History's Facts & Figures: 10+ Nonfiction Titles for Historical Fiction Readers

Summer is here! And that means loads of time for kids to experience books in all their glory. This is also a great time to encourage kids to read the books they choose (without having to worry about school assignments) and to try out new genres that they might be interested in learning more about. This series will offer titles for toddlers to teens and include a variety of formats. Each week will focus on a different genre and will follow the same format:

• • Mondays – Titles for Ages 3-7
  • Tuesdays – Middle Grade Titles for Ages 8-12
  • Wednesdays – Young Adult Titles for Ages 13+
  • Thursdays – Nonfiction pairings
  • Friday – Recap of the Week

 

Nonfiction

The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko
The story of an interracial couple who fought for their right to be married in a state where it was illegal, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court in the late 1960s.

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay MattickA Canadian veterinarian serving in World War I rescued a bear cub and brought him to Europe during the War and then finding him a home at the London Zoo where he met a little boy named Christopher Robin.

Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford
The story of Congo Square, that can still be visited in New Orleans today, where slaves would gather on Sunday afternoon to sing, dance, play music and set up an open air market.

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh
A picture book biography of José Guadalupe (Lupe) Posada, a political cartoonist, who is better known for his drawings of calaveras or skulls often seen during Mexico’s Día de los Muertos.

How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
“This profoundly moving memoir is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringyimana, a girl from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who tells the tale of how she survived a massacre, immigrated to America, and overcame her trauma through art and activism.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner
The spirit of New Orleans shines through in this story of a Cornelius, a trash collector before Hurricane Katrina and after the storm continues to do his job well and with style.

Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales series by Nathan Hale
A graphic novel series about specific events in history as told by Nathan Hale, a spy during the Revolutionary War is sucked up by a history book to teach kids about world history in an accessible and fun way.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson
The story of six-year-old, Sachiko’s survival of the Nagasaki atomic bomb on August 9, 1945, the heartbreak in the aftermath of the bombing and her quest to find peace.

Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner
“On May 4, 1961, a group of thirteen black and white civil rights activists launched the Freedom Ride, aiming to challenge the practice of segregation on buses and at bus terminal facilities in the South. The Ride would last twelve days.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
This is an underdog story of what becomes one of the most winningest football teams in history, but it’s also the story of the persecution of Native Americans by the U.S. government and how the team forged together and refused defeat.

Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman
The story of Vincent Van Gogh’s relationship with his brother Theo spanning their whole lives and shared through over 600 letters.

We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie were both Hitler Youth when they were young, but later created the White Rose Students – a resistance movement risking everything, even death to fight against the Nazi regime.

Who Was/What Was series
A extensive series of biographies and nonfiction titles that are not only accessible to kids, but fun to read too!