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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The Tyrant's Daughter
by J.C. Carleson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Living in exile with her mother and brother, fifteen-year-old Laila is confronted with ugly truths about her father, the recently assassinated leader of a Middle Eastern country.
by J.C. Carleson
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Living in exile with her mother and brother, fifteen-year-old Laila is confronted with ugly truths about her father, the recently assassinated leader of a Middle Eastern country.
The Undertaking of Lily Chen
written and illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Deshi Li, who feels responsible for his brother's death, must find a female corpse to accompany him into the next life. A graphic novel set in contemporary China. Vibrant pen-and-watercolor art.
written and illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Deshi Li, who feels responsible for his brother's death, must find a female corpse to accompany him into the next life. A graphic novel set in contemporary China. Vibrant pen-and-watercolor art.
Thomas Paine, Crusader for Liberty
by Albert Marrin
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Thomas Paine's turbulent life and passionate writings in support of liberty inspired changes in the American colonies, England, and France. Archival images, notes, index, further reading.
by Albert Marrin
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Thomas Paine's turbulent life and passionate writings in support of liberty inspired changes in the American colonies, England, and France. Archival images, notes, index, further reading.
Transgender Lives
by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Young people tell their stories of navigating the complicated world of the gender spectrum. Photographs.
by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Young people tell their stories of navigating the complicated world of the gender spectrum. Photographs.
Up For Sale
by Alison Marie Behnke
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
This revealing and devastating analysis of many forms of current human trafficking throughout the world provides important information about a profound humna rights violation. First-hand accounts, extensive documentation and photographs.
by Alison Marie Behnke
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
This revealing and devastating analysis of many forms of current human trafficking throughout the world provides important information about a profound humna rights violation. First-hand accounts, extensive documentation and photographs.
Vango
by Timothee de Fombelle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Moments before taking his priestly vows, Vango becomes a target of both the police and an assassin. His search for his true identity takes him on a wild chase across post-World War I Europe.
by Timothee de Fombelle
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Moments before taking his priestly vows, Vango becomes a target of both the police and an assassin. His search for his true identity takes him on a wild chase across post-World War I Europe.
We Are the Goldens
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Through the whirl of studies, sports and parties, Nell discovers her adored older sister's secret. Should she tell?
by Dana Reinhardt
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
Through the whirl of studies, sports and parties, Nell discovers her adored older sister's secret. Should she tell?
We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
What really happened on the Sinclair's private island when fifteen-year-old Cadence suffered a terrible accident? Psychologically, emotionally, and physically damaged, Cadence struggles to uncover the truth her brain has blocked.
by E. Lockhart
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
What really happened on the Sinclair's private island when fifteen-year-old Cadence suffered a terrible accident? Psychologically, emotionally, and physically damaged, Cadence struggles to uncover the truth her brain has blocked.
What We Hide
by Marthe Jocelyn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
American teen Jenny begins a semester abroad at a British boarding school by telling an untruth to her new classmates. She is not the only one with a secret.
by Marthe Jocelyn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
American teen Jenny begins a semester abroad at a British boarding school by telling an untruth to her new classmates. She is not the only one with a secret.
When Mr. Dog Bites
by Brian Conaghan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
When Dylan, who is struggling with Tourette Syndrome, is led to believe he is terminally ill, he creates a remarkable bucket list.
by Brian Conaghan
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
When Dylan, who is struggling with Tourette Syndrome, is led to believe he is terminally ill, he creates a remarkable bucket list.
Whisper
by Chris Struyk-Bonn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
In a society that exiles those with physical and mental imperfections, fifteen-year-old Whisper, who has a cleft palate, redefines family and self-worth.
by Chris Struyk-Bonn
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
In a society that exiles those with physical and mental imperfections, fifteen-year-old Whisper, who has a cleft palate, redefines family and self-worth.
Winger
by Andrew Smith
Illustrator: Sam Bosma
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
The youngest junior at boarding school, rugby player Ryan, lands in the dorm for trouble-makers. He is not prepared for the events that unfold. Charcoal and ink illustrations.
by Andrew Smith
Illustrator: Sam Bosma
Ages: 14+
Published: 2014
The youngest junior at boarding school, rugby player Ryan, lands in the dorm for trouble-makers. He is not prepared for the events that unfold. Charcoal and ink illustrations.
17 & Gone
by Nova Ren Suma
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
As Lauren's seventeenth birthday approaches, she becomes tormented by images of other girls the same age who have gone missing and have not been found.
by Nova Ren Suma
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
As Lauren's seventeenth birthday approaches, she becomes tormented by images of other girls the same age who have gone missing and have not been found.
Absent
by Katie Williams
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Seventeen-year-old Paige fell from the roof of her high school. Now she is a ghost. Can she stop the rumors about her death?
by Katie Williams
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Seventeen-year-old Paige fell from the roof of her high school. Now she is a ghost. Can she stop the rumors about her death?
A Matter of Days
by Amber Kizer
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
After sixteen-year-old Nadia and her younger brother survive the Blustar pandemic, they undertake a journey from Seattle to West Virginia to reunite with the uncle who saved them.
by Amber Kizer
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
After sixteen-year-old Nadia and her younger brother survive the Blustar pandemic, they undertake a journey from Seattle to West Virginia to reunite with the uncle who saved them.
A Trick of the Light
by Lois Metzger
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A voice inside his head is giving Mike advice on how to regain control of his life. Should he listen to it?
by Lois Metzger
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A voice inside his head is giving Mike advice on how to regain control of his life. Should he listen to it?
Being Henry David
by Cal Armistead
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A teenager wakes up in Penn Station with no memory, clutching a book--”Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. Is this a clue to his past?
by Cal Armistead
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A teenager wakes up in Penn Station with no memory, clutching a book--”Walden” by Henry David Thoreau. Is this a clue to his past?
Black Helicopters
by Blythe Woolston
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
In an existence fueled by fear, regimentation and revenge, Valkyrie struggles to live up to the values instilled by her father.
by Blythe Woolston
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
In an existence fueled by fear, regimentation and revenge, Valkyrie struggles to live up to the values instilled by her father.
Brianna on the Brink
by Nicole McInnes
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Sixteen-year-old Brianna's one-night stand results in a pregnancy which forces her to confront her life choices.
by Nicole McInnes
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Sixteen-year-old Brianna's one-night stand results in a pregnancy which forces her to confront her life choices.
Brother, Brother
by Clay Carmichael
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
When the grandmother who raised him dies, Brother discovers that he has an identical twin. What other family secrets will he uncover when they meet?
by Clay Carmichael
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
When the grandmother who raised him dies, Brother discovers that he has an identical twin. What other family secrets will he uncover when they meet?
Bruised
by Sarah Skilton
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Sixteen-year-old Imogen, a Tae Kwon Doe black belt, must deal with the emotional fallout from witnessing a robbery that ended with the gunman's death.
by Sarah Skilton
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Sixteen-year-old Imogen, a Tae Kwon Doe black belt, must deal with the emotional fallout from witnessing a robbery that ended with the gunman's death.
Burning
by Elana K. Arnold
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A small town boy, about to go off to college, falls in love with a young gypsy rebelling against the restrictive Romani culture. Do they have a future together?
by Elana K. Arnold
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
A small town boy, about to go off to college, falls in love with a young gypsy rebelling against the restrictive Romani culture. Do they have a future together?
BZRK Reloaded
by Michael Grant
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
ARC Can the members of BZRK, deploying their biots, keep the Armstrong Twins from using nanotechnology to create a “Utopia” based on destroying humankind's free will?
by Michael Grant
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
ARC Can the members of BZRK, deploying their biots, keep the Armstrong Twins from using nanotechnology to create a “Utopia” based on destroying humankind's free will?
Cameron and the Girls
by Edward Averett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Cameron, fourteen, suffers from a minor form schizophrenia (schizophreniform). Struggling to reclaim his reality, he goes off his meds, choosing his hallucinations over sedation.
by Edward Averett
Ages: 14+
Published: 2013
Cameron, fourteen, suffers from a minor form schizophrenia (schizophreniform). Struggling to reclaim his reality, he goes off his meds, choosing his hallucinations over sedation.