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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Ashes
by Kathryn Lasky
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Gaby, a fictional neighbor of Albert Einstein, but not Jewish herself, sees the growing effects of anti-Semitism in her school, in her life, and in 1932 Berlin.
by Kathryn Lasky
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Gaby, a fictional neighbor of Albert Einstein, but not Jewish herself, sees the growing effects of anti-Semitism in her school, in her life, and in 1932 Berlin.
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark
by Glenda Millard
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Skip, a runaway from a foster family, joins a homeless man, a small boy, and a young teen with a baby in an Australia that becomes a war torn country.
by Glenda Millard
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Skip, a runaway from a foster family, joins a homeless man, a small boy, and a young teen with a baby in an Australia that becomes a war torn country.
Bamboo People
by Mitali Perkins
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Teenagers from different groups in war torn Myanmar help each other. A contemporary tale of conflict and kindness.
by Mitali Perkins
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Teenagers from different groups in war torn Myanmar help each other. A contemporary tale of conflict and kindness.
Blindsided
by Priscilla Cummings
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As the last of her vision goes, Natalie, 14, is sent to a school for the blind. She learns to accept her disability.
by Priscilla Cummings
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As the last of her vision goes, Natalie, 14, is sent to a school for the blind. She learns to accept her disability.
Borderline
by Allan Stratton
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As Sami, the lone Muslim in his suburban private high school, contends with being bullied, he must struggle with his family and his faith when his father is implicated in a terrorist plot.
by Allan Stratton
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As Sami, the lone Muslim in his suburban private high school, contends with being bullied, he must struggle with his family and his faith when his father is implicated in a terrorist plot.
Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots
by Abby McDonald
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Seventeen-year-old Jenna hopes to rescue her summer by spending it in rural Canada with her godmother, but finds saving the environment and her romance more complicated than she had thought.
by Abby McDonald
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Seventeen-year-old Jenna hopes to rescue her summer by spending it in rural Canada with her godmother, but finds saving the environment and her romance more complicated than she had thought.
Bruiser
by Neal Shusterman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
When sixteen-year-old twins befriend Bruiser, the guy voted Most Likely to Go to Jail, they discover his unusual ability and are forced to contemplate the nature of friendship.
by Neal Shusterman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
When sixteen-year-old twins befriend Bruiser, the guy voted Most Likely to Go to Jail, they discover his unusual ability and are forced to contemplate the nature of friendship.
Cate of the Lost Colony
by Lisa Klein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
When her correspondence with Sir Walter Raleigh, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, is discovered, Cate is sent to Roanoke as punishment.
by Lisa Klein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
When her correspondence with Sir Walter Raleigh, a favorite of Queen Elizabeth, is discovered, Cate is sent to Roanoke as punishment.
Center Field
by Robert Lipsyte
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Mike is upset when Dominican center fielder vies for “his” job, but learns that people are not always what they seem.
by Robert Lipsyte
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Mike is upset when Dominican center fielder vies for “his” job, but learns that people are not always what they seem.
City of Cannibals
by Ricki Thompson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Fleeing an abusive father, Dell escapes and finds herself embroiled in the dangerous politics of Henry VII's England.
by Ricki Thompson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Fleeing an abusive father, Dell escapes and finds herself embroiled in the dangerous politics of Henry VII's England.
Compromised
by Heidi Ayarbe
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In this harrowing novel, fifteen-year-old Mary travels from Reno to Boise to avoid foster care by finding an aunt whom she didn't know existed.
by Heidi Ayarbe
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In this harrowing novel, fifteen-year-old Mary travels from Reno to Boise to avoid foster care by finding an aunt whom she didn't know existed.
Countdown
by Deborah Wiles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In 1962, eleven-year-old Franny deals with life, friends, and boys against a backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and possible nuclear war.
by Deborah Wiles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In 1962, eleven-year-old Franny deals with life, friends, and boys against a backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis and possible nuclear war.
Dark Life
by Kat Falls
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Fifteen-year-old Ty, living on the ocean floor, joins forces with Gemma, a land dweller, to fight for a better world.
by Kat Falls
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Fifteen-year-old Ty, living on the ocean floor, joins forces with Gemma, a land dweller, to fight for a better world.
Dark Water
by Laura McNeal
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Pearl's strong love for Amiel, an illegal Mexican immigrants, blinds her to the perils of a wildfire in her California town and causes a family tragedy.
by Laura McNeal
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Pearl's strong love for Amiel, an illegal Mexican immigrants, blinds her to the perils of a wildfire in her California town and causes a family tragedy.
Dash and Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A treasure hunt starts in New York City's Strand bookstore and leads Lilly and Dash to many city landmarks and eventual romance.
by Rachel Cohn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A treasure hunt starts in New York City's Strand bookstore and leads Lilly and Dash to many city landmarks and eventual romance.
Efrain's Secret
by Sofia Quintero
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
South Bronx teenager Efrain has set his sights on attending Harvard, but he gets involved in drug dealing to help pay his way. Strong novel about contemporary teen life.
by Sofia Quintero
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
South Bronx teenager Efrain has set his sights on attending Harvard, but he gets involved in drug dealing to help pay his way. Strong novel about contemporary teen life.
Empty
by Suzanne Weyn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As oil is depleted and a super hurricane destroys homes, people fight to obtain scarce resources, and three teen agers try to adjust to the new world, set ten years in the future.
by Suzanne Weyn
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As oil is depleted and a super hurricane destroys homes, people fight to obtain scarce resources, and three teen agers try to adjust to the new world, set ten years in the future.
Fever Crumb
by Philip Reeve
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
At age fourteen, Fever, who was raised as an engineer, leaves her sheltered world to learn startling truths about her past.
by Philip Reeve
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
At age fourteen, Fever, who was raised as an engineer, leaves her sheltered world to learn startling truths about her past.
Ghostopolis
written and ill. by Doug TenNapel
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Garth, a sickly boy, is accidentally pulled into the ghost world. Here he discovers his special powers, using them to fight evil.
written and ill. by Doug TenNapel
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Garth, a sickly boy, is accidentally pulled into the ghost world. Here he discovers his special powers, using them to fight evil.
Harmonic Feedback
by Tara Kelly
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Three needy teens come together partly because of musical talents and their association has unexpected results.
by Tara Kelly
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
Three needy teens come together partly because of musical talents and their association has unexpected results.
Heart of a Samurai
by Margi Preus
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A true story about a Japanese boy and the amazing journey that leads him to live beyond all expectations and fulfill even his most unlikely wishes.
by Margi Preus
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A true story about a Japanese boy and the amazing journey that leads him to live beyond all expectations and fulfill even his most unlikely wishes.
Life, After
by Sarah Darer Littman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
After Argentina's 2001 financial crisis, Dani's family follow many of their compatriots to the United States where they gradually adjust to a new culture and regain their dignity.
by Sarah Darer Littman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
After Argentina's 2001 financial crisis, Dani's family follow many of their compatriots to the United States where they gradually adjust to a new culture and regain their dignity.
Lincoln's Flying Spies
by Gail Jarrow
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A scientist's boyhood fascination with flying led to the building of aerial balloons used by Union generals to track Confederate movements. Extensively researched; archival material.
by Gail Jarrow
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
A scientist's boyhood fascination with flying led to the building of aerial balloons used by Union generals to track Confederate movements. Extensively researched; archival material.
Mockingbird
by Kathryn Erskine
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As Caitlin, a bright fifth grader with Asperger's Syndrome,struggles to come to terms with the loss of a beloved older brother, she discovers what it means to have “closure.”
by Kathryn Erskine
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
As Caitlin, a bright fifth grader with Asperger's Syndrome,struggles to come to terms with the loss of a beloved older brother, she discovers what it means to have “closure.”
Moon Over Manifest
by Clare Vanderpool
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In a small Kansas town during the Great Depression, twelve-year-old Abilene tries to learn about her father's past and encounters other mysteries as well.
by Clare Vanderpool
Ages: 12+
Published: 2010
In a small Kansas town during the Great Depression, twelve-year-old Abilene tries to learn about her father's past and encounters other mysteries as well.