47 STEM Books for K-12 Readers

Blue Broccoli and Nanobots: Awesome Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths by Bryony Mathew
Illustrated by Millie Bicknelle
@BryonyMathew

General STEM | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“The book includes 32 female characters in a whole range of different STEM careers. The aim is for both girls and boys to look at this book and see girls being aerospace engineers, theoretical physicists and just think that it’s normal.” Image and description via Awesome Career Books. 

Dragons and Marshmallows (Zoey and Sassafras #1) by Asia Citro
Illustrated by Marion Lindsay
@asiacitroauthor

General STEM | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“In the first book of this series, Zoey discovers a glowing photo and learns an amazing secret. Injured magical animals come to their backyard barn for help! When a sick baby dragon appears, it’s up to Zoey and Sassafras to figure out what’s wrong.” Image and description via ZoeyandSassafras.com.

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
@KathrynLasky1

General STEM | Nonfiction
“This picture book covers the life of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, a geographer who estimated the circumference of the Earth in around 200 B.C. Though he was in fact a librarian, he is famous for his scientific accomplishments.” Image and description via KathrynLasky.com.

The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
@DHeiligman

Math | Nonfiction
“Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And, it’s true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path… this is a beautiful introduction to the world of math and a fascinating look at the unique character traits that made ‘Uncle Paul’ a great man.” The Boy Who Loved Math image and description via Macmillan Publishers.

A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America on the Moon by Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Miller Jamison
@AuthorSSlade

Math | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“The inspiring true story of mathematician Katherine Johnson—made famous by the award-winning film Hidden Figures—who counted and computed her way to NASA and helped put a man on the moon!” A Computer Called Katherine image and description via Little, Brown and Company Young Readers.

The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague by Julia Finley Mosca
Illustrated by Daniel Rieley
@JFinleyMosca

Math | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“[This] is the third book in a riveting educational series about the inspiring lives of amazing scientists. In addition to the illustrated rhyming tale, you’ll find a complete biography, fun facts, a colorful timeline of events, and even a note from Montague herself!” Image and description via The Innovation Press.

The King’s Chessboard by David Birch
Illustrated by Devis Grebu

Math | Fiction
“​When the wise man refuses to accept a reward for his service to the king, the king insists and so the wise man asks for a payment of rice for each square of the king’s chessboard—the amount to be doubled each day. Soon the royal granaries are almost empty. Will the proud king concede that he has been outwitted?” Image and description via MathsThroughStories.org.

Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
Illustrated by Lane Smith
@Jon_Scieszka 

Math | Fiction
“The teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem. Soon after, a little girl wakes up to find everything in life arranging itself into a math problem, and she must find her way out of the Math Curse!” Math Curse image and description via Scholastic.

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by David Roberts
@andreabeaty

Science | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“Ada has always been endlessly curious. But when her fact-finding missions and elaborate scientific experiments go too far, her frazzled parents banish her to the Thinking Chair. Will all that thinking change Ada’s mind?” Ada Twist, Scientist image and description via The Questioneers.

Aliana Reaches for the Moon by Laura Roettiger
Illustrated by Ariel Boroff
Laura Roettiger’s website

Science | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“In this charming STEAM book, children will see how the light of the full moon inspires Aliana to create a present for her brother, Gustavo, which will surprise the whole family.” Image and description via Eifrig Publishing.

Brains On! Presents… It’s Alive: From Neurons and Narwhals to the Fungus Among Us by Molly Bloom, Marc Sanchez and Sanden Totten
@Brains_On!

Science | Nonfiction
“Explore the uber-awesome and sometimes gross world of biology—aka, the study of living things. Inside these pages, you’ll meet animals with superpowers, plants that eat meat, brains that trick you, and tiny microbes that live, well… all over you!” Image and description via Little, Brown and Company Young Readers.

Perkin’s Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry by Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn
Illustrated by Francesca Sanna
@tamilewisbrown and @DebbieLorenDunn

Science | Nonfiction
“William wanted to invent a new medicine to cure malaria, but his experiment, using the scientific method, created something else—the world’s first synthetic dye. PURPLE FOR THE PEOPLE! And a new way to approach chemistry, to identify and cure disease and to make a better world.” Image and description via TamiLewisBrown.com.

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
@ashleyspires

Invention | Fiction
“A charming picture book about an unnamed girl and her very best friend, who happens to be a dog. The girl has a wonderful idea: She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing! But making her magnificent thing is anything but easy.” Image and description via Kids Can Press.

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Illustrated by David Roberts
@andreabeaty

Invention | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“Rosie’s gizmos would astound—if she ever let anyone see them. Afraid of failure, she hides them away under her bed until a fateful visit from her great-great-aunt Rose, who shows her that a first flop isn’t something to fear—it’s something to celebrate.” Rosie Revere, Engineer image and description via The Questioneers.

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated by Mary Azarian
Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s website

Invention | Nonfiction
“From the time he was a small boy, Wilson Bentley saw snowflakes as small miracles. And he determined that one day his camera would capture for others the wonder of the tiny crystal.” Snowflake Bentley image and description via Scholastic Books.

Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton
Illustrated by Don Tate
@Bartography

Invention | Nonfiction
“You know the Super Soaker. It’s one of the top 20 toys of all time. And it was an accidental discovery that brought it into being. Trying to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, inventor Lonnie Johnson instead created the mechanics for the iconic toy.” Image and description via ChrisBarton.info.

Black Pioneers of Science and Invention by Dr. Louis Haber

General STEM | Nonfiction
“A readable, perceptive account of the lives of 14 gifted innovators who have played important roles in scientific and industrial progress.” Image and description via Blackwell’s.

Emmet’s Storm by Ann Rubino
Ann Rubino’s website

General STEM | Fiction
“Emmet Roche is an oddball, a whippersnapper, a genius… When the blizzard of 1888 hits, snowing sideways, will anyone listen to his ideas about the flame color in the stove? And the headaches and dizziness? Will they take his advice before it’s too late?” Image and description via CA Tree Books.

Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins
@jeannineatkins

General STEM | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
Told in poems, “this ‘evocative and beautiful’ (School Library Journal) novel ‘vividly imagines the lives of three girls’ (Booklist, starred review) in three different time periods as they grow up to become groundbreaking scientists.” Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science image and description via Simon and Schuster.

Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words by Randall Munroe
@xkcd

General STEM | Nonfiction
“In Thing Explainer, [Randall Munroe] uses line drawings and only the thousand (or, rather, ‘ten hundred’) most common words to provide simple explanations for some of the most interesting stuff there is.” Image and description via Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
@ignotofsky

General STEM | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“Full of striking, singular art, this fascinating collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields and an illustrated scientific glossary.” Image and description via Penguin Random House.

The Friendship Code #1 (Girls Who Code) by Stacia Deutsch
@staciadeutsch

Math | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“Loops, variables, input/output—Lucy can’t wait to get started with the new coding club at school. Lucy begins to get cryptic coding messages and needs some help translating them. She soon discovers that coding—and friendship—takes time, dedication and some laughs!” The Friendship Code #1 image and description via Penguin Random House.

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
@stacymcanulty

Math | Fiction
“Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills, and ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12 years old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass one more test—middle  school!” Image and description via Stacy McAnulty.

The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Illustrated by Rotraut Susanne Berner

Math | Fiction
“In 12 dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles and numbers that expand without end.” The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure image and description via Amazon.

Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson by Katherine G. Johnson
Katherine G. Johnson biography, NASA

Math | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“Katherine Johnson’s story was made famous in the bestselling book and Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. Now, in Reaching for the Moon, she tells her own story for the first time in a lively autobiography that will inspire young readers everywhere.” Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson image and description via Simon and Schuster.

Bees on the Roof by Robbie Shell
BeesOnTheRoof.com

Science | Fiction
“The plot centers on a seventh-grade science competition and a group of friends who face personal as well as classroom challenges as they attempt to raise honey bees on a hotel roof in New York City.” Image and description via BeesOnTheRoof.com.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Calpurnia Tate #1) by Jacqueline Kelly
@jkellywrite

Science | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“In this witty historical fiction middle grade novel set at the turn of the century, an 11-year-old girl explores the natural world, learns about science and animals and grows up.” The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate image and description via MacMillan Publishers.

The Fourteenth Goldfish (The Fourteenth Goldfish #1) by Jennifer L. Holm
Jennifer Holm’s website

Science | Fiction
“With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality… and possibility.” The Fourteenth Goldfish image and description via Penguin Random House.

The Walking Fish by Kopel Burk and Rachelle Burk
Rachelle Burk’s website

Science | Fiction | Girls in STEM
“When seventh-grader Alexis catches an unusual fish that looks like a living fossil, she sets off a scientific hunt for more of its kind.” Image and description via Epic.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
@wkamkwamba and @bryanmealer

Invention | Nonfiction
“When 14-year-old William Kamkwamba’s Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone’s crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library… and figured out how to bring electricity to his village.” The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind image and description via Scholastic.

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Catherine Thimmesh’s website

Invention | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“From Sybilla Masters, the first American woman with a documented invention (although the patent had to be in her husband’s name), to 12-year-old Becky Schroeder, who in 1974 became the youngest girl to receive a patent, Girls Think of Everything tells the stories of these women’s obstacles and their remarkable victories.” Image and description via Catherine Thimmesh.

Leonardo da Vinci (Giants of Science) by Kathleen Krull
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Kathleen Krull’s website

Invention | Nonfiction
“Leonardo da Vinci was a genius of epic proportions, and his notebooks prove that his thinking stood at the edge of the modern world. Explore the story of Leonardo the scientist and artist.” Image and description via RIF.org.

Spin the Golden Light Bulb (The Crimson Five #1) by Jackie Yeager
@JackieYeager

Invention | Fiction
“It’s the year 2071, and 11-year-old Kia Krumpet is determined to build her 67 inventions. But she won’t have the opportunity unless she earns a spot at PIPS, the Piedmont Inventor’s Prep School.” Spin the Golden Light Bulb image and description via IndieBound.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
@rebeccaskloot

General STEM | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization and more.” Image and description via Rebecca Skloot.

The Martian by Andy Weir
@andyweirauthor

General STEM | Fiction
“Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next.” Image and description via Andy Weir.

Why Elephants Have Big Ears: And Other Riddles from the Natural World by Chris Lavers

General STEM | Nonfiction
“Lavers explores and solves some of nature’s most challenging evolutionary mysteries, such as why birds are small and plentiful, why rivers and lakes are dominated by the few remaining large reptiles, why most of the large land-dwellers are mammals and many more.” Image and description via Thrift Books.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
@margotshetterly

Math | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“The phenomenal true story of the Black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space.” Hidden Figures image and description via IndieBound.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis’ website

Math | Nonfiction
“In a narrative full of fabulous characters and brilliant excursions into the unexpected, Michael Lewis follows the low-budget Oakland A’s, visionary general manager Billy Beane and the strange brotherhood of amateur baseball theorists.” Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game image and description via Amazon.

The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone
@jfagone

Math | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“The incredible true story of the greatest codebreaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to confront the evils of their time, solving puzzles that unmasked Nazi spies and helped win World War II.” Image and description via HarperCollins.

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Science | Nonfiction
“As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together.” Braiding Sweetgrass image and description via IndieBound.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
@hopejahren

Science | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“Geobiologist Hope Jahren has spent her life studying trees, flowers, seeds and soil. Lab Girl is her revelatory treatise on plant life—but it is also a celebration of the lifelong curiosity, humility and passion that drive every scientist.” Lab Girl image and description via Penguin Random House.

Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski
@helenczerski

Science | Nonfiction
“In Storm in a Teacup, Helen Czerski links the little things we see every day with the big world we live in. Each chapter begins with something small—popcorn, coffee stains and refrigerator magnets—and uses it to explain some of the most important science and technology of our time.” Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life image and description via Penguin Books.

Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
@oliversacks

Science | Nonfiction
“[In this] memoir of growing up in World WarII–era England as part of an extraordinary scientific family … Oliver Sacks invokes his childhood and early scientific fascination with light, matter and energy as a mystic might invoke the transformative symbolism of metals and salts.” Image and description via OliverSacks.com.

Google It: A History of Google by Anna Crowley Redding
@annaredding

Invention | Nonfiction
“Larry Page and Sergey Brin started out as two Stanford college students with a wild idea: They were going to organize the world’s information. From that one deceptively simple goal, they created one of the most influential and innovative companies in the world.” Google It: A History of Google image and description via Macmillan Publishers.

Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut’s Story of Invention by Kathryn D. Sullivan
@astrokds

Invention | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, recounts how she and other astronauts, engineers and scientists launched, rescued, repaired and maintained Hubble, the most productive observatory ever built.” Image and description via Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr.
Homer Hickam’s website

Invention | Nonfiction
“A powerful, luminous story of coming of age at the dawn of the 1960s, of a mother’s love and a father’s fears, of a group of young men who dreamed of launching rockets into outer space… and who made those dreams come true.” Rocket Boys image and description via Amazon.

Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox 

Invention | Nonfiction | Girls in STEM
“[This is] the untold story of the woman who helped to make one of humanity’s greatest discoveries—DNA—but who was never given credit for doing so.” Image and description via Google Books.