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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Amber and Clay
Laura Amy Schlitz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Brought together by the gods of ancient Greece, an artistically inclined enslaved boy and an aristocratic girl with an untamed spirit fulfill each other's destinies. Endnotes, bibliography.
Laura Amy Schlitz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Brought together by the gods of ancient Greece, an artistically inclined enslaved boy and an aristocratic girl with an untamed spirit fulfill each other's destinies. Endnotes, bibliography.
Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids
Cynthia Leitich Smith, ed.
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Stories at a powwow in a high school gym in Michigan bring together families from different nations to celebrate their ancestors and their heritage.
Cynthia Leitich Smith, ed.
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Stories at a powwow in a high school gym in Michigan bring together families from different nations to celebrate their ancestors and their heritage.
Barakah Beats
Maleeha Siddiqui
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Attending public school for the first time, Nimra joins a band despite her worry that it violates her Muslim faith.
Maleeha Siddiqui
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Attending public school for the first time, Nimra joins a band despite her worry that it violates her Muslim faith.
Bea is for Blended
Lindsey Stoddard
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Challenges await Bea and her mother when they join a new stepfamily in Vermont.
Lindsey Stoddard
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Challenges await Bea and her mother when they join a new stepfamily in Vermont.
Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems, and Stories
Stephanie Warren Drimmer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Explore the ocean, the waters that cover 70% of Earth's surface and are home to 99% of the space on Earth where it is possible for life to exist. Outstanding photos.
Stephanie Warren Drimmer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Explore the ocean, the waters that cover 70% of Earth's surface and are home to 99% of the space on Earth where it is possible for life to exist. Outstanding photos.
Both Can Be True
Jules Machias
Illustrator: Jules Machias
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Daniel and Ash initially bond over rescuing a dog; attractions form, but what will happen when Daniel discovers Ash is nonbinary? Alternate voices. Black-and-white spot illustrations.
Jules Machias
Illustrator: Jules Machias
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Daniel and Ash initially bond over rescuing a dog; attractions form, but what will happen when Daniel discovers Ash is nonbinary? Alternate voices. Black-and-white spot illustrations.
Boy, Everywhere
A .M. Dassu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
After a privileged life in Damascus, Syria, Sami's mother and sister suffer psychologically from a bomb attack, and his family become asylum-seekers in England.
A .M. Dassu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
After a privileged life in Damascus, Syria, Sami's mother and sister suffer psychologically from a bomb attack, and his family become asylum-seekers in England.
Boys Run the Riot (Boys Run the Riot series)
Keito Gaku
Illustrator: Keito Gaku
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Ryo, nonbinary and transgender, doesn't want to stand out at school, until a new friend helps him turn his fashion into a business. Sharp greyscale illustrations.
Keito Gaku
Illustrator: Keito Gaku
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Ryo, nonbinary and transgender, doesn't want to stand out at school, until a new friend helps him turn his fashion into a business. Sharp greyscale illustrations.
Breathing Underwater
Sarah Allen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
On a road trip from Knoxville to their former home in San Diego, 13-year-old photographer Olivia follows a secret plan to help Ruth, her depressed 16-year-old sister.
Sarah Allen
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
On a road trip from Knoxville to their former home in San Diego, 13-year-old photographer Olivia follows a secret plan to help Ruth, her depressed 16-year-old sister.
Broken Raven, The (Shadow Skye Trilogy)
Joseph Elliott
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Three unusual teens, Agatha, Jaime, and Sigrid, exhibit extrordinary bravery and ingenuity as they enable their clans to survive destructive wars waged by brutal rulers.
Joseph Elliott
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Three unusual teens, Agatha, Jaime, and Sigrid, exhibit extrordinary bravery and ingenuity as they enable their clans to survive destructive wars waged by brutal rulers.
Burying the Moon
Andrée Poulin
Illustrator: Sonali Zohra
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
The women of a rural Indian village use a distant field at night for sanitation, until Latika speaks up. Verse. Rich, violet illustrations.
Andrée Poulin
Illustrator: Sonali Zohra
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
The women of a rural Indian village use a distant field at night for sanitation, until Latika speaks up. Verse. Rich, violet illustrations.
Ciel in All Directions (Ciel series)
Sophie Labelle
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Nonbinary transgender Ciel campaigns to become a class officer while completing a science project, managing a YouTube channel, and figuring out if a crush is reciprocal. Can they do it all?
Sophie Labelle
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Nonbinary transgender Ciel campaigns to become a class officer while completing a science project, managing a YouTube channel, and figuring out if a crush is reciprocal. Can they do it all?
Clues to the Universe
Christina Li
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Two 7th grade students - Benji, a talented artist, and Ro, a gifted lover of science and invention - face social exclusion but dazzle everyone with an amazing science fair entry.
Christina Li
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Two 7th grade students - Benji, a talented artist, and Ro, a gifted lover of science and invention - face social exclusion but dazzle everyone with an amazing science fair entry.
Crossing the Stream
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Ghanaian Ato, 12, and friends create an organic garden to win entry to a bird sanctuary as they battle an unscrupulous religious leader who opposes their community.
Elizabeth-Irene Baitie
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Ghanaian Ato, 12, and friends create an organic garden to win entry to a bird sanctuary as they battle an unscrupulous religious leader who opposes their community.
Daughter of the Deep
Rick Riordan
Illustrator: Lavanya Naidu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
In this homage to 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Ana leads fellow teen scientists and warriors on a mission to prevent powerful technologies from becoming tools of destruction. Black-and-white spot art.
Rick Riordan
Illustrator: Lavanya Naidu
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
In this homage to 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, Ana leads fellow teen scientists and warriors on a mission to prevent powerful technologies from becoming tools of destruction. Black-and-white spot art.
Dawn Raid
Pauline Vaeluaga Smith
Illustrator: Mat Hunkin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Biracial Sofia's diary entries and pencil sketches chronicle her struggles at school and her growing awareness of unjust treatment of Pacific Islanders in 1976 New Zealand. Black-and-white illustrations.
Pauline Vaeluaga Smith
Illustrator: Mat Hunkin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Biracial Sofia's diary entries and pencil sketches chronicle her struggles at school and her growing awareness of unjust treatment of Pacific Islanders in 1976 New Zealand. Black-and-white illustrations.
Deepest Breath, The
Meg Grehan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Stevie, 11, has a crush on her classmate, Chloe, and doesn't know how to handle her feelings. A supportive librarian helps her. In verse.
Meg Grehan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Stevie, 11, has a crush on her classmate, Chloe, and doesn't know how to handle her feelings. A supportive librarian helps her. In verse.
Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South
Wade Hudson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A warm detailed look about how family and teachers shaped Hudson's journey from curious and rambunctious child to civil rights activisit. Back matter with historical notes.
Wade Hudson
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A warm detailed look about how family and teachers shaped Hudson's journey from curious and rambunctious child to civil rights activisit. Back matter with historical notes.
Do Animals Fall in Love?
Katharina von der Gathen
Illustrator: Anke Kuhl
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
An illuminatiing and frank compendium of all the weird and wonderful ways the animal kingdom courts, reproduces, and then cares for its offspring. Detailed, labeled, and often witty illustrations.
Katharina von der Gathen
Illustrator: Anke Kuhl
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
An illuminatiing and frank compendium of all the weird and wonderful ways the animal kingdom courts, reproduces, and then cares for its offspring. Detailed, labeled, and often witty illustrations.
Elephant in the Room, The
Holly Goldberg Sloan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Sila becomes withdrawn following her mother's forced return to Turkey until an eccentric widower befriends her and her father and they rescue of a retired circus elephant.
Holly Goldberg Sloan
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
Sila becomes withdrawn following her mother's forced return to Turkey until an eccentric widower befriends her and her father and they rescue of a retired circus elephant.
Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge
Ann Bausum
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
The Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler and the retribution suffered by the children of the perpetrators are grippingly recounted. Meticulously researched, complete source notes.
Ann Bausum
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
The Valkyrie plot to assassinate Hitler and the retribution suffered by the children of the perpetrators are grippingly recounted. Meticulously researched, complete source notes.
Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories about Living Fabulously Fat
Cassandra Newbould, editor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A math genius in space, a star hockey player, a fireman, a mermaid and more are among those coping with attitudes about body size.
Cassandra Newbould, editor
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A math genius in space, a star hockey player, a fireman, a mermaid and more are among those coping with attitudes about body size.
Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask
Anton Treuer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
An Ojibwe scholar debunks stereotypes of Native peoples of the current day United States and Canada. FAQ format. Back matter, archival photographs. Young readers edition
Anton Treuer
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
An Ojibwe scholar debunks stereotypes of Native peoples of the current day United States and Canada. FAQ format. Back matter, archival photographs. Young readers edition
Everywhere Blue
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
When Maddie's older brother runs away from college, she tries to solve the mystery of where he went. Her only clue - his concern about climate change. Free verse.
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
When Maddie's older brother runs away from college, she tries to solve the mystery of where he went. Her only clue - his concern about climate change. Free verse.
Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown
Steve Sheinkin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A dramatic recounting of the tension-fraught years of the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, ending in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Archival photos. Extensive back matter includes source notes.
Steve Sheinkin
Ages: 12+
Published: 2021
A dramatic recounting of the tension-fraught years of the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, ending in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Archival photos. Extensive back matter includes source notes.