When studying STEM, children often tend to read lots of non-fiction books. However, there are plenty of fun fiction books that can be used to gain a child’s attention and provide them with the STEM knowledge that they need. Here are some STEM-related fiction books teachers can use for children in grades 3-5!
Clues to the Universe
Clues to the Universe tells the story of Rosalind Ling Geraghty who loves watching NASA launches and building rockets with her father. Unfortunately, her father passes away and Ro is left with an unfinished model rocket they had been working on.
Ro finds an unlikely friend in Benjamin Burns, who partners up with Ro in order to get a good grade on a science project. Ro finds out that Benji’s father left when he was little and Ro insists on helping to reunite the father and son.
The story switches between the perspectives of both Ro and Benji, so you get a good balance of Ro’s love for STEM and Benji’s artistic side. The plot showcases family struggles while emphasizing the strength of support and friendship.
Solving for M
Solving for M follows a girl named Mika who is just entering Middle School. She is forced to make new friends after her best friend is put into a separate group due to the school’s new pod system.
Mika struggles with adapting to the changes in her life while also deeply struggling with her new math class. Her math teacher, Mr. Vann, assigns math journals that help her solve math problems in class and additional problems in her personal life.
The book uses math illustrations and includes Mr. Vann’s math lessons, which are easy to follow along.
The Unteachables
The title of the book refers to a group of students that are considered to be unteachable, thus, called The Unteachables. This group is full of misfits that the school finds academically hopeless. The group includes Kiana, Parker, Aldo, Elaine, and Rahim.
The new schoolteacher, Mr. Zachary Kermit, is assigned to teach The Unteachables. Throughout the book, Mr. Kermit learns that this group of children are not unteachable at all.
The children work on an automobile, which brings in STEM concepts, while also learning about the effects support and encouragement can have on a child’s motivation to learn.
Violet and the Pie of Life
Violet is the main character in Violet and the Pie of Life and she loves math. Violet’s parents separate and she gets into a fight with her best friend. Violet wishes solving the problems in her life were as easy as solving math problems.
The story begins with Violet hiding her math skills, but as the story progresses, she becomes an advanced math student. The author uses flow charts, pie charts, venn diagrams, and equations to illustrate Violet’s issues.
The story deals with some serious topics while also keeping things light and humorous. The voice of the story is very realistic in portraying a Middle School student’s perspective. It makes Violet more believable and relatable to other students who may read the book.
These are great books for children to grow their interest in science, math, engineering and technology. Books like these will develop skills in STEM literacy while still allowing for students to build an emotional connection to characters in a story.
Written by: Amanda Aber
April 7, 2022
