Fresh Reads for Teens: Spring 2024 YA Nonfiction Roundup

Welcome to our Spring 2024 YA Nonfiction Roundup! This season, we’re thrilled to showcase a diverse selection of nonfiction titles that will captivate and educate young readers. From personal stories of migration and the science of wildfires to explorations of historical innovations in agriculture and medicine, and more!

Read on to explore these fresh reads highlighting real-life experiences and critical issues, perfect for teens eager to learn and grow.

Votes of Confidence, 3rd Edition

Interest Level: Grade 6 – Grade 12

In this newly updated 3rd edition, author Jeff Fleischer explains how the US election process has evolved throughout history and into the present, why understanding it matters, and how young adult citizens can get involved.

Praise for Votes of Confidence, 3rd Edition

“Great to keep in any young adult library, and an excellent addition to any civics, history or government class. Very well done to help educate our young people on why politics and voting play a significant part in American society. Reviewer Rating: 5” — Children’s Literature

Reimagining Police

Interest Level: Grade 6 – Grade 12

Readers will learn about the history of law enforcement, approaches to public safety, and strategies for building a more just and inclusive society in this survey of policing and reform in the United States.

Praise for Reimagining Police

“This accessible overview provides background information and social context to explain how public opinion about policing policies has evolved over time, from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through to present day. . .The second half concentrates on solutions and emphasizes the important role citizen protests and civic actions have played in achieving police reform.” — Booklist

Technology through the Ages

Interest Level: Grade 6 – Grade 12

Ancient societies developed incredible inventions and complex techniques that continue to surprise scientists and historians today. Discover how ancient innovations laid the groundwork for modern technology in this fascinating and thoroughly researched series.

★ Wildfire

Interest Level: Grade 8 – Grade 12

Environmental scientist Ferin Davis Anderson and author Stephanie Sammartino McPherson examine how Indigenous people, farmers, and forestry departments have used fire to manage resources and how climate change is impacting the future of fire.

Praise for Wildfire

“It’s nice to have this balanced, reassuring offering that puts wildfires into ecological perspective. . . This authoritative STEAM selection has multiple crosscurricular applications, engaging live action-style reporting on narrow escapes and heroic deeds, and serves as a buffer for climate anxiety.” — starred, Booklist

Pigeons at War

Interest Level: Grade 8 – Grade 12

Pigeons were crucial to communications between Allied troops in both world wars. When phone, radio, and telegraph lines were cut or officers needed to send top secret messages, pigeons delivered information from the front. Discover how pigeons accomplished these daring flights.

Praise for Pigeons at War

“Readers who love reading about animals accomplishing great deeds will enjoy this while, at the same time, they’ll learn a lot about a much-maligned bird.” — Booklist

★ Just Another Story

Interest Level: Grade 9 – Grade 12

When Carlos was nineteen, his mother decided to leave her life in El Salvador. Refusing to let her go without him, Carlos joined her journey north. Together they experienced the risks countless people face as they migrate.

Also available in Spanish!

Praise for Just Another Story

★ “Powerful vignettes weave the epic odyssey of one family’s migration while highlighting the risks and sacrifices undertaken daily by migrants searching for the American dream. The striking illustrations deftly convey complex emotions and poignant symbolism.” — starred, Kirkus Reviews

★ “With delicacy and grace, Salvadoran cartoonist Saade crafts a resonant and distinctive graphic novel debut . . . Each panel is a testament to individual resilience, culminating in an expansive story of human beings triumphing against unspeakable odds.” — starred, Publishers Weekly

Check out all these great titles and more on lernerbooks.com!