Best non-fiction books for kids
The best non-fiction books for kids include Kid Authors, Who Was Albert Einstein? and Ultimate Football Heroes: Messi. Many children who avoid stories read fact books happily, so non-fiction is a real route into reading, not a detour.
12 books, checked for age-appropriate content. Updated .
Content checked by Dhiraj Bodade, co-founder of Bookstaken.
- 1
Ages 9–14
Kid Authors
by David Stabler
Short biographies reveal the childhood ambitions, mistakes, and experiences of famous writers before they became celebrated authors.
- 2
Ages 9–11
Who Was Albert Einstein?
by Jess Brallier
A lively biography introduces Albert Einstein’s childhood, scientific breakthroughs, unusual personality, and lasting influence on modern physics.
- 3
Ages 6–11
Ultimate Football Heroes: Messi
by Matt & Tom Oldfield
Lionel Messi rises from a small, growth-hormone-deficient child in Argentina to one of football’s greatest players.
- 4
Ages 6–8
Little People BIG DREAMS (series, 100+ subjects)
by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
Illustrated biographies show how influential artists, scientists, athletes, and activists turned childhood dreams into remarkable lives.
- 5
Ages 6–11
Magic Tree House Fact Trackers
by Mary Pope Osborne & Natalie Pope Boyce
Companion guides to Magic Tree House adventures explain the real history, science, people, and places behind each story.
- 6
Ages 9–14
National Geographic Kids Almanac
by National Geographic Kids
A fact-packed annual explores animals, science, geography, history, and world records through photographs, maps, and quizzes.
- 7
Ages 9–14
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
by Elena Favilli & Francesca Cavallo
Brief illustrated biographies celebrate one hundred women whose courage, creativity, and achievements changed the world.
- 8
Ages 9–14
Everything You Need to Ace Science
by Workman Publishing
An illustrated study guide explains core middle-school science concepts through clear notes, diagrams, definitions, and memorable examples.
- 9
Ages 12–14
Women in Science
by Rachel Ignotofsky
Illustrated profiles celebrate fifty women whose discoveries and perseverance shaped science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
- 10
Ages 9–14
The Way Things Work Now
by David Macaulay
Detailed cutaway diagrams explain how everyday machines, digital technology, vehicles, and complex inventions work.
- 11
Ages 9–14
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)
by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
William Kamkwamba uses library science and scrap materials to build a windmill that helps his drought-stricken Malawian village.
- 12
Ages 9–14
Hidden Figures (Young Readers' Edition)
by Margot Lee Shetterly
Four Black women mathematicians overcome racism and sexism to help power NASA’s early space missions.
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