Nonfiction is true. It is about real stuff.
Literary (or Narrative) nonfiction is written so that it feels like reading fiction: it tells the story of the subject in an interesting way.
Biography is a life story written by someone else.
Autobiography is a life story written by the person himself or herself.
A bibliography is a list of books or other sources of information.
Be careful not to select an historical fiction book. These blend fiction with fact. It may have some real people in it and/or real situations with fictional characters.
Also, do not use a nonfiction book that covers many subjects. Look for one that focuses on a single subject.
Books Mrs. Jones Recommended
More Suggested Nonfiction from the Scholastic Reading Club
-- as of November 2016
Your nonfiction book will be an informational book about a single subject ( not a how-to or self-help book) and not a collection such as Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's Believe It Or Not). You may not use Eyewitness Books, either.
As usual, the book you choose needs to be a book at or near your reading level -- usually 100 below to 50 above lexile.
Find a topic you really would be interested in learning more about, and look for a book about that topic.
See FAQ's at the above tab for Book-of-the-Month.
Qualities of some types of nonfiction:
Report of InformationIt focuses on a specific subject, or controlling idea.
It supports the controlling idea with plenty of facts.
It organizes facts in a way that helps the audience learn about the subject.
It uses examples, explanations, and descriptions to clarify ideas that may be new to the audience.
Autobiography
The main character is the writer of the book.
It recounts key incidents in the writer's life.
It describes major influences (people, events, places) on the writer.
It describes interactions between the writer and significant people in his or her life.
It reveals the writer's feelings, reactions, values, and goals.
Biography
It tells about a real person.
It shows that the writer knows a lot about this person.
It describes the person's environment.
It provides anecdotes or details that show the person in action.
It shows how the person affects other people.
It states or implies how the writer feels about the person.
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Some Possible Titles:
Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 by Sally M. Walker. -- in our media center --
What is the connection between the city of Halifax in Canada, World War I, and the Christmas tree in
Boston, Massachusetts? Two thousand deaths in the largest man-made explosion before the atomic
bomb, that's what.
Boston, Massachusetts? Two thousand deaths in the largest man-made explosion before the atomic
bomb, that's what.
Breakaway: Beyond the Goal BIO-MOR in our Media Center
-- in the media center
Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines
by Paul Fleischman -- in the media center
by Paul Fleischman -- in the media center
Chew on This by Charles Wilson and Eric Schlosser (YA version of Fast Food Nation)
Knots in My Yo-Yo String -- autobiography of Jerry Spinelli (great fun!)
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Hoose, Phillip M. 133 pages.
With Their Eyes: September 11th--The View from a High School at Ground Zero by Annie Thomas (editor)
With Their Eyes: September 11th--The View from a High School at Ground Zero by Annie Thomas (editor)
Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Baroletti
An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (Newbery Honor Book) by Jim Murphy
Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880 - 1824 by Deborah Hopkinson
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
Shutting Out the Sky: Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880 - 1824 by Deborah Hopkinson
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War by Jim Murphy
Now Is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom by Walter Dean Myers
Guinea Pig Scientists by Dendy and Boring
Survive the Savage Sea by Robertson
Left for Dead (the story of the U.S.S. Indianapolis)
Homesick by Jean Fritz
Brian's Song by Blinn (a screenplay about Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo)
The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World by Mary Losure.
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala YousafzaiThe Boys in the Boat
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
by Daniel James Brown (Author)
“I raise up my voice-not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard...we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.”
― Malala Yousafzai
― Malala Yousafzai
-- in the media center
Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans during World War II by Martin W. Sandler
-- in the media center
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Amelia lost: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
-- in the media center
| The Great and Only Barnum by Fleming, Candace -- in the media center |
by Sue Macy
The Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz
Before My Heart Stops: A Memoir by Paul Cardall
Black and White Airmen: Their True History by John Fleischman
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind:creating currents of electricity and hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball's Greatest Hero by Pat Williams
Children of the Dust Bowl
The True Story of the School at
Weedpatch Camp
by Jerry Stanley
6th grade & up
Dust to Eat
Drought & Depression
in the 1930s
by Michael Cooper
6th grade and up
How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball's Greatest Hero by Pat Williams
Children of the Dust Bowl
The True Story of the School at
Weedpatch Camp
by Jerry Stanley
6th grade & up
Dust to Eat
Drought & Depression
in the 1930s
by Michael Cooper
6th grade and up
Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille
By Russell Freedman
The Great Molasses Flood: Boston, 1919 (Hardcover)
by Deborah Kops
by Albert Marrin
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (Hardcover)
by William Kamkwamba (
The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
An Award Winning Nonfiction Book for Teens
About.com Rating
When you hear the name Benedict Arnold what words comes to mind? You probably aren’t thinking war hero or military genius, but according to historian Steve Sheinken, that’s just what Benedict Arnold was until…Well, you’ll get the rest of the story when you read this marvelous nonfiction book The Notorious Benedict Arnold about the early life, high adventures, and the tragic end to an infamous icon.
See more information and recommendations at http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Nonfiction.
(earlier published February 4, 2010 --
Revised and republished February 16, 2010, February 17, 2012, March 2013, November 2016)
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More books:
