Popular Nonfiction Books for Teens
Hundreds of books are added to the Library's collection each month. Here are the most popular Nonfiction books for teens.
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The Talk
"This graphic memoir by a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning offers a deeply personal meditation on the "the talk" parents must have with Black children about racism and the brutality that often accompanies it, a ritual attempt to keep kids safe and prepare them for a world that-to paraphrase Toni Morrison-does not love them. Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother told him he couldn't play with a white friend's realistic water gun. "She told me I'm a lot more likely to be shot by police than my friend was if they saw me with it, because police tend to think little Black boys-even light-skinned ones-are older than they really are, and less innocent than they really are." Bell examines how "the talk" has shaped nearly every moment of his life into adulthood and fatherhood. Through evocative original illustrations, The Talk is a meditation on this coming-of-age-as Bell becomes painfully aware of being regarded as dangerous by white teachers, neighbors, and strangers, and thus of his mortality. Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans like Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, and showcasing his award-winning cartoons along the way, Bell takes us up to the very moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and when he must have "the talk" with a six-year-old son of his own"-- Provided by publisher.
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Waterdeep Dragon Heist
"Famed explorer Volothamp Geddarm needs you to complete a simple quest. Thus beings a mad romp through the wards of Waterdeep as you uncover a villainous plot involving some of the city's most influential figures. A grand urban caper awaits you. Pit your skill and bravado against villains the likes of which you've never faced before, and let the dragon hunt begin!"--Back cover.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Germany
"From award-winning 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"-- Provided by publisher.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty, and Other Things
"In a bright graphic format featuring four dynamic middle schoolers, You Know, Sex grounds sex education in social justice, covering not only the big three of puberty-hormones, reproduction, and development-but also power, pleasure, and how to be a decent human being. Centering young people's experiences of pressures and joy, risk and reward, and confusion and discovery, there are chapters on body autonomy, disclosure, stigma, harassment, pornography, trauma, masturbation, consent, boundaries and safety in our media-saturated world, puberty and reproduction that includes trans, non-binary, and intersex bodies and experience, and more. Racially and ethnically diverse, inclusive of cross-disability experience, this is a book for every kind of young person and every kind of family. You Know, Sex is the first thoroughly modern sex ed book for every body navigating puberty and adolesence, essential for kids, everyone who knows a kid, and anyone who has ever been a kid"-- Provided by publisher.
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Houses With A Story: A Dragon's Den, A Ghostly Mansion, A Library of Lost Books, and 30 More Amazing Places to Explore
"A dreamer's tree house. A mechanic's cottage. A submerged city. Over thirty imaginative houses and the people who make them home offer unexpected worlds to wander through and explore. Who is the mischievous bridgetower keeper? What does the witch grow in her garden? How does the postal worker tame his delivery dragons? In each house, readers discover the contents of rooms and closets, what's at the top of the stairs and where shadowy hallways lead. Story text provides background and details about the lives of the residents and hints about their past and future. Lush illustrations, diagrams and detailed descriptions of each character, location and landscape open doors to whimsy, wonder, and endless possibilities"-- Provided by publisher.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Physics
Presents a review of physics concepts, covering such topics as kinematics; the laws of motion; electric charges, forces, and fields; magnetism; waves and lights; and thermodynamics.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Tupac Shakur's most intimate and honest thoughts were uncovered only after his death with the instant classic The Rose That Grew from Concrete . His talent was unbounded a raw force that commanded attention and respect. His death was tragic--a violent homage to the power of his voice. His legacy is indomitable--as vibrant and alive today as it has ever been. This collection of deeply personal poetry is a mirror into the legendary artist's enigmatic world and its many contradictions. Written in his own hand from the time he was nineteen, these seventy-two poems embrace his spirit, his energy--and his ultimate message of hope. (syndetics)
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book
"A new and expanded version of Gord Hill's seminal illustrated history of Indigenous struggles in the Americas. When it was first published in 2010, The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book was heralded as a groundbreaking illustrated history of Indigenous activism and resistance in the Americas over the previous 500 years, from contact to present day. Eleven years later, author and artist Gord Hill has revised and expanded the book, which is now available in colour for the first time. The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book powerfully portrays flashpoints in history when Indigenous peoples have risen up and fought back against colonizers and other oppressors. Events depicted include the Spanish conquest of the Aztec, Mayan and Inca empires; the 1680 Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico; the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890; the resistance of the Great Plains peoples in the 19th century; and more recently, the Idle No More protests supporting Indigenous sovereignty and rights in 2012 and 2013, and the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016. Canadian events depicted include the Oka crisis in 1990, the Grand River land dispute between Six Nations and the Government of Canada in 2006, and the Wet'suwet'en anti-pipeline protests in 2020. With strong, plain language and evocative illustrations, this revised and expanded edition of The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book reveals the tenacity and perseverance of Indigenous peoples as they endured 500-plus years of genocide, massacre, torture, rape, displacement, and assimilation: a necessary antidote to conventional histories of the Americas. The book includes a foreword by Pamela Palmater, a Mi'kmaq lawyer, professor, and political commentator."-- Provided by publisher.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Painless American Government
Whether you're a student or an adult looking to refresh your knowledge, Barron's Painless American Government provides review and practice in an easy, step-by-step format. Inside you'll find clear lear explanations for all topics, including the U.S. Constitution, civil liberties and civil rights, the branches of government, how public policy is shaped, and much more, painless tips, common misconceptions to avoid, and informative sidebars, easy-to-follow definitions of all key terms and concepts to know when studying the basics of American government and politics, and advice for staying informed about American government and ways to get involved in local and national government.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Eberron: Rising From the Last War
Whether aboard an airship or a train car, embark on thrilling adventures shrouded in intrigue! Discover secrets buried by years of devastating war, in which magic-fueled weapons threatened an entire continent. In the post-war world, magic pervades everyday life, and people of all sorts flock to Sharn, a city of wonders where skyscrapers pierce the clouds. Will you find your fortune on mean city streets or scouring the secrets of haunted battlefields? Will you throw in your lot with the mighty dragonmarked houses, ruthless families who control whole nations? Will you seek truth as a newspaper reporter, a university researcher, or a government spy? Or will you forge a destiny that defies the scars of war? This book provides tools that both players and Dungeon Masters need to explore the world of Eberron, including the artificer character class--a master of magical invention--and monsters birthed by ancient warmongering forces. Will Eberron enter a prosperous new age or will the shadow of war descend once again?
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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