Talking to other librarians, especially school librarians, people often ask about nonfiction books for elementary and middle school students.  It can be a challenge to find nonfiction books on grade level.  Not only do they have to be informative and age appropriate, but they also have to be interesting! Often kids who aren’t interested in fiction may read a nonfiction book, which just adds to the pressure to have interesting books in your stacks.

The challenge is what to pick to put on the shelves.  Yes, the internet and other online reference sources such as Grolier Online can be great sources of information for papers assigned in class.  Admittedly, not so great for carrying home on the bus or reading under the covers.  Younger kids are still exploring their world and learning new things every day.  Series such as Scholastic News Nonfiction Readers and later the True Book series will introduce kids to interesting new facts to pepper their parents with in the car.  I’ll admit it: I often learn things as I am cataloguing them.  For example, did you know that it took 116 years for Congress to officially make “The Star-Spangled Banner” our national anthem? It was in The National Anthem by Elaine Landau.

Older kids are often interested in more narrative nonfiction.  A series such as A Wicked History often will pique a student’s interest.  There are backroom deals, overthrown governments, political intrigue and some history thrown in when no one is looking.  Leaders such as Robespierre, Ivan the Terrible, Hannibal and so many more have had biographies written about them in this series.  My favorite of the narrative nonfiction books isn’t part of a series, though.  James L. Swanson’s Chasing Lincoln’s Killer reads like a brilliant story.  Everyone knows the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theatre but this book takes you behind the story.  Part mystery, part history and all engrossing, it is the first book that I recommend to people who say that they have a middle school student who only reads nonfiction.

Not being in a school or public library myself, I am very interested in hearing what other librarians find works in their libraries. Which book or series would you suggest? Leave a comment and tell us.