Texas Topaz Nonfiction List for Grades K-12

Here are just some of the 57 recommended titles for grades K-12 from the 2025 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List! The purpose of the Texas Topaz Reading List is to provide children, teens, and adults with recommended nonfiction titles that stimulate reading for pleasure and personal learning. It is intended for recreational reading and is not designed to support any particular curriculum. Visit txla.org/topaz for the full list and lists from previous years.

Updated July 1, 2025
Lewisville Public Library
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And yet you shine : the Kohinoor diamond, colonization, and resistance
Kelkar, Supriya
Paper Book
The story of one of the world's most famous diamonds--stolen from South Asia during colonization and now among the crown jewels in London--is a call to action for readers to decolonize and hold their heads high. The Kohinoor diamond, one of the most famous diamonds in the world,...
Attacked! : Pearl Harbor and the day war came to America
Favreau, Marc
Paper Book
The true story of Pearl Harbor as you've never read it before--action-packed, informative, and told through the eyes of those on all sides of the violence who experienced the terror of the unprecedented attack firsthand. A single day changed the course of history:...
The girl who figured it out
Dentler, Minda
Paper Book
The uplifting true story of Minda Dentler, the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship triathlon. Minda Dentler made history when she became the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the world's toughest triathlon, using only her arms to finish a...
The iguanodon's horn : how artists and scientists put a dinosaur back together again and again ... and again
Rubin, Sean
Paper Book
Highlighting the role of artists in the scientific process, this crowd-pleasing look at dinosaurs explores how new discoveries deepen our understanding of the world. AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 2024 KID'S BOOK AWARD WINNER A HORN BOOK FANFARE TITLE ...
Small shoes, great strides : how three brave girls opened doors to school equality
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux
Paper Book
On November 14, 1960, first graders Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gail Etienne stepped into history by going to school. Escorted by U.S. Marshals and facing swarms of shouting protestors, they became the first children in New Orleans to integrate a previously all-white school, just ten...
Stealing Little Moon : the legacy of the American Indian boarding schools
Jones, Dan C.
Paper Book
"Stealing Little Moon is both a moving family saga and an expertly told true story that all Americans should know." --Steve Sheinkin, New York Times bestselling author of Bomb and Undefeated Scholastic Focus is the premier home of thoroughly researched,...
Sweet justice : Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
Rockliff, Mara
Paper Book
An inspiring picture-book biography about the woman whose cooking helped feed and fund the Montgomery bus boycott of 1956, from an award-winning illustrator. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NewYork Public Library . Chicago Public Library Georgia...
Thomas Jefferson's battle for science : bias, truth, and a mighty moose!
Anderson, Beth
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of the Year 2025 Texas Topaz List Thomas Jefferson is one of the most famous founding fathers, but did you know that his mind was always on science? This STEM/STEAM picture book tells how Jefferson's scientific thinking and method battled against...
Uprooted : a memoir about what happens when your family moves back
Chan, Ruth
Paper Book
Perfect for fans of New Kid and A First Time for Everything, a joyful and tearful debut middle grade graphic memoir about one girl being uprooted when she moves to Hong Kong, a place where her family fits in but, for her, it's nothing like home. Ruth Chan loves...
Wings of an eagle : the gold medal dreams of Billy Mills
Mills, Billy
Paper Book
A ROBERT F. SIBERT INFORMATIONAL BOOK AWARD HONOR BOOK Just in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics, here is a dramatic and inspiring autobiographical tale of overcoming odds by Native American gold medalist Billy Mills, with stunning...

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