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
Sky Carver
by Dean Whitlock
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young boy comes to understand his special gifts on a journey of discovery with a magic raven and a runaway bondservant.
by Dean Whitlock
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young boy comes to understand his special gifts on a journey of discovery with a magic raven and a runaway bondservant.
Something about America
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young Serbian immigrant struggles with the angry bias of a small local group. Based on an actual event.
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young Serbian immigrant struggles with the angry bias of a small local group. Based on an actual event.
Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Amusing cross-cultural misunderstandings arise when Sophie leaves London for a summer in Brooklyn, New York. Includes glossary of British colloquialisms.
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Amusing cross-cultural misunderstandings arise when Sophie leaves London for a summer in Brooklyn, New York. Includes glossary of British colloquialisms.
Spacer And Rat
by Margaret Bechard
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Is there such a thing as a sentient robot? If so, could it be put to dangerous uses?
by Margaret Bechard
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Is there such a thing as a sentient robot? If so, could it be put to dangerous uses?
The Artsy Smartsy Club
by Daniel Pinkwater
Illustrator: Jill Pinkwater
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Discovering a mysterious pavement artist encourages three Hoboken kids with a 266 pound chicken to make their own pictures and learn more about art.
by Daniel Pinkwater
Illustrator: Jill Pinkwater
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Discovering a mysterious pavement artist encourages three Hoboken kids with a 266 pound chicken to make their own pictures and learn more about art.
The Bicycle Man
by David L. Dudley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
On a quest of his own, an elderly drifter stays with Carissa and her mother, helping them through hard times in rural 1920s Georgia.
by David L. Dudley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
On a quest of his own, an elderly drifter stays with Carissa and her mother, helping them through hard times in rural 1920s Georgia.
The Book without Words
by Avi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
About a man who would live forever, his servant girl, a talking raven and a book with no writing.
by Avi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
About a man who would live forever, his servant girl, a talking raven and a book with no writing.
The Case of the Prank that Stank
by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
When Orville and Agatha are blamed for a mysterious fire, they use their special talents to find the real perpetrator.
by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
When Orville and Agatha are blamed for a mysterious fire, they use their special talents to find the real perpetrator.
The Color of Fire; a Novel
by Ann Rinaldi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1741 in New York, a slave determines to save the people close to her.
by Ann Rinaldi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1741 in New York, a slave determines to save the people close to her.
The Counterfeit Princess
by Jane Resh Thomas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1553, teenager Iris joins supporters of England's Princess Elizabeth as a spy, messenger and personal stand-in.
by Jane Resh Thomas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1553, teenager Iris joins supporters of England's Princess Elizabeth as a spy, messenger and personal stand-in.
The Curse of the Gloamglozer
by Paul Stewart
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Two children discover their floating city's buried secret. Fourth in a series.
by Paul Stewart
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Two children discover their floating city's buried secret. Fourth in a series.
The Farewell Symphony
by Anna Harwell Celenza
Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
How Haydn composed a chamber music piece to convince Prince Nicholas that his musicians needed to go home.
by Anna Harwell Celenza
Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
How Haydn composed a chamber music piece to convince Prince Nicholas that his musicians needed to go home.
The Game of Silence
by Louise Erdrich
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Omakayas loves the rhythm of the Ojibwe year on Lake Superior and can't believe her extended family must move. Sequel to The Birchbark House.
by Louise Erdrich
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Omakayas loves the rhythm of the Ojibwe year on Lake Superior and can't believe her extended family must move. Sequel to The Birchbark House.
The Hero and the Minotaur
written and ill. by Robert Byrd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
The quests of Theseus in his encounters with a princess, Icarus and the Minotaur. Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations.
written and ill. by Robert Byrd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
The quests of Theseus in his encounters with a princess, Icarus and the Minotaur. Pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations.
The King Of Mulberry Street
by Donna Jo Napoli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1892 a nine-year-old stows away from Napoli and survives alone on the streets of New York. Based on the experience of the author's grandfather.
by Donna Jo Napoli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In 1892 a nine-year-old stows away from Napoli and survives alone on the streets of New York. Based on the experience of the author's grandfather.
THE LAMBKINS
by Eve Bunting
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A fifteen-year-old budding artist awakes from a kidnapping to find his miniaturized self captive along with three other victims.
by Eve Bunting
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A fifteen-year-old budding artist awakes from a kidnapping to find his miniaturized self captive along with three other victims.
The Lioness & Her Knight
by Gerald Morris
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young knight, a young lady and a fool triumph over evil and come of age.
by Gerald Morris
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A young knight, a young lady and a fool triumph over evil and come of age.
The Misadventures of Maude March
by Audrey Couloumbis
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Eleven-year-old Sallie, an orphan, follows an adventurous trail in search of a long-lost uncle. Hilarious.
by Audrey Couloumbis
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Eleven-year-old Sallie, an orphan, follows an adventurous trail in search of a long-lost uncle. Hilarious.
The Mysterious Circus
by Jane Langton
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A surprise visitor from India stirs things up when he and his elephants arrive in Concord, Massachusetts, in an ongoing chronicle of the Hall family.
by Jane Langton
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A surprise visitor from India stirs things up when he and his elephants arrive in Concord, Massachusetts, in an ongoing chronicle of the Hall family.
The Penderwicks
by Jeanne Birdsall
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A summer vacation in a picturesque Berkshire cottage is complicated by the estate's owner, the frosty Mrs. Tipton.
by Jeanne Birdsall
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A summer vacation in a picturesque Berkshire cottage is complicated by the estate's owner, the frosty Mrs. Tipton.
The Rhyming Season
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A quirky coach leads the varsity girls' team to self-knowledge and a winning season. An unusual mix of poetry and basketball.
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A quirky coach leads the varsity girls' team to self-knowledge and a winning season. An unusual mix of poetry and basketball.
The Scarecrow and his Servant
by Philip Pullman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A hapless scarecrow and a quick-witted boy embark on a dangerous quest to find a new home.
by Philip Pullman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
A hapless scarecrow and a quick-witted boy embark on a dangerous quest to find a new home.
The Search for Belle Prater
by Ruth White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Woodrow and Gypsy search for Woodrow's mother, missing for a year. A sequel to “Belle Prater's Boy.”
by Ruth White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
Woodrow and Gypsy search for Woodrow's mother, missing for a year. A sequel to “Belle Prater's Boy.”
The Serpent Came to Gloucester
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In the nineteenth century, the Gloucester townspeople become fearful when a sea serpent is spotted off their Maine coast. Maritime-style paintings.
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
In the nineteenth century, the Gloucester townspeople become fearful when a sea serpent is spotted off their Maine coast. Maritime-style paintings.
The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
by Betty G. Birney
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
While Eben longs to leave his small town, his father challenges him to find the wonders that exist there.
by Betty G. Birney
Illustrator: Matt Phelan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2005
While Eben longs to leave his small town, his father challenges him to find the wonders that exist there.