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2017 Best STEM Books


Best STEM Books is a joint project of the American Society for Engineering Education, the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association, the National Science Teachers Association, the Society of Elementary Presidential Awardees, and the Children’s Book Council. This list of 31 books aims to provide recommendations to educators, librarians, parents, and guardians for the best children's books with STEM content.

Featured Titles

A Global Warming Primer
by Jeffrey Bennett
A Global Warming PrimerAGES 11-16 
A thought-provoking question and answer format summary of the most . . .more
Ada Byron Lovelace & the Thinking Machine
by Laurie Wallmark
Ada Byron Lovelace & the Thinking MachineILLUSTRATED BY: April Chu 
AGES 4-8 
Long before the computer age, Ada Lovelace developed the code . . .more
Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer
by Diane Stanley
Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer ProgrammerILLUSTRATED BY: Jessie Hartland 
AGES 3-8 
Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer. Long . . . more
Ada’s Ideas
by Fiona Robinson
Ada’s IdeasAGES 6-10 
Ada was the world’s first computer programmer—who knew? Ada’s Ideas . . .more
Ben Franklin’s Big Splash
by Barb Rosenstock
Ben Franklin’s Big SplashILLUSTRATED BY: S.D. Schindler 
AGES 8-11 
A delightful tale of a famous American as a young . . .more
Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World
by Jake Andraka
Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the WorldAGES 14-18 
An inspirational story for all teens, fifteen year old Jack . . . more
Emmet’s Storm
by Ann Rubino
Emmet’s StormILLUSTRATED BY: Ann Rubino 
AGES 9-13 
Quirky Emmet’s community has a problem during a huge storm. . . . more
Fearless Flyer
by Heather Lang
Fearless FlyerILLUSTRATED BY: Raul Colon 
AGES 8-12 
Ruth Law, 1916 biplane pilot, improves and redesigns flight equipment, . . . more
Genetic Engineering: Science, Technology, Engineering
by Michael Burgan
Genetic Engineering: Science, Technology, EngineeringAGES 10-14 
Delve into the field of genetic engineering and discover what’s . . . more
Green City
by Allan Drummond
Green CityAGES 4-8 
Told from a child’s point of view after a 2007 . . . more
Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding
by Linda Liukas
Hello Ruby: Adventures in CodingAGES 3-8 
This fanciful look at the logical processes that underlie coding . . . more
Inventions That Could Have Changed the World…But Didn’t!
by Joe Rhatigan
Inventions That Could Have Changed the World…But Didn’t!ILLUSTRATED BY: Anthony Owsley 
AGES 8-12 
A flying car, a bed that can ejects its sleepers, . . .more
Red Madness
by Gail Jarrow
Red MadnessAGES 10-15 
Pellagra, a mysterious disease, affects millions until a public health . . .more
Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler’s Atomic Bomb
by Neal Bascomb
Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler’s Atomic BombAGES 12-18 
Faced with the German invasion of Norway, nine Norwegian commandos . . .more
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille
by Jen Bryant
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis BrailleILLUSTRATED BY: Boris Kulikov 
AGES 3-8 
The story of how Louis Braille turned a problem for . . . more
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor
by Robert Burleigh
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean FloorILLUSTRATED BY: Raúl Colón 
AGES 3-8 
As a young scientist in the late 1940s, Marie Tharpe . . . more
Steve Jobs: Insanely Great
by Jessie Hartland
Steve Jobs: Insanely GreatAGES 12-18 
Creative genius, curious innovator, temperamental tinker, imperfect person, yet inspiring . . . more
Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up
by Jennifer Swanson
Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team UpAGES 9-13 
Stronger – lighter – safer – faster: Innovative improvements through . . .more
Swap!
by Steve Light
Swap!ILLUSTRATED BY: Steve Light 
AGES 4-8 
A young fellow dressed as a peg-leg pirate uses ingenious . . . more
The Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford
by Suzanne Slade
The Inventor’s Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry FordILLUSTRATED BY: Jennifer Black Reinhardt 
AGES 6-10 
Using persistence and curiosity to find answers to questions as . . . more
The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring: The Accidental Invention of the Toy That Swept the Nation
by Gilbert Ford
The Marvelous Thing That Came from a Spring: The Accidental Invention of the Toy That Swept the NationILLUSTRATED BY: Gilbert Ford 
AGES 3-8 
Imagine discovering one of the most iconic toys in American . . . more
The Most Magnificent Thing
by Ashley Spires
The Most Magnificent ThingILLUSTRATED BY: Ashley Spires 
AGES 3-7 
A young girl engages in the engineering and design process . . . more
The Secret Subway
by Shana Corey
The Secret SubwayILLUSTRATED BY: Red Nose Studio 
AGES 3-8 
Vividly relevant illustrations accompany the story of Alfred Ely Beach, . . . more
Ticktock Banneker’s Clock
by Shana Keller
Ticktock Banneker’s ClockILLUSTRATED BY: David C. Gardner 
AGES 7-9 
A young Benjamin Banneker perseveres as he explores how a . . . more
Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the World
by Rachel Swaby
Trailblazers: 33 Women in Science Who Changed the WorldAGES 10-16 
Woman were and continue to be important STEM thinkers in . . . more
Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees
by Franck Prévot
Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of TreesILLUSTRATED BY: Aurélia Fronty 
AGES 6-10 
Strong and fearless, Wangari Maathai engineered both peace and environmental . . . more
Welcome to Mars
by Buzz Aldrin with Marianne Dyson
Welcome to MarsAGES 8-12 
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin shares ideas about failures, successes, and designing . . . more
What Does It Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?
by Rana DiOrio and Emma D. Dryden
What Does It Mean To Be An Entrepreneur?ILLUSTRATED BY: Ken Min 
AGES 3-8 
Innovation and open-minded thinking is the focus of this story, . . . more
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions
by Chris Barton
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of InventionsILLUSTRATED BY: Don Tate 
AGES 7-11 
The personal and professional challenges that face a diverse group . . .more
Women of Steel and Stone
by Anna Lewis
Women of Steel and StoneAGES 12-16 
The personal and professional challenges that face a diverse group . . .more
Women Who Launched the Computer Age
by Laurie Calkhoven
Women Who Launched the Computer AgeILLUSTRATED BY: Alyssa Petersen 
AGES 6-9 
Told from a historical and technological perspective, this factual story . . . more

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