jobs as her inspiration and the lengths it took to complete the book. 

TEDTalks shows Steve Jobs giving his famous 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. In his speech Jobs encourages the graduating class, urging them to persevere, follow their dreams, and seize all opportunities.  

References

Andraka, J., & Lysiak, M. (2015). Breakthrough: How one teen innovator is changing the world. New York: HarperCollins.

Blumenthal, K. (2012). Steve jobs: The man who thought different: A biography. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

Catmull, E. E., & Wallace, A. (2014). Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the unseen forces that stand in the way of true inspiration. New York: Random House.

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. (2014, February). 30 ipad apps for music teachers. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2014/02/30-ipad-apps-for-music-teachers.html/.

Edutopia. (2014, February 20). 5 aps for making movies on mobile devices. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/apps-making-movies-mobile-devices-monica-burns.

FastCompany. (2014). The history of apple in 2 minutes. YouTube[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQh-1N_inMc.

Jobs, S. (2005, June). Steve jobs: How to live before you die. [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/steve_jobs_how_to_live_before_you_die/

Kurzman, M. (2013). Steve jobs: The man who thought different. YouTube[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2-Y_A2KSVI.

Losse, K. (2012). The boy kings: A journey into the heart of the social network. New York: Free Press.

Margis, A. (2013, January 25). An interview with nonfiction finalist karen blumenthal. Retrieved from http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2013/01/25/an-interview-with-nonfiction-finalist-karen-blumenthal/.

Quinn, J., & Tayal, A. (2012). Steve Jobs: Genius by design. New Delhi: Campfire.

ReadWriteThink. (2015). Creating a persuasive podcast. Retrieved from http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/creating-persuasive-podcast-1173.html.

StageWrite for Apple. (n.d.). Stage write app. Retrieved from http://www.stagewritesoftware.com/Stage-Write-App.html.

TIME. (2009, January 23). The apple revolution: 10 key moments. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1873486_1873491_1873530,00.html.

YALSA. (2013). Karen blumenthal: YALSA 2013 excellence in nonfiction                             finalist. YouTube[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOKtY8v1w8I.