Take Five: Recent Middle Grade Nonfiction

I usually talk about fiction in these Take Five lists, but there’s plenty of great nonfiction out there too as well as plenty of readers who really prefer to read nonfiction. For me, personally, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen something or heard someone reference something and I say, “OH! I know about that—I read it in a children’s book about (whatever subject).” There are all kinds of ways to be readers and no reading is any more or less valuable or real than any other. If kids only want to read nonfiction in their free time, awesome! There’s plenty of it. Here are five titles that you may want to pick up or put on display.

History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People by Kate Messner, Jose Barreiro, Falynn Koch (Illustrator) (ISBN-13: 9780593564271 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/08/2023 Series: History Smashers Series #8, Ages 8-12)

Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about Christopher Columbus, and learn all about the Taino people. Perfect for fans of the I Survived books and Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? WRONG! Columbus never actually set foot in what is now the United States. His voyages took him to islands in the Caribbean and along the coast of South America.

The truth is, when Columbus first arrived, Indigenous peoples, including the Taino, had been living there for thousands of years, raising their families, running their societies, and trading with their neighbors. He didn’t “discover” the lands at all! And his name? Not even really Christopher Columbus! Cowritten by bestselling author Kate Messner and our country’s premier Taino scholar, this fascinating addition to the series is the one that teachers have been asking for and that kids need to read.

Discover the nonfiction series that demolishes everything you thought you knew about history. Don’t miss History Smashers: The Mayflower, Women’s Right to Vote, and Pearl Harbor.

Make Your Mark, Make a Difference: A Kid’s Guide to Standing Up for People, Animals, and the Planet by Joan Marie Galat (ISBN-13: 9781582708454 Publisher: Aladdin/Beyond Words Publication date: 02/13/2024, Ages 10-14)

Take the first steps into activism with this comprehensive middle grade guide that empowers readers to choose and become knowledgeable in a cause they are most passionate to reform, and to create meaningful change through learning what’s already been accomplished—and what can still be done.

Getting involved can be an overwhelming prospect, but this guide provides readers with tools to become informed and effective activists with an accessible approach offering hope and perspective.

From Black Lives Matter and light pollution to climate change and healthcare equity for all, the book leads readers through an overview of issues, an essential human rights background, and stories of how other young activists tackle local, national, and international problems. Readers will discover a multitude of ways to build change and learn that every contribution matters.

Borderlands and the Mexican American Story by David Dorado Romo (ISBN-13: 9780593567760 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 08/20/2024 Series: Race to the Truth, Ages 10-12)

Until now, you’ve only heard one side of the story, about migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Here’s the true story of America, from the Mexican American perspective.

A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A National Council of Teachers of English Honor Book

The Mexican American story is usually carefully presented as a story of immigrants: migrants crossing borders, drawn to the promise of a better life. In reality, Mexicans were on this land long before any borders existed. Their culture and practices shaped the Southwestern part of this country, in spite of relentless attempts by white colonizers and settlers to erase them.

From missions and the Alamo to muralists, revolutionaries, and teen activists, this is the true story of the Mexican American experience.

The Race to the Truth series tells the true history of America from the perspective of different communities. These books correct common falsehoods and celebrate underrepresented heroes and achievements. They encourage readers to ask questions and to approach new information thoughtfully. Check out the other books in the series: Colonization and the Wampan

Virus Hunters: How Science Protects People When Outbreaks and Pandemics Strike by Amy Cherrix (ISBN-13: 9780063069541 Publisher: HarperCollins Publication date: 09/10/2024, Ages 8-12)

A propulsive nonfiction look at the elite squads of scientists, doctors, and infectious disease experts who guard the boundary between public health and pandemics and how they gather data via boots on the ground “shoe-leather epidemiology” in order to save lives. 

Perfect for fans of Steve Sheinkin and Deborah Heiligman!

Picture a detective. What comes to mind? A fast-talking private eye, interrogating a suspect? Or Sherlock Holmes, in his deerstalker hat, discovering clues to catch a killer?

Now imagine that the suspect isn’t a person but a microscopic menace—a deadly virus or bacteria making people sick. What kind of detective does it take to nab a biological assassin, invisible to the naked eye?

Just like detectives, epidemiologists—scientists who study how diseases emerge and spread—interview witnesses and gather clues to identify the cause of illness, locate those who are sick, and uncover the sources of outbreaks to stop them in their tracks.

From a quickly spreading cholera outbreak in 1880s London, to a mystery illness in New Mexico that stumped investigators, to the development of the vaccines to fight COVID-19 and more, join acclaimed author Amy Cherrix on a journey to explore the past, present, and future of virus hunting as the world’s greatest disease detectives race to crack the medical codes that lead to cures.

Our Plastic Problem: A Call for Global Solutions by Megan Durnford (ISBN-13: 9781459836709 Publisher: Orca Book Publishers Publication date: 02/11/2025 Series: Orca Footprints Series #33, Ages 9-12)

We have a serious plastic problem.

What was supposed to be a miracle material when it was first invented is now one of the biggest sources of pollution on our planet. But where does plastic come from? Why do we use so much of it? How does it hurt the environment and the animals who live there? Our Plastic Problem looks at plastic’s history, uses, and how it affects land, water, air and human health. It also explores innovations in bioplastic and recycling, and practical ways to reduce and replace the plastic in our lives. Working together, we can solve our plastic problem.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

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