Book list for science-filled summer reading!

By Amy Cowen on June 1, 2020 6:00 AM

Add inspiring books with science and engineering themes to your summer reading lists. We have lots of favorites and great suggestions to get you started!

Colorful books representing summer reading and the book list of science and engineering stories

We are big fans of doing hands-on science and engineering with kids of all ages, both in and out of the classroom. During the pandemic, our VP of STEM Education chronicled her family's adventures doing 30 different STEM activities. Next week, we'll be shifting to summer fun and engaging "science at home" themes for a "Summer of STEM," something like summer camp — but flexible, free, and full of STEM activities you can do at home or in a library, school, or out-of-school setting.

Science- and Engineering-themed Stories and Books

To supplement the weekly summer-themed content we will be featuring, we wanted to also give you a bunch of suggestions for science-themed books. We are always up for a classic Eric Carle book, an A to Z Mystery, or a trip somewhere with the Magic Treehouse crew, but as parents, we love to also read books with our kids that have science-based themes or focus on creative thinking, innovation, and engineering. Luckily, there are lots and lots of books with engaging STEM content at all reading levels. Remember, a book doesn't have to be an encyclopedia to carry an undercurrent that says STEM matters and, equally important, STEM is for everyone!

Right alongside your summer STEM activities and arts and crafts projects, we hope you and your kids do plenty of reading together or independently! We encourage you to check your local library and sign your kids up for summer reading programs and review recommended book lists for your kids' age range, reading level, or interest areas. To widen your net as you look for books this summer, we've compiled a list of suggested books that might be perfect for your kids or your family. (We know that with libraries closed it can be harder to browse for books right now.) Some of our favorites are listed below.

Science Buddies' STEM Books

Science Buddies' books bring the fun of our online content to your kids in unplugged book form. These books feature exciting science and engineering activities that kids can do in a short amount of time.

30-Minute Sustainable Science Projects cover

Storybooks and Picture Books

The list below contains a wide range of books with science and engineering themes, from picture and storybooks to chapter books, graphic novels, longer books for middle readers, reference books, and books about scientists, engineers, and science history. You can use this list for suggestions to check out from the library. All links are affiliate links for Amazon.com. As a nonprofit, affiliate links are helpful as we work to keep our resources free and accessible for all students.

Note: books below have been grouped into categories to make it easier to scan the list. Grade levels, especially, may vary from the notations below. Please check publisher information or with a local librarian for additional guidance. You know your children and their reading needs and abilities best!

A Beetle Is Shy by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by Seth Fishman (Author), Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)
A Nest Is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis
A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author), Sylvia Long (Illustrator)
Flotsam by by David Wiesner
Going Places by Peter Reynolds (Author)
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen
If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen
If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen
Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)
Look Up!: Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate (Author, Illustrator)
Made by Maxine by Ruth Spiro (Author), Holly Hatam (Illustrator)
Magic School Bus (series)
Margaret and the Moon by Dean Robbins (Author), Lucy Knisley (Illustrator)
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Over and Under the Pond by Kate Messner (Author), Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)
Papa's Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming (Author), Boris Kulikov (Illustrator)
Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy
Power Up by Seth Fishman (Author), Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator)
Save the Bees by Bethany Stahl
Save the Ocean by Bethany Stahl
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka (Author), Lane Smith (Author)
Space by Geraldine Krasinski (Author), Tiago Americo (Illustrator)
The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green (Author), Claire McElfatrick (Illustrator)
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
The Skies Above My Eyes by Charlotte Guillain (Author), Yuval Zommer (Illustrator)
The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain (Author), Yuval Zommer (Illustrator)
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner (Author), Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)
What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z by Tiffani Teachey
What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada (Author), Mae Besom (Illustrator)
When Amelia Earhart Built a Roller Coaster by Mark Andrew Weakland (Author), Oksana Grivina (Illustrator)
When Neil Armstrong Built a Wind Tunnel by Mark Andrew Weakland (Author), Luciano Lozano (Illustrator)

The following covers represent a few of the books listed on this page!

Grades 1-5 / Chapter Book Series

Ada Lace (by Emily Calandrelli (Author), Tamson Weston Renée Kurilla (Illustrator))
Zoey and Sassafras (by Asia Citro (Author), Marion Lindsay (Illustrator))
Jada Jones (by Kelly Starling Lyons (Author), Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Illustrator))
- Rock Star (1)
- Sleepover Scientist (3)
The Questioneers (by Andrea Beaty (Author), David Roberts (Illustrator))
- Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters (1)
- Ada Twist and the Perilous Pants (2)

Grades 3-6 / Series and Standalone Titles

Halley Harper (by Tracy Borgmeyer)
Nick and Tesla (by Bob Pflugfelder (Author), Steve Hockensmith (Author))
Secret Coders (a graphic novel series by Gene Luen Yang (Author), Mike Holmes (Illustrator))
Frank Einstein (by Jon Scieszka (Author), Brian Biggs (Illustrator))
STEAMTeam 5 (by Greg Helmstetter (Author, Illustrator), Pamela Metivier (Author))
- The Beginning
- Mystery at Makerspace
Calpurnia Tate (by Jacqueline Kelly)
- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
- The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
The Walking Fish by Kopel Burk (Author), Rachelle Burk (Author)
Survive! Inside the Human Body (a graphic novel series by by Gomdori Co (Author), Hyun-Dong Han (Author))
Science Comics (a graphic novel series)
- Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology, and Climate by MK Reed (Author), Jonathan Hill (Illustrator)
- Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean by Maris Wicks
- Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future by Mairghread Scott (Author), Jacob Chabot (Illustrator)
- Trees: Kings of the Forest by Andy Hirsch
- Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield by Falynn Koch
- Skyscrapers: The Heights of Engineering by John Kerschbaum
- Rockets: Defying Gravity by Anne Drozd (Author), Jerzy Drozd (Author)

Middle Readers and Up

Elon Musk and the Quest for a Fantastic Future (Young Readers' Edition) by Ashlee Vance
Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different: A Biography by Karen Blumenthal
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers' Edition) by William Kamkwamba (Author), Bryan Mealer (Author), Anna Hymas (Illustrator)
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Rivalry, Adventure, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (Young Readers Edition) by Sam Kean

Stories about Scientists (and Events) from History

Ada Byron Lovelace & the Thinking Machine by Laurie Wallmark (Author), April Chu (Illustrator)
Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley (Author), Jessie Hartland (Illustrator)
Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese (Author), John O'Brien (Illustrator)
Black Women in Science: A Black History Book for Kids by Kimberly Brown Pellum
Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker (Author), Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)
Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women by Catherine Thimmesh (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)
Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists by Jeannine Atkins (Author), Paula Conner (Illustrator)
Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Katy Wu (Illustrator)
Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe (Author), Jos. A. Smith (Illustrator)
Hedy Lamarr's Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark (Author), Katy Wu (Illustrator)
I am Albert Einstein (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
I am Neil Armstrong (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
I am Marie Curie (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
I am Leonardo da Vinci (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
I am Jane Goodall (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
I am Amelia Earhart (Ordinary People Change the World) by Brad Meltzer (Author), Christopher Eliopoulos (Illustrator)
Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed (Author), Stasia Burrington (Illustrator)
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne (Author), Éric Puybaret (Illustrator)
Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer by Sarah B. Pomeroy (Author), Jeyaraney Kathirithamby (Author)
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis (Author), Gilbert Ford (Illustrator)
Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe (Author), Barbara McClintock (Illustrator)
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein by Don Brown
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jennifer Berne (Author), Vladimir Radunsky (Illustrator)
Secret Engineer: How Emily Roebling Built the Brooklyn Bridge by Rachel Dougherty
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating (Author), Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Illustrator)
Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis by Laurence Anholt (Author), Sheila Moxley (Illustrator)
The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)
The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by Kathleen Krull (Author), Greg Couch (Illustrator)
The Girl With a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague by Julia Finley Mosca (Author), Daniel Rieley (Illustrator)
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr. Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca (Author), Daniel Rieley (Illustrator)
The Story of Jane Goodall: A Biography Book for New Readers by Susan B. Katz
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps by Jeanette Winter
The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World and Its Ecosystems by Rachel Ignotofsky
The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter (Author, Illustrator)
What Miss Mitchell Saw by Hayley Barrett (Author), Diana Sudyka (Illustrator)
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton (Author), Don Tate (Illustrator)
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

Math

Divide and Ride (MathStart 3) by Stuart Murphy
Fractions in Disguise by Edward Einhorn (Author), David Clark (Illustrator)
Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds (Author), Abby Carter (Illustrator)
How to Code a Rollercoaster by Josh Funk (Author), Sara Palacios (Illustrator)
How to Code a Sandcastle by Josh Funk (Author), Sara Palacios (Illustrator)
Math Curse by Jon Scieszka (Author), Lane Smith (Author)
Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens by Cindy Neuschwander (Author), Wayne Geehan (Illustrator)
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander (Author), Wayne Geehan (Illustrator)
Sir Cumference and the First Round Table by Cindy Neuschwander (Author), Wayne Geehan (Illustrator)

Reference Books

Atlas of Ocean Adventures by Emily Hawkins (Author), Lucy Letherland (Illustrator)
Atlas of Animal Adventures by Emily Hawkins (Author), Lucy Letherland (Illustrator)
Human Body! by DK, Smithsonian Institution
Science! by DK, Smithsonian Institution
Space! by DK, Smithsonian Institution
The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Birds by Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer
The Big Book of Beasts by Yuval Zommer
The Elements Book: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Periodic Table
The Rock and Gem Book: And Other Treasures of the Natural World by DK, Smithsonian Institution
Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom by DK, Smithsonian Institution
Utterly Amazing Science by Robert Winston
Utterly Amazing Earth

Summer of STEM

Science Buddies' Summer of STEM is underway! Each week, we are featuring a fun summer science theme with activities, videos, and book recommendations all summer long. Be sure and check in each week for even more great books that tie in with the weekly themes!

Also, don't miss our collection of 5 creative activities to encourage kids to imagine and create their own stories and our 10 Science Kits for Summer Science Experiments and Discovery recommendations.