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 enigma girls : how ten teenagers broke ciphers, kept secrets, and helped win World War II
Fleming, Candace
Paper Book
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. With numerous starred reviews and accolades, from award-winning author Candace Fleming, comes the powerful and fascinating story of the brave and dedicated young women who helped turn the tides of World War II for the Allies, with their hard work and...
Impossible Escape A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Europe
Sheinkin, Steve.
Paper Book
From three-time National Book Award finalist and Newbery Honor author Steve Sheinkin, a true story of two Jewish teenagers racing against time during the Holocaust--one in hiding in Hungary, and the other in Auschwitz, plotting escape. It is 1944. A teenager named Rudolf (Rudi...
Kid-ventors : 35 real kids and their amazing inventions
Pew, Kailei
Paper Book
What do swim fins, Popsicles®, Infection-Detecting Stitches, the Braille alphabet, and Taco vs. Burrito all have in common? They were all invented by kids! When Remya Jose had to spend many hours washing her family's laundry by hand, she invented a pedal powered washing...
My lost freedom : a Japanese American WWII story
Takei, George
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . A CALIBA GOLDEN POPPY AWARD WINNER . A moving, beautifully illustrated true story for children ages 6 to 9 about growing up in Japanese American incarceration camps during World War II-from the iconic Star Trek actor, activist, and author of the New...
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...
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...

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