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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Madsi the True
S. J. Taylor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
On a hazardous journey from her Norwegian village to find her sister, Madsi and her friends brave extreme weather, dead Vikings, monsters, and an avalanche. Glossary of creatures.
S. J. Taylor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
On a hazardous journey from her Norwegian village to find her sister, Madsi and her friends brave extreme weather, dead Vikings, monsters, and an avalanche. Glossary of creatures.
Mallory in Full Color
Elisa Stone Leahy
Illustrator: Maine Diaz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Seventh grader Mallory has difficulty saying no, causing her to repress her feelings. A new nonbinary friend leads her to involvement in the library's drag queen story time. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
Elisa Stone Leahy
Illustrator: Maine Diaz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Seventh grader Mallory has difficulty saying no, causing her to repress her feelings. A new nonbinary friend leads her to involvement in the library's drag queen story time. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice
Anna Lapera
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Inspired by her Guatemalan aunt's activism and her grandmother's urging her to find her voice, 12-year-old Mani, along with her friends, advocates for free menstruation supplies at school. Unexpectedly, their project gets sidelined.
Anna Lapera
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Inspired by her Guatemalan aunt's activism and her grandmother's urging her to find her voice, 12-year-old Mani, along with her friends, advocates for free menstruation supplies at school. Unexpectedly, their project gets sidelined.
Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes (Matt Sprouts series)
Matt Eicheldinger
Illustrator: Matt Eicheldinger
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After he causes Jenna to break her collar bone, 11-year-old Matt, a soccer player, has a series of bone-breaking accidents. Is he cursed because of Jenna's lost summer? Amusing black-and-white line drawings.
Matt Eicheldinger
Illustrator: Matt Eicheldinger
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After he causes Jenna to break her collar bone, 11-year-old Matt, a soccer player, has a series of bone-breaking accidents. Is he cursed because of Jenna's lost summer? Amusing black-and-white line drawings.
Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II (Operation Kinderspion series)
Adam Gidwitz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
During World War II, 11-year-old Max is sent from Berlin to London to live with Jewish spies. Two creatures comment from Max's shoulders. End notes.
Adam Gidwitz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
During World War II, 11-year-old Max is sent from Berlin to London to live with Jewish spies. Two creatures comment from Max's shoulders. End notes.
Monarchs of Winghaven, The
Naila Moreira
Illustrator: Naila Moreira
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Preteen naturalists Samantha and Bram bond as they observe and document the flora and fauna, including butterflies, of a nearby field and pond. Detailed black-and-white nature drawings. Map. Extensive back matter.
Naila Moreira
Illustrator: Naila Moreira
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Preteen naturalists Samantha and Bram bond as they observe and document the flora and fauna, including butterflies, of a nearby field and pond. Detailed black-and-white nature drawings. Map. Extensive back matter.
Monster Locker (Monster Locker series)
Jorge Aguirre and Andrés Vera Martínez
Illustrator: Andrés Vera Martínez
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
With the help of a few friends, Pablo saves his middle school from a vengeful Aztec goddess. Animation-style artwork.
Jorge Aguirre and Andrés Vera Martínez
Illustrator: Andrés Vera Martínez
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
With the help of a few friends, Pablo saves his middle school from a vengeful Aztec goddess. Animation-style artwork.
Mountain of Fire: the Eruption and Survivors of Mount St. Helens
Rebecca E. F. Barone
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
For two months in 1980, scientists recognized the signs of an imminent earthquake in Washington State. The power and destruction of the volcano dwarfed predictions. Back matter.
Rebecca E. F. Barone
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
For two months in 1980, scientists recognized the signs of an imminent earthquake in Washington State. The power and destruction of the volcano dwarfed predictions. Back matter.
Murray Out of Water
Taylor Tracy
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Numerous challenges confront 12-year-old Murray: a destroyed beachfront home; the loss of her magical connection with the ocean; an emerging LGBTQ+ identity; and a censorious, homophobic mother. Free verse.
Taylor Tracy
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Numerous challenges confront 12-year-old Murray: a destroyed beachfront home; the loss of her magical connection with the ocean; an emerging LGBTQ+ identity; and a censorious, homophobic mother. Free verse.
My So-Called Family
Gia Gordon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Ash feels she has nobody to depict in a family tree for a school assignment, but growing friendships with unconventional classmates teach her otherwise. Discerning teachers also come to her rescue.
Gia Gordon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Ash feels she has nobody to depict in a family tree for a school assignment, but growing friendships with unconventional classmates teach her otherwise. Discerning teachers also come to her rescue.
Not Nothing
Gayle Forman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After committing a juvenile offense, Alex, 12, is assigned to Shady Glen Retirement home for community service. A 107-year-old Holocaust survivor there helps them both to heal.
Gayle Forman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After committing a juvenile offense, Alex, 12, is assigned to Shady Glen Retirement home for community service. A 107-year-old Holocaust survivor there helps them both to heal.
Not Quite a Ghost
Anne Ursu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Violet, a middle child, is challenged by her relationships with her birth father and her Black stepfather, being sick and very tired, losing friends—and a ghost appearing in her bedroom!
Anne Ursu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Violet, a middle child, is challenged by her relationships with her birth father and her Black stepfather, being sick and very tired, losing friends—and a ghost appearing in her bedroom!
Odin (Asgardians series)
George O'Connor
Illustrator: George O'Connor, colors by Norm Grock
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Valkyries whisk a warrior from a bloody battlefield to Valhalla, where he hears the complex story of Odin and the numerous Norse gods. Dramatic graphic art. Extensive page notes, glossary.
George O'Connor
Illustrator: George O'Connor, colors by Norm Grock
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Valkyries whisk a warrior from a bloody battlefield to Valhalla, where he hears the complex story of Odin and the numerous Norse gods. Dramatic graphic art. Extensive page notes, glossary.
Olivetti
Allie Millington
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
When his mother goes missing, shy dictionary-loving Ernest must rely on her old Olivetti typewriter and a new-found friend to try to find her.
Allie Millington
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
When his mother goes missing, shy dictionary-loving Ernest must rely on her old Olivetti typewriter and a new-found friend to try to find her.
On a Wing and a Tear
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After Great-Grandfather Bat injures his wing, he asks humans Charlie Halfmoon, Charlie's grandson Ray, and Ray's friend Mel to drive him to the Great Ball Game between the Birds and Mammals.
Cynthia Leitich Smith
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
After Great-Grandfather Bat injures his wing, he asks humans Charlie Halfmoon, Charlie's grandson Ray, and Ray's friend Mel to drive him to the Great Ball Game between the Birds and Mammals.
One Big Open Sky
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: Allira Tree, map
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
In 1879, Lettie and her Black family leave Mississippi seeking a better life in Nebraska, their arduous journey detailed in prose poetry and multiple voices. Author's note. Greyscale map.
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: Allira Tree, map
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
In 1879, Lettie and her Black family leave Mississippi seeking a better life in Nebraska, their arduous journey detailed in prose poetry and multiple voices. Author's note. Greyscale map.
Outsmarters, The
Deborah Ellis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Living with her irascible grandmother, 12-year-old Kate navigates her traumatic past by starting a business, finding friends in unlikely places, and passing her GED. Complex themes handled with compassion and humor.
Deborah Ellis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Living with her irascible grandmother, 12-year-old Kate navigates her traumatic past by starting a business, finding friends in unlikely places, and passing her GED. Complex themes handled with compassion and humor.
Partition Project, The
Saadia Faruqi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Pakistani American Maha, 12, wonders if she can turn her grandmother's experiences during the 1947 partition of India into a documentary film for a school assignment.
Saadia Faruqi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Pakistani American Maha, 12, wonders if she can turn her grandmother's experiences during the 1947 partition of India into a documentary film for a school assignment.
Pearl
Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie
Illustrator: Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Japanese American Amy, 13, is sent to Hiroshima in 1941 to visit her ailing great grandmother. While she is there, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and Amy cannot return home. Artwork in shades of blue and grey.
Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie
Illustrator: Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Japanese American Amy, 13, is sent to Hiroshima in 1941 to visit her ailing great grandmother. While she is there, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, and Amy cannot return home. Artwork in shades of blue and grey.
Pizza Face
Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza
Illustrator: Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza, colors by Ash Szymanik
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Puberty, pimples, poverty, mood swings, and thrift clothing destroy seventh grader Rex's school friendships. Can he survive and help others having the same experience? Bold, dynamic artwork. Also available in Spanish.
Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza
Illustrator: Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza, colors by Ash Szymanik
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Puberty, pimples, poverty, mood swings, and thrift clothing destroy seventh grader Rex's school friendships. Can he survive and help others having the same experience? Bold, dynamic artwork. Also available in Spanish.
Puzzled: A Memoir About Growing Up with OCD
Pan Cooke
Illustrator: Pan Cooke
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Pan lives in fear that his obsessive, anxious thoughts are taking over his life, making him feel different from everyone else. Simple, clear illustrations.
Pan Cooke
Illustrator: Pan Cooke
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Pan lives in fear that his obsessive, anxious thoughts are taking over his life, making him feel different from everyone else. Simple, clear illustrations.
Radar and the Raft: A True Story About a Scientific Marvel, the Lives It Saved, and the World It Changed
Jeff Lantos
Illustrator: Alan Marks
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Thanks to brilliant inventions and courageous countrymen, injured and starving survivors of a cargo ship, torpedoed in shark-filled waters were rescued at the eleventh hour. Watercolor illustrations, archival photos. Index, sources.
Jeff Lantos
Illustrator: Alan Marks
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Thanks to brilliant inventions and courageous countrymen, injured and starving survivors of a cargo ship, torpedoed in shark-filled waters were rescued at the eleventh hour. Watercolor illustrations, archival photos. Index, sources.
Reckoning, The
Wade Hudson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Lamar, a Black boy, wants to make movies but thinks he doesn't have a worthy subject. When his grandfather gets killed, unraveling the injustice behind the murder becomes Lamar's passion.
Wade Hudson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Lamar, a Black boy, wants to make movies but thinks he doesn't have a worthy subject. When his grandfather gets killed, unraveling the injustice behind the murder becomes Lamar's passion.
Shaken
James Preller
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Kristy, 13, lives and breathes soccer and expects to be a national or Olympic competitor, until a concussion forces her to deal with an invisible injury and find a new path.
James Preller
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Kristy, 13, lives and breathes soccer and expects to be a national or Olympic competitor, until a concussion forces her to deal with an invisible injury and find a new path.
Shark Teeth
Sherri Winston
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Seventh grader Sharkita, a Black girl, wants to keep her family together and to enjoy school. But can she do that when her mama keeps disappearing?
Sherri Winston
Ages: 12+
Published: 2024
Seventh grader Sharkita, a Black girl, wants to keep her family together and to enjoy school. But can she do that when her mama keeps disappearing?