Factual reading for 13 year old who hates reading?

[kurlique]

My DC is bright (especially maths/science) and sporty but hates, and I mean HATES, reading! Nothing to do with reading ability, everything to do with preferring to be knocking a ball around, making stuff or even doing maths problems! Just finishing Yr8 and has been encouraged to read around subjects (biology/physics/history etc) and to read widely by their English teacher this summer holidays. Has anyone any inspiration on accessible reading material to do with topics such as the industrial revolution in history, physics, engineering, and may be geography? I continue to endeavour to find fiction that enthrals (I love reading and always have) but wonder if well written factual books may be the key?

How about the books accompanying Brian Cox's TV series? Or David Attenborough's ones? They are well written and full of interesting science. And they are the sort of books you can dip in and out of, so they don't take sustained reading. My DDs (4 and 7) love the Brian Cox ones for the pictures.

I assume that the Horrible Science / Murderous Maths books will be too easy? If not then have a look at those. There is a brilliant maths one about number theory (Fibonacci, negative numbers, etc.).

I find history easiest to approach from the fiction perspective. I've not come across any good industrial revolution stories. But there is a brilliant one about the small boats of Dunkirk called 'The Dolphin Crossing' which I would think a boy of his age might be interested in.

John O'Farell's Utterly Impartial History of Britain books are very accessible and funny.

DC loves Prof Brian Cox... I will definitely try that line... And a book on number theory will be just up her street whatever age it is aimed at - thanks! And the O'Farell history books too, thank you for the suggestions... She picked up a Bill Bryson book at my PIL's yesterday "Small history of everything" or something like that - it's huge but as she seemed interested FIL has lent it to her... Fingers crossed we can get her reading something!

Was just about to post Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything.

I really dislike fiction (not very good at suspending reality). I like biographies/autobiographies, anything by Bill Bryson and other non-fiction (e.g.: Biddy Baxter's collection of Blue Peter letters).

www.howitworksdaily.com/

How it works magazine

Also Wonderpedia.
My son (14) enjoys these. I'm a school librarian and you don't have to read BOOKS. Magazines, comics, graphic novels, are all great reading

Maths books I recommend to my students (another school librarian) include Alex's adventures in numberland and Fermats last theorem. All the Simon Singh books are easy reads (and he is lovely, he replies to the students if they message him) and interesting, even for me as a completely non numeric person.
Interesting other books include Bounce, Physics of the future, anything by Richard P Fenyman.
Let me think about more specific industrial revolution books.

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

My 12 yo loves it