Whatever you are interested in The New York Public Library has a book for you. If you like sensational stories you might want to read amazing and creepy facts about mummies, find out about people who have vanished, or investigate dangerous fashion styles—clothing that killed people! 

If you like history, learn about a gang that wanted to steal President Lincoln's body from his grave, discover a secret subway in New York City, and be amazed at the history of child workers who went on strike for better wages and working conditions. If you care about social justice and saving the planet, or want to understand the difference between real news and fake news we have books for you.

Discover cool new ideas for celebrating your birthday, read about food and recipes from around the world, or learn about Chinese New Year, or other holidays. You can find books about all this, and more in the list below, and at your local library!

Birthdays: Beyond Cake and Ice Cream by Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton

Inspired by memories of fantastic family birthday parties, mother-and-daughter team Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton researched the history of birthdays in order to answer such questions as, How much does where you grow up influence the way you celebrate getting a year older? Have people always celebrated birthdays? The more they investigated, the more they realized that there's a lot more to birthdays than cake, presents, a few games and perhaps a goody bag. They discovered there are as many ways to observe birthdays as there are places in which to do it.

 

Breaking the News: What's Real, What's Not And Why the Difference Matters by Robin Terry Brown

Headlines leap out at us from mobile phones, TV screens, computers, newspapers, and everywhere we turn. Technology has opened up exciting new ways to tell interesting stories, but how much of it is news ... and how much is just noise? This refreshing and up-to-date media literacy book gives kids the tools they need to distinguish what is fact from what is fiction so that they can make smart choices about what to believe.

 

Chinese New Year: A Celebration for Everyone by Jen Sookfong Lee

From its beginnings as a farming celebration marking the end of winter to its current role as a global party featuring good food, lots of gifts and public parades, Chinese New Year is a snapshot of Chinese culture.

 

 

 

Encyclopedia of Preserved People: Pickled, Frozen, and Mummified Corpses From Around the World by Natalie Jane Prior

With sections on Egyptian mummies, bog bodies, Einstein's brain, and the Ice Man, The Encyclopedia of Preserved People provides a fascinating look at those men, women, and children whose bodies have been preserved until the present day. It proves that history is not about dull dates, but about people who laughed, cried, ate, and worked, just like us-yet who were also incredibly different.

 

Food Like Mine (DK Children Just Like Me Series) edited by Carrie Love

This book is a celebration of children around the world, the food they eat, and the meals they share, with 27 easy-to-follow recipes from a variety of countries—from Botswana to the USA. This book unites the traditional dishes eaten by children from diverse backgrounds using four staple ingredients: rice, wheat, corn, and potatoes. These easy-to-follow recipes allow young readers to experience the dishes—and other cultures—first-hand, from sushi and Indian rice pudding to pasta and chow mein.

 

 

Kids on Strike! by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Kids on Strike! tells the story of children who stood up for their rights against powerful company owners, from a "turn-out" in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 1836 led by eleven-year-old Harriet Hanson to the dramatic strike of 1912 in Lawrence, Massachusetts. By the early 1900s nearly two million children were in the United States work force. Their tiny fingers, strong eyesight, and boundless energy made them perfect employees. But after years and years of working long hours every day under harsh and inhumane conditions, children began to organize and make demands in order to protect themselves. They fought for better wages, fairer housing costs, and safer working environments.

Killer Style: How Fashion has Injured, Maimed, & Murdered Throughout History by Serah-Marie McMahon and Alison Matthews David

The clothes keep us comfortable, protect us from the elements, and express our unique style—but could fashion also be fatal? As it turns out, history is full of fashions that have harmed or even killed people. From silhouette-cinching corsets and combustible combs to lethal hair dyes and flammable flannel, this nonfiction book looks back at the times people have suffered pain, injury, and worse, all in the name of style.

 

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

In October of 1875, Secret Service agents arrest counterfeiter Ben Boyd. Members of Boyd's counterfeiting gang gather in the back room of a Chicago saloon to discuss how to spring their leader. The plan: grab Lincoln's body from its Springfield tomb, stash it in the sand dunes near Lake Michigan, and demand, as a ransom, the release of Ben Boyd—and $200,000 in cash. The action alternates between the conspirators, the Secret Service agents on their trail, and the undercover agent moving back and forth between the two groups. The plot moves toward a wild climax as robbers and lawmen converge at Lincoln's tomb on election night: November 7, 1876

 

Missing! Mysterious Cases of People Gone Missing Through the Centuries by Brenda Z. Guiberson

Jimmy Hoffa, Barbara Follett, Amelia Earhart, D. B. Cooper, two young royal princes—they all disappeared. Throughout history, individuals have gone missing without a trace; some of these disappearances haunt us. Missing!: Mysterious Cases of People Gone Missing Through the Centuries is exciting middle-grade nonfiction that also discusses the kind and qualities of evidence needed to lay these mysteries to rest.

 

 

Plastic Sucks!: How You Can Reduce Single-Use Plastic & Save the Planet by Dougie Poynter

Plastic is everywhere and it sucks. It fills up our oceans, endangers our wildlife and never goes away. So it's time to take action, find ways to cut down our plastic use, and help protect our environment. Together we can make a difference! This awesome and inspiring guide, written by musician and environmental activist Dougie Poynter, will tell you how to get involved in the mission to cut out single-use plastic.

 

Rise Up: The Art of Protest by Jo Rippon in collaboration with Amnesty International

Rise Up! encourages young people to engage in peaceful protest and stand up for freedom. Photographs of protest posters from the last one hundred years celebrate the ongoing fight for gender equality, civil rights, LGBT rights, refugee and immigrant rights, peace, and the environment. Includes a chapter on youth protest. 

 

Secret Subway by Shana Corey; illustrated by Red Nose Studio

New York City in the 1860s was a mess: crowded, disgusting, filled with garbage. You see, way back in 1860, there were no subways, just cobblestone streets. That is, until Alfred Ely Beach had the idea for a fan-powered train that would travel underground. On February 26, 1870, after fifty-eight days of drilling and painting and plastering, Beach unveiled his masterpiece and throngs of visitors took turns swooshing down the track.

 

Stamped (For kids): Racism, Antiracism, & You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi; adapted for Kids by Sonja Cherry-Paul; illustrated by Rachelle Baker

Adapted from the award-winning, bestselling Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, this book takes readers on a journey from present to past and back again. Kids will discover where racist ideas came from, identify how they impact America today, and meet those who have fought racism with antiracism. Along the way, they’ll learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives.

 

 

Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side by Raymond Bial

Immigrants from many European countries had come to make a better life for themselves and their families in the United States. But the wages they earned were so low that they could afford only the most basic accommodations; tenements. Unfortunately, there were few laws protecting the residents of tenements, and landlords took advantage of this by allowing the buildings to become cramped and squalid. Raymond Bial leads us on a tour of the sights and sounds of the Lower East Side, guiding us through the dark hallways, staircases, and rooms of the tenements in New York City from the 1900's to the early 20th Century.

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy by Emmanuel Acho (adapted from Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man)

Approaching every awkward, taboo, and uncomfortable question with openness and patience, Emmanuel Acho connects his own experience with race and racism—from attending majority-white prep schools to his time in the NFL playing on majority-black football teams—to insightful lessons in black history and black culture.

 

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Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.