Young adult nonfiction is severely underrated.

Like adult nonfiction, YA nonfiction offers numerous formats, ranging from compelling memoirs–both traditional and comic form–to how-to guides, deep dives into history, essay collections, and more. There’s even an award for outstanding YA nonfiction, too. The Excellence in YA Nonfiction Award, given by the American Library Association, will announce its finalists in December.

YA nonfiction is no less rigorous than adult nonfiction. Rather, it’s written with teen readers in mind, meaning that the pacing can be zippier and there are often more visual elements to explore.

• It’s also a great place to bone up on your “did you know” cache for parties or small talk—and perhaps even help if competing on Jeopardy is on your bucket list. 

Here’s a slice of this year’s most interesting offerings so far:

→ Baseball’s Shining Season by Martin W. Sandler and Craig Sandler: This is the story of the 1941 American baseball season, one marked by the game’s reckoning with its Black and female players. 

→ Defying China by Tsultrim Dolma and Rebecca Wei Hsieh: Tsultrim Dolma was born in an eastern Tibetan town, dreaming of more than what she was told was her lot: no education, an early marriage, life under an oppressive Chinese regime. When she turned 16, she began to join protests for a free Tibet, and it wasn’t long before she was arrested and sent to the brutal Gutsa Detention Center.

→ The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America by David Levithan and Gabriel Duckels: The history of AIDS in America is complex. It’s one of grief and heartbreak, alongside stories of activism and hope. This explores the history of where and how America has handled the AIDS epidemic since its early years. 

→ The Healers of Harlem by Nina Chhita: For fans of Hidden Figures, Chhita’s debut is about the history of Harlem Hospital. It traces the hospital’s origins as a small institution through its more recent era, focusing on four Black women who were key figures in its desegregation.

→ Queer and How We Got Here by Hazel Newlevant: When Hazel was 12, they told their parents that they were bisexual. That’s not who Hazel is today, and this book tells their story of coming to understand themselves as a nonbinary, transmasc individual in parallel with queer history.

Keep up with YA nonfiction releases every month with the What’s Up in YA? newsletter. — KJ