Below, we’ve listed 10 Award Winning Science Books for High School Students (in alphabetical order). A few are books you’re probably familiar with, by authors you probably know. Others may be entirely new to you. All are interesting – and perfect for the high schooler in your life!
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our 2017 list of award-winning science books for high school students
**listed alphabetically**
a brief history of time written by stephen hawking
stephen hawking’s book explores deep questions like: how did the universe begin and what made its beginning possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe endless, or are there limits? Are there other dimensions in space? their answers are given in a language that we can all understand.
born free written by joy adamson
More than fifty years ago, Joy Adamson first presented the story of Elsa, the lioness, whom she had rescued as an orphaned cub and raised in her home in Kenya. But since Elsa had been born free of her, Joy made the decision that she should be returned to the wild when she was old enough to fend for herself.
This is your chance to rediscover the original story in this 50th anniversary edition.
Your teen might also be interested in the sequels Living Free and Forever Free.
Breakdown: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
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Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices have all been factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted.
The collapse of the book moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the burgeoning American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Mayans and finally to the doomed Viking colony in Greenland. today we face similar problems that have already led to disasters in rwanda and haiti.
einstein’s dreams, written by alan lightman
This novel features Albert Einstein as a young scientist who is troubled by dreams while working on his theory of relativity in 1905. The book consists of 30 chapters, each exploring a dream about time. some scenarios involve exaggerations of real phenomena related to relativity and others are fantastic. they’re all interesting!
more award-winning science books for high school students
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
before john glenn orbited the earth, or neil armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets and astronauts , in the space. Among these problem solvers was a group of exceptionally talented African-American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the segregated public schools of the South, they were brought into service during the labor shortage of World War II, when the US aircraft industry needed anyone with the right stuff.
and of course your teen can watch the movie too. (You may want your teen to read the book and then watch the movie, and compare the two.)
in the shadow of man written by jane goodall
This is world-renowned primatologist, conservationist, and humanitarian, Dr. Jane Goodall’s account of his life among the wild chimpanzees of Gombe.
Accompanied only by her mother and her African assistants, she set up camp in the remote Gombe Creek Chimpanzee Reserve in Tanzania. for months the project seemed useless; out in the woods from dawn to dusk, she had only fleeting glimpses of frightened animals. but she gradually gained her trust and she was able to record previously unknown behaviors, such as the use, and even the making, of tools. As she got to know chimpanzees as individuals, she began to understand their complicated social hierarchy and observed many extraordinary behaviors, which have forever changed our understanding of the human-chimpanzee connection.
if they’re interested, your teens can also read other jane goodall books.
Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
This book is a lively, entertaining, and richly informed introduction to physics. The author links ordinary objects and events, like popcorn, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, with big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, and groundbreaking medical tests. she provides answers to perplexing questions like: how do ducks keep their feet warm when walking on ice? Why does tomato sauce take so long to come out of a bottle? why does milk, when added to tea, look like billowing storm clouds? and more!
even more award-winning science books for high school students
Things Matter: Exploring the Wonder Materials That Shape Our Manmade World by mark miodownik
Why is glass transparent? what makes elastic elastic? why does any material look and behave the way it does? These are the kind of questions that materials scientist Mark Miodownik constantly asks.
In this book, miodownik explores the materials he finds on a typical morning, from the steel in his razor to the foam in his sneakers. things matter will make your teen see things in a whole new way.
the immortal life of henrietta is missing written by rebecca skloot
Her name was Henrietta Missing, but scientists know her as Hela. She was a poor southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, but her cells, taken without her knowledge, became one of the most important tools of medicine. the first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, are still alive today, though she has been dead for over sixty years. In fact, if you could stack all the hela cells that have ever been grown on a scale, they would weigh over 50 million metric tons, as much as a hundred empire state buildings. Her cells were vital in developing the polio vaccine, discovering the secrets of cancer, understanding the effects of the atomic bomb, and more.
and always a bonus: your kids can watch the movie!
the history of science written by joy hakim
In the three-book series The History of Science, Joy Hakim chronicles the evolution of scientific thought from ancient times to the present. hakim highlights the achievements of some of the world’s best scientists and fosters a similar spirit of inquiry in readers. books include hundreds of color photographs, charts, maps, and diagrams; informative sidebars; suggestions for further reading; and excerpts from the writings of great scientists.
See Also: Stephen King Books in order printable list (PDF)
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See Also: Stephen King Books in order printable list (PDF)