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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Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans
Isi Hendrix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old orphan Adia seizes the opportunity to apprentice at the Academy of Shamans. Can she channel her powers to rid the emperor of a wicked demon?
Isi Hendrix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Twelve-year-old orphan Adia seizes the opportunity to apprentice at the Academy of Shamans. Can she channel her powers to rid the emperor of a wicked demon?
American Story, An
Kwame Alexander
Illustrator: Dare Coulter
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A teacher explains how the effects of slavery connect the past to the present. Free verse. Powerful mixed-media illustrations.
Kwame Alexander
Illustrator: Dare Coulter
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A teacher explains how the effects of slavery connect the past to the present. Free verse. Powerful mixed-media illustrations.
Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Cave Art
Hannah Salyer
Illustrator: Hannah Salyer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Vivid images created with colored pencil, charcoal, and pigment illuminate the creative spark that has united humankind throughout the millennia. Back matter includes site map, glossary, and timeline
Hannah Salyer
Illustrator: Hannah Salyer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Vivid images created with colored pencil, charcoal, and pigment illuminate the creative spark that has united humankind throughout the millennia. Back matter includes site map, glossary, and timeline
Antiracist Kitchen, The: 21 Stories (and Recipes)
Nadia L. Hohn, editor
Illustrator: Roza Nozari
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Twenty-one authors from different parts of North America share stories and recipes that celebrate their families' lives and depict how they dealt with racism. Folk-art-style illustrations.
Nadia L. Hohn, editor
Illustrator: Roza Nozari
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Twenty-one authors from different parts of North America share stories and recipes that celebrate their families' lives and depict how they dealt with racism. Folk-art-style illustrations.
Back to the Bright Before
Katherin Nolte
Illustrator: Jen Bricking
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Determined to rescue her family from financial ruin, Perpetua, 11, seeks a precious coin in an abbey—with the aid of unusual characters. Spot illustrations.
Katherin Nolte
Illustrator: Jen Bricking
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Determined to rescue her family from financial ruin, Perpetua, 11, seeks a precious coin in an abbey—with the aid of unusual characters. Spot illustrations.
Banned Book
Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Gary Kelley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
An allegorical and slyly humorous story of a book and the people who want to censor it. Powerful art in a somber palette.
Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Gary Kelley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
An allegorical and slyly humorous story of a book and the people who want to censor it. Powerful art in a somber palette.
Bea and the New Deal Horse
L. M. Elliott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
In Depression-era Virginia, Bea and her sister are abandoned at a farm in danger of foreclosure. Her experience with and love of horses saves the farm. Sources.
L. M. Elliott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
In Depression-era Virginia, Bea and her sister are abandoned at a farm in danger of foreclosure. Her experience with and love of horses saves the farm. Sources.
Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage
Lisa Rogers
Illustrator: Il Sung Na
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Avant-garde composer/musician John Cage heard the ordinary noises of everyday life as music and composed pieces to help listeners hear what he heard. Jazzy colorful illustrations.
Lisa Rogers
Illustrator: Il Sung Na
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Avant-garde composer/musician John Cage heard the ordinary noises of everyday life as music and composed pieces to help listeners hear what he heard. Jazzy colorful illustrations.
Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From
Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrator: Madison Safer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A comprehensive account of the science and history of humankind's quest to harness, control, and manufacture color, using plants, minerals, and chemistry. Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations. Simple experiments. Extensive resources.
Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrator: Madison Safer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A comprehensive account of the science and history of humankind's quest to harness, control, and manufacture color, using plants, minerals, and chemistry. Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations. Simple experiments. Extensive resources.
Big Tree
Brian Selznick
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
In the final days of the dinosaurs, two sycamore seedlings search for a safe place to grow in an unsafe world. Pencil drawings. Extensive notes on the science.
Brian Selznick
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
In the final days of the dinosaurs, two sycamore seedlings search for a safe place to grow in an unsafe world. Pencil drawings. Extensive notes on the science.
Book of Stolen Dreams, The (Stolen Dreams Adventures series)
David Farr
Illustrator: Kristina Kister
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
After Rachel and Robert's librarian father is arrested for stealing an ancient magical book, the tyrannical ruler of Krasnia sets his forces against the family. Whimsical spot art.
David Farr
Illustrator: Kristina Kister
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
After Rachel and Robert's librarian father is arrested for stealing an ancient magical book, the tyrannical ruler of Krasnia sets his forces against the family. Whimsical spot art.
Book That No One Wanted to Read, The
Richard Ayoade
Illustrator: Tor Freeman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
The Book explores why we read and what we read. Funny, philosophical, and adroitly illustrated with affectionately amusing line drawings.
Richard Ayoade
Illustrator: Tor Freeman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
The Book explores why we read and what we read. Funny, philosophical, and adroitly illustrated with affectionately amusing line drawings.
Brilliant Calculator, The: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America
Jan Lower
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Despite gender discrimination in the fields of science and math in the early 20th century, Clarke became the first female electrical engineer in the United States. Creative illustrations infused with mathematical equations. Rich back matter.
Jan Lower
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Despite gender discrimination in the fields of science and math in the early 20th century, Clarke became the first female electrical engineer in the United States. Creative illustrations infused with mathematical equations. Rich back matter.
Call Me Adnan
Reem Faruqi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Adnan's triumph at a table tennis competition turns to tragedy for his Pakistani American family when they suffer a devastating loss. How will they cope? Back matter.
Reem Faruqi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Adnan's triumph at a table tennis competition turns to tragedy for his Pakistani American family when they suffer a devastating loss. How will they cope? Back matter.
Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers?
Junauda Petrus
Illustrator: Kristen Uroda
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A free-verse poem, originally written after the 2014 death of Michael Brown, is paired with vibrant illustrations and presents a world where caring and emotional warmth can solve community problems. Mature content
Junauda Petrus
Illustrator: Kristen Uroda
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A free-verse poem, originally written after the 2014 death of Michael Brown, is paired with vibrant illustrations and presents a world where caring and emotional warmth can solve community problems. Mature content
Climate Warriors: Fourteen Scientists and Fourteen Ways We Can Save Our Planet
Laura Gehl
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Diverse experts—and concerned kids—engage in efforts to save the planet from the effects of global warming. Actions suggested. Diagrams and photographs. Back matter, glossary, sources.
Laura Gehl
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Diverse experts—and concerned kids—engage in efforts to save the planet from the effects of global warming. Actions suggested. Diagrams and photographs. Back matter, glossary, sources.
Conjure Island
Eden Royce
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Delphinia is sent to South Carolina to live with her great-grandmother. Why had no one ever mentioned that magic based in Gullah tradition runs in her family?
Eden Royce
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Delphinia is sent to South Carolina to live with her great-grandmother. Why had no one ever mentioned that magic based in Gullah tradition runs in her family?
Contenders: Two Native Baseball Players, One World Series
Traci Sorell
Illustrator: Arigon Starr
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Although they were subjected to racism, two great Native baseball players faced each other in an exciting game in the 1911 World Series. Digital illustrations.
Traci Sorell
Illustrator: Arigon Starr
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Although they were subjected to racism, two great Native baseball players faced each other in an exciting game in the 1911 World Series. Digital illustrations.
Coretta's Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Eloquent prose and poetry and animated illustrations depict the life of Coretta Scott King: mother, singer, activist, and force behind her husband's accomplishments in the Civil Rights movement. Archival photographs.
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Eloquent prose and poetry and animated illustrations depict the life of Coretta Scott King: mother, singer, activist, and force behind her husband's accomplishments in the Civil Rights movement. Archival photographs.
Dear Yesteryear
Kimberly Annece Henderson
Illustrator: Ciara LeRoy, letterer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A poetic loving tribute to Black Americans, containing black-and-white and sepia archival photos, arranged like a family photo album, from the 19th and 20th centuries. Well sourced.
Kimberly Annece Henderson
Illustrator: Ciara LeRoy, letterer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A poetic loving tribute to Black Americans, containing black-and-white and sepia archival photos, arranged like a family photo album, from the 19th and 20th centuries. Well sourced.
Desert Queen
Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Illustrator: Svabhu Kohli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
When he and his sisters were orphaned, a boy used his dance talents to become a famous drag performer, championing the folk traditions of Rajasthan. Lyrical free verse text. Swirling mixed-media illustrations. Back matter.
Jyoti Rajan Gopal
Illustrator: Svabhu Kohli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
When he and his sisters were orphaned, a boy used his dance talents to become a famous drag performer, championing the folk traditions of Rajasthan. Lyrical free verse text. Swirling mixed-media illustrations. Back matter.
Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman, The
Mari Lowe
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Shaindy, an awkward sixth grader in an Orthodox Jewish community, is overjoyed when popular Gayil asks her help in pranking some classmates. But will she become the next target?
Mari Lowe
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
Shaindy, an awkward sixth grader in an Orthodox Jewish community, is overjoyed when popular Gayil asks her help in pranking some classmates. But will she become the next target?
Eagle Drums
Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
Illustrator: Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A boy on a dangerous journey is kidnapped by eagles in this Iñupiaq origin story of the Messenger Feast. Detailed colored pencil drawings and elegant spot art.
Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
Illustrator: Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
A boy on a dangerous journey is kidnapped by eagles in this Iñupiaq origin story of the Messenger Feast. Detailed colored pencil drawings and elegant spot art.
Elf Dog & Owl Head
M. T. Anderson
Illustrator: Junyi Wu
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
During a global pandemic, a tween boy, quarantining with his family, meets a magical elf-hound and becomes friends with an owl-headed boy. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
M. T. Anderson
Illustrator: Junyi Wu
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
During a global pandemic, a tween boy, quarantining with his family, meets a magical elf-hound and becomes friends with an owl-headed boy. Dramatic black-and-white illustrations.
Eli Over Easy
Phil Stamper
Illustrator: Violet Tobacco
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
After Eli's mother dies of COVID, he discovers cooking videos on her laptop and is inspired to follow them as a way to heal. Recipes. Black-and-white illustrations.
Phil Stamper
Illustrator: Violet Tobacco
Ages: 9+
Published: 2023
After Eli's mother dies of COVID, he discovers cooking videos on her laptop and is inspired to follow them as a way to heal. Recipes. Black-and-white illustrations.