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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Love & Luck
by Jenna Evans Welch
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Instead of going to Italy with hopes of mending her shattered relationship with her brother, Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of Ireland.
by Jenna Evans Welch
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Instead of going to Italy with hopes of mending her shattered relationship with her brother, Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of Ireland.
Mapping the Bones
by Jane Yolen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Twins Chaim and Gittel (an intensely reimagined Hansel and Gretel), separated from their parents, flee through the forest in 1940s Poland to evade Nazi soldiers.
by Jane Yolen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Twins Chaim and Gittel (an intensely reimagined Hansel and Gretel), separated from their parents, flee through the forest in 1940s Poland to evade Nazi soldiers.
Mariam Sharma Hits the Road
by Sheba Karim
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Three Muslim teenagers take a road trip to New Orleans. Along the way, conflicts with their religious parents are revealed.
by Sheba Karim
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Three Muslim teenagers take a road trip to New Orleans. Along the way, conflicts with their religious parents are revealed.
Maria Sibylla Merian
by Sarah B. Pomeroy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Artist and scientist Maria Sibylla Merian, born in 1647, began, as a young girl, investigating, observing, and drawing insects throughout their life cycles. Accompanied by her artwork, glossary, bibliography.
by Sarah B. Pomeroy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Artist and scientist Maria Sibylla Merian, born in 1647, began, as a young girl, investigating, observing, and drawing insects throughout their life cycles. Accompanied by her artwork, glossary, bibliography.
Mary's Monster
by Lita Judge
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Resilience, tragedy, passion, and genius characterize the story of Mary Shelley, creator of Frankenstein. Black-and-white watercolor illustrations and free verse mesmerize the reader.
by Lita Judge
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Resilience, tragedy, passion, and genius characterize the story of Mary Shelley, creator of Frankenstein. Black-and-white watercolor illustrations and free verse mesmerize the reader.
Mirage
by Somaiya Daud
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Amani, 18, is kidnapped by the princess of the evil Vathek Empire so she can serve as a body double. Despite all odds, Amani plots revenge.
by Somaiya Daud
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Amani, 18, is kidnapped by the princess of the evil Vathek Empire so she can serve as a body double. Despite all odds, Amani plots revenge.
Moonrise
by Sarah Crossan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Joe, 17, flies down to Texas to help his brother, convicted of murder and on death row. Engaging free verse creates a stage for intense questions.
by Sarah Crossan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Joe, 17, flies down to Texas to help his brother, convicted of murder and on death row. Engaging free verse creates a stage for intense questions.
More Deadly Than War
by Kenneth C. Davis
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
ARC First-hand accounts show how the flu spread and killed. Archival photos, time-line, sources, and back matter on current efforts to fight epidemics.
by Kenneth C. Davis
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
ARC First-hand accounts show how the flu spread and killed. Archival photos, time-line, sources, and back matter on current efforts to fight epidemics.
Munmun
by Jesse Andrews
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
In an America where money determines your size, the rich can literally crush the poor.
by Jesse Andrews
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
In an America where money determines your size, the rich can literally crush the poor.
Nevertheless, We Persisted
foreword by Amy Klobuchar
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
ARC Personal, expressive essays and one gray-scale comic strip recount stories of youth when contributors navigated challenging situations because of their marginalized identities. Biographies and discussion questiond included.
foreword by Amy Klobuchar
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
ARC Personal, expressive essays and one gray-scale comic strip recount stories of youth when contributors navigated challenging situations because of their marginalized identities. Biographies and discussion questiond included.
Neverworld Wake
by Marisha Pessl
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Five best friends are trapped between life and death, doomed to relive the same day repeatedly until they unanimously decide which one of them will live.
by Marisha Pessl
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Five best friends are trapped between life and death, doomed to relive the same day repeatedly until they unanimously decide which one of them will live.
Nice Try, Jane Sinner
by Lianne Oelke
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Expelled from high school, a troubled, surly 17-year-old, determined to reinvent herself and reject her parents' faith-born help, joins a community college student-run reality show.
by Lianne Oelke
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Expelled from high school, a troubled, surly 17-year-old, determined to reinvent herself and reject her parents' faith-born help, joins a community college student-run reality show.
Notes from My Captivity
by Kathy Parks
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Skeptical Adrienne, 17, accompanies her anthropologist step-father to Siberia in search of the mythical family of hermits he is convinced exists. Things go wrong, very wrong.
by Kathy Parks
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Skeptical Adrienne, 17, accompanies her anthropologist step-father to Siberia in search of the mythical family of hermits he is convinced exists. Things go wrong, very wrong.
Odd One Out
by Nic Stone
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Though she identifies as a lesbian, teenage Jupiter comes to realize she is in love with her best friend since childhood, a boy.
by Nic Stone
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Though she identifies as a lesbian, teenage Jupiter comes to realize she is in love with her best friend since childhood, a boy.
Our Stories, Our Voices
edited by Amy Reed
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Essays written by twenty-one female young adult authors discuss issues ranging from feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, Islamophobia, immigration, and religion. Resource list for activism.
edited by Amy Reed
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Essays written by twenty-one female young adult authors discuss issues ranging from feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, Islamophobia, immigration, and religion. Resource list for activism.
Out of the Blue
by Sophie Cameron
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Winged humanoid Beings fall from the sky to their deaths; media frenzies and cults erupt. Jaya, whose life is already complicated, discovers a fallen Being alive.
by Sophie Cameron
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Winged humanoid Beings fall from the sky to their deaths; media frenzies and cults erupt. Jaya, whose life is already complicated, discovers a fallen Being alive.
Photographic
by Isabel Quintero
Illustrator: Zeke Peña
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
A poet narrator and a graphic artist craft a biography of a Mexicana photography icon whose eye captures powerful black and white images of cultures and places.
by Isabel Quintero
Illustrator: Zeke Peña
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
A poet narrator and a graphic artist craft a biography of a Mexicana photography icon whose eye captures powerful black and white images of cultures and places.
Picture Us in the Light
by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Danny, an artistically gifted Asian American high school senior, struggles to understand the secrets that are tearing his family apart as he prepares to leave for art school on a scholarship.
by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Danny, an artistically gifted Asian American high school senior, struggles to understand the secrets that are tearing his family apart as he prepares to leave for art school on a scholarship.
Price of Duty
by Todd Strasser
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Wounded in combat, Jake comes home a hero but the horror of war is tearing him apart. Will he report back or go AWOL?
by Todd Strasser
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Wounded in combat, Jake comes home a hero but the horror of war is tearing him apart. Will he report back or go AWOL?
Resistance
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
The story of Jewish resistance, particularly in the Warsaw ghetto, told through the experiences of a teenager working with the rebellion and its leaders.
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
The story of Jewish resistance, particularly in the Warsaw ghetto, told through the experiences of a teenager working with the rebellion and its leaders.
Sadie
by Courtney Summers
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Told in alternating Chapters, Sadie searches for her younger sister's killer and a journalist produces a suspenseful podcast months later that follows her trail after she vanishes.
by Courtney Summers
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Told in alternating Chapters, Sadie searches for her younger sister's killer and a journalist produces a suspenseful podcast months later that follows her trail after she vanishes.
Someone I Used to Know
by Patty Blount
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
As a freshman, Ashley was raped by her brother's teammate. This compelling account shows how she works through her pain and panic.
by Patty Blount
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
As a freshman, Ashley was raped by her brother's teammate. This compelling account shows how she works through her pain and panic.
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrator: Emily Carroll
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Anderson's novel about a girl's silence after rape is retold. Grey-toned charcoal and pencil depict Melinda's humor and humiliation until she finds her voice.
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrator: Emily Carroll
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Anderson's novel about a girl's silence after rape is retold. Grey-toned charcoal and pencil depict Melinda's humor and humiliation until she finds her voice.
S.T.A.G.S.
by M. A. Bennett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
A scholarship student is surprised to be invited to a weekend with the class leaders. Slowly she learns of the evil behind the invitation.
by M. A. Bennett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
A scholarship student is surprised to be invited to a weekend with the class leaders. Slowly she learns of the evil behind the invitation.
Starry Eyes
written and illustrated by Jenn Bennett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Zorie and Lennon, estranged best friends, are stranded together in the wilderness during a group camping trip. Can they mend their broken relationship? Black and white illustrations
written and illustrated by Jenn Bennett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2018
Zorie and Lennon, estranged best friends, are stranded together in the wilderness during a group camping trip. Can they mend their broken relationship? Black and white illustrations