This Year's Best Nonfiction Books for Children and Teens

… SO FAR

With the recent emphasis on nonfiction and informational texts in the classroom, it may be difficult for some to locate the very best. To help you locate the right books for your classroom, Linda’s Links created a Pinterest board of the Best Nonfiction Books & Teaching Resources.

But what about this year’s best? Below is a list of  titles that we think should be recognized as outstanding examples of this year’s nonfiction books.

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Barnum’s Bones by Tracey Fern
FSG, 2012  Gr. 1-4
Looks at the life of paleontologist Barnum Brown.

The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins
Houghton, 2012  Gr. 3-5
An illustrated introduction to a variety of beetle species with information on unique characteristics and how these insects have adapted to survive.

Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport
Candlewick, 2012  Gr. 7-12
Recounts the courage of countless Jews who organized to sabotage the Nazis and help other Jews during the Holocaust.

A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano
Charlesbridge, 2012   Gr. 4-6
An examination of black holes that discusses what they are, what causes them, how they are discovered, and more.

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Brothers at Bat  by Audrey Vernick
Clarion, 2012  Gr. 1-3
Shares the story of the Acerras and their sixteen children, who had enough members to fill every position on a baseball team.

The Fairy Ring: Or, Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure
Candlewick, 2012  Gr. 5-8
Relates the story of Francis and Elsie, cousins who concocted a story and photographs about fairies because nobody believed Francis could see the tiny men and were surprised when their photographs were found by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who truly believed in fairies.

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin
Roaring Brook, 2012  Gr. 3-6
An epic saga of the life of an islandborn of fire, rising to greatness, its decline, and finally the emergence of life on new islands.

The Mighty Mars Rovers by Elizabeth Rusch
Houghton, 2012  Gr. 5-8
The story of the two robot vehicles, Spirit and Opportunity, that were sent to explore Mars, lasting far past their projected lives of three months and sending back invaluable images of the environmentally hostile planet.

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Miles to Go for Freedom: Segregation and Civil Rights in the Jim Crow Years by Linda Barrett Osborne
Abrams, 2012  Gr. 5-10
Describes the lives of African Americans during the Jim Crow years, a period of legal segregation and discrimination from the 1890s through the 1950s.

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose
FSG, 2012  Gr. 7-12
Chronicles a year in the life of rufa red knot B95, also called Moonbird, following him through his migration pattern and discussing the environmental problems that caused the rufa population to collapsed by nearly eighty percent.

Out on the Prairie by Donna Bateman
Charlesbridge, 2012  PreS-Gr. 2
Illustrates the creatures of Badlands National Park from reptiles, mammals, and birds to insects, and includes a guide to prairie flora and fauna.

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Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson
Scholastic, 2012  Gr. 5-9
Draws on stories from survivors and archival photographs to describe the history of the “Titanic” from its launch to its sinking.

We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
Peachtree, 2012  Gr. 6+
Retells the story of how, against the better judgment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., young people led the civil rights protests in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

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All Amazon links are affiliate links for Linda’s Links to Literature.
Books annotations are from The Library of Congress.