The Hook Factor: Finding the "No Way, That Can't Be True!" Angle in Any Nonfiction Topic

By Stephanie Bearce

I'll never forget the moment I discovered bat bombs.   

I was deep into research for my Top Secret Files: World War II book, reading through military archives about unusual weapons development. And there it was: a completely serious government project that involved strapping tiny incendiary devices to hibernating Mexican free-tailed bats, loading over a thousand bats into bomb-shaped canisters, dropping them from planes over Japanese cities, and hoping the bats would roost in the wooden buildings before the timers ignited.

My first reaction? "No way. That can't be true."

My second reaction? "This is PERFECT."

That's the moment I'm always hunting for when I write nonfiction. That instant when something is so bizarre, so unexpected, so absolutely wild that it makes you stop and say, "Wait, WHAT?" And then you realize it's 100% true.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Here's the reality we face as nonfiction authors: we're competing with TikTok, YouTube, video games, and an endless stream of digital content designed to grab kids' attention in seconds. A middle-grade reader scrolling through their feed can watch a 30-second video of someone doing a crazy science experiment, laugh at a meme, and move on to the next thing before they've even finished reading a single page of text.

So how do we compete? How do we get kids to not just pick up our books, but actually want to read them?

We need to think like kids. We need to tap into that child-like sense of wonder that makes them stop mid-scroll and say "Wow! Gross! No way!" That factor—that visceral reaction of surprise, disgust, or disbelief—is what gets middle-grade readers to dive into learning history and science. It's what transforms "I have to read this for school" into "I want to know what happens next."

If we write nonfiction the way we learned it in school—dry facts, chronological timelines, "important" historical figures doing "important" things—we've lost before we've begun. But if we can make a kid's eyes light up in the first thirty seconds, make them lean forward and say "Wait, what? Tell me more!"—then we have a chance. Then we can sneak in all the real learning while they're too hooked to notice.

The Secret Weapon: Context Kids Don't Have

Here's what most adults forget: kids don't have the context we do for historical events. When you say "World War II," most middle-grade readers picture the Allies winning. They've seen the movies. They know how it ends.

What they don't understand is how desperate the Allies were. They don't realize that for a significant chunk of the war, the Nazis were winning. And desperate times led to desperate measures—which led to some of the most bizarre, creative, and yes, twisted inventions in history.

That's where the hook lives. Not in "The Allies developed new weapons technology" (boring), but in "The Allies were so desperate they literally tried to make bombs out of bats, rats, and even muffins" (TELL ME MORE).

Let me give you that muffin example. During WWII, the Office of Strategic Services developed an explosive compound that looked, felt, and could be baked exactly like flour. They called it "Aunt Jemima" after the popular pancake mix. Chinese resistance fighters could smuggle this explosive flour through Japanese checkpoints, and if questioned, they could literally bake muffins from it and eat them to prove it was "just flour."

Now, I won't lie to you—eating explosive flour was ill-advised. One Chinese cook who sampled the first batch almost died. But after they perfected the formula, the muffins were actually edible (though not recommended), and fifteen tons of Aunt Jemima explosive flour was successfully smuggled during the war without the Japanese ever discovering it.

No kid is going to hear "explosive muffins" and not want to know more.

Finding Your "No Way" Moment

So how do you find these hooks in your own research? Here's my process:

1. Research extensively first. You can't find the weird stuff if you only scratch the surface. I read everything—academic journals, firsthand accounts, military archives, old newspapers, obscure websites. The best hooks are usually buried deep in the footnotes.

2. View everything through a kid's eyes. I'm constantly asking myself: "Would a 10-year-old think this is cool?" Not "educational" or "important"—cool. If it doesn't pass the cool test, it won't hook reluctant readers.

3. Look for what contradicts expectations. Kids think they know what things are supposed to be like. Science is in beakers. Weapons look like guns. Communication is for people. When you can show them fish that use farts to communicate (which is real science—herring produce underwater sounds by releasing air bubbles from their swim bladders, and scientists believe it's a form of communication), you've disrupted their expectations. That's when learning happens.

4. Hunt for the truth that's stranger than fiction. I write both fiction (my Raven Gallows mystery series) and nonfiction, and I can tell you—the true stories are often wilder than anything I could make up. When bats accidentally burned down an entire military airfield during testing because armed bats escaped and roosted under a fuel tank? That's not a joke. That actually happened. No novelist would dare write that because it seems too ridiculous.

5. Go beyond the obvious. This is crucial. When I wrote the book about burps and farts, I could have just gone for the gross-out factor and stopped there. But I asked: "What's the science here? What are researchers actually studying?" That's how I found studies about fish communication, medical research on digestive gases, and the serious science behind why we burp and fart. The hook gets kids in the door, but the real science keeps them reading.

The Context is the Key

Here's the thing about hooks: they work best when you provide context. Bat bombs are interesting. Bat bombs in the context of Allied desperation during WWII are fascinating because they tell a bigger story about human ingenuity, desperation, and the weird ways people solve problems when everything is on the line.

That's what transforms a weird fact into a compelling narrative. You're not just sharing trivia—you're giving kids a window into a moment when adults were trying anything, testing everything, and pushing boundaries because the stakes were that high.

Try This With Your Own Research

If you're stuck trying to find the hook in your topic, here's an exercise:

1. List the "expected" version. Write down what most kids already think they know about your topic. (Example: "The Allies used planes and tanks to win WWII.")

2. Find five facts that contradict or expand that assumption. Dig deep. Look in academic databases, military archives, scientific journals, old newspapers—anywhere that's not the first page of a Google search.

3. Ask the "no way" test. Read each fact out loud. Do you have that moment of disbelief? If you're not surprised, kids won't be either.

4. Find the context. Why did this happen? What does it tell us about the people, the time period, or the circumstances? The hook gets kids interested; the context makes them care.

5. Test it on a kid. Seriously. Tell a 10-year-old about your discovery. If their eyes light up and they start asking questions, you've found your hook. If they shrug, keep digging.

The beautiful thing about nonfiction is that the truth really is out there waiting to be discovered. Those "no way, that can't be true" moments exist in every topic—you just have to be willing to dig deep enough to find them. And when you do? That's when you transform "educational" content into something kids actually want to read.

Because once you've told them about the bats, the muffins, and the farting fish, they're hooked. And that's when real learning begins.

Resources to Spark Your "No Way!" Moments

Looking for inspiration to find those twisted, weird, and fascinating hooks in your research? Here are some of my favorite websites and podcasts that celebrate the strange, the unexpected, and the "you've got to be kidding me" moments in history and science:

Websites:

Atlas Obscura (https://www.atlasobscura.com/) – A goldmine of hidden wonders, unusual places, and curious stories from around the world. Perfect for finding the obscure historical details that make kids stop and say "wait, what?"

Mental Floss (https://www.mentalfloss.com/) – Fascinating facts, trivia, and weird history presented in bite-sized, highly readable formats. Their "Amazing Facts" section is addictive.

Damn Interesting (https://www.damninteresting.com/) – Long-form articles about obscure true stories from science, history, and psychology. Every article lives up to the site's name.

Futility Closet (https://www.futilitycloset.com/) – Over 12,000 entertaining curiosities from history, literature, language, art, philosophy, and mathematics. Updated daily with the delightfully bizarre.

Roadside America (https://www.roadsideamerica.com/) – Your guide to weird roadside attractions across the U.S. Great for finding local oddities and unusual historical artifacts hiding in plain sight.

Podcasts:

No Such Thing as a Fish (https://www.nosuchthingasafish.com/) – Weekly podcast from the researchers behind the BBC show QI, where each episode features bizarre and extraordinary facts discovered that week. Over 600 episodes of pure fascinating weirdness.

The Memory Palace (https://thememorypalace.us/) – Short, beautifully produced historical narratives about forgotten moments and overlooked figures from America's past. Perfect for seeing how to make history emotionally resonant.

Happy hunting! These resources have helped me find countless "no way, that can't be true" moments over the years. What are your favorite sources for discovering the weird and wonderful?

Stephanie Bearce is the author of over 40 books for children, including the Top Secret Files series (eight historical books about spies, secret missions, and hidden facts), the Twisted True Tales from Science series, the Gross Science series, and Mary Anning and Paleontology for Kids. She also writes the Raven Gallows middle-grade mystery series. Stephanie specializes in making history and science irresistible by finding the weird, twisted, secret, and unusual stories that make kids stop and say "No way!" Learn more at stephaniebearce.com.

Joyriding into Image Research: A Cautionary Tale

By Elizabeth Shreeve

This is a story about falling in love. It’s got a happy ending—a beautiful book and new friendships with artists around the world. It’s also a tale of honest mistakes and slippery slopes. If you’re starting a book involving image research, I hope it will help. 

 First, some advice. Several wise authors, like Sarah Albee and Stephanie Bearce, have provided resources for free/low-cost photos (see below for links). Did I follow their guidelines? Well, sort of. Their recommended sources didn’t quite fit the bill for my topic. Which led to…

MISTAKE #1: Straying from low-cost image sources.

My image research began when I signed with Atheneum/Simon & Schuster to write Dinosaurs to Dragons: The Lore and Science of Mythical Creatures (July 21, 2026). It would be my first middle grade title and the first project for which I would supply images. How cool! The contract included an allowance for image licensing. There would be an illustrator, too. I had nothing to worry about, right?

Then I fell down a slippery slope. Actually, more like several extremely gorgeous, entrancing, wonder-filled slopes. I got lost in the artwork and neglected something important…

MISTAKE #2: Ooops! Forgot the “cost” column.

Over months of research, I became addicted to beautiful images. I explored online museum collections. I discovered original work by artists in Brazil, Chile, Germany, Haiti, and Nepal. I added these treasures to folders and inserted them into a spreadsheet. I mocked up spreads to show how images and captions related to text.

It was a joyride! As chapters took shape, however, I strayed farther from low-cost image sources. I needed help, so I hired a content licensing company, Photo Affairs. They alerted me to possible overruns, but my publisher turned down a request to increase the budget.

MISTAKE #3: Avoiding some simple math.

 Did I stop collecting photos? Nope. The vision of a gorgeous book overwhelmed any remaining common sense. I loved each image. As it turned out, so did the publisher’s designer. When it came time to lay out the spreads, they wanted to use almost everything in my folders. Yikes! Photo Affairs began securing permissions—and the costs came in high.

We managed some discounts. But the layout was fixed, and it was stunning. How could we possibly cut the rendering of Cretaceous dinosaurs in Mongolia? Or the charming bunyip… the medieval dragon… or the gorgeous Polynesian sailboat? They all deserved a place on the page alongside Violeta Encarnación’s original artwork.

Did I go over budget on the image licensing? You bet.

Do I realize that authors don't want to spend a significant part of their advance on image licensing? Absolutely, and here are some pointers.

1. Read these posts and, to the extent possible, stick to the recommended image sources. 

Sarah Albee, “Image Research and Permissions: A Survival Guide.” NF Fest, February 15, 2023. 

Stephanie Bearce, “Picture Perfect.” NF Fest, December 13, 2022. 

Sarah Albee, “Behind the Books: Finding Photos for Nonfiction Books.” Celebrate Nonfiction. February 28, 2017. 

2. Before signing a contract, confirm who pays for licensing of copyrighted images or text. If you’re responsible, make sure you’ve got an adequate budget. Stick to it! 

3. Be serious about image research. Find primary sources. Get inspired! Here’s an excellent post by Patricia Newman: “Getting to the Heart of Your Photos.” NF Fest, February 5, 2025. 

4. Make an image spreadsheet, including a column for costs (see example in Sarah Albee’s “Image Research and Permissions” post, above). Take time to periodically update your projected costs. For my book, the average licensing cost was around $80. I paid $100/image for most of the original pieces obtained directly from artists. You can do better by sticking to free/lower-cost sources.

5. Beware of art galleries! They tend to be expensive. 

6. As early as possible, confirm the number of images and required licensing terms with your editor. Set a schedule for delivering licenses and high-resolution files in order to avoid expensive last-minute sourcing. Ask your publisher for any existing accounts with photo stock libraries (e.g., Alamy or Shutterstock) and arrange to use their discounts. 

7. Don’t assume that Wikipedia is a reliable source. Are their files available at a high resolution? Do you need to trace back to primary sources? 

8. For a book with many images, work with a consultant. I highly recommend Photo Affairs. They easily cover their fees by finding discounts and lower cost options. 

Buckle up! Image research can be a joyride, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. 

 

About the Author: Elizabeth Shreeve writes children’s books that spark curiosity about Planet Earth. When not gallivanting about for a new project, Elizabeth lives in northern California with her family, including Hector the PaleoDog. Her next book, Dinosaurs to Dragons: The Lore & Science of Mythical Creatures (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2026), includes gorgeous illustrations by Violeta Encarnación and an embarrassing number of photographic images. Other upcoming titles include Germ Wars: Time-Traveling through the (sometimes gruesome) History of Children’s Health (Zest/Lerner, 2027). Visit her at https://elizabethshreeve.com/ and @ShreeveBooks.

 

Writing about a Living Subject: Tips & Challenges

By Danna Zeiger

It is a rare gift to be able to write about a living subject. 

Early in my writing adventure, I realized how tragically few books with disability representation existed, let alone cerebral palsy. I knew I needed to introduce the world to my dear friend, Dr. Kathleen Friel. I was lucky to be mentored by Dr. Friel in my very first undergraduate lab, studying corticospinal development and repair. She was patient, kind, funny, and also the first person with cerebral palsy I had met in academia… and she was researching potential therapies for cerebral palsy!

After countless questions from fellow writers, I thought it would be helpful to share tips for writing about living individuals based upon my experience. 

Tip #1

You must ask for permission, first, unless the living person is super famous (and even then, proceed with caution). Reading a newspaper article about someone isn’t sufficient fame to give you the right to write. Seek out the individual and obtain written permission. If you’re lucky, you might be able to interview them and ask some questions along the way.

Rewriting the Rules: Dr. Friel is famous—she has won national awards for her research and advocacy; she is a reputable and well-regarded researcher and professor; and she has even had articles written about her both in lay media and in scientific journals. However, she is not of “household fame” and I needed her explicit permission. Regardless, I wouldn’t dream of writing her story without consent.

I approached Dr. Friel before conducting my research, timidly asking if she would be up for my writing a children’s book about her. Surprised, perhaps amused, she said “sure!”! I sent her a few questions but mostly researched and used my own knowledge to write my manuscript.

Tip #2

Consider your subject! Think about accuracy. Think about how this person will feel when they read your manuscript about them! I recommend, for especially sensitive topics, finding sensitivity readers.

Rewriting the Rules: In my opinion, this is the hardest part of writing about a living subject—and probably made this project harder than any of my others. I had heart palpitations thinking of Dr. Friel reading my manuscript. What if she hated it? Disagreed with something I said? Wished I’d approached it differently? What if… I didn’t do her story justice? These very ideas kept me up at night. Dr. Friel is incredible in every right. If a reader walked away thinking otherwise, it would be entirely my fault. 

I sought multiple sensitivity readers through various drafts. I read articles and books about cerebral palsy and the different ways to approach it. I knew Dr. Friel’s research intimately well, having worked in the lab together, but I also reread her papers and even her Ph.D. thesis—which I had never done before! Although I’m a scientist myself, I still checked that even the most simplest of explanations were always accurate.

Tip #3

Share your manuscript with your subject only after it has been accepted for publication and with your editor’s explicit permission. There are many reasons: picture books are hard to envision for the untrained eye. Your subject isn’t necessarily a writer and might have a different vision. The final version will likely be different than what you originally drafted.

Rewriting the Rules: I know Dr. Friel personally and this was especially hard! Upon acquisition, I was able to share the exciting news, but I didn’t send her the manuscript until final approved edits. It turns out, my final version was quite different than the one I submitted—and so much stronger! I’m grateful to our team of four (incredible editors Carol Hinz, Leila Sales, and two sensitivity readers) examining every word. 

When I finally sent it to Dr. Friel, I cried with relief when she reacted so positively and excitedly!

Tip #4

Through the book process, collaborate with your subject! Seek their pictures, thoughts, etc.

Rewriting the Rules: Dr. Friel sent all kinds of childhood pictures that were helpful for Josée Bisaillon, the illustrator, as well as close-up pictures so that Josée could really capture cerebral palsy authentically.

Tip #5

Work on promotion together and have fun doing it! Share every review, award, and announcement with your subject!

Rewriting the Rules: Reveling in every positive review, every influencer share, every award with Dr. Friel has been the best reward! We’ve done events together, including a launch event, and a No Place for Hate sponsored interfaith discussion. Having Dr. Friel and her family share their experiences in-person are core memories. I could listen to them for hours! Their excitement and partnership in this adventure have enriched it beyond imagination. 

Writing about a living subject was nerve-wracking but also immensely rewarding. I love seeing my beautiful, inspiring, and smart friend everywhere!

 

 

About the author: Danna Zeiger’s debut STEAM nonfiction picture book, Rewriting the Rules: How Dr. Kathleen Friel Created New Possibilities for Brain Research and Disability (September 2025) was named Best of 2025 by School Library Journal and the Chicago Public Library, and won 2026 Outstanding Science Trade Books for K-12 by the National Science Teachers’ Association. Danna is also a 2024-2026 PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative writing fellow. Learn more about Danna, STEM, and nonfiction at https://www.dannazeiger.com/.

Teacher's Pet: Supplemental Guides Get Your Book Chosen

 by Louise M. Aamodt, M.Ed.

Authors love getting their books into classrooms. Teachers love quality materials that make their jobs easier. You can bridge this connection by creating free, downloadable materials to go with your book. 

Supplemental materials give your book an edge by helping teachers justify using your book in class. The materials connect kids more deeply to the concepts. They’re fun! And you, yes YOU, are totally capable of creating them. No need to hire someone, or languish away wishing your publisher would help. You don’t need to be an expert, a teacher, or a graphic designer. You just need to START. 

Think about your book’s content and mood. What do you want kids to learn, discover, or investigate? Which kinds of activities would best support that outcome? Here are some ideas:

• Character analysis

• Classifying

• Family/home connections

• Fiction vs. nonfiction, or genre study

• Jokes and riddles 

• Letter-writing

• Main idea and details

• Making inferences

• Memory game cards

• Music 

• Recipes

• Recommended reading

• Scavenger hunt 

• Sequence of events

• Summarizing

• Vocabulary study

• Websites for kids

• Word scramble

Let’s dive deeper by examining specific examples. 

Poke around the websites below. Look for buttons or pull-downs called ‘Free Downloads,’ ‘Educator Resources,’ ‘Curriculum Guide,’ ‘Activity Guide,’ etc. DO NOT COPY, obviously, but get inspired. Rabbit hole warning: This list is extensive, so start by exploring activities that would best fit your book. For the sake of word count, I’ve omitted subtitles and illustrator names, but illustrators, we see you!

• Art: Eileen R. Meyer’s “Design a Stovepipe Hat” for THE SUPERLATIVE A. LINCOLN

• Board game: Stephanie Gibeault’s THE DOG WHO SAVED THE BEES

• Bookmarks: Carrie Tillotson’s ALPACAS HERE, ALPACAS THERE

• Cause-effect: Jill Esbaum’s IT’S CORN PICKING TIME

• Charades: My “Verb Charades” for A FOREST BEGINS ANEW

• Coloring: Sarah Nelson’s FOLLOW THE FLYWAY  

• Crafts: Kirsten Pendreigh’s “Make Your Own Sea-Flake” for WHAT FISH ARE SAYING

• Crossword puzzle: Sue Heavenrich’s 13 WAYS TO EAT A FLY

• Discussion questions: Patricia Hruby Powell’s LIFT AS YOU CLIMB

• Educational standards: They can be a simple list, like for Sandhya Acharya’s LIVING BRIDGES, or complex like for Leslie Bulion’s LEAF LITTER CRITTERS.

• Experiments: Alisha Gabriel’s “Observing How Yeast Makes Bread Rise” for FUNGI ARE… MORE THAN MUSHROOMS 

• Labeling parts: Lisa Kahn Schnell’s HIGH TIDE FOR HORSESHOE CRABS

• Matching: Tanya Konerman’s MUD TO THE RESCUE

• Math, patterns: Annette Whipple’s WHOOO KNEW? THE TRUTH ABOUT OWLS 

• Math, word problems: Melissa Stewart’s NO MONKEYS, NO CHOCOLATE 

• Movement: Molly Beth Griffin’s yoga and stretching for RINGS OF HEARTWOOD 

• Poetry template: Rebecca Hirsch’s WONDER WINGS

• Predictions: Megan Clendenan’s “Predictions and Surprises” for JUST IN CASE

• Pronunciation videos: Teresa Robeson’s TWO BICYCLES IN BEIJING 

• Science: Laura Purdie Salas’s “Thunderstorm Life Cycle” for ZAP! CLAP! BOOM! 

• Social-emotional learning (SEL): Jessica Stremer’s LIGHTS OUT 

• Social studies, map: Amanda Davis’s “Map the Flag’s Travels” for 30,000 STITCHES

• Social studies, timeline: Vivian Kirkfield’s ONE GIRL’S VOICE 

• STEM: Leslie Barnard Booth’s “Crow’s Nest Design Challenge” for I AM WE

• Word find: Carrie A. Pearson’s VIRGINIA WOULDN’T SLOW DOWN!

Finally, coming from a teacher who selectively chooses which books to use in my classroom, here are some tips to help your book survive the cut: 

• Be handy, not fancy. Make your material easy to print out and use right away. 

• Keep it black and white. Few schools give teachers color printing access. 

• Touch on a variety of disciplines, such as math, art, writing, reading, vocabulary, science, social-emotional, social studies, etc. This helps an over-scheduled teacher find a spot during the day to dive deeper into your book. 

• Vary the brain power required. Offer some easier options such as mazes, word finds, or art. Offer some harder options such as main idea/detail, character analysis, or writing prompts.

• Provide the same activity in various levels of difficulty (see my “Mazes” example). Don’t get bogged down in specifying what age or grade level each is for; teachers will know what works best for their students. 

• I’ll probably take some heat for saying this, but if you’re uncomfortable figuring out the educational standards to go with your materials, skip them. Teachers will know. Don’t let correlating standards stop you from getting started. Let it go. 

• Add a QR code to printables with “Click here to visit the author’s website.” It’s free advertising when kids take the sheets home. 

Remember, you can do hard things. If you can write a book, you can write supplemental materials. Don’t let perfectionism or imposter syndrome paralyze you. 

Give it a try! 

About the Author: Louise M. Aamodt (rhymes with 'comet') has taught English Learners in public schools for over 25 years. As both a writer and a teacher, she loves sparking curiosity and making complicated concepts accessible. You can find her in the kids’ section of the library, or out watching bugs somewhere. Her picture book, A Forest Begins Anew, illustrated by Elly MacKay, debuts in May 2026 from Astra Young Readers. Learn more at http://www.LouiseAamodt.com, or follow on social media (FB @LouiseAamodtAuthor, Bluesky @LouiseMAamodt.bsky.social, or X @LouiseMAamodt).