Dana Meachen Rau
Who Was Betty White?
A charming and accessible intro to one of TV's most beloved figures that balances career facts with her well-known love for animals.
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All picks after this →Who Is Lin-Manuel Miranda?
by Elijah Rey-David Matos
Middle grade · ages 7–10 · 650L · 2024
A solid, accessible entry point for kids who know the songs but not the story behind them; the 'Who Was' format keeps it digestible without dumbing down his impact.
Children of the Soil: A Story of Scandinavia
by Nora Burglon
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 1932
A quietly absorbing slice-of-life that seeds genuine cultural knowledge; feels dated (it's 1932) but the attention to how a farming family actually lived rewards patient readers.
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth
by E. L. Konigsburg
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 1999
A deceptively quiet book about how friendship survives betrayal—Konigsburg trusts kids to notice what Elizabeth misses, and the resolution actually earns its emotional weight.