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Literary Science 2: Selected Books for Grades 6-12

Compiled by Megan Schliesman and Merri Lindgren

The Next Generation Science Standards emphasize four broad areas of science education:

Life Science
Earth & Space Science
Physical Science
Engineering & Design

This bibliography identifies trade literature for middle and high school-age across these four broad areas for grades 6-12. The purpose is to suggest books that can engage students in science and technology subjects or research, or in critical thinking on ethical issues in science and technology. Some of these books may connect directly to what is being taught in the classroom, others invite students to make connections between the subject of the book and what they are learning in and beyond their science or technology classroom.

This list is not meant to be exhaustive or to incorporate every science/technology concept that is taught in middle and high school. Instead, it is meant to suggest ways of integrating high-quality children's and young adult literature with the science curriculum--books that can foster interest, invite discussion, and connect science and technology to literature and reading. Titles on the list include both fiction and non-fiction.

It should be noted that while the first two NGSS categories, Life Science and Earth & Space Science, offer many rich possibilities in children's and young adult literature, the other two categories, Physical Science and Engineering & Design, present more of a challenge. Therefore, these two have been combined into a single category on this list.

Life Science

The Monarch Effect: Surviving Poison, Predators, and People
by Church, Dana L.
Scholastic/Scholastic Focus, 2024. 309 pages. Age 11 and older

The Prairie Builders: Reconstructing America's Lost Grasslands
by Collard III, Sneed B.
Illustrated by Sneed B. Collard III. Houghton Mifflin , 2005. 72 pages. Age 10 and older

Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith
by Heiligman, Deborah
Henry Holt, 2009. 268 pages. Age 14 and older

Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat
by Jarrow, Gail
Calkins Creek/Highlights, 2014. 192 pages. Age 12 and older

Mysterious Glowing Mammals: An Unexpected Discovery Sparks a Scientific Investigation
by Parrott-Ryan, Maria
Lerner/Millbrook, 2023. 56 pages. Ages 8-13

Patient Zero: Solving the Mysteries of Deadly Epidemics
by Peters, Marilee
Annick, 2014. 166 pages. Age 11 and older

Billions of Years, Amazing Changes: The Story of Evolution
by Pringle, Laurence
Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Boyds Mills, 2011. 102 pages. Ages 9-14

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors
by Sidman, Joyce
Illustrated by Beckie Prange. Houghton Mifflin /Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. 32 pages. Ages 9-13

The Lady and the Octopus: How Jeanne-Villepreux-Power Invented Aquariums and Revolutionized Marine Biology
by Staaf, Danna
Carolrhoda, 2022. 136 pages. Age 11 and older

How to Build a Human in Seven Evolutionary Steps
by Turner, Pamela S.
Illustrated by John Gurche. Charlesbridge, 2022. 166 pages. Age 11 and older

Earth & Space Science

Books of Information

The Great American Dust Bowl
by Brown, Don
Illustrated by Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin , 2013. 80 pages. Age 10 and older

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans
by Brown, Don
Illustrated by Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. 96 pages. Age 11 and older

Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code (Scientists in the Field)
by Cherrix, Amy
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 73 pages. Age 10 and older

The Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes. (Scientists in the Field)
by Jackson, Ellen
Illustrated by Nic Bishop. Houghton Mifflin , 2008. 60 pages. Age 10 and older

The Great Lakes: Our Freshwater Treasure
by Rosenstock, Barb
Illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Knopf/Random House, 2024. 32 pages. Ages 7-12

The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity (Scientists in the Field)
by Rusch, Elizabeth
Houghton Mifflin , 2012. 79 pages. Age 10 and older

Life on Earth--and Beyond: An Astrobiologist's Quest
by Turner, Pamela S.
Charlesbridge, 2008. 109 pages. Age 10 and older

Fiction

Ship Breaker
by Bacigalupi, Paolo
Little, Brown, 2010. 326 pages. Age 13 and older

Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson
by Burg, Ann E.
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall. Scholastic/Scholastic Press, 2024. 278 pages. Age 11 and older

Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13
by Farr, Richard
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008. 217 pages. Age 12 and older

We Dream of Space
by Kelly, Erin Entrada
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2020. 391 pages. Ages 9-12

Down Came the Rain
by Mathieu, Jennifer
Roaring Brook, 2023. 269 pages. Age 13 and older

Alone Out Here
by Redgate, Riley
Buena Vista/Hyperion, 2022. 392 pages. Age 13 and older

Dry
by Shusterman, Neal and Jarrod Shusterman
Simon & Schuster, 2018. 390 pages. Age 13 and older

Physical Science/Engineering & Design

Books of Information

Flying Cars: The True Story
by Glass, Andrew
Clarion, 2015. 118 pages. Ages 10-15

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by Kamkwamba, William and Bryan Mealer
Illustrated by Anna Hymas. Dial, 2015. 293 pages. Age 12 and older

Meltdown: Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster in Fukushima
by Langeland, Deirdre
Roaring Brook, 2021. 194 pages. Age 11 and older

Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World
by Macaulay, David
Illustrated by David Macaulay. Roaring Brook, 2019. 127 pages. Ages 9-14

Built to Last
by Macaulay, David
Illustrated by David Macaulay. Houghton Mifflin /Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. 272 pages. Age 10 and older

Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day
by Nott, Dan
Random House/RH Graphic, 2023. 262 pages. Age 12 and older

Packing for Mars for Kids
by Roach, Mary
Norton, 2022. 136 pages. Age 9 and older

How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure
by Rocco, John
Illustrated by John Rocco. Crown/Penguin Random House, 2020. 256 pages. Age 9 and older

The Big One: The Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives (Scientists in the Field)
by Rusch, Elizabeth
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. 75 pages. Age 11 and older

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
by Soontornvat, Christina
Candlewick, 2020. 280 pages. Age 10 and older

Fiction

Feed
by Anderson, M. T.
Candlewick, 2002. 237 pages. Age 14 and older

First Day on Earth
by Castellucci, Cecil
Scholastic Press, 2011. 160 pages. Age 13 and older

Incarceron (Incarceron, #1)
by Fisher, Catherine
Dial/Penguin, 2010. 442 pages. Age 12 and older

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas
by Houtman, Jacqueline
Front Street, 2010. 189 pages. Ages 9-13

The Unidentified
by Mariz, Rae
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2010. 296 pages. Age 13 and older

It's a Book
by Smith, Lane
Illustrated by Lane Smith. Roaring Brook, 2010. 32 pages. Age 7 and older

When You Reach Me
by Stead, Rebecca
Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, 2009. 208 pages. Ages 10-13

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