Nonfiction Books for Teens
From Wiki
Article in the Young Adult Nonfiction category.
For Younger Readers
- 92 Jiang, Ji-Li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution
- The author's experiences as a teen during the Cultural Revolution in China, when she was forced to choose between loyalty to her family or the ideals of the new government.
- 92 Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter
- A real-life Cinderella story, this memoir describes the author's painful experiences as a second-class citizen in her own home.
- Recounts the author's hilarious adventures growing up -- and getting into trouble -- in rural Minnesota in the 1950's.
- 92 Wagenen, Maya van. Popular: A Memoir: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek
- Tired of being an outsider in eighth grade, Maya decides to try to become popular by following the advice of a self-help book from the 1950’s.
- 292.13 Riordan, Rick. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods
- Fans of Percy Jackson will enjoy these retellings of Greek myths from Percy’s perspective.
- 323.119 Levinson, Cynthia. We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March
- During this pivotal event in the Civil Rights struggle, 4,000 African-American students were arrested, succeeding in filling the jails and ultimately achieving desegregation. Told from the perspective of four of those protesters.
- 371.914 Abeel, Samantha. My Thirteenth Winter: A Memoir
- The story of a teenage girl's struggle with acalculia, a learning disorder that affects mathematical ability.
- 391.63 Graydon, Shari. In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and You
- What does it mean to be beautiful? Who decides what beauty is? A thought-provoking look at the beauty industry and the concept of attractiveness in our society.
- 614.541 Murphy, Jim. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
- A fascinating account of the deadly epidemic that swept through the city of Philadelphia in the late eighteenth century.
- 616.027 Dendy, Leslie. Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experiments in Science and Medicine
- The stories of several men and women who made major scientific breakthroughs by experimenting on themselves, exposing themselves to great danger -- even death.
- 910.92 Armstrong, Jennifer. :Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance
- The true story of explorer Ernest Shackleton, who with his crew was stranded in the Antarctic ice pack in 1915 with no ship and no way to contact the outside world.
- 940.5318 Levine, Ellen. Darkness Over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews
- The true story of the Nazi invasion of Denmark, in which many citizens risked their lives to hide Danish Jews or help them escape to Sweden.
- 956.70443 Al-Windawi, Thura. Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq
- Describes day-to-day life in Baghdad, Iraq, during the 2003 war, from the perspective of a 19-year-old girl.
- 973.757 Walker, Sally. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunley
- The mysterious fate of the H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, is explored using modern technology and science.
For Older Teens
- 92 Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
- A sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking memoir describing the author's childhood and teenage years in Cascade, Idaho.
- 92 Darwin,Charles. Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Heiligman Deborah.
- 92 Kimmel, Haven. A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana
- The author looks back fondly at her childhood in a tiny Midwestern town.
- 92 McCandless, Chris. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.
- 92 Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
- A comic-book memoir that offers a unique and thoughtful commentary on growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution.
- 305.235 Vizzini, Ned. Teen Angst? Naaah...A Quasi-Autobiography
- The 19-year-old author writes about the varied and often humorous experiences of his teen years in a series of short essays.
- 362.28 Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals
- The story of a 14-year-old boy's suicide attempt and his courageous journey back to physical and psychological health.
- 363.378 Unger, Zac. Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman
- Can an Ivy-League graduate searching for his purpose in life succeed in the rough and tumble world of the Oakland, California Fire Department?
- 364.152 Crowe, Chris. Getting Away With Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case
- A chilling account of 14-year-old Emmett Till's brutal murder, which helped to trigger the Civil Rights movement.
- 598.72 Hoose, Phillip. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird
- The fascinating story of scientists' efforts to save the ivory-billed woodpecker from extinction.
- 599.352 Sullivan, Robert. Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
- Get down and dirty with this book that chronicles a year in the life of New York City's rat population.
- 611 Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
- Everything you ever wanted to know about what happens to the human body after death -- whether it is buried, cremated, or donated to science.
- 796.522 Pftetzer, Mark. Within Reach: My Everest Story
- The teenage author's exciting experiences as a mountain climber, including his world-famous attempts to summit Mount Everest.
- 797.21 Cox, Lynne. Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer
- The remarkable story of a teenage girl's long-distance swimming training and accomplihsments, which include setting a world record for crossing the English Channel at age 15.