Summer time is a great time for young people to relax and read a book. Below are nine of my favorite biographies and autobiographies for teens. These books can be found in bookstores or in your local library.

How I Came to Be a Writer 

By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Published by Aladdin

How I Came to be a Writer is Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s story about her writing journey, from her first work in kindergarten to her most recent books. The book includes samples of her writing and shows the inner workings of her writing process, from the spark of an idea to a book’s actual publication. Naylor has written numerous children’s books including Shiloh which received the Newberry Medal.

 

 

 

 

The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill: Growing Up Billy Cody in Bleeding Kansas

By Andrea Warren

Published by: Two Lions

This is the story of Buffalo Bill Cody the showman, scout, hunter and one of the greatest entertainers of his era.  His shows featured cowboys, Indians, trick riding, and sharpshooting.

 

 

 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind 

By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Published by Puffin Books

This bestselling memoir from William Kamkwamba, a young inventor who bought electricity to his Malawian village, has been adapted for young readers.

 

 

 

 

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

By Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

This is an enthralling dual memoir of an American girl and her pen pal from an impoverished city in Zimbabwe.  They exchanged letters for six years and their correspondence changed both their lives.

 

 

 

Parallel Journeys

By Eleanor H. Ayer

Published by Aladdin

This is story of Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck. They were born just a few miles from each other in the German Rhineland. Helen was a young German Jew. Alfons was an ardent member of the Hitler Youth. Their lives took radically different courses: Helen’s to the Auschwitz extermination camp; Alfons to a high rank in the Hitler Youth.

 

 

 

The Courage to Compete: Living with Cerebral Palsy and Following My Dreams 

By Abbey Curran and Elizabeth Kaye

Published by HarperCollins

Abbey Curran’s has cerebral palsy.  She made history when she was the first contestant with a disability to win a major beauty pageant.

 

 

 

 

 

The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery

By Steve Sheinkin

Published by Flash Point

Most people know that Benedict Arnold was America’s most notorious traitor. Few know that he was also one of its greatest war heroes. Arnold was reckless, heroic, and driven. The Notorious Benedict Arnold is the winner of the 2011 Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for Nonfiction.  [Sheinkin is a fabulous author who always tells a good tale. I recommend all his books.]

 

 

 

 

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

By Candace Fleming

Published by Schwartz & Wade

This award winning biography alternates between a frank recounting of the Romanov’s’ fairy tale lives and the stories of the improvised Russian peasants, workers, revolutionaries and soldiers they ruled.  The contrast between their living conditions is stunning.

 

 

 

 

Hope Solo: My Story 

By Hope Solo

Published by Harper Collins

Hope Solo, the 2015 World Cup champion and double Olympic gold medalist soccer player, shares her story in her own words. (This is the young readers’ edition of Hope Solo’s exciting life story, Solo: A Memoir of Hope.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Reading!