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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Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed: 15 Voices from the LatinX Diaspora
Saraciea J. Fennell, Ed.
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
What is it like feeling you never fit in? Writers from Afro-Latinx, Caribbean, and Central American communities share their experiences of racism, identity, culture, and self-acceptance.
Saraciea J. Fennell, Ed.
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
What is it like feeling you never fit in? Writers from Afro-Latinx, Caribbean, and Central American communities share their experiences of racism, identity, culture, and self-acceptance.
Year of the Reaper
Makiia Lucier
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Despite a plague, Princess Jehan marries King Rayan to end the war between their kingdoms. Lord Cassiapeus returns three years after being imprisoned as the royal family is targeted by assassins.
Makiia Lucier
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Despite a plague, Princess Jehan marries King Rayan to end the war between their kingdoms. Lord Cassiapeus returns three years after being imprisoned as the royal family is targeted by assassins.
Yesterday is History
Kosoko Jackson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
A life-saving liver transplant imbues Andre with the ability to time travel as his organ donor did, which could be dangerous for a Black teenager.
Kosoko Jackson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
A life-saving liver transplant imbues Andre with the ability to time travel as his organ donor did, which could be dangerous for a Black teenager.
You'd Be Home Now
Kathleen Glasgow
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Inspired by her own experience and the play “Our Town,” the author explores opioid addiction in a small town, through the eyes of the sister of a struggling boy. Resources.
Kathleen Glasgow
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Inspired by her own experience and the play “Our Town,” the author explores opioid addiction in a small town, through the eyes of the sister of a struggling boy. Resources.
You Don't Have to Be Everything: Poems for Girls Becoming Themselves
Diana Whitney, Editor
Illustrator: Cristina González, Kate Mockfort, Stephanie Singleton
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Sixty-eight poetic voices share their experiences to help guide and ease girls' transition from adolescence to adulthood. Organized thematically. Elegant, colorful illustrations.
Diana Whitney, Editor
Illustrator: Cristina González, Kate Mockfort, Stephanie Singleton
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Sixty-eight poetic voices share their experiences to help guide and ease girls' transition from adolescence to adulthood. Organized thematically. Elegant, colorful illustrations.
Your Corner Dark
Desmond Hall
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Frankie longs to leave Jamaica and take advantage of his US college scholarship, but then becomes enmeshed in family criminal and political activities in order to save his father, who has been shot.
Desmond Hall
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Frankie longs to leave Jamaica and take advantage of his US college scholarship, but then becomes enmeshed in family criminal and political activities in order to save his father, who has been shot.
Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger
Margarita Engle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
A stray dog unites teens Liana and Amado, who evade oppressive “voluntary” labor. Set in a period of Cuban history when people on the island struggled with starvation. In verse.
Margarita Engle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
A stray dog unites teens Liana and Amado, who evade oppressive “voluntary” labor. Set in a period of Cuban history when people on the island struggled with starvation. In verse.
Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good
Nancy Werlin
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Zoe, 17, trades in her perfectly staid boyfriend and their planned future together for a sci-fi tv series -- and creative friends she bonds with at secret fan cons.
Nancy Werlin
Ages: 14+
Published: 2021
Zoe, 17, trades in her perfectly staid boyfriend and their planned future together for a sci-fi tv series -- and creative friends she bonds with at secret fan cons.
1789: Twelve Authors Explore a Year of Rebellion, Revolution, and Change
Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell, editors
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Twelve snapshots of pivotal events on two sides of the Atlantic Ocean show the social upheavals that informed early America's policies on human rights.
Marc Aronson and Susan Campbell, editors
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Twelve snapshots of pivotal events on two sides of the Atlantic Ocean show the social upheavals that informed early America's policies on human rights.
19 Love Songs
David Levithan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Stories and verses about attraction and love are featured in this collection that centers on boys and men finding their partners.
David Levithan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Stories and verses about attraction and love are featured in this collection that centers on boys and men finding their partners.
Above All Else
Dana Alison Levy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Two teens have trained for years to climb Mt. Everest; but nothing can prepare them for the reality of its physical and emotional toll. Map.
Dana Alison Levy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Two teens have trained for years to climb Mt. Everest; but nothing can prepare them for the reality of its physical and emotional toll. Map.
Accidental
Alex Richards
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
When her absent father reappears after 13 years, Jo, raised by grandparents, learns devastating information about her mother's death. Can she learn to forgive?
Alex Richards
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
When her absent father reappears after 13 years, Jo, raised by grandparents, learns devastating information about her mother's death. Can she learn to forgive?
Agnes At the End of the World
Kelly McWilliams
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Agnes, 16, escapes a fundamentalist cult to save her diabetic little brother, only to find that the outside world has been decimated by a deadly disease.
Kelly McWilliams
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Agnes, 16, escapes a fundamentalist cult to save her diabetic little brother, only to find that the outside world has been decimated by a deadly disease.
Almost American Girl: An Illustrated Memoir
Robin Ha
Illustrator: Robin Ha
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Life in Alabama is difficult for Ha, 14, a South Korean immigrant. A comic drawing class helps her find a way forward. Colorful comic art.
Robin Ha
Illustrator: Robin Ha
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Life in Alabama is difficult for Ha, 14, a South Korean immigrant. A comic drawing class helps her find a way forward. Colorful comic art.
Apollo 13: A Successful Failure
Laura B. Edge
Illustrator: Archival photographs
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
The heroic effort to return a malfunctioning spacecraft to Earth is vividly detailed within the historical framework of the U.S. space programs. Timeline, glossary, sources, bibliography.
Laura B. Edge
Illustrator: Archival photographs
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
The heroic effort to return a malfunctioning spacecraft to Earth is vividly detailed within the historical framework of the U.S. space programs. Timeline, glossary, sources, bibliography.
Apple: Skin to the Core
Eric Gansworth
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
An Onondaga writer/artist growing up among the Tuscarora shares his memories of unrelenting lifetime struggles with cultural dislocation. Vivified with his poetry, artwork, and family photographs.
Eric Gansworth
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
An Onondaga writer/artist growing up among the Tuscarora shares his memories of unrelenting lifetime struggles with cultural dislocation. Vivified with his poetry, artwork, and family photographs.
Ashlords
Scott Reintgen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Ashlords, with the help of their gods, tyrannize their empire, and dominate the annual phoenix races. The stakes couldn't be higher for competitors.
Scott Reintgen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Ashlords, with the help of their gods, tyrannize their empire, and dominate the annual phoenix races. The stakes couldn't be higher for competitors.
Assignment, The
Liza Wiemer
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
High school seniors protest their assignment to reenact the Wannsee Conference, during which the "Final Solution" for European Jews was debated, resulting in community turmoil.
Liza Wiemer
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
High school seniors protest their assignment to reenact the Wannsee Conference, during which the "Final Solution" for European Jews was debated, resulting in community turmoil.
Banned Book Club
Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada [note: the Korean names of co-author and illustrator are presented Korean style, family name first]
Illustrator: Ko Hyung-Ju
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Joining a banned book club opens college student Kim Hyun Sook's eyes to political realities in the authoritarian regime of 1980s South Korea. Illustrations in Korean comics (manhwa) style.
Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada [note: the Korean names of co-author and illustrator are presented Korean style, family name first]
Illustrator: Ko Hyung-Ju
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Joining a banned book club opens college student Kim Hyun Sook's eyes to political realities in the authoritarian regime of 1980s South Korea. Illustrations in Korean comics (manhwa) style.
Bearmouth
Liz Hyder
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Newt has been satisfied working in a coal mine since age 4, never seeing daylight, but when a new boy arrives, questioning working conditions, trouble ensues.
Liz Hyder
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Newt has been satisfied working in a coal mine since age 4, never seeing daylight, but when a new boy arrives, questioning working conditions, trouble ensues.
Beauty Mark: A Verse Novel of Marilyn Monroe
Carole Boston Weatherford
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Although she was a beloved movie star, this iconic Hollywood star's life was traumatic.
Carole Boston Weatherford
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Although she was a beloved movie star, this iconic Hollywood star's life was traumatic.
Being Toffee
Sarah Crossan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Fleeing an abusive father, Allison finds shelter with an elderly woman with dementia, with whom she finds empathy and friendship. Free verse.
Sarah Crossan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Fleeing an abusive father, Allison finds shelter with an elderly woman with dementia, with whom she finds empathy and friendship. Free verse.
Be Not Far From Me
Mindy McGinnis
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Resourceful, courageous, and stubborn seventeen-year-old Ashley flees her boyfriend's infidelity; she survives weeks in the wilderness learning respect for herself, nature, and human connections.
Mindy McGinnis
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
Resourceful, courageous, and stubborn seventeen-year-old Ashley flees her boyfriend's infidelity; she survives weeks in the wilderness learning respect for herself, nature, and human connections.
Between, The
David Hofmeyr
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
A cinematic adventure through seven worlds in a multiverse provides Ana the opportunity for self-actualization, growing self-awareness, and a possible romance. Sequels are in the offing.
David Hofmeyr
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
A cinematic adventure through seven worlds in a multiverse provides Ana the opportunity for self-actualization, growing self-awareness, and a possible romance. Sequels are in the offing.
Big Black: Stand at Attica
Frank “Big Black” Smith and Jared Reinmuth
Illustrator: Améziane
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
This blistering, graphic account of the events at Attica prison in 1971, told from the perspective of the incarcerated, spares no details of this racially-charged uprising.
Frank “Big Black” Smith and Jared Reinmuth
Illustrator: Améziane
Ages: 14+
Published: 2020
This blistering, graphic account of the events at Attica prison in 1971, told from the perspective of the incarcerated, spares no details of this racially-charged uprising.