Best Informational Books for Older Readers of 2024Like this list

15 items

• All About U.S.

  a Look at the Lives of 50 Real Kids From Across the United States

  Lamothe, Matt,

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  Travel around the United States and meet a child from each state. Each child shares their story in a single page, complimented by illustrations that highlight the brilliant diversity of family structures, abilities, dynamics, styles, and dreams.

• The Astrochimps

  America's First Astronauts

  Cusick, Dawn,

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  Did you know that the United States sent chimps to space before they sent human astronauts? Learn how chimps like Ham and Enos were selected, trained and cared for during the space race, with black and white photos of these groundbreaking animals.

• Kid-ventors

  35 Real Kids and Their Amazing Inventions /

  Pew, Kailei,

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  What do trampolines, Braille, and self-sorting recycling bins have in common? They were all invented by kids! This collection of true stories about real world problems and the kids who engineered solutions is sure to inspire your curiosity.

• Life After Whale

  the Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall

  Brunelle, Lynn,

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  When a whale dies, its large body falls to the bottom and nourishes many other animals, impacting their lives and the health of the ocean. Readers can immerse themselves in the ocean alongside the whale throughout its life cycle and see some rarely…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Made in Asian America

  a History for Young People

  Lee, Erika,

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  The history you learn depends on who gets to tell the story. In this case, the Asian American experience isn’t just one story, but many experiences of generations of individuals who came to America for opportunity and became targeted victims of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Making Sense of Dog Senses

  How Our Furry Friends Experience the World

  Gibeault, Stephanie,

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  Does your dog realign itself along a north-south axis when it poops? After reading Gibeault’s book, you’ll take note of this and many other doggy behaviors with an understanding of what they mean. With humor and flair, “wolf-tastic” senses are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Antarctica

  True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More

  Neri, Greg,

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  Antarctica is the coldest place on the planet, so cold that the only people who live there are scientists and their support staff. Author G Neri had the privilege of being able to stay with the scientists to see and learn all about this frozen…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Power to the Parasites!

  Wood, Chelsea L.,

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  Did you know mind control is real? Well, if you’re a parasitic worm called the nematomorph or another worm called the lancet liver fluke, it is! Explore the creepily fascinating world of parasites in your food, favorite pets, and outdoors and learn…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spirit Sleuths

  How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes

  Jarrow, Gail,

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  Gail Jarrow, YALSA award winner, does it again in this nonfiction narrative of the unprecedented growth of Spiritualism in 20th century America. Want to learn the history behind what made mediums, psychics, and fortune tellers so popular in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spying on Spies

  How Elizebeth Smith Friedman Broke the Nazis' Secret Codes

  Moss, Marissa,

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  Elizebeth Smith Friedman’s incredible codebreaking started on an estate in Illinois working on secret codes in Shakespeare. When World War I needed codebreakers, she and her husband stepped up to the task, creating their own codebreaking systems and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Stealing Little Moon

  the Legacy of the American Indian Boarding Schools

  Jones, Dan SaSuWeh, 1951-

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  Little Moon There Are No Stars Tonight was only four years old when armed federal agents took her from her family. She was the first of four generations of author Dan SaSuWeh Jones’s (Ponca Nation) family to be enrolled at the Chilocco Indian…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Three Summers

  a Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of the Bosnian Genocide

  Sabic-El-Rayess, Amra,

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  Amra is a shy 11-year-old girl growing up in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina and dealing with the loss of her brother. When her cousin Zana comes to stay with her for the summer, Amra begins to come out of her shell and builds a real sisterhood with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Weirdo

  Weaver, Tony, Jr,

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  Have you ever felt like the odd one out? In this graphic memoir by comic writer Tony Weaver Jr., Tony (a gamer and anime fan) becomes a target for bullies and nearly breaks under the overwhelming pressure to fit in. But at a new school and with a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What Is Color?

  the Global and Sometimes Gross Story of Pigments, Paint, and the Wondrous World of Art

  Weinberg, Steven, 1984-

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  The periodic table of elements has more to do with color than you would think. From their amazing names to how they are made, this combination of science, art, biographies, and history is engaging, inspiring, and even humorous. It’s both fun to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wings of An Eagle

  the Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills

  Mills, Billy, 1938-

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  From helping his family on the Pine Ridge Reservation where they lived with other Oglala Lakota people, to working hard to join the track team at the Haskell Institute, Billy Mills was always a hard worker. In this autobiographical story, Billy…Read moreRead more of this annotation