Welcome to the Bank Street Children's Book Committee's (CBC) Searchable Best Books List, a tool designed to help educators, families, librarians, and others access developmentally appropriate and engaging books for young readers (ages birth - 18).
Our online Searchable Best Books List draws from the committee's annual Best Children's Books of the Year-beginning with the list of books published in 2000-with each featuring more than 600 high-quality titles for young readers.
To share feedback about the tool, please feel free to email bookcom@bankstreet.edu. To learn more about the CBC, visit https://www.bankstreet.edu/cbc/.
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Trapped!
by James Ponti
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Books are disappearing from the Russian Imperial Collection at the Library of Congress. Twelve-year-old undercover spies Florian and Margaret must find out if a friend is involved.
by James Ponti
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Books are disappearing from the Russian Imperial Collection at the Library of Congress. Twelve-year-old undercover spies Florian and Margaret must find out if a friend is involved.
Trash Revolution
by Erica Fyvie
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Diagrams and charts clearly illuminate the waste cycle with fun facts, future goals, and advice on ways to reduce or avoid waste. A well-sourced glossary. Pen-and-ink illustrations colored digitally.
by Erica Fyvie
Illustrator: Bill Slavin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Diagrams and charts clearly illuminate the waste cycle with fun facts, future goals, and advice on ways to reduce or avoid waste. A well-sourced glossary. Pen-and-ink illustrations colored digitally.
Twelve Steps to Normal
by Farrah Penn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When her father finishes rehab, Kira returns home determined to pick up her life as it was. However, relationships don't work like that.
by Farrah Penn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When her father finishes rehab, Kira returns home determined to pick up her life as it was. However, relationships don't work like that.
Two Roads
by Joseph Bruchac
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When Creek Indian Cal, 12, and his World War I veteran father are forced into a hobo life during the Great Depression he winds up in an Indian boarding school.
by Joseph Bruchac
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When Creek Indian Cal, 12, and his World War I veteran father are forced into a hobo life during the Great Depression he winds up in an Indian boarding school.
Voices from the Second World War
compiled by First News and Walker Books Ltd.
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
First-hand accounts and photographs portray World War II, including stories by Holocaust and Hiroshima survivors.
compiled by First News and Walker Books Ltd.
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
First-hand accounts and photographs portray World War II, including stories by Holocaust and Hiroshima survivors.
Voices in the Air
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Illustrator: Dawn Henning
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Ninety-five original poems pay tribute to an eclectic collection of people who have influenced, moved, and even provoked us, from Langston Hughes to Bruce Springsteen. Spot illustrations.
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Illustrator: Dawn Henning
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Ninety-five original poems pay tribute to an eclectic collection of people who have influenced, moved, and even provoked us, from Langston Hughes to Bruce Springsteen. Spot illustrations.
Where the Watermelons Grow
by Cindy Baldwin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Her mother's recurring schizophrenia forces 12-year-old Della to cope with overwhelming family responsibilities. A supportive, loving rural community help, but there are no easy solutions.
by Cindy Baldwin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Her mother's recurring schizophrenia forces 12-year-old Della to cope with overwhelming family responsibilities. A supportive, loving rural community help, but there are no easy solutions.
Without Refuge
by Jane Mitchell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
After continued bombing of his Kurdish Syrian town thirteen-year-old Ghalib and his family make a harrowing journey out of his civil war torn country.
by Jane Mitchell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
After continued bombing of his Kurdish Syrian town thirteen-year-old Ghalib and his family make a harrowing journey out of his civil war torn country.
Worth a Thousand Words
by Brigit Young
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Although hobbled by painful injuries following a car accident, Tillie and her camera can find any lost thing-- or can they?
by Brigit Young
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
Although hobbled by painful injuries following a car accident, Tillie and her camera can find any lost thing-- or can they?
Zap
by Martha Freeman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When a conspiracy creates a total electric blackout in a New Jersey community the experts are stymied but three friends work together to find the perpetrator.
by Martha Freeman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2018
When a conspiracy creates a total electric blackout in a New Jersey community the experts are stymied but three friends work together to find the perpetrator.
A Dog In the Cave
by Kay Frydenborg
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
How the newest science and tools study the intertwined history of dogs and humans, dating back thousands of years. Full-color photographs and historical drawings.
by Kay Frydenborg
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
How the newest science and tools study the intertwined history of dogs and humans, dating back thousands of years. Full-color photographs and historical drawings.
Alexander Hamilton, Revolutionary
by Martha Brockenbrough
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
ARC - The life of the man who helped to shape the American government and financial system is presented in a detailed and exciting narrative. Extensive back matter.
by Martha Brockenbrough
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
ARC - The life of the man who helped to shape the American government and financial system is presented in a detailed and exciting narrative. Extensive back matter.
A Psalm for Lost Girls
by Katie Bayerl
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Sixteen-year-old Callie, grieving her sister's death, confronts claims of her sister's sainthood, a kidnapping, and hidden family secrets.
by Katie Bayerl
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Sixteen-year-old Callie, grieving her sister's death, confronts claims of her sister's sainthood, a kidnapping, and hidden family secrets.
Armstrong & Charlie
by Steven B. Frank
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
When ten African-American sixth-graders are bussed to a white school in a desegregation experiment in 1970's LA, challenges and friendship ensue.
by Steven B. Frank
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
When ten African-American sixth-graders are bussed to a white school in a desegregation experiment in 1970's LA, challenges and friendship ensue.
Artemis
written and illustrated by George O'Connor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Many stories about Artemis are woven into one narrative. Exciting graphics and informative, snarky footnotes make this stand out. Olympian family tree. Back matter.
written and illustrated by George O'Connor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Many stories about Artemis are woven into one narrative. Exciting graphics and informative, snarky footnotes make this stand out. Olympian family tree. Back matter.
A Single Stone
by Meg McKinlay
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
A cataclysmic upheaval forces an isolated community to rely on seven young girls to sustain them by harvesting mica in dangerous rocky fissures. What does the future hold?
by Meg McKinlay
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
A cataclysmic upheaval forces an isolated community to rely on seven young girls to sustain them by harvesting mica in dangerous rocky fissures. What does the future hold?
Auma's Long Run
by Eucabeth Odhiambo
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Grade school track runner Auma must deal with her parents' death from AIDS in her Kenyan village. How will she care for her siblings and continue her education?
by Eucabeth Odhiambo
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Grade school track runner Auma must deal with her parents' death from AIDS in her Kenyan village. How will she care for her siblings and continue her education?
Backfield Boys
by John Feinstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
When grade-school football friends Jason, white, and Tom, black, enter a high school football academy, they are met with overt racism.
by John Feinstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
When grade-school football friends Jason, white, and Tom, black, enter a high school football academy, they are met with overt racism.
Bang
by Barry Lyga
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
An adolescent struggles with having killed his infant sister when he was four. When he meets a Muslim girl, she helps him find his place in the world.
by Barry Lyga
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
An adolescent struggles with having killed his infant sister when he was four. When he meets a Muslim girl, she helps him find his place in the world.
Beastly Brains
written and photographed by Nancy F. Castaldo
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Do animals communicate? Do they think? Scientists explore what abilities they have. Photographs, glossary, notes, bibliography.
written and photographed by Nancy F. Castaldo
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Do animals communicate? Do they think? Scientists explore what abilities they have. Photographs, glossary, notes, bibliography.
Becoming Kareem
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
The acclaimed basketball star shares how the game and racism in the 1950's and 1960's influenced him and shaped his life and vision. Black-and-white photographs.
by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
The acclaimed basketball star shares how the game and racism in the 1950's and 1960's influenced him and shaped his life and vision. Black-and-white photographs.
Bone Jack
by Sara Crowe
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Ash is the lead runner in this year's Stag Race, an ancient English tradition. Can he outrun the hound boys or will they catch him and kill him?
by Sara Crowe
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Ash is the lead runner in this year's Stag Race, an ancient English tradition. Can he outrun the hound boys or will they catch him and kill him?
Bravo!
by Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Rafael López
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
This collection of poems features people from many different countries and backgrounds. Mixed-media illustrations. Biographical notes. Also available in Spanish.
by Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Rafael López
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
This collection of poems features people from many different countries and backgrounds. Mixed-media illustrations. Biographical notes. Also available in Spanish.
Bubble
by Stewart Foster
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Because of his auto-immune disease, eleven-year-old Joe has to live in a hospital but something special happens that changes his life.
by Stewart Foster
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
Because of his auto-immune disease, eleven-year-old Joe has to live in a hospital but something special happens that changes his life.
Come On In, America
by Linda Barrett Osborne
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
ARC Explore why the United States chose to enter World War I and the war's impact on the country, its labor rights, and more. Bibliography, references, archival photographs.
by Linda Barrett Osborne
Ages: 12+
Published: 2017
ARC Explore why the United States chose to enter World War I and the war's impact on the country, its labor rights, and more. Bibliography, references, archival photographs.