Nonfiction & Biography

Wait, What? series by Dan Gutman

Albert Einstein Was a Dope? (book 1)

Quick-read biography series of famous folks in history, entertainment, science, etc. each focuses on quirky and surprising facts about the subject, collected by siblings Paige and Turner.  

Also in the series: Lucille Ball Had No Eyebrows?, The Beatles Couldn't Read Music?, Muhammad Ali Was a Chicken?, Amelia Earhart is on the Moon?, etc.

Mighty Moe: The True Story of a Thirteen-Year-Old Women's Running Revolutionary by Rachel Swaby and Kit Fox

In 1967, then 13-year-old Moe broke the women's world marathon record. But girls weren't supposed to run marathons at that time, and race officials accused her of cheating.  All the pressure made her quit, but many years later, she came back to the sport, once again proving that female runners are more than capable!

A Sporting Chance by Lori Alexander

From the publisher: "the inspiring human story behind the creation of the Paralympics, this young readers biography artfully combines archival photos, full-color illustrations, and a riveting narrative to honor the life of Ludwig Guttmann, whose work profoundly changed so many lives.

Dedicating his life to helping patients labeled “incurables,” Ludwig Guttmann fought for the rights of paraplegics to live a full life. The young doctor believed—and eventually proved—that physical movement is key to healing, a discovery that led him to create the first Paralympic Games."

Camp Panda by Catherine Thimmesh

How the endangered pandas of China are making a comeback, despite poaching, climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction, with help from humans. Award-winner.

Girls Who Code: Learn to Code and Change the World by Reshma Saujani

From the leader of the Girls Who Code movement, this colorful and fun book explains coding, and shows real life female coders at places like Pixar and NASA.

Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

This popular author of mysteries and action survival stories for young people is a survivor, herself, of childhood polio. Polio was once the scourge of childhood -- it struck fast, and was contagious.  Kids were kept inside and away from everyone, for fear they would catch it. It could leave you paralyzed, and living in an Iron Lung -- a machine that breathed for you, and kept you alive, but trapped and immobile. Peg Kehret describes what it was like for her, on a ward with other children, all stricken with polio.

Shipwrecked! by Martin W. Sandler

From the publisher: "From National Book Award–winning author Martin W. Sandler, here is a fascinating look at what shipwrecks reveal about our world’s past—and how exploring them led to the development of a whole new field of science: marine archaeology.

Most of the world’s ocean floor remains to be discovered. In fact, it’s estimated to be home to over 3 million sunken vessels and countless treasures of the past. This enthralling and adventure-filled nonfiction book recounts some of the most captivating shipwrecks from history, ranging from the Shinan, a Chinese merchant ship laden with riches from the 14th century, to the HMS Erebus and Terror, two polar exploration ships that mysteriously disappeared in the early 1800s."

A Sibert Honor book.

Hilde on the Record: Memoir of a Kid Crime Reporter by Hilde Lysiak

When she was 9 years old, Hilde started a local newspaper for her town.  She had learned journalism from her father, a crime reporter for a NY city newspaper, and is a curious and smart person, who was serious about her work.  Some folks admired her dedication, but a lot of people were patronizing of Hilde, and critical of her parents.  When she was the first one to report on a murder in her town, beating out even adults and professional news outlets, she went viral.  This memoir is about her family and her childhood, her creation of her newspaper, and all the reactions to it: the good, the bad, and the ugly.  It's about how she coped with the fame, the haters, and the resulting mental health issues she suffered.  It's a candid but hopeful book about growing up, staying true to yourself, and figuring out what who you want to be.

Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen

The last memoir from Gary Paulsen, prolific author of Hatchet and the father of wilderness adventure survival stories!  This book tells the stories of five important life-changing events, and how they led to or inspired his iconic books.

Holodomor: The Ukrainian Femine-Genocide by Philip Wolny

From the publisher: "One of the lesser-known historical crimes that wiped out millions of people was Holodomor (loosely translated from Ukrainian as "death by hunger"), the famine and genocide that occurred during Soviet rule between 1932 and 1933. This book relates the shocking story of how a natural disaster was weaponized by the Soviet Union under the rule of Joseph Stalin to punish a whole people. "

For a fictional take on this event, try Winterkill by Marsha Skrypuch, or The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh.

Warrior Dog by Will Chesney and Joe Layden

Memoir by a Navy Seal who was part of Seal Team Six, the elite military group that eliminated Osama Bin Laden.  Cairo, a Belgian Malinois trained as a military dog, was also part of that team. This is the story of how Will and Cairo trained together, went on many missions (including that last one), and when Will was severely injured, how their bond saved him again.

Adapted from Chesney's adult memoir, No Ordinary Dog.

Race to the Bottom of the Earth: Surviving Antarctica by Rebecca Barone

From the publisher: "In 1910, Captain Robert Scott prepared his crew for a trip that no one had ever completed: a journey to the South Pole. He vowed to get there any way he could, even if it meant looking death in the eye. Then, not long before he set out, another intrepid explorer, Roald Amundsen, set his sights on the same goal. Suddenly two teams were vying to be the first to make history—what was to be an expedition had become a perilous race.

In 2018, Captain Louis Rudd readied himself for a similarly grueling task: the first unaided, unsupported solo crossing of treacherous Antarctica. But little did he know that athlete Colin O’Brady was training for the same trek—and he was determined to beat Louis to the finish line."

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

You may have seen the movie "Thirteen Lives" about the rescue of the Thai boys' soccer team; that movie profiled the international dive team that rescued them. This multiple award-winning book includes interviews with the rescuers, but also focuses on the science and engineering, the culture of the area, and the boys' mental struggles below. The author, Thai-American, was visiting in Thailand at the time, and met with the team.  Includes photographs.

And check out her latest: Made in Asian America.

War in the Ring: Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, and the Fight Between America and Hitler by John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro

Joe Louis and Max Schmeling were both heavyweight champs in boxing. One American. One German. They both grew up poor, and boxing was a path to success.  Each represented their countries' hopes.  Max was a hero to Nazi Germany.  Joe was an inspiration to Black America in the time of Jim Crow. Their two fights, in the years leading up to World War II, represented and ultimately foresaw how their countries would face off, and who would ultimately win.

The Hanmoji Handbook: Your Guide to the Chinese Language Through Emoji by Jason Li, An Xiao Mina, and Jennifer Lee.

Fun illustrated book uses emojis to help teach the Chinese language.

Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson (Anna's son).

A biography in verse by the author of Lifeboat 12.  Zhanna and her sister Frina are Ukrainian Jewish piano prodigies. They and their parents are forced by the invading Nazis from their home, and sent on a death march.  Somehow, Zhanna escapes, but must change her name and hide her heritage.  Her talents will help her survive, but also will attract attention, from the Nazis, and from people who know who she really is, and can reveal her identity. Zhanna, or "Anna", never told her family what happened to her, until her granddaughter asked her a question for a school assignment.  This book came out of that!

Winner of the Sydney Taylor Award.

Left for Dead by Pete Nelson

On the pitch-black night of July 30, 1945, the American ship Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine.  It sunk in just 12 minutes.  300 men were killed immediately.  880 more were plunged into the dark, shark-infested waters.  For four nights and five days, the sailors suffered burning oil, exhaustion, and shark attacks.  Only 317 were pulled alive from the sea. Instead of admitting mistakes that led to the disaster, the Navy court-martialed her captain and refused to give medals to the sailors.  

Fifty years later, 12-year-old Hunter Scott was looking for a topic for a history project.  He amassed the greatest collection of information about the Indianapolis --first-hand accounts. Incensed by the travesty of justice, he lobbied to get Captain McVay cleared of all charges and to get medals for the men.  Read the extraordinary story of one of the greatest sea disasters of all time, once kept out of the history books – and how a teenage boy brought it to the world’s attention.

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle

From the publisher's website: "Free Lunch is the story of Rex Ogle’s first semester in sixth grade. Rex and his baby brother often went hungry, wore secondhand clothes, and were short of school supplies, and Rex was on his school’s free lunch program. Grounded in the immediacy of physical hunger and the humiliation of having to announce it every day in the school lunch line, Rex’s is a compelling story of a more profound hunger—that of a child for his parents’ love and care." During quarantine, the author did a serial webcast -- all the episodes are available to listen!

Don't miss the sequels: Punching Bag, Abuela Don't Forget Me. And new, graphic novels: Four Eyes, Pizza Face.

Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution by Judith Heumann

Judy Heumann was a disability rights activist. Paralyzed by polio as an infant, she was a lifelong wheelchair user who faced discrimination for it -- told she couldn't attend school, couldn't get a teachers' license, and many other injustices.  She became a leader in the movement for the rights of disabled people.  In this book, she shares her experiences, her bravery, and persistence.

Young readers' adaptation of Heumann's autobiography.  

The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History: The Story of the Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel

You may have seen the movie, with the all-star cast??  Hitler and the Nazis stole every work of art and cultural object they could find and hid them away.  This is the story of 11 men and 1 woman, American and British scholars, museum curators, library archivists, architects and artists, who volunteered to find and save them.  They put their lives at risk in a race to save the world's treasures before the Nazis could whisk them away forever.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

Short, sciencey fun-fact stories from history, mythology, medicine,  the arts, etc. all related to elements from the periodic table, like a Boy Scout who tried to build a nuclear reactor,  a bizarre gold rush, and a failed Antarctic expedition. Great for trivia lovers!

Young Reader's edition. Check out his podcast by the same name, or one of his other books, including The Icepick Surgeon.

The Radium Girls: The Scary but True Story of the Poison that Made People Glow in the Dark by Kate Moore

There are lots of things that glow in the dark these days, and they use non-toxic materials.  But one of the first things to be made to glow was watch faces (so you could see what time it was in the dark).  Did you know that glow originally came from radiation?  Yup.  Or, rather, radium (which is radioactive).  

Young women were hired in the factories (including one in NJ!) to paint the watch faces with radium. Told the stuff was harmless, they were instructed to lick the paintbrushes to get a fine point, and they sometimes painted their nails, lips, and faces for fun. They felt proud and lucky to have jobs. Until they started getting sick. Their teeth fell out, and their jawbones essentially decomposed, among other horrific symptoms. Some couldn't have babies. Many died. When the young women and their families tried to sue their employers, the corporations fought back and refused to pay, blaming the girls and making up lies.

Young Reader's Edition.

The Impossible Climb: Alex Honnold, El Capitan, and a Climber's Life by Mark Synnott

In 2017, Alex Honnold did the impossible: a 3000-ft climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park with no harness, no ropes, in under 4 hours.

Young readers' adaptation of the book, and the Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo.

Spooked! How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow

Have you seen the movie "War of the Worlds"? Did you know it was originally a story by H.G. Wells?  Well, the night before Halloween in 1938, with World War II going on over in Europe, actor/director Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater Players decided to broadcast a play version of the story over the radio.  It's the story of Martians invading Earth, and the play was supposedly a newscast reporting it was happening in Grover's Mill, NJ!!! 

Despite multiple announcements that it was fiction, many listeners thought it was real! There was a huge panic. And when they finally realized they were 'tricked', they were mad!  There was a huge outcry about what today we might call 'fake news' and propaganda.

Check out this multiple award-winning book!

Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin

You've heard of Pop Warner -- but you might not know he was a real person. 

By one of the best nonfiction authors writing for teens today. From the publisher: "an astonishing underdog sports story—and more. It’s an unflinching look at the U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures. Expertly told by three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin, it’s the story of a group of young men who came together at that school, the overwhelming obstacles they faced both on and off the field, and their absolute refusal to accept defeat.

Jim Thorpe: Super athlete, Olympic gold medalist, Native American

Pop Warner: Indomitable coach, football mastermind, Ivy League grad

Before these men became legends, they met in 1907 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football," they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools such as Harvard and the Army in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work."

Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

The President's been shot!!  What really happened at Fords Theater?  Read this thrilling story about the assassination plot, the conspirators, the police, the politicians, the president and his family for the real scoop.  If you like crime shows like CSI or Law and Order -- you'll love this. As the author says, "This story is true.  All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865... What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up." Check out Swanson's other nonfiction: Chasing King's Killer: the Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin; The President Has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy; and Bloody Times: the Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis.

Revenge of the Whale by Nathaniel Philbrick

This book is like the shows "Dirty Jobs" combined with "I Survived" and "Deadliest Catch". In the 1800s, the most dangerous, dirty and exciting job a guy could have was hunting whales. In the history of whaling, never before had a whale hunted back. But on November 20, 1820, the whaleship "Essex" was attacked by a giant white whale. 

The 20-man crew was stranded in leaky lifeboats in the middle of the Pacific, with few supplies. Three months later, just 8 were rescued 4,500 miles away. Read their shocking and harrowing story, with first-hand accounts, photos, maps and artwork. This true story was the inspiration for the classic novel, Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. 

Popular: a Memoir by Maya Van Wagenen

A memoir written by a young girl about her 8th grade year.  She found an old manual from the 1950s, telling girls how to be popular, and decided to do an experiment. She followed everything in the book! Some things worked out well, and some didn't. She ended up meeting the author of the manual!

Will the Cat Eat My Eyeballs? By Caitlin Doughty

From the author's website: "What would happen to an astronaut’s body in space?

• Will I poop when I die?

• Can we give Grandma a Viking funeral?

Everyone has questions about death. In Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?, best-selling author and mortician Caitlin Doughty answers the most intriguing questions she’s ever received about what happens to our bodies when we die. In a brisk, informative, and morbidly funny style, Doughty explores everything from ancient Egyptian death rituals and the science of skeletons to flesh-eating insects and the proper depth at which to bury your pet if you want Fluffy to become a mummy. Now featuring an interview with a clinical expert on discussing these issues with young people—the source of some of our most revealing questions about death—Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? confronts our common fear of dying with candid, honest, and hilarious facts about what awaits the body we leave behind."

Truce by Jim Murphy

A true World War I Christmas miracle. On Christmas of 1914, British and German troops under an unofficial temporary ceasefire started singing Christmas carols across the lines. They emerged from their trenches, shook hands, and shared little gifts and food, sang songs, and celebrated the holiday with each other for a day.

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman

Phineas Gage was a railroad foreman. He and his crew were blasting rock. He was sitting on the edge of a big hole, and just happened to lean over a bit when a blast shot a 13-pound iron rod up into the air. It entered his cheek and went up through his brain and out the top of his head. Somehow, he survived! But his personality was completely changed. Gage's case helped doctors and scientists learn so much about the parts of the brain that control personality, temper, and behavior.

Read an interview with the author about his research and inspiration for the book.

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day

Close your eyes and picture the Mona Lisa. Everyone's heard of it. We all know what she looks like. There are memes, and t-shirts. She's everywhere. Well, about 100 years ago, nobody really knew about the painting, didn't know what it looked like, didn't care. It was an obscure little painting in the corner of the Louvre in Paris. Then, one August day in 1911, it was stolen!  The daring heist and the quest to get her back went the 1911 version of viral -- the crime of the century!  True crime fans will love to read the bonkers tale of the thieves and the detectives. Plus, you'll learn about the weird life of Leonardo da Vinci, who painted her, and the real woman behind the most famous portrait in all of history.

Men of the 65th: The Borinqueneers of the Korean War by Talia Aikens-Nunez

From the publisher: "Honor and Fidelity. That is the motto of the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Borinqueneers, the only Puerto Rican unit in the United States Army.

Since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage, loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014.

But the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952, in the midst of the Korean War, when ninety-one Borinqueneers were arrested and tried for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen in one of the most distinguished and decorated units of the Army?

In this telling of one of the forgotten stories of the Korean War, author Talia Aikens-Nuñez guides us through the history of the Borinqueneers and the challenges they faced leading up to what was the largest court martial in the entire war. Rediscover the bravery of the men of the 65th through Aikens-Nuñez’s thorough writing and the soldiers’ firsthand accounts of the Korean War."

Race Against Death by Deborah Hopkinson

By one of the most award-winning authors of nonfiction for young people. From the author's website: "Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America entered World War II, and a new theater of battle opened up in the Pacific. But US troops, along with thousands of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside them, were overtaken in the Philippines by a fiercely determined Japanese navy, and many Americans and Filipino fighters were killed or captured.

These American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to endure the most horrific conditions on the deadly trek known as the Bataan Death March. Then, the American servicemen who were held captive by the Japanese military in Cabanatuan Camp and others in the Philippines, faced beatings, starvation, and tropical diseases, and lived constantly under the threat of death.

Unable to forget their comrades’ fate and concerned that these POWs would be brutally murdered as the tides of war shifted in the Pacific, the US Army Rangers undertook one of the most daring and dangerous rescue missions of all time. Aided by the “Angels of the Underground,” the Sixth Ranger Battalion and courageous Filipino guerrilla soldiers set out on an uncertain and treacherous assignment. Often called the Great Raid, this remarkable story remains largely forgotten."

Check out her other books: Deadliest Disease Then and Now, Shutting Out the Sky, Titanic voices from the Disaster, Courage & Defiance, D-Day, Dive: World War II Stories, We Had to Be Brave, We Must Not Forget, and They Saved the Stallions, among many others, and fiction, too!

Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe by Steve Sheinkin

True story of two teenagers who survived the Holocaust. Rudi and Gerta are classmates, and this story follows their parallel experiences.  Rudi was in Auschwitz concentration camp for two years, and knows that the Nazis are methodically murdering Jewish prisoners.  Rudi is determined to escape and tell the world what is happening.  He would become the world's most famous whistle-blower, and save 100,000 lives.  Meanwhile, Gerta's family fled to Hungary, hiding their identity, staying one step ahead of the Nazis, until it's no longer safe, there, either. Where can they go?  Nowhere seems safe.

By one of the best non-fiction writers for young people today.

Crash From Outer Space by Candace Fleming

From the author's website: "Part history, part science, and part detective story... Candace Fleming researches the mystery at Roswell, New Mexico, and the "crash from outer space" that set the United States on edge for decades.

In 1947, during the early years of the Cold War, a field in Roswell, New Mexico was disturbed by a strange crash and smattering of debris. Some say the bodies of extraterrestrial beings were strewn across the ground, that a UFO had crashed there, and that the government was covering up the evidence in a massive conspiracy.

But what really happened at Roswell?

The infamous "crash from outer space" has become a fixture in our culture, inspiring a surge of UFO sightings and conspiracy theories. But at its heart is the story of military scientists, a city on the brink of the Cold War, and a debris field scattered with mystery. What was it that actually crashed at Roswell? Were alien bodies found? Was it Russian spies? Secret military technology? And did the government try to hide what they found?"

Check out this prolific author's other nonfiction titles: The Enigma Girls, Murder Among Friends, The Curse of the Mummy, the Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, The Family Romanov, Amelia Lost, The Great and Only Barnum, The Lincolns, Ben Franklin's Almanac, Giant Squid, as well as picture books and novels!

The Grand Escape by Neal Bascomb

Holzminden was the most notorious POW camp in Germany during World War I, for the most notorious prisoners.  Supposedly inescapable, but not for a group of determined Allied pilots.  Photographs, maps, and charts of the prison layout and the tunnel they built help the reader understand this incredible feat of bravery and perseverance. Adapted from the adult version.

Also by this award-winning author: The Nazi Hunters, Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb, and the latest: The Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile.

Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism and Friendship by Adam Makos (young readers' edition)

Some people call the Korean War the forgotten war, wedged between World War II and Vietnam. Nobody who reads this could forget it!  It's the story of two Navy pilots, opposites: one from New England, one from the South, one rich, one poor, one white, one black. Yet Tom and Jesse become the best of friends, willing to risk their lives to save each other.  This book will have you on the edge of your seat!  

Movie coming soon!

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (young reader's edition)

Fans of true crime and history, this is the perfect combo!  The Osage Nation of Oklahoma had been forced onto reservations by the U.S. government, and were poor, indeed.  Until oil was found on their land!  Then, they became some of the richest in the world.  But then dozens were murdered, one by one, and so were all the investigators trying to find the killers.  Eventually, an undercover team from the Bureau of Investigation (the precursor to the FBI), with help from the Osage people,  broke the case and brought to light the terrible prejudice and greed that led to the murders and their coverup.

Adapted from the adult version and made into a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, and Brendan Fraser.

As Fast As Her: Dream Big, Break Barriers, Achieve Success by Kendall Coyne with Estelle Laure

Autobiography of ice hockey player Kendall Coyne, US Olympic gold medalist, NWHL player, and the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star Competition. Her inspirational stories of lessons she learned, personal trials and triumphs, and how she reached her dreams will help you reach your goals, too.

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play by Kobe Bryant

From the publisher: "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play is Kobe Bryant’s personal perspective of his life and career on the basketball court and his exceptional, insightful style of playing the game—a fitting legacy from the late Los Angeles Laker superstar."

Parkland Speaks by the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

From the publisher: "Featuring art and writing from the students of the Parkland tragedy, this is a raw look at the events of February 14, and a poignant representation of grief, healing, and hope.

The students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School share their emotional journeys that began on February 14, 2018, and continue today. This revealing and unfiltered look at teens living in the wake of tragedy is a poignant representation of grief, anger, determination, healing, and hope.

The intimate collection includes poetry, eyewitness accounts, letters, speeches, journal entries, drawings, and photographs from the events of February 14 and its aftermath. Full of heartbreaking loss, a rally cry for change, and hope for a safe future, these artistic pieces will inspire readers to reflect on their own lives and the importance of valuing and protecting the ones you love."

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

Award-winning biography of an important but complicated man.  Lindbergh was an aviator -- the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in an airplane, military officer, Medal of Honor winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, medical inventor, and environmental activist.  The kidnapping and murder of his infant son in Flemington, NJ led to the trial of the century and made him and his wife 'go viral' before there was anything like social media.  But he was also racist, anti-Semitic, and a Nazi sympathizer who argued the U.S. shouldn't get involved in World War II. His political and philosophical beliefs tarnished his image as a hero.

Grayson by Lynne Cox

Short memoir by a famous open-water swimmer, about an encounter she had with a baby gray whale when she was 17. While training for distance swimming in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of California one chilly March morning, she discovered that a baby gray whale was following her.  She couldn't swim to shore, because he would follow her and beach himself, and die. But without his mother, he would eventually dehydrate and starve. Lynne spent hours swimming with him and searching for his mother in the open ocean. Extraordinary!   

Ice Walker: A Polar Bear's Journey through the Fragile Arctic by James Raffan

Profiles Nanu, a polar bear, her life in the territory of Hudson Bay, and how that is affected by the shrinking ice due to climate change.

Bomb: The Race to Build -- and Steal -- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Sheinkin is one of the best nonfiction authors out there for teens and young people today.  He wins ALL the awards, because his books are meticulously researched, and extremely readable.

Check out this prolific and award-winning author's other work, including: Most Dangerous, about Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War (and Watergate), Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team. He also has many books for middle grade readers: Lincoln's Grave Robbers, The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Two Miserable Presidents, and a fun historical fiction series for younger readers called Time Twisters. 

The Boys in the Boat

The amazing true story of the 1936 Olympic crew (rowing) team from University of Washington. They weren't supposed to get there -- they were the underdogs.  Each suffered (it was the Great Depression), and the team took time and great effort to come together and work as one. And yet they did, and they won! 

Rowing (a.k.a. crew) is one of the most physically grueling, intensely competitive, sports, requiring teamwork so complete nine people must almost literally become one. This is the story of Joe Rantz and his teammates, working-class underdogs who shockingly beat out the rich and better-equipped teams from the Ivy League to go to the 1936 Olympics. It's about Joe's struggle to overcome abandonment and poverty of his childhood, how Americans survived the Great Depression, the greatest maker of hand-built cedar shells in history, and the lengths that Hitler and his Nazis took to present a view they wanted the world to see, and how sports can give people hope and even save lives. 

Adapted for Young Readers edition.

American Murderer: The Parasite that Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, folks in the South were feeling tired, and sick. Nobody could figure out why, not even the doctors. Until a zoologist named Charles Stiles, and his public health colleagues discovered it was hookworms. They entered the body through people's bare feet, and worked their way into the intestines, where they'd live happily for years, sucking your blood. If you like medical mysteries and gross-outs, read this award-winning book!

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo

Some call this book true crime, but that label doesn't quite fit. This is a solid history of injustice. Anti-AAPI violence didn't take a break between the internment camps of World War II and the terrible events during the COVID pandemic.  In 1982, two out-of-work white autoworkers angry about the decline of the US auto industry (blaming the Japanese car companies) picked a fight with Vincent at a bar, where he was celebrating his upcoming wedding.  The men thought he was Japanese. He ran away, but they found him again, and beat him with a baseball bat.  He died four days later in the hospital.  The two men were caught and tried, but given a small fine and no jail time at all.  The judge said "These aren't the kind of men you send to jail..."  This sparked outrage in the Chinese-American community, and for the first time, brought together the wider Asian-American groups to fight for their civil rights.  HS

Mary's Monster by Lita Judge

Biography in verse about Mary Shelley, the pregnant teenage author of Frankenstein, her relationship with a famous, older poet, and how she came to write what is widely considered to be the first modern science fiction story. Exquisite illustrations.

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Memoir in verse by the author of Speak, Chains, and many more.  HS

Eyes of the World by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos

Also by these authors: Sugar Changed the World

Queer Ducks (And Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer, illus. by Jules Zuckerberg

Well-researched and comically illustrated book about same-sex behavior found throughout the animal kingdom, including interviews with scientists and explanations from scientific research.

Award-winning book by an award-winning author.

Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert

In the summer of 1921, Tulsa's Greenwood district was known as "Black Wall Street", for the successful businesses and affluent African-American community thriving there. Then a white mob marched in with guns, explosives, and gasoline and burned it to the ground, shooting and killing the black folks who tried to protect their businesses and families. It's a terrible blot on history that has, for too long, been forgotten, or called a 'riot', implying a two-way 'fight'.  It was  a massacre. This award-winning account explains what happened and why, and what effect it still has, today.

Winner of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson

Memoir by the former actress who played Matilda, about her childhood as an actress, the loss of her mother, growing up, and her current life.  HS

Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson

Award-winning story of Shostakovich, and the symphony he wrote for the city of Leningrad while it was under siege during World War II. The symphony was meant to lift the spirits of the people, and show their grit and hearts to the world. It had to be snuck out of the city, around the world, by spies. This is a story of triumph and determination in the face of starvation, and the power of music.

Tribe by Sebastian Junger

An adult book on many high school reading lists.

Also by this journalist author: The Perfect Storm, War, Fire, etc.

HS