Good Nonfiction Books for Teens Version 2.0 If you liked these books, you might also enjoy… Good Nonfiction Books for Teens Travels Through Time: Nonfiction History Books for Teens Adventure and Travel 599.789 CRO The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China’s Most Exotic Animal by Vicki Constantine Croke2005, 372 p. One woman’s adventurous trek through Tibet to capture a panda—alive. 629.13 BUC Flight of Passage by Rinker Buck1997, 351 p. Two teenage brothers fly from New Jersey to California in 1966, in a Piper Cub they restored themselves. 796.522 RAL Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston2004, 354 p. Ralston recounts the harrowing story of his near death and self-amputation alone on a canyon wall in Utah. 797.122 HEL Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River by Peter Heller2004, 278 p. There are dangers both on and off the water for a kayaking expedition to one of the world’s most remote whitewater rivers. 910.45 HAY My Old Man and the Sea: A Father and Son Sail Around Cape Horn by David Hays1995, 227 p. Alternating perspectives on a 17,000-mile voyage around the tip of South America in handmade boat. 916.6 BEN Men of Salt: Crossing the Sahara on the Caravan of White Gold by Michael Benanav2006, 220 p. A perilous journey across the desert leads to a glimpse at a vanishing way of life in the ancient salt trade. 919.8 MOO Frost on My Moustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer by Tim Moore2000, 280 p. Travels across Iceland by boat and mountain bike retrace the steps of a once famous explorer in this darkly humorous travelogue. Animals 363.289 ALB The Lost Pet Chronicles: Adventures of a K–9 Cop Turned Pet Detective by Kat Albrecht2004, 243 p. A fascinating peek into the life of a cop turned pet detective and the lives she helped save. 599.757 HEL Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer2005, 258 p. The inventor of “affection training” for Hollywood’s screen animals tells of his relationship with a lion cub. 636.0889 BRA You Belong in a Zoo!: Tales from a Lifetime Spent with Cobras, Crocs, and Other Creatures by Peter Brazaitis2003, 345 p. This teenager followed his mother’s advice—to eventually become superintendent of the Bronx Zoo Reptile House. 636.4 MON Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery2006, 228 p. A 750-pound friend can make the whole neighborhood feel good. 636.7 MOR My Dog Skip by Willie Morris1995, 122 p. The timeless story of a boy and his fox terrier, in a small town during the 1940s. 636.8 MOR My Cat Spit McGee by Willie Morris2000, 141 p. By the author of My Dog Skip, this memoir tells of life with a cranky but loveable cat. History 031.02 SIL Einstein’s Refrigerator: And Other Stories from the Flip Side of History by Steve Silverman2001, 183 p. Off-beat stories from the annals of science history. See more at his website, uselessinformation.org. 621.972 RYB One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw by Witold Rybczynski2000, 173 p. The most useful tool of the last thousand years gets its turn in this enlightening history. 910.452 CLI The Lost Fleet: The Discovery of a Sunken Armada from the Golden Age of Piracy by Barry Clifford2002, 287 p. Diver Clifford explores a naval catastrophe in 1678 and the wild, seafaring world of pirates. 910.916523 CLI Return to Treasure Island and the Search for Captain Kidd by Barry Clifford2003, 278 p. Find out how a respected Englishman came to be wanted as a murderous pirate. 940.5421 ABD Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar2004, 302 p. Abdul-Jabbar chronicles the bravery of Patton’s all-black tank battalion and its 183 days on the front lines at the Battle of the Bulge. 940.54293 CAR All Brave Sailors: The Sinking of the Anglo-Saxon, August 21, 1940 by J. Revell Carr2004, 363 p. When this British ship was ambushed by the Germans, seven survivors escaped in a tiny boat to face the deadly perils of the sea. 940.5451 KURAlso in PB NF KUR and Bridge YA 940.5451 KUR Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson2004, 397 p. Two deep-sea divers risk their lives to discover the identity of a sunken German submarine. 959.3 KRA Wave of Destruction: The Stories of Four Families and History’s Deadliest Tsunami by Erich Krauss2006, 244 p. Families from a Thai village devastated by the tsunami of December 26, 2004 tell their compelling stories. Biography BERG, M. The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by Nicholas Dawidoff1994, 453 p. Even after years as a professional baseball player and as a spy gathering information on Germany’s atomic bomb, Berg himself remains a mystery. Biography MATHABANE, M.Also in YA Biography MATHABANE, M. Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa by Mark Mathabane1986, 354 p. Mathabane’s hopeless life in Johannesburg is full of violence and poverty, but he is determined to get out. Biography UNG, C. Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind by Loung Ung2005, 268 p. Alternating chapters tell the stories of two sisters, one a refugee in America, the other left in war-torn Cambodia. The sequel to First They Killed My Father. YA 364.1523 CROAlso in J 364.1523 CRO Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case by Chris Crowe2003, 128 p. A bold and honest look at how young Emmett Till’s murder ignited the spark of America’s civil rights movement. YA 940.5318 OPDAlso in JB OPDYKE In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke1999, 276 p. A teenager in Poland endures incredible hardships to save the lives of hunted Jews. YA Biography LOBEL, A. No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War by Anita Lobel2000, 193 p. A piercing account of surviving the Holocaust by a famous children’s author and illustrator. Bridge YA 919.8 NIV The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk by Jennifer Niven2000, 402 p. This grueling Arctic expedition manned with young sailors lost over half its crew in 1914. J 910.45 PHI Revenge of the Whale: The True Story of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick2002, 164 p. This true seafaring battle against a huge whale gave Melville the inspiration for his story Moby Dick. Music 306.484 NUZ Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America by Eric Nuzum2001, 349 p. A fascinating history of music censorship battles from ’50s tunes to current music. 781.66 CHA Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation by Jeff Chang2005, 546 p. A look back at the rise of the hip-hop culture. 781.66092 KOTAlso in YA 781.66 KOT Wilco: Learning How to Die by Greg Kot2004, 247 p. The story of Jeff Tweedy and the backstage life of the Wilco band. YA 781.66 KIL Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics2004, 304 p. “Classic” rock albums are analyzed by a new generation of music critics. Real Life Stories 031 JAC The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs2004, 386 p. What can you find out by reading all 33,000 pages of the Encyclopedia Britannica? 155.937 SMI  Name All the Animals: A Memoir by Alison Smith2004, 319 p. The author deals with the death of her brother in this coming-of-age memoir. 306.362 NAZ Slave by Mende Nazer2003, 350 p. In 1994 at the age of 12, the author was captured as a slave in the Sudan. This is her compelling story. 362.19685 TRA Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig2004, 246 p. In this humorous memoir, the author recalls her experiences as a child with obsessive-compulsive disorder. 363.2 CON Blue Blood by Edward Conlon2004, 562 p. A memoir about life behind the badge in the New York Police Department. 363.37 UNG Working Fire: The Making of an Accidental Fireman by Zac Unger2004, 262 p. This action-packed story of life as a firefighter tells it from the inside. 364.1092 VOG Flim-Flam Man: A True Family History by Jennifer Vogel2004, 213 p. An absorbing memoir of a beloved father who also happened to be a liar and criminal. 364.162 DOL The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece by Edward Dolnick2005, 270 p. When Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream was stolen in 1994, it took the ingenuity of one man to retrieve it. 364.36 SALAlso in Bridge PB YA Fiction SAL True Notebooks: A Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall by Mark Salzman2003, 330 p. These thoughts of teens behind bars are full of insight and emotion. 364.66 JUN Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA by Tim Junkin2004, 294 p. Kirk Bloodsworth was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 9 years battling death row until advances in DNA testing set him free. 371.8 SUS A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind1999, 373 p. Cedric Jennings struggled to succeed as a black student in one of the worst public high schools in Washington D.C. 371.9 KER A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Teacher, His Class, and Their Unforgettable Journey by Michael Kersjes2002, 276 p. A teacher of mentally and emotionally disabled students triumphs over the school system to get his class invited to Space Camp. 371.95 COR And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City High School Students by Miles Corwin2000, 418 p. A grueling year in the lives of AP students struggling in a forgotten school system. 599.784 JAN Grizzly Maze: Timothy Treadwell’s Fatal Obsession with Alaskan Bears by Nick Jans2005, 274 p. A fascinating glimpse into the life of a man who chose to live in the middle of grizzly territory, and then paid the price. 610.92 DAV The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Sampson Davis2002, 248 p. Three black high school students who vow to finish college together must rely on each other to keep from returning to the streets. 955.053 HAK Journey from the Land of No: A Girlhood Caught in Revolutionary Iran by Ruya Hakkakiyan2004, 245 p. A haunting story of being a Jewish teenager in Tehran as civil rights are stripped away. 956.70443 BUC Shane Comes Home by Rinker Buck2005, 272 p. The moving story of the first American killed in the Iraq War. 958.104 AKBAlso in YA 958.1 AKB Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager’s Story by Said Hyder Akbar2005, 339 p. Akbar gives his interesting views of Afghanistan gathered from visits with his father there and from his wanderings among Afghans with a microphone and recorder. 958.104 EXU This Man’s Army: A Soldier’s Story from the Front Lines of the War on Terrorism by Andrew Exum2004, 237 p. An insider’s look at our most modern war. Biography Ahmedi, F. The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi2005, 249 p. At the age of 7, the author stepped on a land mine. Here is her story of loss, looking back, and moving forward. Biography GILMAN, S.J. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing Up Groovy and Clueless by Susan Jane Gilman2005, 352 p. Growing up in the ’70s had its ups and downs as retold in this comic memoir. Biography HAMILTON, B.Also in YA 797.32 HAM Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton2004, 213 p. Could you return to the water after losing an arm in a shark attack? Hamilton did. Biography McLAIN, P. Like Family: Growing Up in Other People’s Houses: A Memoir by Paula McLain2003, 260 p. Growing up shuffled between foster homes, the author records the wretched conditions she and her sisters endured. Biography MOAVENI, A. Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran by Azadeh Moaveni2005, 249 p. Living between two worlds, Moaveni finds herself in her search for a homeland. Biography NAMU, Y.E. Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World by Yang Erche Namu2003, 293 p. Growing up in a remote Chinese village, singer Namu’s life was unlike anything imagined by an American girl. Biography SUMMER, L. Learning Joy from Dogs Without Collars: A Memoir by Lauralee Summer2003, 351 p. A young woman struggles to find her identity as she and her mother live on the streets. Biography WALLS, J. The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls2005, 288 p. This unusual memoir of making it on your own while living with your parents is full of the “adventures” of being homeless. YA 616.8582 GRE Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen by Proxy Childhood by Julie Gregory2003, 244 p. This astounding story describes a life crippled by an insidious form of child abuse, and the struggle to move beyond it. YA 616.8526 HOR Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher1999, 298 p. A graphic look at how believing in the “ideal female body” almost cost Hornbacher her life. YA Biography GANTOS, J. Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos2002, 199 p. Gantos tells a true and gripping tale about his teenage years in jail for trafficking drugs. YA Biography CRUTCHER, C. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher2003, 260 p. With his signature combination of hilarity and thoughtfulness, author Crutcher recounts his younger years. JB MYERS Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers2001, 214 p. Growing up in 1940s Harlem meant causing mischief and struggling to fit in for this writer. Science 363.25 OWE Hidden Evidence: 40 True Crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them by David Owen2000, 240 p. The world of forensic crime fights for justice with the invisible. 363.7384 CON Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic by Marla Cone2005, 246 p. A wake up call to change our thinking and behavior to salvage our Arctic environment. 510.79 OLS Count Down: Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World’s Toughest Math Competition by Steve Olson2004, 244 p. This story of the 2001 Math Olympiad and its U.S. team shows that math is not just for nerds. 511.211 KAP The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero by Robert Kaplan2000, 225 p. It’s amazing how interesting a book about nothing can be. 520 FERAlso in Bridge YA 520 FER  Seeing in the Dark: How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth from Interplanetary Peril by Timothy Ferris2002, 379 p. You don’t have to be famous to make astronomical discoveries. Ferris tells about everyday people delving into the big sky. 537 BOD Electric Universe: The Shocking True Story of Electricity by David Bodanis2004, 308 p. A gallop through the quirky and interesting side of science history. 591.65 QUA Monster of God: The Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind by David Quammen2003, 515 p. The fragile future of predatory species all over the world is explored in this many-faceted book. 598.71 JUN Spix’s Macaw: The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Bird by Tony Juniper2003, 287 p. Rare parrots sold on the black market can go for $40,000. There is only one Spix’s macaw left in the wild—can it survive? 598.72 HOO Also in J 598.7 HOO The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose2004, 196 p. This is the suspenseful story of America’s first endangered species, the Ivory-billed woodpecker, and of the world’s awakening to our power to destroy life. 599.352 SUL Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan 2003, 242 p. From the disgusting morsels rats love best to the way they altered the politics of New York, enticing ratty details fill this intriguing history. 611 ROA Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach2003, 303 p. For anyone interested in what happens when you donate your body to science, this humorously macabre work shines some light on the bizarre details of your entrails. 621.483 SIL The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor by Ken Silverstein2004, 209 p. Quiet David Hahn sidesteps his dysfunctional family to create a dangerously effective reactor in the middle of his suburban neighborhood. 629.2293 KET Electric Dreams: One Unlikely Team of Kids and the Race to Build the Car of the Future by Caroline Kettlewell2004, 290 p. This true tale of a high school competition to convert an automobile into an electric vehicle is full of characters and will leave you “shocked.” Biography MORSE, S.F.B. Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F.B. Morse by Kenneth Silverman2003, 503 p. A young dreamer, Morse never envisioned himself as the father of telegraphic communication. Sports 796.323 HAS Glory Road: My Story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and How One Team Triumphed Against the Odds and Changed America Forever by Don Haskins2006, 254 p. Haskins changed the face of college basketball by introducing great players who were black. 796.323 OCO The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the High Stakes Business of High School Ball by Ian O’Connor2005, 307 p. If you were a high school basketball player in a gang-ridden neighborhood and the NBA wanted you in the draft, would you make the jump? 796.332 SAI Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania by Warren St. John2004, 275 p. Following the Crimson Tide reveals the crazy world of fans whose lives revolve around football. 796.42 BAS The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neal Bascomb2004,322 p. Breaking the four-minute mile had never been done, but in 1954 three men were determined to be the first to do it. 796.522 EVE Everest: Summit of Achievement2003, 252 p. Photos and words come together to describe the allure of climbing the world’s highest mountain. 796.72 MAC Sunday Money: Speed! Lust! Madness! Death!! A Hot Lap around America with Nascar by Jeff MacGregor2005, 370 p. Following the NASCAR circuit in an RV makes for wild stories about racing personalities, fans, and the philosophy of the sport. 796.962 COF The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey2005, 272 p. This unbelievable Cinderella story about a great coach and a great team is retold with excitement and heart. 797.21 COX Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox2004, 323 p. An in-depth look at the amazing drive of swimmer Lynn Cox, who began her long distance career at age 14. YA Biography HAWK, T. Between Boardslides and Burnout: My Notes from the Road by Tony Hawk2002, 169 p. The skateboarding superstar’s competitive travels and adventures in words and pictures. Prepared by Gloria Walsh-Rock, January 2007