CurriConnects Book List - Inventors and Inventions
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Inventors and Inventions
From curious picture-book readers to sophisticated young-adult scholars, the world of inventors and inventions offers something for every age and interest. This curated reading list celebrates the brilliant minds and groundbreaking discoveries that have shaped our world, organized into three reading levels — picture books, middle-grade elementary, and grades 7–12 — to help match every reader with just the right book. Each title includes a brief description to spark interest, along with interest levels and, where available, Lexile measures to support confident reading-level selections.
Preschool and Picture Books
Inventors Making Things Better - Andrew Clements, (978-0817272890), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: 450
Introduce young readers to the fascinating world of invention, exploring how creative thinkers throughout history have identified everyday problems and developed innovative solutions.
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor - Emily Arnold McCully, (978-0374348106), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: AD720L
Long before women were expected to hold patents, young Mattie Knight was redesigning sleds, kites, and loom safety devices. Read all about one of America’s first female patent holders.
Mr. Ferris and His Wheel - Kathryn Gibbs Davis, (978-0547959221), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: AD900L
This picture book brings to life how George Ferris defied doubters and seemingly impossible engineering odds to build the iconic Ferris wheel for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Vibrant illustrations and engaging text showcase an inventor’s unshakeable vision against the odds.
On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein - Jennifer Berne, (978-1452152110), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: AD680L
From riding his bicycle and wondering what it would be like to travel on a beam of light, to developing the Theory of Relativity, this lyrical picture book traces Einstein’s lifelong journey of curiosity and wonder.
Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum - Meghan McCarthy, (978-1416979708), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: AD740L
This comic-style book tells the true story of Walter Diemer, an accountant working at a gum factory who stumbled upon the perfect recipe for stretchy, blowing-bubble gum. Learn how an accidental experiment, persistence, and a little luck can change the world - one pink bubble at a time.
Rosie Revere, Engineer - Andrea Beatty, (978-1419708459), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: AD860L
Rosie dreams of becoming a great engineer and secretly builds wild contraptions from recycled junk. When her great-great-aunt visits and challenges her to make something fly, Rosie learns that failure is just the first step toward success - and that you only truly fail if you quit.
Saving the Day: Garrett Morgan’s Life-Changing Invention of the Traffic Signal - Karyn Parsons, (978-0316457262), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: 740L
Before Garrett Morgan became a celebrated inventor, he was a young boy full of big ideas and an unwavering drive to make life better for everyone. Rising above the racism and discrimination of his era, he went on to become a prominent businessman whose groundbreaking inventions — including the traffic signal and gas mask — continue to impact lives today.
The Crayon Man: The Inspiring Illustrated Picture Book Biography of the Inventor of Crayola Crayons - Natascha Biebow, (978-1328866844), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: 960L
This picture book biography tells the inspiring true story of Edwin Binney, the passionate inventor who transformed childhood creativity by developing the beloved Crayola crayon, bringing the vibrant colors of the natural world to children for just a nickel.
The Most Magnificent Thing - Ashley Spires, (978-1554537044), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 510
A determined young girl and her canine assistant set out to build the most magnificent thing - but nothing goes as planned. Through trial, frustration, and a well-timed walk, readers learn that stepping away and trying again is at the heart of any creative process.
Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions - Chris Barton, (978-1580892971), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-5, Lexile: 820L
This vibrant biography celebrates the remarkable true story of Lonnie Johnson, an African American NASA engineer whose lifelong passion for tinkering and problem-solving led to the accidental invention of one of the most beloved toys of all time — the Super Soaker — while working on an energy-efficient heat pump.
Middle Grade Books
Elizabeth Blackwell: First Woman Physician - Tristan Boyer Binns, (978-0531124024), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 950
Read the inspiring true story of Elizabeth Blackwell, who shattered barriers and defied the expectations of her era to become the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. Learn about Blackwell's remarkable journey to life, as she shows young readers how her fierce determination and unwavering belief in equality transformed the medical field and paved the way for generations of women in medicine.
Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women - Catherine Thimmesh, (978-0618195633), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 960
Celebrate the inventions of women and girls throughout history, from kitchen tables to basement labs, whose creativity and determination have made our lives simpler and better. This updated best-selling edition features seven new chapters that reflect a more diverse and technologically advanced world.
Isaac Newton (Giants of Science) - Kathleen Krull, (978-0142408209), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 1000L
This biography brings the complicated, brilliant, and deeply human Isaac Newton to life - showing how a boy who was considered a failure in farming grew obsessed with mathematics, light, and gravity - and went on to reshape humanity’s understanding of the universe.
Kid-ventors: 35 Real Kids and Their Amazing Inventions - Susan Hughes, (978-1250836021), Non-fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 940L
From a pedal-powered washing machine to a glue that holds LEGO bricks that can be washed off later, this inspiring collection profiles 35 real young inventors from around the world. Each story proves that age is no barrier to changing the world with a single creative idea and determination.
Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization - Jennifer Fandel, (978-0736878968), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 770
Read the captivating true story of the brilliant French scientist whose groundbreaking research into germs and bacteria revolutionized the way the world understands disease and food safety. Through Pasteur's relentless curiosity and dedication to science, he developed pasteurization, a life-saving process that continues to protect millions of people around the world to this day.
Machines and Inventions - Ian Graham, (978-0531240274), Non-fiction
Interest level: 3-5, Lexile: 860
Explore the fascinating world of technology on this journey through the history and science behind the machines and inventions that have shaped modern life. This is a perfect resource for curious minds eager to understand how everyday devices work and how human ingenuity continues to drive innovation forward.
Radioactive! How Irène Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World - Winifred Conkling, (978-1616206413), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-9, Lexile: 1160L
This gripping and largely unknown true story is about two brilliant female physicists — Irène Curie and Lise Meitner — whose groundbreaking discoveries in artificial radioactivity and nuclear fission were instrumental in unlocking the science behind the atomic bomb, yet both women faced remarkable injustice, from academic exclusion to being overlooked by the Nobel committee in favor of their male colleagues.
So You Want to Be an Inventor? - Judith St. George, (978-0142404607), Non-fiction
Interest level: 4-7, Lexile: 840
From Benjamin Franklin to Alexander Graham Bell, this book offers a funny and informative look at the quirky personalities and surprising habits of famous inventors throughout history.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition - William Kamkwamba, (978-0147510426), Non-fiction
Interest level: 4-7, Lexile: 830L
When a devastating drought destroyed his family’s crop in Malawi, teenage William Kamkwamba taught himself engineering from a single library book and built a windmill from bicycle parts and scrap metal - bringing electricity and running water to his village.
The Story of Thomas Alva Edison - Margaret Cousins, (978-0613025843), Non-fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 950
Beginning with his childhood curiosity that led him to set up his first laboratory in his basement at just ten years old, this is the true story of Thomas Edison's remarkable journey from a boy full of big ideas to one of history's greatest inventors. Through perseverance and relentless experimentation, Edison gifted the world with revolutionary inventions, including the phonograph, motion pictures, and the electric light bulb — forever transforming the way people live.
The Ten Greatest Accidental Inventions - Jack Booth, (978-1554485109), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-7, Lexile: 900
Discover the surprising and often hilarious stories behind some of the world's most beloved and useful inventions, proving that some of the greatest breakthroughs in history were never planned at all. From happy mishaps to unexpected experiments gone wonderfully wrong, this fascinating book shows readers that curiosity, open-mindedness, and a little bit of luck can lead to innovations that change the world forever.
World’s Weirdest Gadgets - Michelle Nagler, ed., (978-0439417679), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-9, Lexile: 640L
Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Scholastic editors combined the history of the development of strange items to bring eager readers this book about toilet seat lights and leg-powered catamarans, among other interesting oddities.
Young Adult and Adult Books
Brainstorm! The Stories of Twenty American Kid Inventors - Tom Tucker, (978-0374309442), Non-fiction
Interest level: 6-9, Lexile: 1070L
Thomas Edison began patenting inventions at 21, but many inventors have started even younger. This engaging collection profiles 20 American children and teenagers whose inventions - from earmuffs to the Popsicle - changed everyday life, proving that great ideas can come from curious young minds at any age.
Cold Light: Creatures, Discoveries, and Inventions That Glow - Anita Sitarski, (978-1590784686), Non-fiction
Interest level: 7-10, Lexile: 1070
Take a fascinating scientific adventure through the history and chemistry of cold light, from a seventeenth-century alchemist who accidentally discovered a glowing stone while trying to turn rock into gold, to chemist Robert Boyle's astonishment at finding a raw chicken glowing in his kitchen.
Hidden Figures - Celebrating African American Women Pioneers at NASA - Margot Lee Shetterfly, (978-0062363602), Non-fiction
Interest level: 6Adult, Lexile: 1080
Long before NASA’s name was worldwide, a group of Black women mathematicians - Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden - provided the calculations that launched America’s space program.
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker - A’Lelia Bundles, (978-1982126674), Non-fiction
Interest level: 8Adult, Lexile: 1100L
Discover the story of Sarah Breedlove, who rose from poverty as the daughter of formerly enslaved parents to become Madam C.J. Walker — America's first self-made female millionaire and a pioneering African American entrepreneur and inventor. Through her revolutionary hair care products and her fierce determination to uplift her community, Walker's remarkable journey is a powerful testament to the belief that with vision, hard work, and perseverance, anything is possible.
The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution - Walter Isaacson, (978-1476708706), Non-fiction
Interest level: 10Adult, Lexile: 1230L
This book shares the history of the digital revolution, tracing the collaborative genius and creative leaps of the brilliant minds — from Ada Lovelace in the 1840s to Steve Jobs and Larry Page — whose collective vision and determination gave birth to the modern technological world.
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories about Inventions - Don Wulffson, (978-0141302041), Non-fiction
Interest level: 6Adult, Lexile: 1080
Did you know the ice cream sundae was born from a law banning ice cream sales on Sundays, or that Mickey Mouse actually started as a rabbit? This fascinating book is packed with over 100 surprising, funny, and often accidental invention origin stories arranged alphabetically from A to Z, making it a perfect pick for curious readers who love discovering the quirky and unexpected history behind everyday objects!
The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann - Ananyo Bhattacharya, (978-1324050506), Non-fiction
Interest level: 10Adult, Lexile: 1250L
Share this electrifying biography of John von Neumann, a largely overlooked yet extraordinarily influential scientist whose fingerprints can be found on everything from modern computers and smart phones to game theory, quantum mechanics, and economic theory.
The Wright Brothers - David McCollough, (978-1476728759), Non-fiction
Interest level: 9Adult, Lexile: 1130L
Read this extraordinary true story of Orville and Wilbur Wright, two self-taught bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio, whose relentless determination and passion for flight led them to achieve one of the greatest feats in human history.
Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History - Sam Maggs, (978-1594749254), Non-fiction
Interest level: 8Adult, Lexile: 1050L
Celebrate the brilliant and often-overlooked women throughout history whose groundbreaking contributions to science, medicine, mathematics, and technology (STEM) have helped shape the modern world with wit and enthusiasm.