6 Novels You Can Read in Science Class

One of our focuses this school year has been literacy. We’re big advocates of finding ways to get a little reading and writing in with science. It’s one of the most important things we can do but it’s also something that’s too easily pushed to the back burner.

Since you already have plenty of small activities up your sleeve, we’ve taken it a step farther and compiled a list of novels that are tied to science in some way. You can use these as a read-aloud with your class or recommend them to students to read on their own. (They’d be great for fast finisher activities!) Many of these are geared toward a middle school reading level but they have flexibility.

You could suggest these to your students for summer reading or start incorporating them next year.

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
In this young adult novel, Roy is new in town. He eventually makes friends and the boys attempt to stop the construction on a pancake house because it would destroy a colony of burrowing owls. This book is geared toward grades 5 and up.
Next in the series: Flush, Scat, Chomp
The Radioactive Boy Scout by Ken Silverstein
While David Hahn was working to earn his atomic energy badge for his boy scout troop, he put more than 40,000 people at risk because of his unsupervised use of nuclear power. By posing as a physics professor, David was able to acquire materials and dangerously build a breeder reactor. This book is geared toward grades 8 – 12.
George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Stephen and Lucy Hawking
George gets to adventure through space with a scientist, his daughter, and a super-computer. This witty and adventurous novel is filled with captivating information about our universe. The book is geared toward grades 3 – 7.
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
When Suzy’s best friend drowns, she believes that it must have resulted from a jellyfish sting — because things never happen without a reason. Suzy’s lonely journey to prove her theory ends up as a passionate discovery of the beauty of the earth. This book is geared toward grades 5 – 8.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Karana, a young Indian girl who gets left behind when her tribe sails east, finds herself learning to survive on her own. With the passing of each season and still no ship to rescue her, she discovers herself and the beauty of the island. This book is geared toward grades 2 – 5.
Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly
A group of four African-American female math scholars who were referred to as “human calculators” and played a large role in launching America to the top of the space race during the civil rights generation. This simplified version of the original book is geared toward grades 3 – 7.

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