Staff Picks Young Adult Nonfiction

A First Time for Everything

by Dan Santant

Middle school can be tough, but it can also be a time to learn about yourself and this is true of Dan Santat’s graphic novel A First Time for Everything.  The story chronicles his travels to Europe as a 13-year-old. Although he was hesitant to go, given the difficulties he’d been having in school , this trip proves to be a life-changing experience. He meets lifelong friends and his perspective on his personality and strengths change as the story progresses. The graphic novel format is engaging and beautifully illustrated. A wonderful story for kids who are growing to learn what they have to bring to the world.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.

Recommended by: Darnetta Bolton, Youth Services Librarian

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Anne Frank’s Diary

Anne Frank’s Diary full-length diary is adapted into a graphic novel by Ari Folman with stunning illustrations by David Polonsky. The journal highlights the life of Anne Frank, a young teenage girl who is forced to go into hiding with her family when Hitler was in power. It is astonishing what she and her family went through for almost two years living in their apartment. Anne shares her intimate and personal story. She shares what is happening to them inside the apartment and reveals her biggest thoughts and dreams for the world going on outside their apartment. We learn about her feelings and her hope for the future. You as the reader will feel like you are reading the diary of a good friend and you get to know Anne through her humor and sarcasm.

Recommended by: Stacie Pendleton, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Accountable: the true story of a racist social media account and the teenagers whose lives it changed

by Dashka Slater

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Victory. Stand!: Raising my fist for justice

by Tommie Smith

A fist in the air. Eighty seconds of a profound symbolic act that will not be forgotten. This engaging graphic novel co-written by Derrick Barnes and the man himself, Tommie Smith, is powerfully illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile and will move readers deeply into a moment in history with such significance that it still resonates today. This is the story of a courageous world record-breaker, from childhood to his stepping into the world stage where he risked all in the name of justice and human rights. The story behind the protesting expression of two black athletes at their triumphant moment at the Mexican Olympic games of 1965 where they decided they had to be seen because they (and many more) were not being heard. Smith’s first-ever memoir for young readers, received the 2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award among many other recognitions. It is also a pick for the 2023-2024 Read For A Lifetime statewide teen reading program.

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Mindfulness Meditations for Teens

by Bodhipaksa

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Everything You Need to Ace American History in One Big Fat Notebook

by Lily Rothman

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Mary’s Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein

by Lita Judge

Written in free-verse, this captivating biography is not only intriguing and moving, but also visually mesmerizing. The black and white watercolor illustrations complement the author’s narrative of Mary Shelley’s life as if it were told in her own voice. Full of passion and drive, this pregnant teen runaway created much more than just a horror story. Shelley was a pioneer of science fiction to be celebrated for her remarkable legacy. Judge delivers in her own work biographical poetry paired with such astounding art that truly evokes the essence of Mary and her legendary Monster.

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, & Murdered Through History

by Serah-Marie McMahon

This account of stories of unfortunate fashion victims will leave readers considering the price of beauty and style throughout history. McMahon and Matthews David offer intriguing information about questionable ingredients and practices in the fashion industry when it comes to making and wearing clothing, make-up, and accessories. From mercury infused hats, lead make-up, constricting corsets, and distressed denim, the standards used in the long and recent past have affected the health and safety aspects of everyday fashion. Each entry is presented in a two-page spread with a clean magazine-like layout. Includes eye-catching graphics and supportive historical photographs that illustrate the topics, as well as engaging sidenotes such as the myth of the mad hatter or the Kardashians “waist training” trend. A book for curious minds that is indeed “equal parts fab and frightening” as it claims. 

Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks

by Don Brown

A deeply moving graphic novel that depicts the events of 9/11 and the personal stories of many involved due only to being in the wrong place or going to rescue those in the wrong place. The ongoing ramifications from that day are told here in the U.S. and abroad. As in Drowned City, Don Brown meticulously researches his topic…7 pages of citations in Bibliography.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction

All Thirteen: the Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team

by Christina Soontornvat

A fascinating account of the rescue of thirteen people from a flooded cave in Thailand. Experts in different fields from all around the world worked together, against incredible odds, to successfully rescue all thirteen. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction