We talk a lot about all of the hottest new fiction (and all of our old favorites), but there’s a ton of great YA nonfiction out there, too. So many of these YA nonfiction books focus on topics and stories that you should absolutely know about. So, we thought it was time to give the genre a little love, because great stories keep you turning pages, whether they are made up or true-to-life!
Keep reading to check out some of our favorite nonfiction reads that have all of the facts and will keep you reading late into the night.
YA Nonfiction Books
THAT COVER TOPICS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
1. America Redux: Visual Stories from Our Dynamic History by Ariel Aberg-Riger
A critical, unflinching cultural history and fierce beacon of hope for a better future, America Redux is a necessary and galvanizing read.
What are the stories we tell ourselves about America?
How do they shape our sense of history,
cloud our perceptions,
inspire us?
America Redux explores the themes that create our shared sense of American identity and interrogates the myths we’ve been telling ourselves for centuries. With iconic American catchphrases as chapter titles, these twenty-one visual stories illuminate the astonishing, unexpected, sometimes darker sides of history that reverberate in our society to this very day—from the role of celebrity in immigration policy to the influence of one small group of white women on education to the effects of “progress” on housing and the environment, to the inspiring force of collective action and mutual aid across decades and among diverse groups.
Fully illustrated with collaged archival photographs, maps, documents, graphic elements, and handwritten text, this book is a dazzling, immersive experience that jumps around in time and will make you view history in a whole different light.
2. Queer Ducks (and Other Animals) by Eliot Schrefer, illustrated by Jules Zuckerberg
A quiet revolution has been underway 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 doodlebugs.
In sharp and witty prose—aided by humorous comics from 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 doesn’t set us apart from animals—it bonds us even closer to our animal selves.
3. Homebody by Theo Parish
In their comics debut, Theo Parish masterfully weaves an intimate and defiantly hopeful memoir about the journey one nonbinary person takes to find a home within themself.
Combining traditional comics with organic journal-like interludes, Theo takes us through their experiences with the hundred arbitrary and unspoken gender binary rules of high school, from harrowing haircuts and finally the right haircut to the intersection of gender identity and sexuality—and through tiny everyday moments that all led up to Theo finding the term “nonbinary,” which finally struck a chord.
“Have you ever had one of those moments when all of a sudden things become clear…like someone just turned on a light?”
A whole spectrum of people will be drawn to Theo’s storytelling, from trans or questioning teens and adults, to folks who devoured Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe or The Fire Never Goes Out by ND Stevenson, to any person looking to dive a little deeper into the way gender can shape identity. Throughout the book, Theo’s crystal-clear voice reminds the reader that it’s okay not to know, it’s okay to change your mind, and it’s okay to take your time finding your way home.
“We are all just trying to find a place to call our own. We are all deserving of comfort and safety, a place to call home.”
4. Money Out Loud by Berna Anat
So no one taught you about money, either? Let’s figure this me$$ out together.
In this illustrated, deeply unserious guide to money, Berna Anat—aka the Financial Hype Woman—freaks out her immigrant parents by doing the unthinkable: Talking about money. Loudly.
Because we’re done staying silent, anxious, and ashamed about our money. It’s time to join the party and finally learn about all the financial stuff that always felt too confusing. Stuff like:
- How to actually budget, save, and invest (but also make it fun)
- How our traumas shape our most toxic money habits, and how to create new patterns
- How to build wealth in a system designed to keep us broke
- How to use money to fund our biggest dreams—and change the world
No more keeping our money on mute. It’s time to grab the mic.
5. Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned In School by Tiffany Jewell
From preschool to higher education and everything in between, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School focuses on the experiences Black and Brown students face as a direct result of the racism built into schools across the United States.
The overarching nonfiction narrative follows author Tiffany Jewell from early elementary school through her time at college, unpacking the history of systemic racism in the American educational system along the way. Throughout the book, other writers of the global majority share a wide variety of personal narratives and stories based on their own school experiences.
Contributors include New York Times bestseller Joanna Ho; award winners Minh Lê, Randy Ribay, and Torrey Maldonado; authors James Bird and Rebekah Borucki; author-educators Amelia A. Sherwood, Roberto Germán, Liz Kleinrock, Gary R. Gray Jr., Lorena Germán, Patrick Harris II, shea wesley martin, David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris, Ozy Aloziem, Gayatri Sethi, and Dulce-Marie Flecha; and even a couple of teen writers!
Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School provides young folks with the context to think critically about and chart their own course through their current schooling—and any future schooling they may pursue.
6. Black Birds in the Sky by Brandy Colbert
In the early morning of June 1, 1921, a white mob marched across the train tracks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and into its predominantly Black Greenwood District—a thriving, affluent neighborhood known as America’s Black Wall Street. They brought with them firearms, gasoline, and explosives.
In a few short hours, they’d razed thirty-five square blocks to the ground, leaving hundreds dead. The Tulsa Race Massacre is one of the most devastating acts of racial violence in US history. But how did it come to pass? What exactly happened? And why are the events unknown to so many of us today?
These are the questions that award-winning author Brandy Colbert seeks to answer in this unflinching nonfiction account of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In examining the tension that was brought to a boil by many factors—white resentment of Black economic and political advancement, the resurgence of white supremacist groups, the tone and perspective of the media, and more—a portrait is drawn of an event singular in its devastation, but not in its kind. It is part of a legacy of white violence that can be traced from our country’s earliest days through Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement in the mid–twentieth century, and the fight for justice and accountability Black Americans still face today.
The Tulsa Race Massacre has long failed to fit into the story Americans like to tell themselves about the history of their country. This book, ambitious and intimate in turn, explores the ways in which the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre is the story of America—and by showing us who we are, points to a way forward.
7. The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change by Elizabeth Rusch
From severe flooding in Louisiana to wildfires in the Pacific Northwest to melting permafrost in Alaska, catastrophic climate events are occurring more frequently—and severely—than ever. And these events are having a direct impact on the lives (and futures) of young people and their families.
In the ongoing landmark case Juliana vs. United States, twenty-one young plaintiffs claim that the government’s support of the fossil-fuel industry is actively contributing to climate change, and that all citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate—especially children and young adults, because they cannot vote and will inherit the problems of the future.
Elizabeth Rusch’s The Twenty-One is a gripping legal and environmental thriller that tells the story of twenty-one young people and their ongoing case against the U.S. government for denying their constitutional right to life and liberty. A rich, informative, and multifaceted read, The Twenty-One stars the young plaintiffs and their attorneys; illuminates the workings of the United States’s judicial system and the relationship between government, citizens’ rights, and the environment; and asks readers to think deeply about the future of our planet.
Features extensive backmatter, including a timeline, glossary, call to action, additional resources, and photographs.
8. Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi.
You’ve probably seen Stamped everywhere and with good reason.
Adapted for young adults by Jason Reynolds from Dr. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, Stamped traces the history of racism and the many political, literary, and philosophical narratives that have been used to justify slavery, oppression, and genocide.
Written in Jason’s signature conversational prose, Stamped is accessible, fascinating, and an absolute must-read.
9. Shift Happens: The History Of Labor In The United States
You need to work to live.
That’s the truth for most people, and plenty of people in power have been abusing that truth for centuries.
Long before the first labor unions were formed, workers still knew what exploitation looked like. It looked like the enslavement of Black people. It looked like generations of children dying in dangerous jobs. It looked like wealthy people hiring private militaries to attack their employees.
But workers have always found a way to fight back. Lokono tribespeople resisted Columbus and his colonizers. Enslaved people led walkouts and rebellions. Textile workers demanded a wage that would let them have fun, not just survive. Miners died for the right to unionize. From 30,000 young seamstresses striking in the early 1900s to Uber drivers organizing for change today, people have learned we’re stronger when we are united.
Shift Happens is a smart, funny, and engaging look at the history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor, and so much more.
10. 83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary by Don Brown
A young adult graphic novel that captures the complexities of the war in Ukraine, focusing on the siege of Mariupol (Feb ’22 – May ’22) and the brave people who stayed to defend their city against Russian forces as well as the resulting effects on global politics.
A city ruined. In once quiet residential streets, two armies battle, driving people into cellars and basements with little food or water. No lights or heat. Dwindling medical supplies. Shells and bullets deliver cruel, random death to the young and old, men, women, and children.
This is Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and early target of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bordering Russian-occupied territory, the coastal city seemed doomed to a defeat that would come within days, if not hours. Could Mariupol, and Ukraine, survive? As Russian rockets threatened the city, Ukrainians resisted, and with a heroic combination of sacrifice and bravery, the besieged city endured . . . for months. But it all came at a steep cost.
With compassion and his keen journalist’s eye, Sibert Honor creator Don Brown illuminates the horrors of Mariupol and the depredations of its people not seen in the city since World War II. He also shows that outside of Mariupol, the city’s agonies were mirrored by similar events occurring in towns and cities across Ukraine.
83 Days in Mariupol reminds us that the bloody defiance shown at The Alamo, Dunkirk, Leningrad, and Thermopylae isn’t confined to the past but has a violent, modern presence. It is the story of senseless destruction, patriotism, and grit against long odds—a brutal battle whose consequences still reverberate across Ukraine and continue to reshape the global political landscape.
11. A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer-And Beyond by Elizabeth Rusch
More than 250 women have played on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and most contributed to the battle for equal pay. This narrative nonfiction book traces the evolution of that fight, bringing this important rights issue in sports and in our culture to the attention of young readers.
With the passage of Title IX in 1972, the doors opened for young women to play sports at a higher level. But for the women on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, being able to compete at an international level didn’t mean fair treatment and fair compensation.
From economy-class airplane seats and inadequate lodging to minimal marketing and slashed wages, the women representing the United States at the Olympics, the World Cup, and other tournaments had reason to be fed up. They were expected to—and did—win, but they weren’t compensated for their talent and dedication. With the help of their union and in collaboration with the men’s team, they secured an equitable contract in 2022 that ultimately benefited both national teams as well as athletes of the future.
Elizabeth Rusch’s A Greater Goal chronicles how members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team fought to receive fair treatment and equal pay despite the intense pushback they received from U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in the United States. With a narrative that includes player profiles and vignettes framed from team member perspectives, A Greater Goal illuminates the work, support, and grit needed to be treated with equality in a world that often undervalues the contributions of women.
Features extensive back matter, including a, call to action, additional resources, and an index.
12. A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein
We bet you probably haven’t heard this story before—and that’s a shame.
The 588th Night Bomber Regiment, also known as the “night witches” are some of the women you’ll learn about in this true story of the first ever women to fly in combat in World War II.
The thousand women who took flight to defend their country faced obstacles both in the sky and on the ground, but continues on with strength and bravery. Many of the women just teens with stories previously untold, this is a story of the sisterhood they formed amidst the terror of war.
13. March by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell
The late John Lewis was a congressman from Georgia and was, in case you weren’t aware, a civil rights hero.
John Lewis, who served in Congress from 1987 until his death in 2020, was one of the key figures of the Civil Rights Movement, and his commitment to justice and nonviolence took him from a segregated schoolroom to the 1963 March on Washington and from receiving beatings from state troopers to receiving the Medal of Freedom.
March is the first in a graphic novel trilogy, and you should totally pick it up to learn more about this American icon.
14. Brown v. the Board of Education by Susan Goldman Rubin
Speaking of the Civil Rights movement, this book will give you the backstory of one of the most significant Supreme Court decisions of the Twentieth Century—the one that aimed to end school segregation in the U.S.
Although known as Brown v. the Board of Education, the ruling applied not just to the case of Linda Carol Brown, an African American third grader refused entry to an all-white school in Kansas, but also to cases involving children in South Carolina, Delaware, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
This is the story of the many people who stood up to racial inequality, some risking significant danger and hardship, and of the careful strategizing by the NAACP.
15. This Land is Our Land: A History of American Immigration by Linda Barrett Osborne
Immigration is a hot-button issue these days. And American attitudes towards immigrants are paradoxical.
On the one hand, we see our country as a haven for the poor and oppressed; anyone, no matter his or her background, can find freedom here and achieve the “American Dream.” On the other hand, we set boundaries and restrictions on who may come to this country and whether they may become citizens.
If you’re looking to know more about the backstory of immigration in the U.S., particularly the ways in which government policy and popular responses to immigrant groups has evolved, check out This Land is Our Land.
16. #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale
On the flip side, #NotYourPrincess book features the powerful voices of Indigenous women across North America. It presents an eclectic collection of poems, essays, interviews, and art that combine to express the experience of being a Native American 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 you insight into the lives of women who, for so long, have been virtually invisible.
17. Blood, Bullets, and Bones by Bridget Heos
If you are a fan of mysteries and crime scene drama, you have to check out this fascinating look at the ever-changing science of forensics.
Author Bridget Heos uses real-life cases to tell the history of modern forensic science, from the first test for arsenic poisoning to fingerprinting, firearm and blood spatter analysis, DNA evidence, and more. By turns captivating and shocking, Blood, Bullets, and Bones demonstrates the essential role forensic science has played in our criminal justice system.
18. Queer, There, and Everywhere: 2nd Edition by Sarah Prager
World history has been made by countless lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals—and you’ve likely never heard of many of them.
Queer author and activist Sarah Prager delves deep into the lives of 27 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 astonishing true stories uncover a rich queer heritage that encompasses every culture, in every era.
By turns hilarious and inspiring, the beautifully illustrated Queer, There, and Everywhere is for anyone who wants the real story of the queer rights movement.
19. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
If it weren’t for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met.
Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment.
The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight.
20. Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman
Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh had a brother? This novel is about the deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh that shaped both brothers’ lives.
Confidant, champion, sympathizer, friend, Theo supported Vincent has 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, this book weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the love of the Van Gogh brothers.
21. Girl Code by Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser
Want a nonfiction story with some kick@$$ girls?
Girl Code is the story of Andy and Sophie, two teenage tech phenoms who met at Girls Who Code summer camp. They teamed up to create a viral video game and ended up becoming world famous.
Get ready for an inside look at the tech industry, the true power of coding, and some of the amazing women who are shaping the world.
What other YA nonfiction books would you recommend? Tell us in the comments below!