“When we come together in groups, we make amazing things. Our admission ticket into these groups is not our thoughts or feelings. Our faces are our tickets. Our faces let us look out and know others and let them know us.” So begins Robert Hoge’s Ugly: A Memoir, which our selection committee chose as WORLD’s Children’s Nonfiction Book of the Year.

Hoge was the fifth child of working-class parents in Brisbane, Australia—and his mother didn’t want him. A huge tumor took up half the baby’s face, forcing his eyes apart and robbing him of a nose. His little legs were terribly misshapen. For the first week his mother could not even look at him: She went home from the hospital empty-handed. A month went by while she sorted through her feelings, but every other member of the family voted to bring the baby home, and she did. From then on, “Mom’s love for me grew fast and fierce.” That was Robert’s first big break. Surgeries and struggles followed, but family support never wavered.

If you read the back flap, you’ll know that Robert is a successful adult who’s had an interesting and varied career and is married with two daughters. You’ll also know that he’s still ugly, with a face that would leap out in a crowd and linger in your memory. This memoir is a fast read covering his first 14 years with a remarkable lack of cloying and self-pity, as well as a healthy dose of dry humor.

Having a dad and two older brothers who refused to baby him, Hoge learned early on how to manage juvenile name-calling and insults, but adults could sometimes reduce him to tears. One of his great disappointments in early life was physical limitation: His love of sports and competition seemed stymied by his legs until he discovered lawn bowling, an English game with a long history. A dedicated coach became a mentor, friend, and grandfather figure. Each small victory was another step in self-confidence.

At 14, Hoge faced a life-changing choice, and his decision will stun many readers—especially those at the targeted age level of 10 to 15. He gives no hint that he ever regretted this choice. In years to come, “sometimes people would say to me that I’d managed to do quite well despite my appearance and my disability. And I started to realize that I hadn’t become who I was despite those things. There was just as much chance I had become who I was because of my ugliness and my disability.”

At 14, young people are often obsessed with their looks. Boys as well as girls spend a lot of time, maybe too much, gazing into the mirror to spot everything that’s “wrong”—i.e., not in keeping with the cover image of Teen Vogue or Rolling Stone. This memoir should give them cause to think about outward appearance and inward character. Although Hoge was raised in a Catholic home and school, he does not directly credit Christian faith with making him what he is. It’s unclear whether or not he’s a believer—but his gratitude to parents, siblings, and mentors suggests a balanced and wholesome view of life. He doesn’t indulge in heavy moralizing, letting the comments and actions of certain people in his story speak for themselves.

At the end he gives readers a benchmark for thinking about faces and what lies behind them: All are “uglier than they think. We are all more beautiful too. We all have scars only we can own.”

Nonfiction Book of the Year Runners-up

Lost in the Pacific, 1942

Tod Olson

Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, America began mobilizing for a two-front, full-scale conflict. WWI flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker accepted a mission to the war zone to build morale and consult with commanders on the strategic island of Guadalcanal. But when the B-17 bomber carrying him and a six-man crew went down in the Pacific, no one knew where they were. This story of disaster and rescue exploits the dramatic potential of flawed but heroic men at the mercy of nature and each other, while acknowledging the Christian faith of some. A small amount of mild profanity does not detract from the value.

Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution

Gretchen Woelfle

They lived during a war for freedom; some even participated in it, as Loyalists or patriots. Not all died free, but these 13 outstanding Americans displayed courage and strength of character in spite of their circumstances, and they deserve to be better known. Rather than mere victims, these are real people with ambitions and distinct personalities, many of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Richard Allen, and Jarena Lee, were motivated by Christian faith. They founded schools and churches, established legal doctrines, and set others free. The author tells their stories in direct, winning prose, and the block-print illustrations speak with simple eloquence.

Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

Susan Hood

Ada Ríos lived on a landfill—literally. The town of Cateura, Paraguay, began as a dump, and salvaging trash is a major occupation of its citizens. When newcomer Favio Chávez offered music lessons to neighborhood children, Ada longed to participate, but purchasing a violin would take all her family’s income. To teach at least the rudiments of music Chávez began making instruments out of trash, and soon the kids were making their own. Such truly humble beginnings led to an internationally renowned orchestra, enabling Ada to tour the world making music from refuse—and showing the endless human creativity inherited from our Creator. Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport.

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White

Melissa Sweet

“I was suddenly seeing, feeling, and listening as a child sees, feels, and listens. It was one of those rare interludes that can never be repeated, a time of enchantment,” wrote E.B. White of five pivotal years spent in rural Maine. “I am fortunate indeed to have had the chance to get some of it down on paper.” Such blessings define White’s entire life, from loving parents and quality education to a happy marriage and satisfying career. Few clouds appear in this sunny biography, packed with collages of clippings, photos, Melissa Sweet’s winsome illustrations, and White’s own words. —J.B.C.

Afterword

The Radical Book for Kids has no bad words and lots of good ones. Baptist pastor Champ Thornton rightly calls his book “an explorer’s guide to the Word of God and the World he has made,” and “a starter kit covering topics like apologetics, theology, hermeneutics, church history, literature, science and Christian living in a way that’s fun and engaging.”

In 67 beautifully designed short chapters, children ages 8 and older encounter challenging topics such as evidences for God and Biblical truth; practical help with memorizing, acquiring wisdom, and cleaning your room; fun stuff to learn, like the Hebrew and Greek alphabets; even Bible-era games. The last chapter, “What to Do When Bad Things Happen,” points them in the right direction for growing up.

“Since God is the least boring person in the universe, there’s more than enough of him to captivate and delight young readers,” says Thornton. The Radical Book for Kids is a gateway to captivation and delight. —J.B.C.