Nonfiction reads for tweens

Snot, Sneezes, and Super-Spreaders

Marc ter Horst
(Greystone Kids 2022)

Data estimates indicate the COVID-19 virus led to the deaths of nearly 7 million people around the world. But exactly how did a nonliving microscopic entity overtake human bodies and the planet? Marc ter Horst’s book explores this and other mysteries of virology and epidemiology. Most of the featured virus stories, from Typhoid Mary to the Spanish flu, are only a few pages long and accompanied by quirky illustrations. The author tells readers plainly what theories work and why previous theories didn’t. People, for example, once thought bad air explained the spread of cholera instead of ­sewage-contaminated water. Parents should note the book endorses masking and mass vaccination. Ages 8-13

Are We Having Fun Yet?

Maria Birmingham
(Orca Book Publishers 2023)

One touch of a button streams music into our earbuds. Another press and a binge-worthy show beams before our eyes. If that’s not enough, professional sporting events, theaters, art museums, and amusement parks await. Humans are eternally looking for ways to be entertained, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, Birmingham writes, because amusements help us learn, give us creative outlets, build social trust, and improve moods. The search for pastimes has spanned the millennia, and the book’s chapters give the history of both simple amusements and complex thrillers like roller coasters and fireworks shows. Ages 9-12

Hidden Systems

Dan Nott
(Random House 2023)

That photo you uploaded to the internet, where did it go? Most of us would guess the file took a wireless trip through the internet and lives somewhere in the “cloud.” But as Nott explains in this clever graphic novel, there’s more to it. The photo went through cables and is likely residing on a computer in an anonymous data center humming all day. It’s a hidden ­system, one of many that supply our daily conveniences. Every byte of data, every drop of water, every watt of electricity navigates a system of wires or ­reservoirs that took decades of sweat and innovation to perfect. All of that, Nott writes, has consequences for our planet. Note: The book interjects explanations with jabs at socioeconomic inequalities and Western colonialism. Ages 12-15

What If? 2

Randall Munroe
(Riverhead Books 2022)

This hilarious sequel to the best-selling What If? treads similar ground as the first, with NASA roboticist-turned-­cartoonist Randall Munroe using his scientific know-how to answer more odd questions from readers. One dad wants to explain to his daughter the impossibility of a 1 billion story building. A ninth grader wants to know how long it would take to fill a pool with her own saliva. The answers are scientifically accurate—and include facts you probably won’t find in a science textbook. Munroe’s stick-figure drawings, filled with the same wit that endeared readers to his XKCD webcomic, play a funny supporting role. Ages 12+