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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Dionysos: The New God (Olympians series)
George O'Connor
Illustrator: George O'Connor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hestia, goddess of the hearth, tells the story of Dionysos's trials and tribulations as a human until he ascends to Godhood. Dramatic, detailed panels. Bibliography, notes, and reading suggestions.
George O'Connor
Illustrator: George O'Connor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hestia, goddess of the hearth, tells the story of Dionysos's trials and tribulations as a human until he ascends to Godhood. Dramatic, detailed panels. Bibliography, notes, and reading suggestions.
Door of No Return, The
Kwame Alexander
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Eleven-year-old West Africa Asante Kingdom villager Kofi fights for his survival when he is betrayed by a neighboring village. Extensive back matter.
Kwame Alexander
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Eleven-year-old West Africa Asante Kingdom villager Kofi fights for his survival when he is betrayed by a neighboring village. Extensive back matter.
Dream, Annie, Dream
Waka T. Brown
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Kansas-born Annie loves basketball and theater; her loving Japanese parents, more aware of anti-Asian microaggressions, worry about her future and career. How will she negotiate middle school?
Waka T. Brown
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Kansas-born Annie loves basketball and theater; her loving Japanese parents, more aware of anti-Asian microaggressions, worry about her future and career. How will she negotiate middle school?
Duet: Our Journey in Song with the Northern Mockingbird
Phillip Hoose
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
The centuries-long connection between these brilliant mimics, known as "kings of song," and humans is explored. Photos and archival images. Bibliography, source notes, index.
Phillip Hoose
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
The centuries-long connection between these brilliant mimics, known as "kings of song," and humans is explored. Photos and archival images. Bibliography, source notes, index.
Etta Invincible
Reese Eschmann
Illustrator: Gretel Lusky
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When Etta's superhero alter-ego battles the fear of a disability diagnosis while on a magical train journey, her friend Eleazar's puppy helps her find hope. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
Reese Eschmann
Illustrator: Gretel Lusky
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When Etta's superhero alter-ego battles the fear of a disability diagnosis while on a magical train journey, her friend Eleazar's puppy helps her find hope. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
Every Bird a Prince
Jenn Reese
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Recruited by birds to protect animals and humans against creatures who weaponize doubt, seventh grader Eren Evers must find her inner truths in order to succeed.
Jenn Reese
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Recruited by birds to protect animals and humans against creatures who weaponize doubt, seventh grader Eren Evers must find her inner truths in order to succeed.
Fly
Alison Hughes
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Inspired by Don Quixote's chivalrous ideals, 14-year-old Fly, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, exposes a school villain and protects an unwitting girl, gaining respect and self-discovery. Powerful free verse.
Alison Hughes
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Inspired by Don Quixote's chivalrous ideals, 14-year-old Fly, a wheelchair user with cerebral palsy, exposes a school villain and protects an unwitting girl, gaining respect and self-discovery. Powerful free verse.
Fort, The
Gordon Korman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Five boys discover a hidden fallout shelter. At first it's just the best clubhouse ever, but soon it's really needed as a refuge.
Gordon Korman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Five boys discover a hidden fallout shelter. At first it's just the best clubhouse ever, but soon it's really needed as a refuge.
Ghostlight
Kenneth Oppel
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Three friends join forces with a ghost to save the world from "the wakeful and wicked dead" in this suspenseful tale incorporating Canadian history.
Kenneth Oppel
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Three friends join forces with a ghost to save the world from "the wakeful and wicked dead" in this suspenseful tale incorporating Canadian history.
Goblin Market
Diane Zahler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lizzie's love and special abilities save her older sister from marrying a trickster goblin whose beauty and professed love are illusory, poisonous, and destructive.
Diane Zahler
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lizzie's love and special abilities save her older sister from marrying a trickster goblin whose beauty and professed love are illusory, poisonous, and destructive.
Golden Girl
Reem Faruqi
Illustrator: Anoosha Syed
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Pakistani American Aafiyah's compulsion to steal is exacerbated when her father's detention and grandfather's illness strains their family finances. How can trust be regained? Free verse. Black-and-white spot illustrations.
Reem Faruqi
Illustrator: Anoosha Syed
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Pakistani American Aafiyah's compulsion to steal is exacerbated when her father's detention and grandfather's illness strains their family finances. How can trust be regained? Free verse. Black-and-white spot illustrations.
Green Eyes and Ham
Mary Penney
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Homeschooled until eighth grade, Ham, adopted son of a minister, contends with a difficult, confusing social life in public school as he questions his sexual identity.
Mary Penney
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Homeschooled until eighth grade, Ham, adopted son of a minister, contends with a difficult, confusing social life in public school as he questions his sexual identity.
Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation
Sylvia Liu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hana can't wait to be meshed to the multiweb at Start-Up. Slowly she begins to notice that friends are becoming sick and that the technology is problematic.
Sylvia Liu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hana can't wait to be meshed to the multiweb at Start-Up. Slowly she begins to notice that friends are becoming sick and that the technology is problematic.
Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association
Fred Bowen
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A lively history of how the game evolved from using peach baskets as hoops. Painterly portraits bring greats such as Bird and Chamberlain to life.
Fred Bowen
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A lively history of how the game evolved from using peach baskets as hoops. Painterly portraits bring greats such as Bird and Chamberlain to life.
Hazard
Frances O'Roark Dowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After Hazard acts violently during a football game, a writing assignment required by his psychologist reveals that Hazard's father lost a leg in Afghanistan.
Frances O'Roark Dowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After Hazard acts violently during a football game, a writing assignment required by his psychologist reveals that Hazard's father lost a leg in Afghanistan.
Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One
Maggie Horne
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hazel, 12, discovers that popular Tyler is sexually harassing many of their classmates, but the principal doesn't believe her. Can Hazel find another way to expose Tyler?
Maggie Horne
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Hazel, 12, discovers that popular Tyler is sexually harassing many of their classmates, but the principal doesn't believe her. Can Hazel find another way to expose Tyler?
Healer & Witch
Nancy Werlin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In 1551 Sylvie, 15, a healer, makes a tragic mistake and then leaves her small French town seeking to learn how to use her special powers less destructively.
Nancy Werlin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In 1551 Sylvie, 15, a healer, makes a tragic mistake and then leaves her small French town seeking to learn how to use her special powers less destructively.
Hidden Powers: Lise Meitner's Call to Science
Jeannine Atkins
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
An Austrian-Swedish Jewish physicist whose research led to the discovery of nuclear fission endured lifelong gender discrimination and persecution under the Nazi regime. Free verse. Extensive back matter.
Jeannine Atkins
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
An Austrian-Swedish Jewish physicist whose research led to the discovery of nuclear fission endured lifelong gender discrimination and persecution under the Nazi regime. Free verse. Extensive back matter.
Hike to Home, The
Jess Rinker
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lin, 12, must once again adjust to her family's traveling lifestyle, but solving a local mystery with two new friends creates a sense of rootedness.
Jess Rinker
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lin, 12, must once again adjust to her family's traveling lifestyle, but solving a local mystery with two new friends creates a sense of rootedness.
Hither and Nigh (Hither and Nigh series)
Ellen Potter
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Seventh grader Nell's brother disappeared three years ago, and only she still believes he'll be found. Finding herself in a dangerous parallel New York, she searches for him.
Ellen Potter
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Seventh grader Nell's brother disappeared three years ago, and only she still believes he'll be found. Finding herself in a dangerous parallel New York, she searches for him.
How to Build a Human: In Seven Evolutionary Steps
Pamela S. Turner
Illustrator: John Gurche
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Recent scientific discoveries, combined with updated theories, shine a light on modern humans' evolutionary journey. Dramatic illustrations by a paleoartist. Maps. Extensive back matter.
Pamela S. Turner
Illustrator: John Gurche
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Recent scientific discoveries, combined with updated theories, shine a light on modern humans' evolutionary journey. Dramatic illustrations by a paleoartist. Maps. Extensive back matter.
In Honor of Broken Things
Paul Acampora
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Three eighth-grade classmates deal with divorce, a sibling's death, and the transition from homeschooling. Working with clay in art class becomes a creative challenge, and their friendship grows.
Paul Acampora
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Three eighth-grade classmates deal with divorce, a sibling's death, and the transition from homeschooling. Working with clay in art class becomes a creative challenge, and their friendship grows.
Invisible
Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Illustrator: Gabriela Epstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Five Spanish-speaking students are called to their middle school principal's office to explain why their community service led them to break the rules. In Spanish and English. Bright, colorful illustrations.
Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Illustrator: Gabriela Epstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Five Spanish-speaking students are called to their middle school principal's office to explain why their community service led them to break the rules. In Spanish and English. Bright, colorful illustrations.
Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American
Jasminne Mendez
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A young girl in a Dominican American family living on various U.S. army bases narrates her conflicting feelings about growing up in two cultures.
Jasminne Mendez
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A young girl in a Dominican American family living on various U.S. army bases narrates her conflicting feelings about growing up in two cultures.
J. R. Silver Writes Her World
Melissa Dassori
Illustrator: Chelen Écija
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
While navigating thorny middle grade friendships, a sheltered sixth grader discovers that her response to the creative writing assignment given by her mysterious new teacher has come true. Black-and-white illustrations.
Melissa Dassori
Illustrator: Chelen Écija
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
While navigating thorny middle grade friendships, a sheltered sixth grader discovers that her response to the creative writing assignment given by her mysterious new teacher has come true. Black-and-white illustrations.