Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from around the WorldCharlene SmithProfiles of thirteen hijabi athletes from around the world show how they compete at high levels while challenging cultural assumptions and institutional barriers.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile 1100LView book detailsNCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2026
Social studies books selected each year by NCSS and the Children's Book Council.
2026 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young PeopleSee the original list
Selections138
Published byNational Council for the Social Studies
Sections7 sections
Browse sections7 sections
Sixth to Eighth Grade
8 of 13 selections on this pageContinued from page 2
Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from around the WorldCharlene SmithProfiles of thirteen hijabi athletes from around the world show how they compete at high levels while challenging cultural assumptions and institutional barriers.Sixth to Eighth GradeLexile 1100LView book details
How the Word Is Passed (Adapted for Young Readers): Remembering Slavery and How it Shaped AmericaClint Smith, adapted by Sonja Cherry-PaulThis young readers adaptation visits historic sites across the United States to examine how slavery is remembered, obscured, and woven into the nation's present.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Never Silent: A Hiroshima Survivor's StorySetsuko Thurlow, Kathy LowingerSetsuko Thurlow recounts her childhood in Hiroshima, survival of the 1945 atomic bombing, and efforts to rebuild afterward. The book also follows her lifelong campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and LuliKarina Yan GlaserIn dual timelines—731 Chang’an and 1931 New York Chinatown—Han Yu and Luli leave familiar lives to save their families from plague and financial crisis. Their adventures are linked by danger, art, and a touch of magic.Sixth to Eighth GradeATOS 6.0AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb: Young Readers Edition of AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert OppenheimerKai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Adapted by Eric S. SingerThis young-readers adaptation traces J. Robert Oppenheimer’s childhood, leadership of the wartime atomic-bomb project, later moral conflicts, Cold War role, and political downfall.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book details
Rebellion 1776Laurie Halse AndersonThirteen-year-old Elsbeth faces war, disease, and divided loyalties as the Siege of Boston transforms her city in 1776.Sixth to Eighth GradeATOS 5.8AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Safe HarborPadma VenkatramanNewly arrived from India, Geetha finds friendship and purpose through music, poetry, rescuing an injured seal, and protecting her Rhode Island beach.Sixth to Eighth GradeATOS 5.1AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Women Who Dared: 52 Stories of Fearless Daredevils, Adventurers, and RebelsLinda Skeers, illustrated by Livi GoslingThis second collection presents 52 short biographies of women adventurers, athletes, inventors, pilots, sailors, and performers whose risks and achievements are often absent from conventional histories.Sixth to Eighth GradeView book detailsSixth to Twelfth Grade
4 selections
Hick: The trailblazing journalist who captured Eleanor Roosevelt's heartSarah MillerThis young adult biography follows Lorena Hickok from a difficult childhood into a groundbreaking journalism career and her intimate relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Origin: An Illuminating Look at Indigenous Peoples and Their Connection to the Natural WorldNat Cardozo; translated by Layla Benitez-James/Ian Farnes, illustrated by Nat CardozoThrough 22 first-person portraits, this nonfiction book introduces Indigenous children and communities across five continents. It examines their relationships with land, community traditions, languages, and efforts to protect their territories.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details
The Swans of Harlem (Adapted for Young Adults): Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking HistoryKaren ValbyThis young-adult history follows five Black ballerinas from the early Dance Theatre of Harlem as they built international careers despite racism in classical dance. Decades later, the women reunite to record their shared history.Sixth to Twelfth GradeView book details
A World Worth SavingKyle LukoffA World Worth Saving is a fantasy adventure that combines Jewish mythology with the story of A, a transgender boy trapped in a harmful conversion program who must also confront demons that feed on human pain.Sixth to Twelfth GradeLexile 840LATOS 5.9View book detailsNinth to Twelfth Grade
6 selections
Arm in Arm: The Grimké Sisters' Fight for Abolition and Women's RightsAngelica Shirley CarpenterSarah and Angelina Grimké reject the slaveholding world in which they were raised and become outspoken advocates for abolition and women's rights.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Black History Is Your HistoryTaylor Cassidy, illustrated by Adriana BelletTaylor Cassidy introduces twelve Black historical figures and connects their achievements to personal reflections, humor, and lessons young readers can carry into their own lives.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Girls with GoalsClelia Castro-MalaspinaThis history traces women's soccer from its nineteenth-century beginnings through bans and discrimination to its growth into a global sport, highlighting the players who kept the game alive.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You ThisEugene Yelchin, illustrated by Eugene YelchinEugene Yelchin's graphic memoir recounts his young adulthood in the Soviet underground art scene, the danger of military conscription, confinement in a Siberian asylum, and eventual escape to the United States.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Rosa by Any Other NameHailey AlcarazIn a civil-rights-era retelling of Romeo and Juliet, Mexican American student Rosa passes as white at a newly desegregated school. After her friend Ramon and white classmate Julianne are killed, Rosa must choose between protecting her future and joining the fight for justice.Ninth to Twelfth GradeView book details
Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide: A Graphic NovelPablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonIn 2013 Maryland, Jose’s questions about a genocide trial lead his mother Clara to describe her childhood during Guatemala’s civil war. The graphic novel shifts to 1982, when violence separated Clara and her sister Elena from their village and each other.Ninth to Twelfth GradeATOS 3.9AR interest Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book details