BIOGRAPHIES
Brown, Dan. A Wizard from the Start: The Incredible Boyhood & Amazing Inventions of Thomas Edison. A picture book biography that Introduces children to the life and inventions of Thomas Edison (RL 3.6).
Delano, Marfe Ferguson. Helen’s Eyes: A Photobiography of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s Teacher. Photographs, illustrations, and text chronicle the life of Helen Keller's tutor, Annie Sullivan (RL 6.5).
Freedman, Russell. Lincoln: A Photobiography. Photographs and text trace the life of the Civil War President (RL 7.4).
Harness, Cheryl. Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women. Presents cameos of one hundred notable American women, arranged chronologically from Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America in 1587, to Ruth Simmons, named president of Smith College in 1995, the first African-American woman to hold the post (RL 7.2).
Fleming, Candace. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Presents the story of the legendary aviator from her childhood until her final flight in 1937 (RL 6.4).
Kehret, Peg. Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. The author describes her battle against polio when she was thirteen and her efforts to overcome its debilitating effects (RL 5.2).
Scieszka, Jon. Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories about Growing up Scieszka. Presents a memoir of what it was like to grow up in the 1950s and other almost true stories by American children's author Jon Scieszka (RL 4.6).
Tavares, Matt. Henry Aaron’s Dream. Chronicles the childhood of Henry Aaron, describing his dream of becoming a major league baseball player (RL 2.8).
Wells, Rosemary. Mary on Horseback: Three Mountain Stories. Tells the stories, based on fact, of three families who were helped by the work of Mary Breckinridge, the first nurse to go into the Appalachian Mountains and give medical care to the isolated inhabitants (RL 5.5).
Winter, Jeanette. The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps. An illustrated biography of British primatologist Jane Goodall, describing her childhood, the years she spent in the African forests to observe chimpanzees, and her efforts to protect and preserve primates and their habitats (RL 3.2).
Various Authors. Who Was…? series. An illustrated biography series perfect for kids who are beyond easy-to-read books about famous people, but not quite ready for thick, long biographies (RL 4.5 avg.).
NON FICTION
Brown, Don. Gold! Gold from the American River! Introduces readers to the history of the California gold rush, describing the journey to California, the process of panning for gold, and the fortunes that this gold brought many different people (RL 5.4).
Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Tells the story behind the creation of "Appalachian Spring," describing Aaron Copland's composition and Martha Graham's intense choreography (RL 5.1).
Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Tells the story behind the creation of "Appalachian Spring," describing Aaron Copland's composition and Martha Graham's intense choreography (RL 5.1).
Hartland, Jessie. How the Sphinx Got to the Museum. Follows the history of the sphinx of Pharoah Hatshepust from its creation in ancient Egypt to New York City's Metropolitan Museum (RL 6.5).
Jenkins, Steve. Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. Explores the details of human and animal bones, comparing the differences between the skeletal structure of various species, with several gatefolds that display the skeletons of many creatures (RL 6.1).
McCarthy, Meghan. Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum. A collection of amusing historical facts on the invention of bubble gum (RL 4.8).
Mortenson, Greg; adapted by Sarah Thomson. Three Cups of Tea. An adaptation of Greg Mortenson's book in which he recounts the experiences he had while trying to help impoverished villages in Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya build schools for their children (RL 5.6).
Paulsen, Gary. Guts: The True Story behind Hatchet and the Brian Books. The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson (RL 6.5).
Schlitz, Laura Amy. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village. A collection of short one-person plays featuring characters, between ten and fifteen years old, who live in or near a thirteenth-century English manor (RL 5.6).
Waldman, Neil. A Land of Big Dreamers: Voices of Courage in America. Profiles thirteen American men and women who stood up for equality and justice, discussing their efforts and the lasting impact each individual made on society (RL 6.9).
Winter, Jeanette. Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia. Luis has so many books in his little house in Colombia that he buys two donkeys and travels throughout the land bringing the joy of reading to children (RL 1.8).
