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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The Mystery of Hollow Places
by Rebecca Podos
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Imogene, whose mother left years ago, now faces her father's disappearance. She is determined to find him.
by Rebecca Podos
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Imogene, whose mother left years ago, now faces her father's disappearance. She is determined to find him.
The Possibility of Now
by Kim Culbertson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
After a meltdown at her highly competitive school, overachieving Mara goes to stay with her estranged father, a ski bum.
by Kim Culbertson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
After a meltdown at her highly competitive school, overachieving Mara goes to stay with her estranged father, a ski bum.
The Safest Lies
by Megan Miranda
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Kelsey's agoraphobic mother was kidnapped 17 years ago but escaped. When her mother disappears, Kelsey must uncover the lies that have ruled her life.
by Megan Miranda
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Kelsey's agoraphobic mother was kidnapped 17 years ago but escaped. When her mother disappears, Kelsey must uncover the lies that have ruled her life.
The Scourge
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
ARC -- When a plague sweeps through the land, Ani is shocked when she tests positive. The test seems rigged, but will Ani die anyway?
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
ARC -- When a plague sweeps through the land, Ani is shocked when she tests positive. The test seems rigged, but will Ani die anyway?
The Secret Keepers
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Finding an extraordinary, antique watch leads 11-year-old Reuben on a frightening quest as he confronts an evil genius and learns to use his new capabilities. Intermittent black-and-white drawings.
by Trenton Lee Stewart
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Finding an extraordinary, antique watch leads 11-year-old Reuben on a frightening quest as he confronts an evil genius and learns to use his new capabilities. Intermittent black-and-white drawings.
The Shadow Guard (Second Guard series)
by J. D. Vaughn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Brindl, employed by the princess and a member of the Earth Guild, fights to create a world of equality for workers and royalty alike.
by J. D. Vaughn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Brindl, employed by the princess and a member of the Earth Guild, fights to create a world of equality for workers and royalty alike.
The World Beneath
by Janice Warman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the 1970s, a black boy living with his servant mother in a white-owned mansion, becomes embroiled in the South African anti-apartheid struggle, forcing him to make heart-wrenching decisions.
by Janice Warman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In the 1970s, a black boy living with his servant mother in a white-owned mansion, becomes embroiled in the South African anti-apartheid struggle, forcing him to make heart-wrenching decisions.
This Is the Story of You
by Beth Kephart
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
The effects of a sudden devastating superstorm on a seventeen-year-old girl and her small New Jersey barrier island is told in vivid poetic prose.
by Beth Kephart
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
The effects of a sudden devastating superstorm on a seventeen-year-old girl and her small New Jersey barrier island is told in vivid poetic prose.
Timber Creek Station
by Ali Lewis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A boy faces intricately woven problems at an Australian cattle station: a devastating drought, his brother's death, his sister's pregnancy, and his prejudice of Aborigines.
by Ali Lewis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A boy faces intricately woven problems at an Australian cattle station: a devastating drought, his brother's death, his sister's pregnancy, and his prejudice of Aborigines.
Time Traveling with a Hamster
by Ross Welford
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
On Al Chaudhury's twelfth birthday, he receives a letter from his father with instructions on how to prevent Mr. Chaudhury's death, which occurred four years prior.
by Ross Welford
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
On Al Chaudhury's twelfth birthday, he receives a letter from his father with instructions on how to prevent Mr. Chaudhury's death, which occurred four years prior.
To Stay Alive
by Skila Brown
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1846 a nineteeen-year-old and her Illinois family join a California bound group, but 100 miles from their destination are tragically overtaken by snow and starvation.
by Skila Brown
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1846 a nineteeen-year-old and her Illinois family join a California bound group, but 100 miles from their destination are tragically overtaken by snow and starvation.
Trouble the Water
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1953 segregated Kentucky, two 11-year-olds, an African American girl and a white boy, search for a lost dog's owner together and encounter a ghost from the days of the underground railroad.
by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1953 segregated Kentucky, two 11-year-olds, an African American girl and a white boy, search for a lost dog's owner together and encounter a ghost from the days of the underground railroad.
Uprooted
by Albert Marrin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
This book examins early Japanese immigration to America and the forces that led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Archival photos.
by Albert Marrin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
This book examins early Japanese immigration to America and the forces that led to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Archival photos.
Vietnam
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A determined people wage a very long and bitter war for independence against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans. Photographs and back matter.
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
A determined people wage a very long and bitter war for independence against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans. Photographs and back matter.
We Will Not Be Silent
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
During World War II, German students write leaflets and courageously face death to defy Hitler's totalitarian government. Photographs and backmatter.
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
During World War II, German students write leaflets and courageously face death to defy Hitler's totalitarian government. Photographs and backmatter.
What Elephants Know
by Eric Dinerstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In Nepal, Nandu must save his adopted father's elephant stable. The author, a naturalist, writes vividly about plants and animals of Nepal.
by Eric Dinerstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In Nepal, Nandu must save his adopted father's elephant stable. The author, a naturalist, writes vividly about plants and animals of Nepal.
When Friendship Followed Me Home
by Paul Griffin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Former foster kid Ben Coffin, 12, a science fiction and math geek, rescues and adopts a stray dog, setting off a chain of unforeseen events.
by Paul Griffin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
Former foster kid Ben Coffin, 12, a science fiction and math geek, rescues and adopts a stray dog, setting off a chain of unforeseen events.
Where You'll Find Me
by Natasha Friend
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When 13-year-old Anna's mother's crippling metal illness forces her to move to her father's home with his new family, Anna faces life's joys and pain.
by Natasha Friend
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
When 13-year-old Anna's mother's crippling metal illness forces her to move to her father's home with his new family, Anna faces life's joys and pain.
Wolf Hollow
by Lauren Wolk
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1943, Betty, 14, accuses a gentle veteran of her own aggressive bullying. When his only friend, Annabelle, 14, tries to help him, the consequences are dire. Includes violence and cruelty that may not be appropriate for sensitive readers.
by Lauren Wolk
Ages: 12+
Published: 2016
In 1943, Betty, 14, accuses a gentle veteran of her own aggressive bullying. When his only friend, Annabelle, 14, tries to help him, the consequences are dire. Includes violence and cruelty that may not be appropriate for sensitive readers.
After the Ashes
by Sara K. Joiner
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
In August 1883 two teenagers in the Dutch East Indies colony of Java, with very different ideas about their futures, try to survive a volcanic eruption and the giant waves that followed. Based on a true event.
by Sara K. Joiner
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
In August 1883 two teenagers in the Dutch East Indies colony of Java, with very different ideas about their futures, try to survive a volcanic eruption and the giant waves that followed. Based on a true event.
A Night Divided
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
Despite great risk, Gerta, Fritz and Mama dig a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall to join father and Dominic in the West.
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
Despite great risk, Gerta, Fritz and Mama dig a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall to join father and Dominic in the West.
Audacity
by Melanie Crowder
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
Clara Lemlich's story from life as a child in Russia through the immigrant experience, to labor activist in New York, is vividly told in verse. Includes historical notes and glossary.
by Melanie Crowder
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
Clara Lemlich's story from life as a child in Russia through the immigrant experience, to labor activist in New York, is vividly told in verse. Includes historical notes and glossary.
A Year Without Mom
by
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When her mother goes to study in America for a year, she leaves 12-year-old Dasha in Moscow with her grandparents during a year of political and personal change. Deceptively simple pen-and-ink wash graphics.
by
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When her mother goes to study in America for a year, she leaves 12-year-old Dasha in Moscow with her grandparents during a year of political and personal change. Deceptively simple pen-and-ink wash graphics.
Baba Yaga's Assistant
by Marika McCoola
Illustrator: Emily Carroll
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When her widowed father becomes engaged to a woman she has never met, tween Masha runs away to becomes the assistant to a witch. Digitally created illustrations.
by Marika McCoola
Illustrator: Emily Carroll
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When her widowed father becomes engaged to a woman she has never met, tween Masha runs away to becomes the assistant to a witch. Digitally created illustrations.
Beastkeeper
by Cat Hellisen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When thirteen-year-old Sarah's family is torn apart by curses, revenge, and jealousy, she works to preserve her humanity.
by Cat Hellisen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2015
When thirteen-year-old Sarah's family is torn apart by curses, revenge, and jealousy, she works to preserve her humanity.