Great nonfiction books to read aloud?

[lilajoy]

Hi All! I'm looking for really engaging nonfiction books that would work well as read-alouds for either my 8-year-old or my 11-year-old, or both. Topics could include history, science, or really anything engaging and educational. I'm particularly interested in more substantial chapter books or really engaging textbooks, but I'm also happy to hear about great picture books or other shorter texts that you'd recommend for the Upper Elementary and/or Middle School set. (My 11-year-old has a good vocabulary and a lot of background knowledge, so high-school level books would probably work, too, if they're not too dry in tone.)

For History, we have enjoyed Story of the World, A Little History of the World, and the Joy Hakim History of US books. For Science, we are loving John Hudson Tiner's A History of Medicine and planning to buy more of his books. Based on this, what else might we like? What other books have a great narrative flow and really capture interest?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Edited May 4, 2020 by lilajoy

[RebeccaMary]

For science, one of our all-time favorite nonfiction read-alouds is Alex & Me by Irene Pepperberg. It's not specifically for kids, but it's a really great story that teaches a lot about parrots, animal intelligence, and scientific research.  

 

[EmilyGF]

Everyone loved "Their Blood Runs Cold" about reptiles. The kids even read chapters of the book aloud to friends for fun.

[lilajoy]

Thank you!