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SLJ spoke to Martin W. Sandler, author of 1919: The Year That Changed America, about his 2019 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, his creative inspiration, and his extensive research process.

Children should be encouraged to look closely at the world around them and ask questions. These recently published titles for preschool and early elementary students will do just that as they build a solid foundation for STEM work and wonderings.

Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn and co-author Kathy Lowinger seek to reclaim Indigenous history in their book, What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal. 

Recent releases from Cherry Lake include thorough overviews of special sporting events, clear and organized guides to Fortnite, and books about different ways kids can help others at home, at school, on the playground, and around town.

"Room on Our Rock" and "A Place To Land" honored by National Council of Teachers of English.

If you’re looking to pad your stats and build a sports nonfiction dream team, we’ve got your back. We’ll walk you through the prospects so you can make smart picks to benefit your roster.

Whether readers have an interest in physically traveling to another place or they enjoy experiencing different scenery from home, these series make exploring more accessible. Readers can pick up these titles and embark on adventures to cultures, countries, mountain peaks, and landmarks that are around the planet and out of this world.

MacGyver has become a verb, and readers will be MacGyvering all over the place with books that teach STEM skills, encourage tinkering and repeated testing, and show how to reuse recyclables. The series below offer original activities, new takes on old favorites, and great-looking reproducibles for library, club, or classroom use.

A fundamental piece of building literacy, and ultimately developing a lifelong love of reading, is providing readers with engaging texts that meet and support them where they are. Two categories of texts that play a powerful role in achieving this goal are beginning readers and hi-lo books. Librarians will find a wide variety of texts to support developing and reluctant readers in this season’s offerings.

Animal books continue to be among the most popular titles in nonfiction collections, both for school assignments and general interest. The series below provide interesting information and useful visual content, so selectors should find strong candidates for purchase. 

Popular contemporary figures and classic report topics represent the latest in biographical series. Some books are introductions for youngsters while others contain report information for older readers; a few provide interesting reads.

No matter what series you look at, there are connections to be found between the reader, the topic, and the world at large. The best new science books offer captivating photos, helpful diagrams, and explanations or descriptions that draw readers in—then send them out to discover more.

Many of the most important issues facing Americans today are the same matters the United States and its citizens have been struggling with for centuries. One could argue many of these contentious debates are hotter than ever. The following series look at foundational documents and major social issues, while clearly and effectively showing how meaningful change has come about and what roadblocks still exist.

According to many adults, “If you have your health, you have everything!” Children and teens, however, may not be as familiar with this saying. But after reading these series, students will more fully understand their elders’ maxim and know much more about their bodies. 

With a mix of books that highlight castles, gladiators, and famous historic sites alongside the current geopolitical and cultural climate, this season’s series have a lot to offer readers of all ages. These titles help make history come alive.

Twenty-first-century job readiness and the skills required to achieve career success are critical topics for readers in any grade. This season’s series present a wide range of career options in a variety of fields and industries. 

Beguiling series packed with great stories are forthcoming: ancient myths and gods’ exploits; literally haunting tales; descriptions of fanciful creatures; and odd, inexplicable experiences that plagued real people. While these stories are exciting and strange, what they really have in common is their humanity.

The social sciences shed light on the world around us and help us understand our place in it. This season’s selections cover a wealth of seemingly unrelated topics that touch our lives daily, even though we may not realize to what extent.

Educators and librarians know the importance of minority and English language learning in conjunction with children seeing themselves in the books they read. As evidenced by this season’s series of Spanish and bilingual books, it’s clear that some publishers are responding to the rising demand for the representation of complex and intersectional identities in children’s media.  

With new tech being rolled out at an exponentially faster pace year after year, replacing old volumes can be hard to justify. Libraries eager to meet their patrons’ needs will see the value in weeding and supplementing their tech collections on a more consistent basis. The series we’ve selected for this section include cutting-edge inventions, machines both simple and amazingly complex, future-minded creations, and coding prep for the youngest readers.

Series Made Simple aims to provide a well-­rounded overview of the season’s best and worthwhile nonfiction series selections. Fall 2019's familiar offerings are bountiful. We hope that this curated list will not only inspire your patrons to further explore the highlighted subjects but look more closely at themselves and the world around them.

Eighteen exceptional informational works made SLJ's list of the best nonfiction for children and teens published in 2019. 

Make room on your read-aloud shelves for titles that will ignite discussions about contemporary issues, highlight little-known true stories, and tug on the heartstrings.

Memorabilia and objects have long inspired the work of writers and artists. Here are stories about particular items that have stirred their imaginations or brought a period, person, or idea into sharper focus.

My Story Starts Here author and activist Deborah Ellis talks with Youth First President & CEO Liz Ryan about how our society treats youth crime and the faults of the criminal justice system.