So You Want to be a Cyberspy?

Cyberspies: Inside the World of Hacking, Online Privacy, and Cyberterrorism 
by Michael Miller 
120 pages; ages 11-18
Twenty-First Century Books/Lerner, 2021

In this book, Michael Miller provides a primer on cyberspying. He shows how digital threats are used against individuals, businesses, and entire governments. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of cyber threats, and includes steps you can take to protect yourself.

The first chapter takes readers into the world of cyberintelligence – and yes, there are jobs for those who are interested.  He gives a glimpse into cyber command at NSA. From there, he shows how people can use computers to legally search government records, news archives, and more. He contrasts that with a chapter describing how people use computers to obtain private – and in some cases secret – information. They often employ phishing emails to obtain access to business and government secrets.

A pair of chapters take a close look at cyberspying and politics. Miller shows how individuals and government entities have used digital technologies to hack elections. He pays particular attention to the 2016 election in the United States, the fake twitter accounts and propaganda spread through social media. And he answers the question: Which is more hackable – voting machines or mail-in ballots? He also defines the difference between real “fake news” (propaganda and outright lies) versus the tendency for some people to label real news as “fake” when they don’t like it. And he discusses why some people are more prone to fall for fake news/propaganda than others. Miller knows his stuff, because a couple years ago he published an entire book about Fake News, reviewed here.

Miller discusses cyberattacks against businesses and governments. Hospitals have lost access to their computers, tying up admissions and patient care for hours. Towns, school districts, and library systems have been held hostage to ransomware attacks. The perpetrators are usually criminals extorting victims for money.

Cyberterrorism is a broader attack on a country or region’s systems and infrastructure. These attacks, backed by governments, tend to go after power grids, telecommunication systems, financial institutions, and other systems. The goal is to destabilize the society and create chaos. Miller documents cases of cyberwarfare.

The need for cybersecurity has skyrocketed leading Miller to close with a chapter on career advice for potential cyberspies.

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.

 

Explore Outdoors ~ Sit and Listen

 

There is so much happening during this season. Forsythia blooming, dandelions and violets popping up all over my yard. And birds everywhere: drumming on dead trees, calling from the hayfield, honking overhead. So about ten days ago I stood outside my house, in a nice sunny spot, and just listened. 

And I made a sound map. (here's how)

Notice - this time I jotted down the date, and even the time and temperature. And there'e even a minute flying insect squashed on the page (top left) - not that I intended the little guy any harm... just meant to brush it away.

This week take a listening break. What do you hear?

Chilling Out on Hot Summer Days

 SummerTime Sleepers 

by Melissa Stewart; illus. by Sarah Brannen 

40 pages; ages 6-9

Charlesbridge, 2021

theme: animals, adaptations, summer

Yawn, stretch, blink!

As warm weather spreads across the land, hibernating animals spring to life.

But not these animals! When it gets hot, they look for cool spots to sleep away the summer. It’s like hibernation, but it’s called estivation. Spread by spread, Melissa Stewart and Sarah Brannen show how different animals – from insects to herps* to fish to mammals – snuggle up for a cool summer nap.

(*"herp" is a collective term for amphibians and reptiles.)

What I like about this book: I love the compare/contrast structure: some animals slumber together, others alone. Some go high, others burrow underground. I also like the diversity, across different classes of animals. Of course, I love that there are ladybugs and butterflies, but I’m also a big fan of spotted turtles and – until now – I did not know they estivated. I love Sarah Brannen’s artwork, and how she adds the “nature field sketches” to the spreads. She brings these animals to life – er, to sleep! And of course there is back matter. Melissa includes more details about the personal lives of each animal, plus an explanation about how estivation and hibernation are similar.

Melissa edited Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep, and throughout that book she emphasized the connections nonfiction writers make with their topics. So I only had One Question for her:

me: What was the emotional connection that supplied the creative spark to bring Summertime Sleepers to life? 

this is Emile!

Melissa: Summertime Sleepers: Animals that Estivate was 10 years in the making, and if it weren’t for the enthusiasm of my nephew, Emile, I might have given up long ago. When I began writing the book, Emile had a beloved pet leopard gecko. When I told him that, in the wild, leopard geckos estivate, he was fascinated. He couldn’t wait to see his favorite animal featured in a book. Back then, neither of us realized how long it would take. For all those years, he kept me personally invested.

Beyond the Books:

Find out more about estivation. Here's an article about animals that estivate, and here's another one.

Learn more about an animal that snoozes away the hottest parts of summer – and where they shelter. If you live in the northeast, check out mourning cloak butterflies and spotted turtles. If you live in the arid part of the US check out yellow-bellied marmots, California tiger salamanders, and ladybugs.

Build your own summertime snoozing shelter for really hot days. Would it be a burrow? a lean-to shaded by a tree? Or maybe a sunflower house that you grow – here’s how.

Melissa is a member of #STEAMTeam2021. She’s an award-winning author with more than 180 books to her credit. You can find out more about her at her website www.melissa-stewart.com

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.