We love fiction, but there are some stories that are different when you know they are based on a true story. nonfiction books are amazing to us because they remind us that authors are real people, experiencing life as we do.
You are reading: Non fiction books for young adults list
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: our favorite books are those that we enjoy reading, that also teach us things. fiction does a great job of this, of course. but we can’t forget about our favorite non-fiction books! there are so many great and accessible books that we had to mention them.
forget what you thought you knew: history is anything but boring! Without further ado, scroll down to check out some terrific non-fiction books below, and get your learning going, book nerds!
17 non-fiction books
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1. in the shadow of the moon by amy cherrix
You’ve heard of the space race, but do you know the whole story?
the most ambitious race humanity has ever undertaken was planned in the shadows by two engineers on opposite sides of the cold war: wernher von braun, a former nazi officer living in the united states, and sergei korolev, a designer Russian rocket fighter once jailed for crimes against his country, and your textbooks probably never told you.
von Braun became an American hero, recognized around the world, while Korolev toiled in the dark. These two brilliant rocketmen never met, but together they shaped the science of space flight and redefined modern warfare. From the brutal prisons of Stalin’s Gulag and Hitler’s concentration camps to Cape Canaveral and beyond, their simultaneous quests pushed science, and human ingenuity, to the limit.
From Amy Cherrix comes the extraordinary hidden story of the space race and the bitter rivalry that landed mankind on the moon.
- shop in the shadow of the moon now!
2. weird ducks (and other animals) by eliot schrefer, illustrated by jules zuckerberg
There has been a quiet revolution in recent years, with study after study revealing substantial same-sex sexual behavior in animals. Join celebrated author Eliot Schrefer on an exploration of queer behavior in the animal world, from albatrosses to bonobos to clownfish to doodlers.
In sharp, witty prose, aided by humorous comic strips by artist Jules Zuckerberg, Schrefer uses science, history, anthropology, and sociology to illustrate the diversity of sexual behavior in the animal world. interviews with researchers in the field offer additional insights for readers and aspiring scientists.
queer behavior in animals is as diverse and complex, and as natural, as it is in our own species. it does not differentiate us from animals, it unites us even more to ourselves as animals.
- buy rare ducks (and other animals) now!
3. black birds in the sky by brandy colbert
4. almost american girl by robin ha
For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn’t always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together.
then, when a vacation to visit friends in huntsville, alabama unexpectedly turns into a permanent move, following her mother’s announcement that she’s getting married, robin is devastated.
Overnight, his life changes. she is taken to a new school where she doesn’t understand the language and struggles to keep up. she is completely isolated from her friends in seoul and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn’t fit in with her new stepfamily and, worst of all, she’s furious with the person closest to her: her mother.
Then one day, Robin’s mom enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, opening the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.
This four-star-reviewed nonfiction graphic novel is a great choice for teens and fast-paced tweens alike, both for independent reading and for units on immigration, memoir, and the search for identity.
- shop almost american girl now!
5. the fire never goes out by nd stevenson
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In a collection of personal essays and mini-comics spanning eight years of his young adult life, author and illustrator nd stevenson traces the ups and downs of being a creative human being in the world.
Whether it’s hearing the wrong name at her art school graduation ceremony or becoming a national book award finalist for her first graphic novel, nimona, she captures the moments big and small. that make up a true life, with a wit, wisdom, and vulnerability that are all his own.
- buy the fire never goes out now!
6. scream by laurie halse anderson
Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she’s never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society’s failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #metoo and #timesup, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. SHOUT speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice- and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore.
- buy and scream now!
7. Not All Boys Are Blue by George M. johnson
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys.
All Boys Aren’t Blue, a handbook for teens eager to be allies and a reassuring testimonial for gay youth of color, covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank writing style will appeal squarely to young adults.
- shop all the boys aren’t blue now!
8. print by jason reynolds and ibram x kendi.
Stamped traces the history of racism and the many political, literary, and philosophical narratives that have been used to justify slavery, oppression, and genocide. Framed through the ideologies and thoughts of segregationists, assimilationists, and antiracists throughout history, the book demonstrates that the “construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power, whether financially or politically,” and that this power has been used to systemically and systematically oppress Black people in the United States for more than four hundred years.
- buy print now!
9. #notyourprincess by lisa charleyboy
Whether looking back to a troubled past or welcoming a hopeful future, the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America resound in this book. In the same style as the best-selling Dreaming in Indian, #NotYourPrincess presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native woman. Stories of abuse, humiliation, and stereotyping are countered by the voices of passionate women making themselves heard and demanding change. Sometimes angry, often reflective, but always strong, the women in this book will give teen readers insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.
- buy #notyourprincess now!
10. don brown’s unwanted
In the tradition of Don Brown’s critically acclaimed, full-color nonfiction graphic novels The Great American Dust Bowl and Sibert Honor winning Drowned City, The Unwanted is an important, timely, and eye-opening exploration of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis, exposing the harsh realities of living in, and trying to escape, a war zone.
As of 2011, refugees are leaving war-torn Syria at rates similar to an exodus. the surprising avalanche of victims overwhelms neighboring countries and chaos follows. resentment in host nations grows as the disruption and cost of aid increases. for 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. refugees are the unwanted.
Don Brown describes moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the current Syrian refugee crisis. Shedding light on the stories of survivors, The Unwanted is a testament to the courage and resilience of refugees and a call to action for all who read.
- buy what you don’t want now!
11. dashka slater’s 57 bus
One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever.
if it wasn’t for the 57 bus, sasha and richard would never have met. They were both high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teenager, lived in the foothills middle class and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teenager, lived on the crime-ridden plains and attended a large public hearing. each day, their paths overlapped for just eight minutes. But one afternoon, on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha badly burned and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life in prison. the case drew international attention, putting both teens in the spotlight.
- Buy the 57 bus now!
12. vincent and theo by deborah heiligman
The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers’ lives. Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend, Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Meticulously researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the love of the Van Gogh brothers.
- buy vincent and theo now!
13. thousand sisters of elizabeth wein
In the early years of World War II, Josef Stalin issued an order that made the Soviet Union the first country in the world to allow female pilots to fly in combat. Led by Marina Raskova, these three regiments, including the 588th Night Bomber Regiment—nicknamed the “night witches”—faced intense pressure and obstacles both in the sky and on the ground. Some of these young women perished in flames. Many of them were in their teens when they went to war.
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this is the story of the three raskova regiments, women who enlisted and were deployed to the front lines as navigators, pilots and mechanics. It is the story of a thousand young people who wanted to take flight to defend their country, and the woman who brought them together in the sky.
Filled with black-and-white photography, captivating sidebars, and painstakingly researched detail, A Thousand Sisters is the inspiring true story of a group of women who set out to change the world and the sisterhood they formed even in the midst of destruction. of war.
- buy a thousand sisters now!
14. Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. krosoczka
In kindergarten, Jarrett Krosoczka’s teacher asks him to draw his family, with a mommy and a daddy. But Jarrett’s family is much more complicated than that. His mom is an addict, in and out of rehab, and in and out of Jarrett’s life. His father is a mystery — Jarrett doesn’t know where to find him, or even what his name is. Jarrett lives with his grandparents — two very loud, very loving, very opinionated people who had thought they were through with raising children until Jarrett came along.
jarrett goes through his childhood trying to make his non-normal life as normal as possible, finding a way to express himself through drawing even when he is told very little about what is going on. Only as a teenager can Jarrett begin to piece together the truth of her family, recount her mother, and track down her father.
hey, kiddo is a deeply important memoir about growing up in a family struggling with addiction and finding the art that helps you survive.
- hey kid buy now!
15. how dare the sun rise by sandra uwiringiyimana
This profoundly moving memoir is the remarkable and inspiring true story of Sandra Uwiringiyimana, 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.
sandra was barely ten years old when she found a gun pointed at her head. he had seen his mother and her six-year-old sister gunned down by rebels in a refugee camp. surprisingly, the rebel did not pull the trigger and sandra escaped.
thus began a new life for her and her surviving family members. homeless and penniless, they struggled to stay alive. Eventually, through a United Nations refugee program, they moved to America, only to face yet another ethnic disconnect. Sandra may have crossed an ocean, but now there was a much wider divide that she had to overcome. and she started with high school in new york.
In this memoir, Sandra tells the story of her survival, finding her place in a new country, her hope for the future, and how she found a way to give her people a voice.
- buy how dare the sun rise now!
16. queer, there and everywhere by sarah prager
World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve never heard of many of them.
Author and queer activist sarah prager delves into the lives of 23 people who fought, created, and loved on their own terms. From high-profile figures like Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt to the trailblazing gender-ambiguous Queen of Sweden and a bisexual blues singer who didn’t make it into your history books, these amazing true stories uncover a rich queer heritage that spans all cultures. . at all times.
Both hilarious and inspiring, the beautifully illustrated Queer, There and Everywhere is for anyone who wants to know the true story of the gay rights movement.
- shop queer, there and everywhere now!
17. (don’t) call me crazy for kelly jensen
Who’s Crazy?
what does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? what happens when such a label is attached to your everyday experiences?
To understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. because there is no single definition of crazy, there is no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things: wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.
(don’t) call me crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understand how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we talk and don’t talk about mental health, help better understand how each person’s brain is wired in different ways. different, and what, exactly, could drive someone crazy.
If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages and let’s start talking.
- buy (don’t) call me crazy now!
what is your favorite non-fiction book? tell us in the comments!
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