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/.
How to Perform a Search and Save a List
Search
Advanced Search
When the Moon Was Ours
by Anna-Marie McLemore
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
As the friendship between teens Miel and Sam blossoms into romance, family secrets and questions of sexual identity threaten their relationship with their families and each other.
by Anna-Marie McLemore
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
As the friendship between teens Miel and Sam blossoms into romance, family secrets and questions of sexual identity threaten their relationship with their families and each other.
Where Futures End
by Parker Peevyhouse
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Stories of five teens over a 100-year future time span are connected to an alternate world and to each other. Which world will survive?
by Parker Peevyhouse
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Stories of five teens over a 100-year future time span are connected to an alternate world and to each other. Which world will survive?
Whisper to Me
by Nick Lake
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
After making a gruesome discovery, Cassie begins to hear tormenting voices that threaten to punish her and drive her boyfriend away. Can she regain control of her life?
by Nick Lake
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
After making a gruesome discovery, Cassie begins to hear tormenting voices that threaten to punish her and drive her boyfriend away. Can she regain control of her life?
With Malice
by Eileen Cook
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
After a trip to Italy, a high school senior wakes up in a hospital, accused of causing the car accident that killed her best friend.
by Eileen Cook
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
After a trip to Italy, a high school senior wakes up in a hospital, accused of causing the car accident that killed her best friend.
You Were Here
by Cori McCarthy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Five unlikely friends take turns narrating their adventures as they try to heal and forgive the summer after high school graduation. Includes graphics and poems.
by Cori McCarthy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Five unlikely friends take turns narrating their adventures as they try to heal and forgive the summer after high school graduation. Includes graphics and poems.
Zero Day
by Jan Gangsei
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Kidnapped eight years before, Addie resurfaces when her father is President of the United States. Is she the same, or has she been brainwashed by cyberterrorists? A fast-paced thriller.
by Jan Gangsei
Ages: 14+
Published: 2016
Kidnapped eight years before, Addie resurfaces when her father is President of the United States. Is she the same, or has she been brainwashed by cyberterrorists? A fast-paced thriller.
A Big Dose of Lucky
by Marthe Jocelyn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
When 16-year-old Malou sets out to find her mother after the orphanage closes, she makes surprising discoveries and is strengthened in her identity as a person of color.
by Marthe Jocelyn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
When 16-year-old Malou sets out to find her mother after the orphanage closes, she makes surprising discoveries and is strengthened in her identity as a person of color.
A History of Glitter and Blood
by Hannah Moskowitz
Illustrator: Sam Weber
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Can three fairies survive in their war-torn city and avoid being eaten by gnomes? A violent, complicated love story. Intermittent graphite illustrations.
by Hannah Moskowitz
Illustrator: Sam Weber
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Can three fairies survive in their war-torn city and avoid being eaten by gnomes? A violent, complicated love story. Intermittent graphite illustrations.
All American Boys
by Jason Reynolds
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
When a white police officer unjustly attacks him, Rashad's world changes forever, as does the life of Quinn, a white boy who witnesses the attack.
by Jason Reynolds
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
When a white police officer unjustly attacks him, Rashad's world changes forever, as does the life of Quinn, a white boy who witnesses the attack.
All the Major Constellations
by Pratima Cranse
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
A high school senior begins attending a Fundamentalist Christian group after an accident leaves his friend, Sara, in a coma. A sensitive exploration of family tensions, identity, faith, and sexuality.
by Pratima Cranse
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
A high school senior begins attending a Fundamentalist Christian group after an accident leaves his friend, Sara, in a coma. A sensitive exploration of family tensions, identity, faith, and sexuality.
A Matter of Heart
by Amy Fellner Dominy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Abby, sixteen, is a star swimmer. She lives for winning and no one can stop her--not her parents, her boyfriend, or even her own heart.
by Amy Fellner Dominy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Abby, sixteen, is a star swimmer. She lives for winning and no one can stop her--not her parents, her boyfriend, or even her own heart.
An Ember in the Ashes
by Sabaa Tahir
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Laia poses as a servant girl in order to save her imprisoned brother. She finds an ally in the commandant's son, who wants to change his own destiny.
by Sabaa Tahir
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Laia poses as a servant girl in order to save her imprisoned brother. She finds an ally in the commandant's son, who wants to change his own destiny.
A Prince Without a Kingdom
by Timothée de Fombelle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
In pre-World War I Europe and New York City, and later in occupied France, Vango continues his search for his true identity, even as he remains the target of determined, clever assassins.
by Timothée de Fombelle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
In pre-World War I Europe and New York City, and later in occupied France, Vango continues his search for his true identity, even as he remains the target of determined, clever assassins.
A Song for Ella Grey
by David Almond
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Chilling version of the Orpheus myth set in northern England, is related with emotional description of love and self-discovery.
by David Almond
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Chilling version of the Orpheus myth set in northern England, is related with emotional description of love and self-discovery.
Becoming Maria
by Sonia Manzano
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
The beloved Maria of Sesame Street remembers her troubled childhood and teen years growing up as a Puerto Rican in 1950/60s New York City.
by Sonia Manzano
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
The beloved Maria of Sesame Street remembers her troubled childhood and teen years growing up as a Puerto Rican in 1950/60s New York City.
Black Dove, White Raven
by Elizabeth Wein
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
In 1930s Ethiopia, Americans Emily and her African American adopted brother, Teo, both fifteen, are drawn into the country's war with Italy.
by Elizabeth Wein
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
In 1930s Ethiopia, Americans Emily and her African American adopted brother, Teo, both fifteen, are drawn into the country's war with Italy.
Blank
by Trina St. Jean
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
ARC - When fifteen-year-old Jessica suffers a traumatic brain injury she has to reconstruct all aspects of her life past, present and future.
by Trina St. Jean
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
ARC - When fifteen-year-old Jessica suffers a traumatic brain injury she has to reconstruct all aspects of her life past, present and future.
Bone Gap
by Laura Ruby
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Two brothers are nearly torn apart by a deep mystery in Bone Gap, an ordinary, extraordinary, magical place.
by Laura Ruby
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Two brothers are nearly torn apart by a deep mystery in Bone Gap, an ordinary, extraordinary, magical place.
Challenger Deep
by Neal Shusterman
Illustrator: Brendan Shusterman
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
This haunting tale of a fifteen-year-old boy's descent into mental illness includes pen-and-ink illustrations drawn by the author's son during his own actual psychiatric breakdown.
by Neal Shusterman
Illustrator: Brendan Shusterman
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
This haunting tale of a fifteen-year-old boy's descent into mental illness includes pen-and-ink illustrations drawn by the author's son during his own actual psychiatric breakdown.
Conviction
by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Braden's father is arrested for murder and his freedom depends on the testimony of his son, a sixteen-year-old baseball superstar.
by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Braden's father is arrested for murder and his freedom depends on the testimony of his son, a sixteen-year-old baseball superstar.
Courage & Defiance
Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark
by Deborah Hopkinson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Can one person make a difference? During the Nazi occupation of Denmark these remarkable people in the Danish Resistance thought they could. Copious black-and-white photographs.
by Deborah Hopkinson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Can one person make a difference? During the Nazi occupation of Denmark these remarkable people in the Danish Resistance thought they could. Copious black-and-white photographs.
Dumplin'
by Julie Murphy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Willowdean, an overweight teen, has always felt comfortable in her own skin. But when life intervenes in unexpected ways, she begins to doubt her self-worth.
by Julie Murphy
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Willowdean, an overweight teen, has always felt comfortable in her own skin. But when life intervenes in unexpected ways, she begins to doubt her self-worth.
Eden West
by Pete Hautman
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Raised in a fundamentalist cult, Jacob's deep faith is challenged by three outsiders--a rebellious boy, a lonely girl, and a wolf--and by internal cult machinations.
by Pete Hautman
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Raised in a fundamentalist cult, Jacob's deep faith is challenged by three outsiders--a rebellious boy, a lonely girl, and a wolf--and by internal cult machinations.
Emmy & Oliver
by Robin Benway
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Kidnapped by his father, Emmy's best friend Oliver returns after ten years. The transition is less than seamless.
by Robin Benway
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Kidnapped by his father, Emmy's best friend Oliver returns after ten years. The transition is less than seamless.
Every Last Word
by Tamara Ireland Stone
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Samantha struggles with OCD. Making a new friend and joining a poetry group seems like taking a big step forward. But is she really getting better?
by Tamara Ireland Stone
Ages: 14+
Published: 2015
Samantha struggles with OCD. Making a new friend and joining a poetry group seems like taking a big step forward. But is she really getting better?