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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Repairing the World
Linda Epstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After her best friend dies, Daisy feels only grief. But the first year of middle school brings a range of new emotions, new people, and a sense of wonder.
Linda Epstein
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After her best friend dies, Daisy feels only grief. But the first year of middle school brings a range of new emotions, new people, and a sense of wonder.
Rima's Rebellion: Courage in a Time of Tyranny
Margarita Engle
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In 1920s Cuba, multiracial Rima, illegitimate and shunned, fights to pass laws to protect and empower women. Free verse. Historical back matter.
Margarita Engle
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In 1920s Cuba, multiracial Rima, illegitimate and shunned, fights to pass laws to protect and empower women. Free verse. Historical back matter.
Road to After, The
Rebekah Lowell
Illustrator: Rebekah Lowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Forced to flee their abusive home, two young sisters and their mother learn to live without fear, make friends, and find solace in art and nature. Gentle black-and-white illustrations. Back matter.
Rebekah Lowell
Illustrator: Rebekah Lowell
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Forced to flee their abusive home, two young sisters and their mother learn to live without fear, make friends, and find solace in art and nature. Gentle black-and-white illustrations. Back matter.
Sardines
Sashi Kaufman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lucas, 11, and four diverse classmates in an after-school program, bond through a game that inspires them to solve one another's problems.
Sashi Kaufman
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lucas, 11, and four diverse classmates in an after-school program, bond through a game that inspires them to solve one another's problems.
Save the People!: Halting Human Extinction
Stacy McAnulty
Illustrator: Nicole Miles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Take a whirlwind journey through the history of planet Earth, concluding with today's climate emergency and presenting actions to take right now. Engaging black-and-white drawings. Extensive back matter.
Stacy McAnulty
Illustrator: Nicole Miles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Take a whirlwind journey through the history of planet Earth, concluding with today's climate emergency and presenting actions to take right now. Engaging black-and-white drawings. Extensive back matter.
School for Whatnots, The
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A whatnot -- a robot -- tells the story of Max, a coddled rich boy, and Maxi's best friend, clever adventuresome Josie. Is she real or a whatnot?
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A whatnot -- a robot -- tells the story of Max, a coddled rich boy, and Maxi's best friend, clever adventuresome Josie. Is she real or a whatnot?
Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls, The
James Bird
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Caught for shoplifting, again, Benny is sent to live with his estranged father on a Minnesota Ojibwe reservation where the tribal leader's daughter is offering second chances.
James Bird
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Caught for shoplifting, again, Benny is sent to live with his estranged father on a Minnesota Ojibwe reservation where the tribal leader's daughter is offering second chances.
Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adam's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration
Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrator: Lauren Tamaki
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
The divergent backgrounds and motivations of these photographers produced widely varied portraits of the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Vivid ink, pencil, and digital illustrations and archival photos. Discussion of historic and legal background. Biographies, footnotes.
Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrator: Lauren Tamaki
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
The divergent backgrounds and motivations of these photographers produced widely varied portraits of the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Vivid ink, pencil, and digital illustrations and archival photos. Discussion of historic and legal background. Biographies, footnotes.
She Holds Up the Stars
Sandra Laronde
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Twelve-year-old Misko, on the rez for vacation with her grandmother, protects a neighbor's abused horse and discovers connections to the land and her Ojibway roots. Glossary.
Sandra Laronde
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Twelve-year-old Misko, on the rez for vacation with her grandmother, protects a neighbor's abused horse and discovers connections to the land and her Ojibway roots. Glossary.
Shuna's Journey
Hayao Miyazaki
Illustrator: Hayao Miyazaki
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When Prince Shuna leaves his devastated village in search of golden grain to feed his people, he meets two kind sisters in the brutal society he encounters. Soft pastel illustrations
Hayao Miyazaki
Illustrator: Hayao Miyazaki
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When Prince Shuna leaves his devastated village in search of golden grain to feed his people, he meets two kind sisters in the brutal society he encounters. Soft pastel illustrations
Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence
Sonja Thomas
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Biracial Mira attempts to problem-solve with a creative, money-raising venture as she struggles with the serious illness of her beloved cat, family stress, and her best friend moving far away.
Sonja Thomas
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Biracial Mira attempts to problem-solve with a creative, money-raising venture as she struggles with the serious illness of her beloved cat, family stress, and her best friend moving far away.
Sky Wolf's Call: The Gift of Indigenous Knowledge
Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger
Illustrator: various artists
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Interconnected teachings in science, culture, history, and stewardship, along with legends and biographies of Indigenous leaders. Paintings by Indigenous artists, photographs. Back matter.
Eldon Yellowhorn & Kathy Lowinger
Illustrator: various artists
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Interconnected teachings in science, culture, history, and stewardship, along with legends and biographies of Indigenous leaders. Paintings by Indigenous artists, photographs. Back matter.
Smaller Sister
Maggie Edkins Willis
Illustrator: Maggie Edkins Willis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lucy copes with the challenges of a new school and critical classmates as well as her older sister's growing, serious eating disorder. Colorful illustrations.
Maggie Edkins Willis
Illustrator: Maggie Edkins Willis
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Lucy copes with the challenges of a new school and critical classmates as well as her older sister's growing, serious eating disorder. Colorful illustrations.
Song Called Home, A
Sara Zarr
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When a guitar arrives on her 11th birthday, Lou, thinking it's from her alcoholic father, is determined to learn to play it. Authentic and compassionate.
Sara Zarr
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
When a guitar arrives on her 11th birthday, Lou, thinking it's from her alcoholic father, is determined to learn to play it. Authentic and compassionate.
Sparrows In The Wind
Gail Carson Levine
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After Apollo curses Cassandra, no one believes her visions, but she never stops trying to avert the tragic future she sees for her beloved Troy.
Gail Carson Levine
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After Apollo curses Cassandra, no one believes her visions, but she never stops trying to avert the tragic future she sees for her beloved Troy.
Speak UP, Speak OUT! The Extraordinary Life of "Fighting Shirley Chisholm"
Tonya Bolden, foreword by Stacey Abrams
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A fiery Black activist from Brooklyn entered politics, achieved many "firsts" in her elected positions, and became a role model for those who followed. Archival photographs. Sources.
Tonya Bolden, foreword by Stacey Abrams
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
A fiery Black activist from Brooklyn entered politics, achieved many "firsts" in her elected positions, and became a role model for those who followed. Archival photographs. Sources.
Squire
Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
Illustrator: Sara Alfageeh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In the Middle East, Aiza joins the conquerors' army for a higher position in society and learns pride, loyalty, and fighting skills. Dramatic, deeply colored panels. Excellent back matter.
Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas
Illustrator: Sara Alfageeh
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
In the Middle East, Aiza joins the conquerors' army for a higher position in society and learns pride, loyalty, and fighting skills. Dramatic, deeply colored panels. Excellent back matter.
Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler
Ibi Zoboi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Direct quotes, background and historical information, archival photographs, prose passages, and poetry create a vivid portrait of a Black author who was influential in shaping the science fiction genre. Well-documented. Personal notes.
Ibi Zoboi
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Direct quotes, background and historical information, archival photographs, prose passages, and poetry create a vivid portrait of a Black author who was influential in shaping the science fiction genre. Well-documented. Personal notes.
Star That Always Stays, The
Anna Rose Johnson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After her mother's remarriage in 1914, Norvia and her siblings move to a Michigan city where divorce and her Ojibwe heritage set her apart. Back matter.
Anna Rose Johnson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
After her mother's remarriage in 1914, Norvia and her siblings move to a Michigan city where divorce and her Ojibwe heritage set her apart. Back matter.
Sweet and Sour
Debbi Michiko Florence
Illustrator: Jacqueline Li
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Japanese Americans Mai, 12, and Zach, 13, were lifelong best friends until, two years ago, he humiliated her. Now he's back from Tokyo, and Mai is bent on revenge. Black-and-white spot art.
Debbi Michiko Florence
Illustrator: Jacqueline Li
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Japanese Americans Mai, 12, and Zach, 13, were lifelong best friends until, two years ago, he humiliated her. Now he's back from Tokyo, and Mai is bent on revenge. Black-and-white spot art.
They Call Her Fregona: A Border Kid's Poems
David Bowles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Güero, a Mexican American boy, falls in love with "tough girl" Joanna (Fregona) and tries to help save her dad from deportation. Free verse. Glossary. Also available in Spanish
David Bowles
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Güero, a Mexican American boy, falls in love with "tough girl" Joanna (Fregona) and tries to help save her dad from deportation. Free verse. Glossary. Also available in Spanish
Those Kids from Fawn Creek
Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrator: Celia Krampien
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Mysterious, seemingly worldly Orchid arrives at a rural middle school, impacting the lives of all 13 of her fellow seventh graders. Greyscale illustrations.
Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrator: Celia Krampien
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Mysterious, seemingly worldly Orchid arrives at a rural middle school, impacting the lives of all 13 of her fellow seventh graders. Greyscale illustrations.
Thousand Steps into Night, A
Traci Chee
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Miuko, an innkeeper's daughter in a Japanese-inspired fantasy world, is cursed by a demon. She befriends tricksters, shape shifters and magical creatures to end the curse.
Traci Chee
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Miuko, an innkeeper's daughter in a Japanese-inspired fantasy world, is cursed by a demon. She befriends tricksters, shape shifters and magical creatures to end the curse.
Tiger Honor (A Thousand Worlds series)
Yoon Ha Lee
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Nonbinary 13-year-old Sebin, a cadet on a Thousand Worlds spaceship, must choose between allegiance to their Juhwang Clan or dedication to the larger good. Korean folklore woven throughout.
Yoon Ha Lee
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Nonbinary 13-year-old Sebin, a cadet on a Thousand Worlds spaceship, must choose between allegiance to their Juhwang Clan or dedication to the larger good. Korean folklore woven throughout.
Trapped in Terror Bay: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Franklin Expedition
Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrator: archival photos, maps, and paintings
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Ten detailed episodes analyze what happened to Sir John Franklin's ill-fated 1845 exploration of the Arctic's Northwest Passage. Maps, photos, and archival images. Copious back matter.
Sigmund Brouwer
Illustrator: archival photos, maps, and paintings
Ages: 12+
Published: 2022
Ten detailed episodes analyze what happened to Sir John Franklin's ill-fated 1845 exploration of the Arctic's Northwest Passage. Maps, photos, and archival images. Copious back matter.