Franklin Delano Roosevelt
by Russell Freedman
Nonfiction · ages 9–12 · grades 4–7 · 820L
Freedman's accessible, photo-rich biography makes FDR's disability and determination feel immediate without sentimentality; kids grasp both the man and the era.
For a reader who just finished
Books like Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
after Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
Nonfiction
This is adult narrative nonfiction—sophisticated social history and urban ecology—well outside the 5–9 target band; consider only for exceptional teen readers or parental read-aloud if you want to teach urban ecology.
Same style
Castle
by David Macaulay
Nonfiction · ages 8–12 · grades 3–7 · 720L
Macaulay's masterpiece — architectural history made visceral through illustration and narrative; kids who engage deeply will ask real questions about how things are built.
Volcanoes
by Seymour Simon
Nonfiction · ages 6–10 · grades 1–5 · 820L
The gold standard for volcano books at this age — Simon's photographs are awe-inducing and the text respects kids' hunger for real facts without dumbing down the science.