5 Children's Nonfiction Book Ideas for 7-12 Year Olds

Over the past couple of years, you may have noticed your child’s teachers placing greater emphasis on reading nonfiction. In many states, elementary-school students are now expected to spend 50% of their reading time on literature and 50% on informational texts (i.e., nonfiction) to help them develop deeper knowledge of the world.

While some kids naturally gravitate toward nonfiction, those who love a good story (like my 10 year old daughter!) often feel that reading nonfiction is a chore. Here are 9 nonfiction books that have captured the attention of my girls, which they would recommend.

Comment below on your kids' favorite nonfiction books.

Who Was? Series

This is a series of illustrated biographies for young readers featuring significant historical figures, including artists, scientists, and world leaders.

My 1st grader chose "Who Was Rosa Parks" to read & then present as part of her school's Black History Month activities.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

by William Kamkwamba

This Young Readers Edition tells the exciting story of William Kamkwamba, a young boy from Malawi, and how he used scrap metal to invent a windmill and bring electricity to his tiny village. His journey is inspiring and gives kids a broader, more global perspective.

(Ages 10+)

Truth or Lie Series

The Truth or Lie series is an entertaining way to get your reader excited about nonfiction. A Truth Sleuth helps them parse out facts from fiction on subjects ranging from sharks and dinosaurs to presidents and inventors.

Brown Girl Dreaming

by Jacqueline Woodson

In vivid poems, Jacqueline Woodson shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world.

Hidden Figures

by Margot Lee Shetterly

This is a picture book version of the inspirational true story. The four African American women featured in the book were, as the book repeatedly puts it, "good at math. Really good." They overcame discrimination during the Jim Crow era of segregation laws in the South, and excelled as human "computers" at NASA, working on the complicated calculations required to design and test new airplanes during WWII, and later rockets for the space race. The book includes a timeline, bios of the four women, and a glossary explaining words like "aeronautics," "sonic boom," and "turbulence." It also explains segregation and civil rights history.