Reading perspectives from a wide variety of authors is a great way to introduce your secular homeschool students to unique ideas and voices. We have always loved reading non-fiction, and this list of 72 non-fiction books for teens highlights many of our favorites. Several I read first and passed along; others they discovered themselves. Some are simply on my “books that look interesting that maybe the Senior Agents and I will enjoy” list. {Yes, of course I have such a list!}
These books are appropriate for advanced middle school readers through high school and beyond {depending on reading level and interest}. Usually I recommend starting with the adapted version when an option, so you will notice many of the books listed here will include “for young readers” or “for young people” as part of the title.
However, for a select few we started with the original text, or read both. In those cases, I have listed both here. Some appear in other book lists on this blog.
This list also includes titles we have not read yet, because as I have pointed out previously, these posts assist me with my own planning as well. In the majority of the new-to-us books, however, we either have already read additional titles from the series or have enjoyed other works by the same author.
You will find a lot of science and history in this collection, as well as autobiographies, self-awareness, religion, and books about getting organized. Some may seem like odd selections for teens: Swedish death cleaning? an autobiography of a game show host? a book about scientific literacy written 25 years ago? However, my own students have read {or have expressed interest in reading} these books, and so yours might be curious about them as well.
While I am referring to them as non-fiction books for teens, as I indicated above, some tweens may be ready for several of them. My 7th grader has read a majority, although she is also the type to read a few hundred books a year, so maybe not typical of most 12-year-olds. College students and adults will find them accessible and interesting as well. I have personally read more than half.
72 Non-Fiction Books for Teens
Note: I have linked each of the titles below to its Goodreads page so you can check out more information and see what titles would be a good fit for your secular homeschool.
1493 for Young People: From Columbus’s Voyage to Globalization
American Immigration: Our History, Our Stories
The Answer Is . . . Reflections on My Life
The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry
Becoming
Being Jazz: My Life as a {Transgender} Teen
Between the World and Me
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out
Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
Brief Answers To the Big Questions
The Demon-Haunted World: Science As a Candle in the Dark
A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America
Do All Indians Live in Tipis? Second Edition: Questions and Answers From the National Museum of the American Indian
Eiffel’s Tower for Young People: The Story of the 1889 World’s Fair
The End of Everything {Astrophysically Speaking}
Everything All at Once: How To Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem
The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is Un-American
Freedom Summer for Young People: The Savage Season of 1964 That Made Mississippi Burn and Made America a Democracy
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How To Free Yourself and Your Family From a Lifetime of Clutter
The God Delusion
Gorillas in the Mist
Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation Into Space {Young Readers’ Edition}
How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World
How We Got To Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World {Adapted for Young Readers}
I Have Something To Tell You
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything American History Textbooks Get Wrong {Young Readers’ Edition}
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
A Life On Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future
Living Buddha, Living Christ
Living the Secular Life: New Answers To Old Questions
Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From
The Magic of Reality: How We Know What’s Really True
March: Book One
March: Book Two
March: Book Three
Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories From the Lives of Great Mathematicians {volume 1}
Mathematicians Are People, Too: Stories From the Lives of Great Mathematicians {volume 2}
Miracles Happen: One Mother, One Daughter, One Journey
Notorious RBG Young Readers’ Edition: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
On the Origin of Species {Young Readers’ Edition}
Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide
Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life
A Promised Land
A Queer History of the United States for Young People
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts {a Guide for Kids and Teens}
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks {Young Readers’ Edition}
Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, From Ancient Fossils to DNA
So You Want To Talk About Race
Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Star Talk: Everything You Ever Need To Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond
Star Talk Young Readers Edition: Everything You Ever Need To Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond
The Third Chimpanzee for Young People: On the Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation
A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing
Unstoppable: Harnessing Science To Change the World
Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion, and the Appetite for Wonder
What’s Inside a Flower {and Other Questions About Science & Nature}
What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism
Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played To Win
The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World and Its Ecosystems
A Young People’s History of the United States: Columbus to the War on Terror
Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body
I hope you have enjoyed perusing this list. Of course, every time I create a book list, I think of new titles before I’m even finished. This will likely be updated {or an additional list will be featured in a new post} sometime soon.
Which of these non-fiction books for teens have your students {or you} read? Are there any new-to-you titles you’ll be adding to your To Read list? I hope something on this list sparks your interest.
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