We are proud to announce a new, fully updated and revised edition of Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry for grades 2–5, available for back-to-school 2026. Designed to work alongside Junior Great Books Inspire, this edition creates purposeful text-to-text connections that deepen understanding across genres while strengthening core literacy skills.
With refreshed content, new topics, and enhanced instructional support, students engage with science and social studies through rich, discussion-based learning. They build knowledge, analyze ideas, and draw evidence-based conclusions—creating a more cohesive, cross-curricular experience that keeps students actively engaged.
NEW to Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry Inspire:
- Updated information across nine curiosity-sparking selections, including current statistics, new research, and technological advancements relevant to each selection
- Five new selections in each series
- Audio recordings for each selection
- Text-to-text connections to Junior Great Books Inspire selections
- Increased coverage of NGSS and NCSS grade-level standards
- Expanded teacher resources to support planning, discussion, and reflection
Download Sample Lesson Plans!
Student Logs
- Each Student Log features nine thought-provoking informational nonfiction texts.
- High-interest topics ignite students’ curiosity while aligning with national social studies and science standards.
- Step-by-step prompts guide students through each session, with prereading, comprehension checks, and discussion and writing preparation integrated into the student experience.
- NEW line numbers make it easier for students to share and reference text evidence.
Teacher Guides
- Each unit outlines an engaging sequence of activities that clearly and consistently develops students’ reading comprehension, critical thinking, language, and writing skills.
- Differentiated instruction supports students both above and approaching level.
- Carefully designed focus questions help leaders propel rich discussion.
- Topical and thematic connections to Junior Great Books Inspire selections enable engaging multi-text units that build meaningful background knowledge and compare texts across curricular areas.
New High-Interest Topics
The new Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry covers physical sciences, life sciences, STEM topics, history, economics, and a range of social studies standards. Topics are designed to capture students’ interest and support cross-curricular learning. New topics include:
- Erosion and engineering challenges on the Outer Banks
- The Greek roots of American democracy
- Behind the scenes of a library
- Food science and flavor preferences
- AI and automation
- Sylvia Mendez’s influence on education
- Living in a sister city
- The science behind magic tricks
- How houseplants affect your mood
Aligns to CCSS, NGSS, and NCSS Standards
Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry provides structured practice reading and evaluating informational texts and connects the English Language Arts curriculum to topics in science and social studies.
Through regular practice reading, writing, and discussing these texts, students have ample opportunities to demonstrate mastery of a range of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills.
You can review Common Core State Standards alignments for each activity, session by session, or quickly scan the alignment charts to see coverage for each unit. You can also review how each unit correlates with the disciplinary core ideas in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the themes outlined by the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS).
Get the Complete Junior Great Books Experience
The new Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry was built to complement Junior Great Books Inspire, with texts that pair directly between both programs. Use text sets to build background knowledge or support extended learning.
Together, these programs provide coverage across all standard strands and genres: speaking & listening, writing, literature, and informational nonfiction! Develop a full range of comprehension skills while continuing the conversation!
Also Available on Junior Great Books Digital Classroom!
NEW for Nonfiction Inquiry 2026 in Digital Classroom:
- Audio
- Interactive activities and graphic organizers
- Automatically-graded Check Your Understanding quizzes
- Additional teacher resources and printables
Learn More
To learn more about the brand-new Junior Great Books Series 2–5, and to take advantage of preorder discounts, please get in touch with your Great Books K–12 partnership manager.