Vanessa Willoughby

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. 

Accomplished poet and author Nikki Grimes dives headfirst into childhood memories for her memoir Ordinary Hazards. Having created a work that simultaneously shares trauma and moments of light, Grimes discusses the process of excavating her personal history.

Illustrious author Barry Wittenstein and award-winning illustrator Jerry Pinkney (A Place To Land), share the books that shaped them as readers and creators.  

Teaming up with illustrator Paulina Morgan, Ewing's new work, An ABC of Equality, aims to celebrate differences and spark a dialogue between adults, caretakers, and young readers. 

Katherine Johnson, the famed NASA mathematician, battled adversity to become an undeniably important part of history. We spoke to Johnson about her autobiography, Reaching for the Moon, and her decision to finally tell her story. 

With the words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," Neil Armstrong, along with Buzz Aldrin, secured their place in history as the first people to walk on the surface of the moon. These recent nonfiction titles unpack the details of our lunar legacy.

The Lit Bar is the first bookstore in years in the Bronx, and its owner has big plans for her business and the community.