9. The Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs by America’s Test Kitchen Kids

For the first time ever, America’s Test Kitchen Kids is bringing their rigorous testing, kitchen knowhow, and hands-on learning to teenagers in the kitchen. Fiercely independent and searching for culinary adventure, teen chefs are ready for exciting, global recipes made to share with friends and family—with the support of fundamental kitchen techniques and approachable instruction. The Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs offers just that, filled with over 70 recipes that have been tested and approved by thousands of teens from across the country.

Whether a teen is looking to make Tik Tok-worthy sticky buns or a simple egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches before school, The Complete Cookbook for Teenage Chefs has something for everyone. With recipes ranging from Biang Biang Mian (Hand-Pulled Noodles) to Steak Tacos with Charred Corn Salsa, Arepas to Congee, French Fries and Cheeseburger Sliders to Apple-Cider Donuts, this book features helpful sidebars to ensure that teens can learn more about why a recipe works, and how to take their recipes to the next level.

The Race of the Century: The Battle to Break the Four-Minute Mile by Neal Bascomb

There was a time when running the mile in four minutes was believed to be beyond the limits of human foot speed. In 1952, after suffering defeat at the Helsinki Olympics, three world-class runners each set out to break this barrier: Roger Bannister was a young English medical student who epitomized the ideal of the amateur; John Landy the privileged son of a genteel Australian family; and Wes Santee the swaggering American, a Kansas farm boy and natural athlete.

Spanning three continents and defying the odds, these athletes’ collective quest captivated the world. Neal Bascomb’s bestselling adult account adapted for young readers delivers a breathtaking story of unlikely heroes and leaves us with a lasting portrait of the twilight years of the golden age of sport.

3. Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel by Bob Batchelor

The definitive biography of Marvel legend Stan Lee, now adapted for young readers.

Stan Lee’s extraordinary life was as epic as the superheroes he co-created, from the Amazing Spider-Man to the Mighty Avengers. His ideas and voice are at the heart of global culture, loved by millions of superhero fans around the world. In this young adult edition of Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel, award-winning cultural historian Bob Batchelor offers an in-depth and complete look at this iconic visionary.

Batchelor explores how Lee, born in the Roaring Twenties and growing up in the Great Depression, capitalized on natural talent and hard work to become the editor of Marvel Comics as a teenager. Lee went on to introduce the world to heroes that were complex, funny, and fallible, just like their creator and just like all of us.

Featuring amazingly detailed illustrations by artist Jason Piperberg, the young adult edition of Stan Lee also includes new details from Stan Lee’s life, like how he became a pioneer in crafting female and African-American superheroes and his crucial role in establishing one of the world’s most popular film franchises in history. Candid, authoritative, and absorbing, this is the biography of a man who revolutionized culture by creating new worlds and heroes that will entertain for generations to come.

5. Eitan Eats the World by Eitan Bernath

Every time twenty-year-old Eitan Bernath tastes something, he immediately thinks, How can I make this myself? From burgers to beer bread, tacos to (mushroom) cheesesteaks, and every kind of potato preparation you can imagine, Eitan has obsessively created and recreated all the amazing flavors and textures he loves, and shares them with infectious energy and insatiable curiosity for millions of fans across social media.

In Eitan’s debut cookbook, he channels his high-energy passion for all things delicious into eighty-five inventive and approachable recipes, paired with mouthwatering photography. They range from new twists on comfort food and classics (PB&J Pancakes, Double Grilled Cheese with Blueberry-Thyme Jam, Bourbon Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies) to his versions of dishes from around the world (Green Shakshuka, Chicken Kathi Roll, Beef Souvlaki) that he has meticulously studied with friends, neighbors, and other chefs.

Overflowing with positivity, creativity, and the “You can definitely do this!” attitude that catapulted Eitan into the media spotlight, Eitan Eats the World will charm and inspire readers to get in the kitchen and start having fun.

Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life
by Cheryl Blackford

A fascinating, highly visual biography of Mary Anning, the Victorian fossil hunter who changed scientific thinking about prehistoric life and would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists of all time. Perfect for children learning about woman scientists like Ada Lovelace, Jane Goodall, and Katherine Johnson.

Mary Anning grew up on the south coast of England in a region rich in fossils. As teenagers, she and her brother Joseph discovered England’s first complete ichthyosaur. Poor and uneducated, Anning would become one of the most celebrated paleontologists ever, though in her time she supported herself selling by fossils and received little formal recognition. Her findings helped shape scientific thinking about extinction and prehistoric life long before Darwin published his famous work on evolution. With engaging text, photographs, and stunning paleoart, Fossil Hunter introduces this self-taught scientist, now recognized as one of the greatest fossilists the world has ever known.

10. How to Money: Your Ultimate Visual Guide to the Basics of Finance
by Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle

Learn how to money in this in-depth, illustrated guide from New York Times bestselling author and financial expert Jean Chatzky, Kathryn Tuggle, and the team at HerMoney

There’s no getting around it. You need to know how to manage money to know how to manage life — but most of us don’t! This illustrated guidebook from New York Times bestselling author and financial expert Jean Chatzky, Kathryn Tuggle, and their team at HerMoney breaks down the basics of money—how to earn it, manage it, and use it—giving you all the tools you need to take charge and be fearless with personal finance.

How to Money will teach you the ins and outs of:

• creating a budget (and sticking to it)
• scoring that first job (and what that paycheck means)
• navigating student loans (and avoiding student debt)
• getting that first credit card (and what “credit” is)
• investing like a pro (and why it’s important!)

All so you can earn more, save smart, invest wisely, borrow only when you have to, and enjoy everything you’ve got!

Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime
by Candace Fleming

In 1924, eighteen-year-old college students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb made a decision: they would commit the perfect crime by kidnapping and murdering a child they both knew. But they made one crucial error: as they were disposing of the body of young Bobby Franks, whom they had bludgeoned to death, Nathan’s eyeglasses fell from his jacket pocket.

Multi-award-winning author Candace Fleming depicts every twist and turn of this harrowing case–how two wealthy, brilliant young men planned and committed what became known as the crime of the century, how they were caught, why they confessed, and how the renowned criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow enabled them to avoid the death penalty.

The History of the Computer: People, Inventions, and Technology That Changed Our World
by Rachel Ignotofsky

Computers are everywhere and have impacted our lives in so many ways, but who created them, and why? How have they transformed the way that we interact with our surroundings and each other?

Packed with accessible information, fun facts, and discussion starters, this charming and art-filled book takes you from the ancient world to the modern day, focusing on important inventions, from the earliest known counting systems to the sophisticated algorithms behind AI. The History of the Computer also profiles a diverse range of key players and creators—from An Wang and Margaret Hamilton to Steve Jobs and Sir Tim Berners-Lee—and illuminates their goals, their intentions, and the impact of their inventions on our everyday lives.

This entertaining and educational journey will help you understand our most important machines and how we can use them to enhance the way we live. You’ll never look at your phone the same way again!

1. American Murderer: The Parasite That Haunted the South by Gail Jarrow

Imagine microscopic worms living in the soil. They enter your body through your bare feet, travel to your intestines, and stay there for years sucking your blood like vampires. You feel exhausted. You get sick easily. It sounds like a nightmare, but that’s what happened in the American South during the 1800s and early 1900s.

Doctors never guessed that hookworms were making patients ill, but zoologist Charles Stiles knew better. Working with one of the first public health organizations, he and his colleagues treated the sick and showed Southerners how to protect themselves by wearing shoes and using outhouses so that the worms didn’t spread.

Although hookworm was eventually controlled in the United States, the parasite remains a serious health problem throughout the world. The topic of this STEM book remains relevant and will fascinate young readers interested in medicine, science, history-and gross stories about bloodsucking creatures.

part of the Medical Fiascoes series

7. ACT Total Prep 2023 by Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan is an Official Teaching Partner of the ACT.

ACT Total Prep 2023, Kaplan’s biggest ACT prep book, has the most content review, efficient strategies, and realistic practice to help you score higher. We have everything you need in one big book, plus a full year of access to online resources—including more practice tests, a bigger Qbank than ever (500 questions), and video lessons—to help you master each section of the ACT.

We’re so certain that ACT Total Prep offers all the guidance you need to excel on the ACT that we guarantee after studying with our online resources and book, you’ll score higher on the ACT—or you’ll get your money back.

Ready for Launch: An Astronaut’s Lessons for Success on Earth
by Scott Kelly

Using ten life-changing moments from his path to space, astronaut Scott Kelly shares his advice for mastering fear and failure and turning our daily struggles into rocket fuel for success—the perfect gift for graduations and other milestone moments!

In this insightful and funny read, Scott Kelly shares how a distracted student with poor grades became a record-breaking astronaut and commander of the International Space Station.

People think that astronauts are always perfect. “Failure’s not an option,” right? But as Scott shares in his deeply intimate book, he believes that it’s our mistakes and challenges that have the potential to lead to greatness. Not everyone’s road to achievement is a straight line. Most of us need to navigate a bumpier road full of obstacles to get where we want to be.

Scott’s story is for everyone who believes that shooting for the stars is beyond their reach!

4. Inuunira: My Story of Survival by Brian Koonoo

In this harrowing survival story, Brian Koonoo takes off on a hunting trip in Canada’s Arctic. After his snowmobile breaks down, his GPS loses signal, and his camping fuel runs low, Brian is left alone to survive for seven days. He experiences close encounters with planes, blizzards, and hunger, all while much of his gear is lost, and walking 60 kilometres in search of safety. He uses the knowledge his father and Elders taught him–modern and traditional means of navigation, finding water, making shelters, and keeping his spirits up–to continue on.

This true tale of survival is presented in a journal style with illustrations, photos, and diagrams.

2. Hanged! Mary Surratt and the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln
by Sarah Miller

A dubious distinction belongs to Mary Surratt: on July 7, 1865, she became the first woman to be executed by the United States government, accused of conspiring in the plot to assassinate not only President Abraham Lincoln, but also the vice president, the secretary of state, and General Grant.

Mary Surratt was a widow, a Catholic, a businesswoman, a slave owner, a Union resident, and the mother of a Confederate Secret Service courier. As the proprietor of the boardinghouse where John Wilkes Booth and his allies are known to have gathered, Mary Surratt was widely believed, as President Andrew Johnson famously put it, to have “kept the nest that hatched the egg.” But did Mrs. Surratt truly commit treason by aiding and abetting Booth in his plot to murder the president? Or was she the victim of a spectacularly cruel coincidence? Here is YA nonfiction at its best–gripping, thought-provoking, and unputdownable.

Teens’ Guide to College & Career Planning by Justin Ross Muchnick

With input from teens, parents, and numerous experts, Teens Guide to College & Career Planning knows just how to talk to high school students about the important decisions involving life after graduation. This easy-to-read guide, with updated content by Justin Ross Muchnick (author of Peterson’s The Boarding School Survival Guide), enables busy students to hone in on the right information for them. Whether they’re planning to head to a two-year or four-year college, a technical school, an apprenticeship, the military, or directly into the workforce-or even if they are still undecided-Teens’ Guide is where they’ll find information on the various options available and which ones may best suit their skills, needs, and desires.

Valuable advice on planning for college, including helpful information on choosing a major and financial aid; getting a job, entering the military, and other crucial issues.

Section for middle school students transitioning to high school, with advice from guidance counselors, parents, and students.

Expert advice on the increasingly popular gap-year option.

Tips on interviews, resumes, and cover letters.

Fun design that makes it easy for busy middle school and high school students to read in their on-the-go lives!

SAT Premium Prep 2023 by The Princeton Review

THE ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION FOR YOUR HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORE—including 9 full-length practice tests (4 in the book and 5 online; the MOST in an all-inclusive guidebook on the market!) for realistic prep, content reviews for all test sections, techniques for scoring success, and access to premium online extras.

Everything You Need to Know to Help Achieve a High Score:

• Comprehensive subject review for every section of the exam
• Valuable practice with complex reading comprehension passages and higher-level math problems
• Hands-on experience with all question types (multi-step problems, passage-based grammar questions, and more)

Practice Your Way to Excellence:

• 9 full-length practice tests (4 in the book, 5 online) with detailed answer explanations
• Drills for each test section (Reading, Writing and Language, and Math)
• In-depth online score reports for all practice tests

Techniques That Actually Work:

• Powerful tactics to help you avoid traps and beat the SAT
• Pacing tips to help you maximize your time

Includes Access to Premium Online:

• Videos to teach you SAT test-taking strategies and commonly tested topics
• Access to college and university rankings, college admissions advice, and financial aid tips
• Multi-week study guides
• Special “SAT Insider” section packed with helpful info on picking your perfect school and writing application essays that stand out

Semi-Famous: A True Story of Near Celebrity by Josh Sundquist

As a semi-famous internet creator, Josh Sundquist knows what it’s like to chase fame, but he also knows that more fame usually means more stress. So he set out on a pseudo-scientific investigation to find out if there is any way for fame and happiness to overlap.

He attempts to define the word “fame”—hint: it’s harder than you’d think. He turns back time to identify the first recognizable celebrity (you might know his former BFF Brutus). He digs into the numbers to debunk urban legends associated with stardom (ever heard of the 27 Club?). He talks to other semi-famous people (from K-pop sensations to former child stars) and asks them: Is this fame thing making you happy? If not, why are you doing it? If so, what’s your secret? All while recounting funny stories about his own cringe-worthy fame-seeking (like his many attempts, and failures, to get onto MTV).

Packed with playful diagrams, fascinating insights from celebrities, and embarrassing truths from Josh’s experience with semi-fame, this is a must-read for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming famous…or at least going viral on TikTok.

The Ultimate Scholarship Book 2023: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships, Grants and Prizes
by Gen and Kelly Tanabe

Information on 1.5 million scholarships, grants, and prizes is easily accessible in this revised directory with more than 300 new listings that feature awards indexed by career goal, major, academics, public service, talent, athletics, religion, ethnicity, and more.

Each entry contains all the necessary information for students and parents to complete the application process, including eligibility requirements, how to obtain an application, how to get more information about each award, sponsor website listings, award amounts, and key deadlines.

With scholarships for high school, college, graduate, and adult students, this guide also includes tips on how to conduct the most effective search, how to write a winning application, and how to avoid scams.

6. The Lady and the Octopus: How Jeanne Villepreux-Power Invented Aquariums and Revolutionized Marine Biology
by Danna Staaf

Jeanne Villepreux-Power was never expected to be a scientist. Born in 1794 in a French village more than 100 miles from the ocean, she pursued an improbable path that brought her to the island of Sicily. There, she took up natural history and solved the two-thousand-year-old mystery of how of the argonaut octopus gets its shell.

In an era when most research focused on dead specimens, Jeanne was determined to experiment on living animals. And to keep sea creatures alive for her studies, she had to invent a contraption to hold them–the aquarium. Her remarkable life story is told by author, marine biologist, and octopus enthusiast Danna Staaf.

The Great G.O.A.T. Debate: The Best of the Best in Everything from Sports to Science
by Paul Volponi

Who is the Greatest Of All Time—the G.O.A.T.? This is the question debated constantly between fans for any number of categories. Who is the greatest basketball player of all time? The greatest band? Video game? Sci-fi movie? In The Great G.O.A.T. The Best of the Best in Everything from Sports to Science, award-winning young adult author Paul Volponi explores the “greatest of all time” in over twenty-five different categories.

Volponi asks the G.O.A.T. question of writers, superheroes, musicians, philosophers, architects, athletes, and more. Alongside icons such as martial artist Bruce Lee, basketball star Maya Moore, and rapper Jay-Z, readers will also discover the diverse talents of inventor Leonardo da Vinci, the artistry of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, and the genius of scientist Marie Curie.

Full of facts, trivia, and mini-arguments, The Great G.O.A.T. Debate is sure to expand readers’ horizons and help answer the ultimate “Who is the Greatest Of All Time?”

8. What the Fact? Finding the Truth in All the Noise by Dr. Seema Yasmin

From acclaimed writer, journalist, and physician Dr. Seema Yasmin comes a much-needed, timely book about the importance of media literacy, fact-based reporting, and the ability to discern truth from lies.

What is a fact? What are reliable sources? What is news? What is fake news? How can anyone make sense of it anymore? Well, we have to. As conspiracy theories and online hoaxes increasingly become a part of our national discourse and “truth” itself is being questioned, it has never been more vital to build the discernment necessary to tell fact from fiction, and media literacy has never been more vital.

In this accessible guide, Dr. Seema Yasmin, an award-winning journalist, scientist, medical professional, and professor, traces the spread of misinformation and disinformation through our fast-moving media landscape and teaches young readers the skills that will help them identify and counter poorly-sourced clickbait and misleading headlines.