CurriConnects Book List - Iowa
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Iowa
Discover the history, prairie landscapes, and heartland culture of the Hawkeye State through this curated collection of fiction and nonfiction titles. Organized into three distinct reading levels, each entry provides a detailed description, along with target interest levels and Lexile measures, where available. From engaging regional picture books to historical studies, these resources offer an accessible gateway to Iowa-themed literature for readers of all ages.
Picture Books
A Weed Is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver - Aliki, (978-0671664909), Non-fiction
Interest level: PreK-3, Lexile: 640L
Born into slavery, George Washington Carver grew up to become one of the most celebrated scientists in American history, dedicating his life to transforming agricultural science. His path ran through Iowa — where he enrolled at Simpson College in Indianola in 1890 and later became both the first African American student and the first African American faculty member at Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames. Check out TeachersFirst’s Reading Trek on this book.
Animals of Iowa! - Hope Aicher, (979-8289650801), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3
From open farmland to shaded forest trails, Iowa's landscapes shelter a surprising variety of wild creatures. With vivid animal photographs and short, punchy facts, this nonfiction picture book is an entertaining introduction to the wild side of the Hawkeye State.
Creekfinding: A True Story - Jacqueline Briggs Martin, (978-0816698028), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: AD660
Long ago, a creek wound its way across a prairie valley in northeastern Iowa, full of brook trout, frogs, insects, and the birds that hunted them. Then it was buried beneath cornfields and forgotten. This is the true story of a man named Mike who went looking for it — and brought an entire ecosystem back to life. A quietly thrilling tale of restoration set in Iowa's Driftless Area, with just enough big earth-moving machinery to keep things exciting.
EXTRAordinary! A Little EXTRA to Reach BIG Dreams - Caitlin Clark, (979-8217224913), Non-fiction
Interest level: PreK-3
Basketball star Caitlin Clark offers young readers a personal message in rhyme: the secret behind her success, on and off the court, has never been about statistics or trophies. It's about love, joy, and giving your extra time and energy to the people who matter most.
H is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet - Patricia Pierce, (978-1585361144), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 890
Did you know Iowa earned the nickname "Hawkeye State" from Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk tribe? Or that the state is naturally framed on both sides by navigable rivers — the Missouri to the west and the Mississippi to the east? From the golden dome of Des Moines to dozens of other fascinating facts, this A-to-Z tour of Iowa brings the state to life for young readers.
Numbers in a Row: An Iowa Number Book - Patricia A. Pierce, (978-1585361649), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 890
Iowa has far more to offer than cornfields — it's the ice cream capital of the world, the birthplace of the trampoline, the Eskimo Pie, and the Red Delicious apple, and the place where Ringling Brothers Circus got its humble start under a clothesline tent. Through lively rhymes and engaging illustrations, this number book uncovers the surprising and delightful history hiding in plain sight across the Hawkeye State.
The Kid Who Changed the World - Andy Andrews, (978-1400324330), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-3, Lexile: 530
Norman Borlaug grew up an ordinary boy in Iowa — and went on to apply his agricultural knowledge in ways that saved the lives of two billion people. Two billion. This is the remarkable story of how one kid's curiosity and dedication quietly changed the entire world.
Tomas and the Library Lady - Pat Mora, (978-0375803499), Non-fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 500
Every summer, Tomás and his family travel north from Texas to Iowa, following the crops and working long days in the fields. At night, grandfather's stories are the family's greatest comfort — until Tomás runs out of new ones to hear. When Papa Grande suggests there are more stories waiting at the library, Tomás goes to find out — and a whole new world opens up. Based on the true story of Tomás Rivera, a child of migrant workers who became the first minority Chancellor in the University of California system.
Middle Grade Books
Bird - Crystal Chan, (978-1442450899), Fiction
Interest level: 4-6, Lexile: 730
Jewel has grown up in the shadow of a brother she never knew — on the day she was born, he leaped from a cliff trying to fly, and died. Her family blames Grandpa's nickname for the boy, "Bird," for drawing a bad spirit that tricked him. Twelve years later, Grandpa still hasn't spoken a word. When Jewel meets a boy who calls himself John — her brother's real name — the fragile peace her family has built begins to tremble.
Cora Frear - Susan E. Goodman, (978-0689843297), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-4
Cora loves nothing better than riding alongside her doctor father across the open prairie on his house calls. But one day, their adventure takes a terrifying turn when a wildfire races toward them, and their aging horses have no chance of outrunning the flames. This story is based on the true story of a real pioneer girl growing up on the Iowa prairie at the close of the nineteenth century.
Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story - Vicki Myron, (978-0316068703), Non-fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 730
On the coldest night of the year, a tiny kitten was abandoned in the book drop slot of a small-town Iowa library. Against all odds, he survived — and became Dewey Readmore Books, a beloved fixture of Spencer's public library and unlikely symbol of hope for an entire community. As word of Dewey spread, so did his fame, proving that one small cat really can change a town one reader at a time.
Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express - Margaret K. Wetterer, (978-0876145418), Non-fiction
Interest level: 2-6, Lexile: 570
The bridge over Honey Creek was rickety and railing-free, and fifteen-year-old Kate Shelley was terrified of it even in daylight. But when a storm destroyed it and the midnight express was barreling toward disaster, Kate ran out into the storm anyway — saving two men already in danger and preventing hundreds more lives from being lost.
McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm: Three Tall Tales - Sid Fleischman, (978-0688155957), Fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 630
Josh McBroom thought he'd been swindled when he discovered that the eighty Iowa acres he paid for were stacked on top of each other at the bottom of a muddy pond. But when the water dried up and revealed a single acre of impossibly fertile soil — where seeds shoot into full-grown plants in hours and nickels somehow grow into quarters — Josh starts to think he got the better end of the deal after all.
The Happy Valley Mystery - Kathryn Kenny, (978-0307215772), Fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 780
Trixie and the Bob have come to Uncle Andrew's Iowa farm for spring break — but the visit takes a troubling turn when his sheep start disappearing. Uncle Andrew suspects theft, and Trixie suspects he's right. Her investigation leads her toward the eerie flickering lights deep in Walnut Woods, where the answers — and the danger — are waiting.
The Luck of the Buttons - Anne Ylvisaker, (978-0763650667), Fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 730
Tomboy Tugs Button comes from a family that luck seems to have bypassed entirely — until one summer when an unlikely friendship, a camera won in a raffle, and a mystery only she can unravel start to shift everything. By the time the season ends, Tugs begins to understand that being a Button might mean exactly what she decides to make of it.
The Mostly True Story of Jack - Kelly Barnhill, (978-0316056724), Fiction
Interest level: 3-7, Lexile: 740
Jack arrives in Hazelwood, Iowa, expecting a forgettable summer with his eccentric aunt and uncle. Instead, he discovers that the whole town has been waiting for him — though no one will say why. For the first time in his life, Jack starts making real friends, even as the town bully comes after him and the wealthiest man in Hazelwood begins plotting against him. Back home, Jack was practically invisible. So why does everyone here seem to care so much?
Young Adult and Adult Books
An Ocean in Iowa - Peter Hedges, (978-0684859705), Fiction
Interest level: 8-12, Lexile: 940
Seven-year-old Scotty Ocean has declared that this is going to be his year — and it is, though not at all as he imagined. When his mother abandons the family, Scotty tries everything he can think of to bring her back, then to replace her, then to simply stop time and stay seven forever. A tender, quietly devastating look at what children absorb when the adults around them fail to hold things together.
Ashfall - Mike Mullin, (978-1933718743), Fiction
Interest level: 8-12, Lexile: 750
A solo weekend at home turns into a nightmare when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, and Alex's Iowa town is plunged into darkness, choking ash, and escalating violence. Desperate to reach his family, Alex sets out on foot across a transformed and dangerous landscape — and finds an unlikely partner in Darla, whose toughness and resourcefulness may be the only things standing between both of them and the end.
Beneath a Meth Moon - Jacqueline Woodson, (978-0142423929), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12, Lexile: 730
Hurricane Katrina took Laurel Daneau's mother and grandmother. She has built a new life since then — new friends, cheerleading, a boyfriend — but the grief never really left. When that boyfriend introduces her to meth, the drug's ability to temporarily erase her pain is immediately seductive. Soon Laurel has lost herself entirely, hollowed out by addiction and desperate to find her way back. With the help of a new friend and the steadiness of an old one, she slowly begins to write a different ending for herself. *Preview before sharing due to the serious nature of the content.
Grasshopper Jungle - Andrew Smith, (978-0142425008), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12, Lexile: 910
In the small Iowa town of Ealing, best friends Austin and Robby have made a catastrophic mistake. They've accidentally set loose an unstoppable army of six-foot-tall praying mantises with two things on their minds and absolutely no intention of stopping.
Squashed - Joan Bauer, (978-0142404263), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12, Lexile: 930
Ellie Morgan has two goals for the season: get her prize pumpkin Max to championship weight at the Rock River Pumpkin Weigh-In, and find the courage to talk to Wes, the appealing new boy in town. Standing in her way are pumpkin thieves with designs on Max and a rival with designs on Wes. Ellie is going to have to fight for everything she wants.
Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous - Suzanne Park, (978-1728209425), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12, Lexile: 760
Social media influencer Sunny Song is shipped off to a digital detox farm camp in Iowa for an entire month — trading her WiFi connection for a butter churn and scrambling to find a way back online before the summer ruins her. But somewhere between the unexpected friendships and an alarmingly charming farm boy, Sunny starts to discover that being forced offline might be teaching her something no algorithm ever could.
The Liars Beneath: A YA Romantic Suspense Novel - Heather Van Fleet, (978-1953944580), Fiction
Interest level: 11-12
Still shattered by the death of her best friend, seventeen-year-old Becca Thompson is barely getting through the summer before senior year when her friend's older brother Ben comes home asking for her help. He wants the truth about what really happened the night his sister died — and Becca wants it too. But as they dig deeper, the rumors give way to something more dangerous, and it becomes clear that no one in town, not even Ben, is telling the whole story.
The Princesses of Iowa - M. Molly Backes, (978-0763671617), Fiction
Interest level: 9-12, Lexile: 800
What happens when you've done something wrong and no one holds you accountable? For a girl who once ruled her high school social world, that question becomes impossible to ignore. Sharp, funny, and clear-eyed, this debut novel follows a former queen bee as she faces the choice between clinging to her privileged life or owning the mistakes that made it possible — and losing everything in the process.