📖 Crash: The Great Depression and the Rise and Fall of America by Marc Favreau. Here is a comprehensive account of the Great Depression for older students. Beginning with the Stock Market Crash of 1929, this 10-chapter nonfiction book examines the causes and consequences of the Great Depression: “Marc Favreau's meticulous research, vivid prose, and extensive back matter paints a thorough picture of how the country we live in today was built in response to the widespread poverty, insecurity, and fear of the 1930s.” – Middle • High

📖 Six Days in October by Karen Blumenthal.​​ Written by a Wall Street Journal bureau chief, this excellent book gives a day-by-day account of the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Blumenthal brings an urgency to the story by focusing on individuals at the center of the crisis. At 150 pages, this is a fast-paced, yet in-depth resource for older students (and adults) who want to really understand the Stock Market Crash. – Middle • High

📖 Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman.​​ This excellent 100-page book focuses on the ways in which America's children felt the effects of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The readable text is accompanied by plenty of terrific photographs and first-hand stories from the children of the Depression. – Middle

📖 The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown.​​ "Don Brown brings the Dirty Thirties to life with kinetic, highly saturated, and lively artwork in this graphic novel of one of America's most catastrophic natural events: the Dust Bowl." Here is a unique, memorable resource for a study of the Dust Bowl; highly recommended. – Middle

📖 The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster by Martin Sandler.​​ Here is a good introduction to the Dust Bowl for middle schoolers - learn about the causes of the Dust Bowl, its effects on those who lived through it, and the steps taken by the government to alleviate the hardship. The book also pays tribute to the form of photojournalism, which arose in response to this crisis. Also check out Albert Marrin's Years of Dust which covers much of the same material and also features wonderful photographs. – Middle

📺 Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl on PBS.​​ The Dust Bowl, a two-part Ken Burns film, explores this ecological catastrophe. The narrative centers around extensive interviews with individuals who lived through the Dust Bowl years. Each episode is nearly 2 hours in length. – All

📖 FDR's Alphabet Soup: New Deal America 1932-1939 by Tonya Bolden.​​ Learn about the Great Depression and FDR's New Deal programs in this nonfiction book from Tonya Bolden. "FDR’S New Deal, which followed the 1929 stock market crash, was a hugely influential moment in the history of the United States, encompassing everything from the arts to finance, labor to legislation, and some think it helped bring the country out of the Great Depression." Good for upper middle or early high school. – Middle • High

📖 Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport.​
This short biography examines Eleanor Roosevelt's life, from her lonely childhood to her social reform efforts and her emerging influence on the national and international stage. The text is complemented by full-page illustrations and quotes from Eleanor herself. – Elementary

📖 Franklin Delano Roosevelt by Russell Freedman.​ From acclaimed children's nonfiction author Russell Freedman, here is your comprehensive biography of FDR, from birth to death. At over 200 pages, and filled with plenty of photographs, this is the book of choice for a serious student of the 32nd president. Freedman has also written a similarly detailed account of the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. – Middle • High

📖 Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler. This gentle, evocative story of family and resilience is set during the Great Depression: “[S]ix-year-old Marvel, her seven siblings, and their mom must start all over again after their father has died. Deep in the woods of Wisconsin they find a tar-paper shack. It doesn't seem like much of a home, but they soon start seeing what it could be. During their first year it's a struggle to maintain the shack and make sure they have enough to eat. But each season also brings its own delights and blessings—and the children always find a way to have fun.” Highly recommended. – Elementary

📖 Dust for Dinner by Ann Turner.​​ This story of an Oklahoma farm family's troubles in the dust bowl is written in easy reader format, and will make a nice addition to an elementary study of this environmental catastrophe. Robert Barrett's old fashioned illustrations are charming. – Elementary

📖 Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. "This gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, is the compelling tale of Billie Jo's struggle to survive during the dust bowl years of the Depression. With stoic courage, she learns to cope with the loss of her mother and her grieving father's slow deterioration." Winner of the Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. – Elementary • Middle

📖 The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan. "In Kansas in the year 1937, eleven-year-old Jack Clark faces his share of ordinary challenges: local bullies, his father’s failed expectations, a little sister with an eye for trouble. But he also has to deal with the effects of the Dust Bowl, including rising tensions in his small town and the spread of a shadowy illness." This graphic novel was the winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. – Elementary • Middle

📖 Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. "Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets." Winner of the Newbery Medal and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. – Elementary • Middle

📖 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. "Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice." Winner of the Newbery Medal. Also see Taylor's sequel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken. – Elementary • Middle

📖 A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt by C. Coco De Young. “Eleven-year-old Margo Bandini has never been afraid of anything. Her life in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Mama and Papa and her little brother, Charlie, has always felt secure. But it's 1933, and the Great Depression is changing things for families all across America.” – Elementary • Middle

📖 Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Set in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, this is a touching story about a motherless boy, Bud, who sets out on a journey to find his father. Winner of the Newbery Medal. – Elementary • Middle

📖 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This classic American coming of age story was awarded the 1961 Pulitzer Prize. – Middle • High