• The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong
  • The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus by David Quammen
  • The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - Jellyfish Age Backwards: Nature's Secrets to Longevity by Nicklas Brendborg
  • The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World in a Big Way by Roma Agrawal
  • The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - Taking Flight: The Evolutionary Story of Life on the Wing by Lev Parikian
  • The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike

The Best Science Books of 2023: The Royal Society Book Prize, recommended by Rebecca Henry

The Royal Society, set up in the 1660s, is a fellowship of some of the world’s most eminent scientists. It also has an annual book prize, celebrating the best popular science writing. Neuroscientist Rebecca Henry, one of this year’s judges, talks us through the fabulous books that made the 2023 shortlist—and explains how good science writing can change the way you see the world around you.

  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Bodies, Brains & Bogies by Paul Ian Cross & Steve Brown (illustrator)
  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Live Like a Hunter Gatherer Naomi Walmsley, Mia Underwood (illustrator)
  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Am I Made of Stardust? Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Chelen Écija (illustrator)
  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Step Inside Science: Germs by Sarah Hull & Teresa Bellon (illustrator)
  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Ben Rothery's Deadly and Dangerous Animals by Ben Rothery
  • The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - A Bug's World by Dr Erica McAlister & Stephanie Fizer Coleman (illustrator)

The Best Science Books for Children: the 2023 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Usha Goswami

The judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize look for books that explain high quality science in an engaging and accessible way. Neuroscientist Usha Goswami, chair of the 2023 judging panel, explains why it is important to get children excited about science via books, and introduces us to the fabulous titles that made this year’s shortlist.

  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Greywacke: How a Priest, a Soldier and a School Teacher Uncovered 300 Million Years of History by Nick Davidson
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - Different: What Apes Can Teach Us About Gender by Frans de Waal
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - Spike: The Virus vs. The People - the Inside Story by Jeremy Farrar & with Anjana Ahuja
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Chapters by Henry Gee
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life by Rose Anne Kenny
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize - Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial by Peter Stott

The Best Popular Science Books of 2022: The Royal Society Book Prize, recommended by Maria Fitzgerald

The renowned UCL neuroscientist Professor Maria Fitzgerald, chair of the 2022 Royal Society Book Prize, talks us through the judges’ selection of the best popular science books of the year—including a whistle-stop tour of the history of the Earth, a self-help book offering evidence-based advice on how to live a longer life, and a primatologist’s study of gender among apes.

  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - How Was That Built? The Stories Behind Awesome Structures Roma Agrawal, Katie Hickey (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Microbe Wars: Humanity's Biggest Battles with the World's Smallest Life-Forms by Gill Arbuthnott & Marianna Madriz (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Fourteen Wolves: A Rewilding Story by Catherine Barr & Jenni Desmond (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Fantastically Great Women Scientists and their Stories by Kate Pankhurst
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - If the World Were 100 People Jackie McCann, Aaron Cushley (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Beetles for Breakfast and Other Weird and Wonderful Ways to Save the Planet Madeleine Finlay, Jisu Choi (illustrator)

Best Science Books for Children: the 2022 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Alan Wilson

The Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize celebrates books that stimulate children’s curiosity and enthusiasm to explore, innovate and debate. Alan Wilson, Chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six outstanding science books for kids that made the 2022 shortlist.

  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy's Vanishing Explorers by Emily Levesque
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - The End of Bias, A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias by Jessica Nordell
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Sleeping Beauties: And Other Stories of Mystery Illness by Suzanne O'Sullivan
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth by Stuart Ritchie
  • The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize - Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake

The Best Popular Science Books of 2021: The Royal Society Book Prize, recommended by Luke O'Neill

Every year the Royal Society, the world’s oldest independent scientific academy, awards a prize for the best new popular science book. Here, Luke O’Neill—Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College, Dublin, and chair of the 2021 judging panel—discusses the latest shortlist: six new popular science books that are topical, accessible and infinitely interesting.

  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Everyone by Lisa Harvey-Smith & Mel Matthews (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast by Michael Holland & Philip Giordano (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Agent Asha: Mission Shark Bytes by Sophie Deen & Anjan Sarkar (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Inventors: Incredible Stories of the World's Most Ingenious Inventions by Robert Winston & Jessamy Hawke (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - I am a book. I am a portal to the universe. by Stefanie Posavec & Miriam Quick (illustrator)
  • Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - 100 Things to Know about Saving the Planet

Best Science Books for Children: the 2021 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Katharine Cashman

In selecting the best science books for children, the judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize identify books that are scientifically accurate as well as accessible and engaging. Katharine Cashman, Professor of Volcanology at Bristol University and Chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six wonderful books that made the 2021 shortlist.

  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson & with Gregory Mone
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Cats React to Science Facts by Izzi Howell
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - In the Key of Code by Aimee Lucido
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - How to Win a Nobel Prize by Barry Marshall, Bernard Caleo (illustrator) & with Lorna Hendry
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Gut Garden: A journey into the wonderful world of your microbiome by Katie Brosnan
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Everyday Journeys Of Ordinary Things by Libby Deutsch & Valpuri Kerttula (illustrator)

The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2020 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Mike Kendall

To find the best science books for kids, the judges of the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize look for books that are not only accurate but also entertaining. Mike Kendall, Professor of Geophysics at Oxford University and chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six fabulous books that made the 2020 shortlist (the final winner will be chosen by the real experts: more than 13,000 kids).

  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Empowering Women by Linda Scott
  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Great Pretender by Susannah Cahalan
  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - Transcendence: How Humans Evolved Through Fire, Language, Beauty, and Time by Gaia Vince
  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson
  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - The World According to Physics by Jim Al-Khalili
  • The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize - Explaining Humans: What Science Can Teach Us about Life, Love and Relationships by Camilla Pang

The Best Science Books of 2020: The Royal Society Book Prize, recommended by Anne Osbourn

The Royal Society is the world’s oldest independent scientific academy, dedicated to promoting excellence in science—and that includes an annual prize for the best popular science book. Here Professor Anne Osbourn, Fellow of the Royal Society and chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six books that made the 2020 shortlist—and what makes them intriguing, accessible and exciting.

  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - Six Impossible Things: The ‘Quanta of Solace’ and the Mysteries of the Subatomic World by John Gribbin
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - The Remarkable Life of the Skin by Monty Lyman
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - Clearing the Air: The Beginning and End of Air Pollution by Tim Smedley
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - The Second Kind of Impossible: The Extraordinary Quest for a New Form of Matter by Paul J. Steinhardt
  • The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist - Infinite Powers: The Story of Calculus by Steven Strogatz

The Royal Society Science Book Prize: the 2019 shortlist, recommended by Nigel Shadbolt

“Science is a profoundly human endeavour. The stories of triumph and success in science, alongside the failures and despair, are compelling.” From a data-driven account of air pollution to a book that makes calculus fun, 2019 has been a great year for science books. Nigel Shadbolt, chair of judges, discusses the six books shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize.

  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - 100 Things to Know About Numbers, Computers & Coding Alex Frith (illustrated by Federico Mariani and Parko Polo)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - The Bacteria Book: The Big World of Really Tiny Microbes by Steve Mould
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home Mike Barfield (illustrated by Lauren Humphrey)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Kid Scientists: True Tales of Childhood from Science Superstars David Stabler (illustrated by Anoosha Syed)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Planetarium: Welcome to the Museum Raman Prinja (illustrated by Chris Wormell)
  • The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize - Making With States of Matter by Anna Claybourne

The Best Science Books for Kids: the 2019 Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize, recommended by Sheila Rowan

If you’re looking for the best books to get kids excited about science, the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize is a great place to start. Physicist and astronomer Sheila Rowan, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the fabulous books that made this year’s shortlist.