Nonfiction

At the 2026 Youth Media Awards, author Candace Fleming became the first person to receive the Children’s Literature Legacy Award and the Margaret A. Edwards Award in the same year. In addition, her book Death in the Jungle won the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

These informational works for kids of all ages shine a light on the many contributions Black icons, such as Zora Neale Hurston, Serena Williams, and Malcolm X, and more, have made on American culture.

STEM titles cover lunar phases, turtles, and carbon atoms. Picture book biographies celebrate artists, such as Matisse and Yo-Yo Ma, and current changemakers, such as Ketanji Brown Jackson and Lionel Messi.

The latest history books from Ann Bausum, Gail Jarrow, and Kate Messner will astonish. Empowering offerings about incredible women will inspire. And high-interest cookbooks will entice young foodies.

The Young Adult Library Services Association announced the finalists for the Morris Award for a YA title by a previously unpublished author and the Excellence in Nonfiction Award for YA nonfiction books for ages 12 to 18.

Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault by Megan Clendenan and A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila are the Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck award winners, respectively.

One title is for young readers and the other is for middle grade, but both books share the importance of the cultural holiday that begins on December 26 and has been celebrated since 1966.

From poo and tentacles to contemplative picture book biographies, this year’s picks for the Best Nonfiction for Elementary readers are filled with facts, information, and wonder.

This year’s Best Nonfiction for Middle and High School students features true crime, an inclusive puberty book, sports titles, and lots of STEM.