Best Informational Books for Older Readers of 2014Like this list

22 items

• Angel Island

  Gateway to Gold Mountain

  Freedman, Russell. 1929-2018

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  Angel Island served as an entry point into the United States for hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the early 1900s. While some people saw the island as a gateway to a new life and opportunities, others came to think of Angel Island as a prison.

• Beetle Busters

  a Rogue Insect and the People Who Track It

  Burns, Loree Griffin,

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  The invasive Asian Long Horned Beetle kills trees and destroys entire forests throughout the United States. What does it take for scientists to deal with this destructive bug and why do some disagree with their methods?

• Brown Girl Dreaming

  Woodson, Jacqueline,

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  Jacqueline Woodson’s love of words followed her from Ohio to South Carolina to Brooklyn growing as she grew into the writer she is today.

• Chasing Cheetahs

  the Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cats

  Montgomery, Sy

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  Cheetahs may be the fastest creatures on the planet, but they are also quickly becoming extinct. Discover what scientists and others are doing to save the world’s cheetah population.

• Explore Money!

  With 25 Great Projects

  Blobaum, Cindy, 1966-

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  It’s never too early to learn the value of money and how to manage it.

• Freedom Summer

  the 1964 Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

  Rubin, Susan Goldman,

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  Delve into the events of the summer the Civil Rights Act was signed, including the voters registration campaign, the creation of the Freedom Schools and the tragic murders of three of the Freedom workers.

• Josephine

  the Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker

  Powell, Patricia Hruby, 1951-

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  Josephine Baker’s indomitable spirit dances right off the pages of this boldly colored biography that sizzles and pops with Josephine’s international exploits.

• People You Gotta Meet Before You Grow Up

  Get to Know the Movers and Shakers, Heroes and Hotshots in Your Hometown

  Rhatigan, Joe

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  Your community is full of interesting and inspiring people! This book will help you use your “kid-ness” to meet new people and ask them questions that could change your life.

• The Port Chicago 50

  Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights

  Sheinkin, Steve

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  During World War II, 50 African American sailors played a role in the civil rights movement by refusing to load tons of ammunition onto ships following a devastating explosion that killed 300 of their fellow sailors.

• Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes

  Herrera, Juan Felipe

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  Celebrate the lives of 20 Latino heroes from Desi Arnaz to Sonia Sotomayor with short, clear biographies and Raul Colón’s distinctive illustrations.

• Red Madness

  How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat

  Jarrow, Gail,

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  What would you do if every winter you woke up with a nasty, red rash on your hands and feet? Thousands of Americans stricken with pellagra in the early 1900s, simply dealt with it, or died, until doctors solved the mystery behind this pesky plague.

• Schools of Hope

  How Julius Rosenwald Helped Change African American Education

  Finkelstein, Norman H.,

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  Julius Rosenwald, owner of Sears and Chicago philanthropist, became interested in the terrible conditions of African American schools in the south during the early 1900s and developed a plan that would eventually impact the education of thousands of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sniffer Dogs

  Castaldo, Nancy F. (Nancy Fusco), 1962-

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  Canines’ superb sense of smell allows them to sniff out any number of things, from bones to bombs, making them the hardest working animals anywhere!

• Stand There! She Shouted

  the Invincible Photographer Julia Margaret Cameron

  Rubin, Susan Goldman,

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  Although Julia Margaret Cameron did not receive her first camera until she was 48, she made up for lost time by doggedly pursue subjects to pose for inventive portraits.

• Stubby the War Dog

  the True Story of World War I 's Bravest Dog

  Bausum, Ann,

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  Follow Stubby, a stray dog from Connecticut, as he travels to the front lines in France during World War I and becomes not only a mascot, but an internationally celebrated hero as well.

• Thomas Paine

  Crusader for Liberty : How One Man's Ideas Helped Form a New Nation

  Marrin, Albert,

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  Once you understand his childhood and experiences as a young man, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, the pamphlet that inspired revolutionary thoughts in America’s founders, will seem like, well, common sense.

• True Stories

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  Ten tantalizingly true tales from award winning writers and journalists will leave you yearning for more.

• Twenty-two Cents

  Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank

  Yoo, Paula

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  Muhammad Yunus’ childhood in Bangladesh led him to create a revolutionary banking system that has helped millions of people in poverty receive microloans and support themselves.

• Voices From the March on Washington

  Lewis, J. Patrick,

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  Told in verse, this fictionalized account of the 1963 March on Washington offers various viewpoints of this civil rights event that drew an estimated 250,000 people.

• A Volcano Beneath the Snow

  John Brown's War Against Slavery

  Marrin, Albert

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  Was John Brown a hero or “the father of American terrorism”? You decide whether his methods for abolishing slavery were extreme or necessary.