Summer of Nonfiction: Middle Grade

Middle grade titles are often my wheelhouse and although I don’t read as much nonfiction as I should, I do love the books I have picked up. I’ve said it before – nonfiction titles are nothing like they used to be. I remember growing up reading dry facts with pen and ink illustrations about real-life people and events. But now, you’ll see informative books filled with sidebars, photographs, and first-hand accounts which truly brings history to life. These are just a few of the great titles published for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) that focus on true events.

There are dozens of other books that could have equally been highlighted on this list, but if you find something you like, check to see what else the author has written. Many nonfiction authors are quite prolific and spend a lot of their time researching fascinating places, people, and events.

• Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
• Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
• Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin by James L. Swanson
• Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip Hoose
• Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story by Caren Stelson
• Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and the War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow
• A Storm Too Soon: A Remarkable True Survival Story in 80 Foot Seas by Michael J. Tougias
• Ten Days a Madwoman: The Daring Life and Turbulent Times of the Original “Girl” Reporter, Nellie Bly by Deborah Noyes
• Trapped by Marc Aronson
• We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler by Russell Freedman
• Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
• The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin W. Sandler

I’m so excited to try something new this summer! I’m going to be highlighting nonfiction titles for a variety of age groups and in different styles. I plan on creating lists for different age groups – picture books, middle grade, and young adult. Plus, I’d like to take a look at format as well – books filled with facts, narrative non-fiction, and graphic novel format as well.