December 2025: It’s Electric!
With a mix of scientific information, historical perspectives, and plenty of hands-on projects, this month’s book list illuminates the world of circuits and electrical energy. Get ready to power up and be electrified!
Science Comics: Electricity: Energy in Action written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch
A dynamic graphic-nonfiction dive into volts, current, and power plants, wrapped in a monster-vs-mech storyline. Vibrant visuals and plenty of detail engage middle-grade readers (ages 9–13), though some heft in the science may require careful reading. A charged mix of education and adventure.
Electricity: Circuits, Static, and Electromagnets with Hands-On Science Activities for Kids written by Carmella Van Vleet and illustrated by Micah Rauch
A lively and practical introduction to electricity for ages 8–12, this book pairs clear, engaging text with bold illustrations and true hands-on STEM activities. Static, currents, circuits, motors and electromagnets are all demystified in fun-friendly chapters. Ideal for curious young learners and supportive of school science standards.
The Manga Guide to Electricity written by Kazuhiro Fujitaki and Matsuda
A spirited comic-style dive into electrical science: quirky characters guide readers through current, resistance, semiconductors and more. Engaging and accessible, the manga format makes the concepts less intimidating, yet detailed text sections add serious substance. Some narrative fluff and uneven depth, but a fun and effective primer on electricity.
How It Works: Electricity written by Victoria Williams and illustrated by Miguel Bustos
Bright, interactive and perfect for curious young minds (ages 7-9+), this lift-the-flap board-book demystifies how electricity works—from electrons moving to future clean energy. Engaging diagrams and simple experiments make the invisible feel accessible and fun. A solid entry into STEM nonfiction for early readers.
Electrical Engineering: Learn It, Try It! by Ed Sobey
This activity guide encourages kids to think like an engineer and to consider a career in electrical engineering. Each of the six chapters covers a different topic in electrical engineering, such as magnetism, switches, and resistors. Project instructions are accompanied by scientific explanations, historical anecdotes, and an open-ended challenge that is sure to stretch readers’ design thinking skills.
Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day by Dan Nott
This graphic novel makes incredible use of the comic format to break down complex systems and abstract concepts into bite-sized explanations. Nott not only explains the science behind our electricity, water, and internet systems, but also illuminates how these systems have encoded and perpetuated some of our human biases…sometimes with devastating consequences. This eye-opening book is sure to make you think differently about the technology you use everyday!
Awesome Electronics Projects for Kids: 20 STEAM Projects to Design and Build by Colby Tofel-Grehl
This book describes itself as a “mini maker lab” that gives elementary-aged kids an up-close look at the flashing, glowing, sizzling world of electronics. The projects are carefully scaffolded so that students can master the basics of static electricity and circuits (through classic projects like potato batteries and breadboards) before moving on to more complicated applications, like a bubble blower and alarm clock. Each project includes step-by-step instructions, reference diagrams, and short explanations of the underlying science concepts.
Look Inside an Electric Car by Taylor Fenmore
Part of Lerner’s “Peek Under the Hood” series, this slim volume introduces readers to the basics of electric cars and what makes them run. With large-print text and vibrant color photos, this short book would be a particularly good fit for younger and/or struggling readers.
Electronics for Kids: Play with Simple Circuits and Experiment with Electricity! written by Oyvind Nydal Dahl 
A vibrant, hands-on launchpad into electronics for middle-grade learners (ages 10+). Clear explanations paired with real circuits, soldering tutorials and creative projects (like a lemon battery and LED reaction game) make this both fun and substantive. Excellent for curious kids — though some teacher/mentor guidance helps.
The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World by Mike Winchell
Winchell has woven together a riveting historical account of the rivalry between Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the direct current (DC) and “Wizard of Menlo Park,” and Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, who had invented the alternating current (AC). The book follows these fascinating figures from their earliest childhood experiments to their many entrepreneurial inventions that shaped the way we still power our world today.
Note that this is technically a young-adult book, and the content may not be appropriate for younger readers; the opening anecdote, for instance, discusses the development of the electric chair as a method of capital punishment.
This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:
Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 60+ trade and educational books for children. Her titles include UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth’s Atmosphere (Capstone, 2025), DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024), and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner for the Canada and North America division, Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, a Cybils Award nominee, and winner of the Dogwood Readers Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the Schools program. For more information, please visit www.lydialukidis.com.
Callie Dean is a researcher, writer, and musician living in Shreveport, LA. Her first picture book, Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History, will be published in 2026. For more information, please visit https://calliebdean.com.
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