Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2015-2023
Resources for the titles recognized by this list since 2015 -- honoring exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms
Sponsored by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

- 21,016 Resources including
- 2,173 Videos
- 1,101 Book Readings
- 1,718 Lesson Plans
- List Analysis Report
Showing 1-48 of 1,378 book results


All American Boys
by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2016)
71 Resources11 Awards

We Are Water Protectors
by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2021)
69 Resources19 Awards

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
by Carole Boston Weatherford and Floyd Cooper
(Biography Selection, 2022)
69 Resources23 Awards


Last Stop on Market Street
by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2016)
65 Resources16 Awards



Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2021)
59 Resources12 Awards


Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2020)
57 Resources16 Awards

Watercress
by Andrea Wang and Jason Chin
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2022)
57 Resources16 Awards

The Undefeated
by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2020)
56 Resources22 Awards


All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
(Biography Selection, 2021)
51 Resources19 Awards

Thunder Boy Jr.
by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
(Social Interactions & Relationships Selection, 2017)
50 Resources10 Awards

Merci Suárez Changes Gears
by Meg Medina
(Social Interactions & Relationships Selection, 2019)
50 Resources13 Awards


Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People
by Kekla Magoon
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2023)
(Reference Selection, 2022)
50 Resources15 Awards

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga
by Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2019)
49 Resources14 Awards


Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2015)
47 Resources16 Awards

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
by Malinda Lo
(Social Interactions & Relationships Selection, 2022)
47 Resources17 Awards

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras
(Biography Selection, 2016)
46 Resources20 Awards






Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2015)
44 Resources14 Awards

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus
by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet
(Biography Selection, 2015)
44 Resources15 Awards



Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away
by Meg Medina and Sonia Sánchez
(Social Interactions & Relationships Selection, 2021)
43 Resources10 Awards

We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know
by Traci Sorell and Frané Lessac
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2022)
43 Resources10 Awards


Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America
by Ibi Zoboi, Jason Reynolds, Renée Watson, and Leah Henderson
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2020)
42 Resources4 Awards

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People
by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jean Mendoza, and Debbie Reese
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2020)
42 Resources10 Awards

The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read
by Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora
(Biography Selection, 2021)
42 Resources9 Awards

A Place at the Table
by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
(World History & Culture Selection, 2021)
42 Resources2 Awards

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
(Biography Selection, 2017)
41 Resources13 Awards

Before She Was Harriet
by Lesa Cline-Ransome and James Ransome
(Women's History Selection, 2018)
41 Resources13 Awards



A Place to Land
by Barry Wittenstein and Jerry Pinkney
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2020)
41 Resources10 Awards


Milo Imagines the World
by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
(Contemporary Concerns Selection, 2022)
41 Resources10 Awards

The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist
(History, Life, Culture in the Americas Selection, 2014)
40 Resources11 Awards