November 10, 2023
To celebrate Non-Fiction November, the Content Team has compiled a list of some of our favourite non-fiction titles we’ve read in 2023.
Throughout the year, the team has enjoyed reading and quizzing 269 non-fiction books covering topics from healthy eating to footballers to peculiar plants to life in the ancient Aztec age. We’ve loved reading these true stories and have learned lots of new things along the way! Did you know that wood frogs hug each other to find out which are the females with eggs in their bellies? What a fun fact!
According to the National Literacy Trust, while non-fiction helps children foster a desire to read for pleasure, it also teaches them about their communities and the world around them. For example, their research has found that readers of non-fiction are almost 20% more likely to care about and be engaged with environmental issues than those who don’t read non-fiction. The National Literacy Trust’s 2022 report shows us how important access to non-fiction titles is for students.
While all the non-fiction titles that we’ve quizzed this year can be found on the Accelerated Reader Bookfinder, check out the list below to see some of our favourite non-fiction titles for all reading levels!
Mary Robinson: A Voice for Fairness by John Burke
LY | BL 5.2 | Quiz # 244149 | Gill Books
Discover the life of the first female president of Ireland, Mary Robinson. From the presidency to the United Nations, Mary has spent her life fighting for equality, human rights and climate justice.
David Hockney by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara
LY | BL 5.2 | Quiz # 244271 | Frances Lincoln
Discover the incredible life of the inspirational British artist, David Hockney.
Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue by William Grill
LY | BL 6.5 | Quiz # 243654 | Flying Eye Books
When World War II forces people to leave Myanmar, Bandoola, Po Toke and James Howard Williams undertake a journey that will test their courage and bravery to the limit.
Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio
LY | BL 3.5 | Quiz # 243307 | Dial Books
This gentle and incredibly poignant picture book tells the true story of how one baby found his home.
Unbound: The Life and Art of Judith Scott by Joyce Scott
LY | BL 4.8 | Quiz # 243775 | Knopf
This book is an introduction to the life and art of Judith Scott, a renowned artist.
Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker
LY | BL 3.7 | Quiz # 243665 | Puffin
When Evelyn Glennie heard her first note, music held her heart. She played piano by ear at age eight, and the clarinet by age ten. When the nerves in her ears began to deteriorate, she was told she could never be a musician.
Princess Sophia Duleep Singh by Sufiya Ahmed
MY | BL 5.3 | Quiz # 243783 | Scholastic Children’s Books
The daughter of the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was a prominent suffragette and campaigner for women’s right to vote.
Lionesses: European Champions by Emily Stead
MY | BL 5.9 | Quiz # 243743 | Dino Books
Celebrating the success of the Lionesses, this book follows four key players in their journey from the playground to the pitch, as they prepare for the biggest match of their lives.
Jason Sherlock by Donny Mahoney
MY | BL 5.1 | Quiz # 240956 | O’Brien Press Ltd.
Learn the inspiring story of how a boy from Dublin’s northside found strength in his difference to become a Gaelic football great.
Mairi’s Motorbike by Lynne Rickards
MY | BL 5.5 | Quiz # 242835 | Collins
Mairi Chisholm was a Scottish motorbike rider who volunteered for the Women’s Emergency Corps during the First World War. Read about how she became one of the famous “Angels of Pervyse”.
The Extraordinary Life of Mary Seacole by Naida Redgrave
MY | BL 6.5 | Quiz # 244018 | Puffin
Mary Seacole travelled the world as a single woman and used her medical skills to save the lives of countless soldiers in the Crimean War. This is her extraordinary life story.
Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World by Burhana Islam
MY+ | BL 7.4 | Quiz # 241708 | Puffin
Meet just some of the amazing Muslim men and women who have changed the world – from pirate queens and athletes to warriors and scientists.
A Short, Hopeful Guide to Climate Change by Oisín McGann
UY | BL 8.2 | Quiz # 243855 | Little Island
This book explains the causes and effects of climate change and offers possible solutions to this global problem.
Being an Ally by Shakirah Bourne
UY | BL 6.6 | Quiz # 243262 | Dorling Kindersley
In this collection of true stories, seven critically acclaimed and bestselling authors get real about being an ally, needing an ally, and showing up for friends and strangers.
You Don’t Know What War Is: The Diary of a Young Girl from Ukraine by Yeva Skalietska
UY | BL 5.4 | Quiz # 243821 | Bloomsbury Publishing
This is the diary of young Ukrainian refugee, Yeva Skalietska, and follows twelve days in Ukraine that changed 12-year-old Yeva’s and her Granny’s lives forever.
We are currently updating our topics and subtopics on Bookfinder with the aim of making them more inclusive and useful for our customers. Please direct any suggestions you have to us via social media.
Why not get in touch via Twitter to let us know your favourite titles on this topic? If you have some titles you’d like to see quizzed, please use the request a quiz form.
Happy quizzing!