Texas Topaz Nonfiction List for Grades K-12

Here are just some of the recommended titles for grades K-12 from the 2026 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/reading-lists for the full list and lists from previous years.

Updated January 13, 2026
Lewisville Public Library
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Earthrise : the story of a photograph that changed the way we see our planet
Marcus, Leonard S.
Paper Book
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR from The New York Times and Kirkus Reviews From award-winning historian Leonard S. Marcus, Earthrise is a unique middle-grade nonfiction book about the astonishing photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission that forever shifted...
The friendship train : a true story of helping and healing after World War II
Levy, Debbie
Ebook
Narwhal : unicorn of the Arctic
Fleming, Candace
Paper Book
Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book. A HORN BOOK AND BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR You are a narwhal. Shy... Swift... Small...
Tell me about Juneteenth
Nash, Kortney
Paper Book
Celebrate Juneteenth with this empowering picture book! On June 19th, 1865, the last enslaved African Americans were finally freed in Galveston, Texas. Every year, our community comes together to honor this special day. We play hopscotch, eat spice cake, and listen to music,...
Volcanoes
Beckerman, Nell Cross
Paper Book
The team behind the acclaimed book Caves returns with an enticing exploration of one of the most explosive wonders on the planet -- Volcanoes! A rumble. A tremble. A grumble. Growing, growling, getting hot. When will it... POP?! Using evocative storytelling, Nell Cross...
We are American, too
Chase, Kristen M.
Paper Book
An exquisitely illustrated and beautifully penned picture book about Asian American history, identity, and pride. Mei is a young Chinese American girl filled with curiosity about her family's history in Washington, D.C. Delving into their tales of courage, hope, and resilience...
Whales in the city
Castaldo, Nancy F.
Paper Book
For fans of If Sharks Disappeared, this kid-friendly picture book is a true story about how community action saved the whales of New York Harbor and reversed the effects of climate change. Spanning from pre-colonization to today, learn how the industrial revolution,...
The house on the canal : the story of the house that hid Anne Frank
Harding, Thomas
Paper Book
"Deeply moving, powerful, and breathtaking." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A house reveals the story of its inhabitants, including Anne Frank--and honors four centuries of history--in a moving and exquisitely illustrated picture book from the creators of...
Hurricane
Chin, Jason
Paper Book
Caldecott and Sibert Medalist Jason Chin charts the thrilling saga of an island community's brush with a category three hurricane, and the cutting-edge science that helps them prepare. It's a beautiful day on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. But while all seems calm now, a...
The bard and the book : how the first folio saved the plays of William Shakespeare from oblivion
Bausum, Ann
Paper Book
The unlikely true story of why we know the name William Shakespeare today, and the four-hundred-year-old book that made it possible. Four hundred years ago, no one bothered to write down the exact words of stage plays. Characters' lines were scribbled on small rolls of paper (as...
Seeds of discovery : how Barbara McClintock used corn and curiosity to solve a science mystery and win a Nobel prize
Alexander, Lori
Ebook
The quirky and singular Nobel Prize winner Barbara McClintock, a founder of modern genetics who did things her own way, is honored in this lively young STEM biography by Sibert Honor winner Lori Alexander.  Celebrating the power of curiosity and the rewards of tenacity, this engaging...
Spying on spies : how Elizebeth Smith Friedman broke the Nazis' secret codes
Moss, Marissa
Paper Book
Bestselling and award-winning author-illustrator Marissa Moss tells the gripping story of America's first female cryptanalyst, Elizebeth Smith Friedman, who busted Nazi spy rings. Praised for her accessible blend of narrative nonfiction with graphic novel-style chapter openers...
Wish I Was a Baller
Shah, Amar
Paper Book
Wish I Was a Baller is part New Kid, part The Tryout, and part Dragon Hoops! Amar Shah has some story to tell! In 1995, he was a fourteen-year-old aspiring sports journalist (and basketball superfan) angling to get into an Orlando Magic team practice. He did, and it...
At last she stood : how Joey Guerrero spied, survived, and fought for freedom
Kelly, Erin Entrada
Paper Book
A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book * NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children Honor Book * An ALA Notable Book * A CCBC Choice * Rise: A Feminist Book Project List * Chicago Public Library Best Book * School Library Journal Best Book * CBC...
Death in the jungle : murder, betrayal, and the lost dream of Jonestown
Fleming, Candace
Paper Book
How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history. A YALSA...

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