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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Secret Sisters, The
Avi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1925 Ida leaves her Colorado farm to attend high school. Boarding in town, she discovers friendships, electricity, telephones, movies, and more. Glossary of flapper-era slang. Back matter.
Avi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1925 Ida leaves her Colorado farm to attend high school. Boarding in town, she discovers friendships, electricity, telephones, movies, and more. Glossary of flapper-era slang. Back matter.
Shipwrecked!: Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor
Martin W. Sandler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Some shipwrecks are discovered by accident. Finding others requires collaboration and patience, unraveling mysteries, and waiting for treacherous seas to calm. Sidebars. Archival images and photos. Diagrams snd maps. Sources.
Martin W. Sandler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Some shipwrecks are discovered by accident. Finding others requires collaboration and patience, unraveling mysteries, and waiting for treacherous seas to calm. Sidebars. Archival images and photos. Diagrams snd maps. Sources.
Shira & Esther's Double Dream Debut
Anna E. Jordan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Shira dreams of performing onstage, while Esther dreams of studying Torah. It takes chutzpah for the 12-year-old look-alikes to switch places to pursue their dreams. Glossary. Author's note.
Anna E. Jordan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Shira dreams of performing onstage, while Esther dreams of studying Torah. It takes chutzpah for the 12-year-old look-alikes to switch places to pursue their dreams. Glossary. Author's note.
Simon Sort of Says
Erin Bow
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Seventh grader Simon and his parents move to a remote Nebraska town to escape notoriety following a school shooting. Humor along with pathos and healing.
Erin Bow
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Seventh grader Simon and his parents move to a remote Nebraska town to escape notoriety following a school shooting. Humor along with pathos and healing.
Skating on Mars
Caroline Huntoon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Coming out as nonbinary, Veronica wants to be known as Mars. Though they are a talented figure skater, there doesn't seem to be a competition they can enter. Family and friends offer help.
Caroline Huntoon
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Coming out as nonbinary, Veronica wants to be known as Mars. Though they are a talented figure skater, there doesn't seem to be a competition they can enter. Family and friends offer help.
Sky Full of Song, A
Susan Lynn Meyer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1905, fleeing antisemitic pogroms in Ukraine, 11-year-old Shoshana and her family homestead in North Dakota. She struggles to fit in and tries to hide her Jewish identity. Author's note, bibliography.
Susan Lynn Meyer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1905, fleeing antisemitic pogroms in Ukraine, 11-year-old Shoshana and her family homestead in North Dakota. She struggles to fit in and tries to hide her Jewish identity. Author's note, bibliography.
Something Close to Magic
Emma Mills
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Aurelie, a humble baker's apprentice, is recruited to use her Seeking skills to find Elias Allred. What will the consequences be if she succeeds?
Emma Mills
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Aurelie, a humble baker's apprentice, is recruited to use her Seeking skills to find Elias Allred. What will the consequences be if she succeeds?
Something Like Home
Andrea Beatriz Arango
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
When her parents are sent to rehab, Laura, 11, is sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know and finds companionship with a stray dog. Free verse.
Andrea Beatriz Arango
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
When her parents are sent to rehab, Laura, 11, is sent to live with an aunt she doesn't know and finds companionship with a stray dog. Free verse.
Song of Us, The
Kate Fussner
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two seventh grade girls experience the angst of first love and their sexual awakening while dealing with peer pressure and difficult parental issues.
Kate Fussner
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two seventh grade girls experience the angst of first love and their sexual awakening while dealing with peer pressure and difficult parental issues.
Squished
Megan Wagner Lloyd
Illustrator: Michelle Mee Nutter
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Korean American Avery, 11, loves her six siblings (most of the time) but dreams of having her own room. Colorful, animated panels.
Megan Wagner Lloyd
Illustrator: Michelle Mee Nutter
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Korean American Avery, 11, loves her six siblings (most of the time) but dreams of having her own room. Colorful, animated panels.
Tethered to Other Stars
Elisa Stone Leahy
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Wendy's Salvadoran Guatemalan family seems safe from ICE, but when she uncovers papers secretly stored away, she becomes more active in the immigration issues facing her community.
Elisa Stone Leahy
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Wendy's Salvadoran Guatemalan family seems safe from ICE, but when she uncovers papers secretly stored away, she becomes more active in the immigration issues facing her community.
This Boy: The Early Lives of John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Ilene Cooper
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
The influences that shaped Lennon-McCartney, warts and all, with a captivating look at 1950s England. Archival photographs. Endnotes.
Ilene Cooper
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
The influences that shaped Lennon-McCartney, warts and all, with a captivating look at 1950s England. Archival photographs. Endnotes.
Tiger Daughter
Rebecca Lim
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Wen helps a fellow Chinese immigrant student in their Australian school. Both live in poverty, with troubled parents. Could a scholarship to a better school save one of them? Mature content
Rebecca Lim
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Wen helps a fellow Chinese immigrant student in their Australian school. Both live in poverty, with troubled parents. Could a scholarship to a better school save one of them? Mature content
Two Tribes
Emily Bowen Cohen
Illustrator: Emily Bowen Cohen, colors by Lark Pien
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Mia, Jewish and Muscogee, doesn't know much about her Native side. Using her bat mitzvah money, she secretly visits her dad to learn more about Native traditions. Mixed-media artwork.
Emily Bowen Cohen
Illustrator: Emily Bowen Cohen, colors by Lark Pien
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Mia, Jewish and Muscogee, doesn't know much about her Native side. Using her bat mitzvah money, she secretly visits her dad to learn more about Native traditions. Mixed-media artwork.
Umbrella House, The
Colleen Nelson
Illustrator: Peggy Collins, map
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two creative and resourceful 12-year-olds work to prevent developers from destroying their East Village apartment building. Map. Archival photograph of the Umbrella House. Sources.
Colleen Nelson
Illustrator: Peggy Collins, map
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two creative and resourceful 12-year-olds work to prevent developers from destroying their East Village apartment building. Map. Archival photograph of the Umbrella House. Sources.
Under the Java Moon
Heather B. Moore
Illustrator: Sheryl Dickert Smith (maps)
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In Japanese internment camps in the occupied Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II, Dutch families endure brutal conditions. Based on a true story. Maps and archival photographs and images. Time line. Back matter.
Heather B. Moore
Illustrator: Sheryl Dickert Smith (maps)
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In Japanese internment camps in the occupied Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II, Dutch families endure brutal conditions. Based on a true story. Maps and archival photographs and images. Time line. Back matter.
Unraveller
Frances Hardinge
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
When consumed by hate, cursers can destroy another person's life. Only Kellen can unravel curses, but now he too is cursed. But who would have done that, and why?
Frances Hardinge
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
When consumed by hate, cursers can destroy another person's life. Only Kellen can unravel curses, but now he too is cursed. But who would have done that, and why?
We Are Your Children Too: Black Students, White Supremacists, and the Battle for America's Schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia
P. O'Connell Pearson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1951 African American students in a segregated school district went on strike to advocate for equal facilities. Years of legal battles resulted as the county refused to allow integration. Interview. Archival photos. Back matter.
P. O'Connell Pearson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
In 1951 African American students in a segregated school district went on strike to advocate for equal facilities. Years of legal battles resulted as the county refused to allow integration. Interview. Archival photos. Back matter.
Welcome to Consent: How to Say No, When to Say Yes, and How to Be the Boss of Your Body (Welcome to Your Body series)
Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang
Illustrator: Jenny Latham
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Advice and tools for managing maturing bodies, minds, and emotions in a variety of situations. Includes a list of helpful organizations. Cheery, digital illustrations. Mature content
Yumi Stynes and Dr. Melissa Kang
Illustrator: Jenny Latham
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Advice and tools for managing maturing bodies, minds, and emotions in a variety of situations. Includes a list of helpful organizations. Cheery, digital illustrations. Mature content
What Happened to Rachel Riley?
Claire Swinarski
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
As a newcomer in eighth grade, Anna wonders why Rachel is shunned by classmates, and is determined to use a school project to investigate. Emails and texts reveal significant details.
Claire Swinarski
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
As a newcomer in eighth grade, Anna wonders why Rachel is shunned by classmates, and is determined to use a school project to investigate. Emails and texts reveal significant details.
What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing —What Birds Are Doing, and Why
David Allen Sibley
Illustrator: David Allen Sibley
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
A renowned ornithologist shares his exquisite, detailed renderings of birds and encyclopedic knowledge of their unique characteristics and commonalities. Three hundred color illustrations. Tips on bird identification. Young readers edition.
David Allen Sibley
Illustrator: David Allen Sibley
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
A renowned ornithologist shares his exquisite, detailed renderings of birds and encyclopedic knowledge of their unique characteristics and commonalities. Three hundred color illustrations. Tips on bird identification. Young readers edition.
When Clouds Touch Us
Thanhhà Lại
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old Vietnamese refugee Hà and her older brothers adapted to life in Alabama, but would she be able to navigate a new environment when her mother moved them to Texas? In verse.
Thanhhà Lại
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old Vietnamese refugee Hà and her older brothers adapted to life in Alabama, but would she be able to navigate a new environment when her mother moved them to Texas? In verse.
Where the Lockwood Grows
Olivia A. Cole
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old Erie is stuck in a town protected from wildfires by lockwood, an engineered plant that must be cut back every morning by children like her.
Olivia A. Cole
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old Erie is stuck in a town protected from wildfires by lockwood, an engineered plant that must be cut back every morning by children like her.
Wild Bird
Diane Zahler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Rescued by a ship's crew after surviving a plague, Rype journeys across Europe, meeting troubadours, escaping violence, and, slowly, remembering her past.
Diane Zahler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Rescued by a ship's crew after surviving a plague, Rype journeys across Europe, meeting troubadours, escaping violence, and, slowly, remembering her past.
Wild Poppies
Haya Saleh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two brothers with very different personalities face great hardships during the Syrian civil war. Omar, 15, often timid, must find his younger fearless brother, Sufyan, 12.
Haya Saleh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2023
Two brothers with very different personalities face great hardships during the Syrian civil war. Omar, 15, often timid, must find his younger fearless brother, Sufyan, 12.