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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Samurai Rising
by Pamela S. Turner
Illustrator: Gareth Hinds
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the violent world of 12th century Japan, an exiled child grows up to become a legendary warrior. Notes, timelines, and black-and-white brush illustrations.
by Pamela S. Turner
Illustrator: Gareth Hinds
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the violent world of 12th century Japan, an exiled child grows up to become a legendary warrior. Notes, timelines, and black-and-white brush illustrations.
Saving Wonder
by Mary Knight
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In rural Kentucky, Curley and his best friend Jules try to save their beloved mountain from being destroyed by the big mining company in town.
by Mary Knight
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In rural Kentucky, Curley and his best friend Jules try to save their beloved mountain from being destroyed by the big mining company in town.
Scar
by J. Albert Mann
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A Native American boy and a crippled sixteen-year-old, both wounded serving on opposite sides of the Revolutionary War, experience the horrors of warfare together.
by J. Albert Mann
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A Native American boy and a crippled sixteen-year-old, both wounded serving on opposite sides of the Revolutionary War, experience the horrors of warfare together.
School Ship Tobermory
by Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrator: Iain McIntosh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When twins Ben and Fee land coveted spots on a training ship, they share unexpected adventures with new friends. Black-and-white illustrations interspersed. Glossary.
by Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrator: Iain McIntosh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When twins Ben and Fee land coveted spots on a training ship, they share unexpected adventures with new friends. Black-and-white illustrations interspersed. Glossary.
Sea Change
written and illustrated by Frank Viva
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A boy has a transformative experience during a summer vacation in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia. Clever pencil and India ink artwork.
written and illustrated by Frank Viva
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A boy has a transformative experience during a summer vacation in a small fishing village in Nova Scotia. Clever pencil and India ink artwork.
Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat
by Gary Paulsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Stuck in a bathroom together, six middle school boys who otherwise have little in common discover that a difficult situation can turn into a surprisingly good one.
by Gary Paulsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Stuck in a bathroom together, six middle school boys who otherwise have little in common discover that a difficult situation can turn into a surprisingly good one.
Snow White
written and illustrated by Matt Phelan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
New York City during the Great Depression is the setting for a re-imagining of this fairy tale. Atmospheric pencil, ink, and watercolor art.
written and illustrated by Matt Phelan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
New York City during the Great Depression is the setting for a re-imagining of this fairy tale. Atmospheric pencil, ink, and watercolor art.
Soar
by Tracy Edward Wymer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Eddie is determined to finish first in the seventh grade Science Symposium by proving that although no one believed him, his dead father really sighted a giant golden eagle.
by Tracy Edward Wymer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Eddie is determined to finish first in the seventh grade Science Symposium by proving that although no one believed him, his dead father really sighted a giant golden eagle.
Some Kind of Happiness
by Claire Legrand
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Eleven-year-old Finley is surrounded by secrets and feels safest in her imaginary world, the Everwood. One summer with her grandparents will test the strength of the Everwood, her family, and herself.
by Claire Legrand
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Eleven-year-old Finley is surrounded by secrets and feels safest in her imaginary world, the Everwood. One summer with her grandparents will test the strength of the Everwood, her family, and herself.
Some of the Parts
by Hannah Barnaby
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
After Tallie learns that her parents donated her brother's organs, she is obsessed with finding the recipients.
by Hannah Barnaby
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
After Tallie learns that her parents donated her brother's organs, she is obsessed with finding the recipients.
Tales of the Peculiar
by Ransom Riggs
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Shortly, slightly macabre morality tales by a “former ward of Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.” Interspersed black-and-white drawings.
by Ransom Riggs
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Shortly, slightly macabre morality tales by a “former ward of Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.” Interspersed black-and-white drawings.
Tell Me Something Real
by Calla Devlin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Vanessa, the middle of three sisters, tells the story of her mother's illness and tries to go on with her own life.
by Calla Devlin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Vanessa, the middle of three sisters, tells the story of her mother's illness and tries to go on with her own life.
Ten Days a Madwoman
by Deborah Noyes
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the 1900s, Nelly Bly, a resourceful investigative reporter, risked her safety to expose social injustice with stunts that made her famous. Historical photographs and source material.
by Deborah Noyes
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the 1900s, Nelly Bly, a resourceful investigative reporter, risked her safety to expose social injustice with stunts that made her famous. Historical photographs and source material.
The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn
by Sam Gayton
Illustrator: Poly Bernatene
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Risking her life to find her mother, Lettie pursues an alchemist to retrieve a mysterious substance he created. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations are peppered throughout.
by Sam Gayton
Illustrator: Poly Bernatene
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Risking her life to find her mother, Lettie pursues an alchemist to retrieve a mysterious substance he created. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations are peppered throughout.
The Ballad of a Broken Nose
by Arne Svingen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
How will thirteen-year-old Bart make friends. pursue his love of opera singing, and find his father in spite of poverty, an inadequate mother, bullying, and his own stress?
by Arne Svingen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
How will thirteen-year-old Bart make friends. pursue his love of opera singing, and find his father in spite of poverty, an inadequate mother, bullying, and his own stress?
The Big Dark
by Rodman Philbrick
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When an explosion on the sun causes an electromagnetic disaster, fifteen-year-old Charlie learns difficult lessons about heroism and hardship.
by Rodman Philbrick
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When an explosion on the sun causes an electromagnetic disaster, fifteen-year-old Charlie learns difficult lessons about heroism and hardship.
The Bone Sparrow
by Zana Fraillon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Nine-year-old Subhi's imagination and friendship with a girl on the outside help him endure the harsh conditions of a refugee detention center.
by Zana Fraillon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Nine-year-old Subhi's imagination and friendship with a girl on the outside help him endure the harsh conditions of a refugee detention center.
The Dog, Ray
by Linda Coggin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When 12-year-old Daisy tragically dies in a car crash she is reborn as a puppy named Ray. Will she reunite with her family or follow a new path?
by Linda Coggin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When 12-year-old Daisy tragically dies in a car crash she is reborn as a puppy named Ray. Will she reunite with her family or follow a new path?
The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love
by Sarvenaz Tash
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Some Long Island teens, obsessed with geek culture, manage to make it to New York's Comic-Con. Will neighbors Roxy and Graham transition from friendship into first love?
by Sarvenaz Tash
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Some Long Island teens, obsessed with geek culture, manage to make it to New York's Comic-Con. Will neighbors Roxy and Graham transition from friendship into first love?
The Girl From Everywhere
by Heidi Heilig
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Nix can help her father go back to Honolulu, 1868, to reunite with his long-dead wife in their time-traveling ship. But might Nix inadvertently erase her own birth?
by Heidi Heilig
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Nix can help her father go back to Honolulu, 1868, to reunite with his long-dead wife in their time-traveling ship. But might Nix inadvertently erase her own birth?
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
ARC Every year the Protectorate must leave a baby in the woods to keep the witch away. But what happens to the baby after they leave it?
by Kelly Barnhill
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
ARC Every year the Protectorate must leave a baby in the woods to keep the witch away. But what happens to the baby after they leave it?
The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo series)
by Rick Riordan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A mysterious attacker is laying siege to the Greek demigods' camp on 21st century Long Island. Can Apollo, now a mortal, save it?
by Rick Riordan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A mysterious attacker is laying siege to the Greek demigods' camp on 21st century Long Island. Can Apollo, now a mortal, save it?
The It Girl
by Katy Birchall
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Junior high school student Anna describes her daily troubles with parents, friendship, and popularity, along with the problem of dealing with sudden celebrity.
by Katy Birchall
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Junior high school student Anna describes her daily troubles with parents, friendship, and popularity, along with the problem of dealing with sudden celebrity.
The Lost & Found
by Katrina Leno
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Frannie, in Maryland, and Louis, in California, meet in an online trauma survivors group. Both have family mysteries to solve that converge in Austin, Texas. Should they meet and join forces?
by Katrina Leno
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Frannie, in Maryland, and Louis, in California, meet in an online trauma survivors group. Both have family mysteries to solve that converge in Austin, Texas. Should they meet and join forces?
The Magic Mirror
by Susan Hill Long
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Young Maggie is cursed with a crutch and a tough life until a magic mirror hints at better things, beginning a twisty tale of destiny.
by Susan Hill Long
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Young Maggie is cursed with a crutch and a tough life until a magic mirror hints at better things, beginning a twisty tale of destiny.