Writing Fiction & Nonfiction Stories
Autobiographies & Biographies
Autobiographies & Biographies
Digital Resources & Books
Digital Resources & Books
The books on this page are intended to inspire young writers to compose nonfiction writing including biographies and informational texts.
- Black Lives Matter Instructional Library an interactive library of books
- Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover. Markus Motum. Candlewick Press, 2017
- Boy: Tales of Childhood. Roald Dahl. Puffin Books, 2009
- Bill Peet: An Autobiography. HMH Books for Young Readers, 1989
- When I Was Nine. James Stevenson. Greenwillow, 1989.
- Shortcut. Donald Crews. Greenwillow, 1996
- 26 Fairmont Avenue, Tomie DePaola. Puffin Books, 2002
- I am Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins. Illustrated by Will Clay. Puffin Books, 1997
- A Poem for Peter. The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day. Andrea Davis Pinkney. Pictures by Lou Fancher & Steve Johnson. Viking, 2016.
- Telling a Story About Me: Young Children Write Autobiographies, National Council of Teachers of English
- Heart, Head, Hands and Feet. A collection of picture book biographies about individuals whose childhood interests became their adult contributions to society.
- Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Lemony Snicket, HarperCollins, 2012
- Biographies written for kids
- Science Biographies for Young Readers
- Yearly Listing of Notable Social Studies Trade Books from the National Council for the Social Studies that includes listings for biographies
Biographies of Women Change Makers
Biographies of Women Change Makers
- Marie Curie. Demi. Henry Holt and Company, 2018.
- Mary Anning and the Sea Dragon. Jeannine Atkins. Illustrated by Michael Dooling. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012.
- Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine. Laurie Wallmark. Illustrated by April Chu. Creston Books, 2015.
- Grace Hopper: The First Woman to Program the First Computer in the United States.Christy Marx. Rosen Publishing Group, 2003.
- Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box. David McPhail. Henry Holt and Company, 2015.
- The author of Peter Rabbit books also made important contributions to the field of botany, including detailed observations and drawings of algae and fungi.
- Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell. Tanya Lee Stone. Illustrated by Majorie Priceman. Henry Holt & Co, 2013.
- I am Helen Keller. Brad Meltzer. Illustrated by Christopher Eliopolous. Dial Books, 2014
- Maria's Comet. Deborah Hopkinson. Illustrated by Deborah Lanino. Aladdin Books, 2003.
- She Loved Baseball: The Effa Manley Story. Audrey Veronica. Illustrated by Don Tate. Balzer & Bray, 2011. The story of the first woman inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx. Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Edel Rodriguez. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009. The life of the Supreme Court Justice in English and Spanish.
- Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton. Sherri Duskey Rinker. Illustrated by John Rocco. Houghton Mifflin, 2017.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1919), a fictional autobiography of a castaway on a topical island. It has been called the first adventure novel, but is now read as a read in the study of colonial and postcolonial literature.
- Colonial and Postcolonial Literacy Dialogues from Western Michigan University
- The Real Robinson Crusoe from Smithsonian.com
- Debunking the Myth of the "Real" Robinson Crusoe from National Geographic (September 28, 2016)
- Video Clip from Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1954) from Turner Classic Movies
Research Reports
Research Reports
Fiction and non-fiction stories written based on research.
More "Writing Fiction & Nonfiction" pages: Animations | Comics & Graphic Novels | New Versions of Old Tales