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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Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers
Juliet Menéndez
Illustrator: Juliet Menéndez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, NASA engineer Evelyn Miralles, and singer Selena Quintanilla are among the notable Latina women presented. Beautiful earth-toned folk art like illustrations.. Sources. Back matter.
Juliet Menéndez
Illustrator: Juliet Menéndez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, NASA engineer Evelyn Miralles, and singer Selena Quintanilla are among the notable Latina women presented. Beautiful earth-toned folk art like illustrations.. Sources. Back matter.
Linked
Gordon Korman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
When swastikas start appearing around the school, a community of high schoolers enter a journey of self-discovery, understanding, and stronger bonds.
Gordon Korman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
When swastikas start appearing around the school, a community of high schoolers enter a journey of self-discovery, understanding, and stronger bonds.
Lion of Mars, The
Jennifer L. Holm
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Eleven-year-old Bell, four teenagers, six adults, and a cat live on Mars in an American settlement. Life is good, until all the adults get sick.
Jennifer L. Holm
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Eleven-year-old Bell, four teenagers, six adults, and a cat live on Mars in an American settlement. Life is good, until all the adults get sick.
Living with Viola
Rosena Fung
Illustrator: Rosena Fung
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A Chinese Canadian girl, struggling to simultaneously honor her immigrant parents and survive middle school, finds her anxiety spiraling. With adult support, she learns management strategies. Bold illustrations. Resources.
Rosena Fung
Illustrator: Rosena Fung
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A Chinese Canadian girl, struggling to simultaneously honor her immigrant parents and survive middle school, finds her anxiety spiraling. With adult support, she learns management strategies. Bold illustrations. Resources.
Long Road to the Circus
Betsy Bird
Illustrator: David Small
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1920, Suzy, 12, longs to escape from the farm. Will learning to ride her neighbor's ostrich help make Suzy's dreams come true? Expressive black-and-white illustrations. Archival photos. Back matter.
Betsy Bird
Illustrator: David Small
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1920, Suzy, 12, longs to escape from the farm. Will learning to ride her neighbor's ostrich help make Suzy's dreams come true? Expressive black-and-white illustrations. Archival photos. Back matter.
Lost Language, The
Claudia Mills
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Reviving an endangered language helps a sixth grade girl to recoginize her own powerful voice and some truths about friends and family. Tender-hearted verse.
Claudia Mills
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Reviving an endangered language helps a sixth grade girl to recoginize her own powerful voice and some truths about friends and family. Tender-hearted verse.
Lotería
Karla Arenas Valenti
Illustrator: Dana Sanmar
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Clara, 11, becomes the unwitting participant in Life and Death's game of Lotería as she tries to rescue her cousin from dangerous Las Pozas. Black-and-white illustrations.
Karla Arenas Valenti
Illustrator: Dana Sanmar
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Clara, 11, becomes the unwitting participant in Life and Death's game of Lotería as she tries to rescue her cousin from dangerous Las Pozas. Black-and-white illustrations.
Luna Howls At The Moon
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A dog training to understand and help humans with their emotions, Luna narrates keeping her group of disturbed children safe.
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A dog training to understand and help humans with their emotions, Luna narrates keeping her group of disturbed children safe.
Magical Reality of Nadia, The (Magical Reality of Nadia series)
Bassem Youssef and Catherine R. Daly
Illustrator: Douglas Holgate
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Nerdy Egyptian-American Nadia and her friends enthusiastically enter a museum exhibit-designing contest but are distracted by a new antagonist and potentially supernatural phenomena. Partially graphic novel.
Bassem Youssef and Catherine R. Daly
Illustrator: Douglas Holgate
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Nerdy Egyptian-American Nadia and her friends enthusiastically enter a museum exhibit-designing contest but are distracted by a new antagonist and potentially supernatural phenomena. Partially graphic novel.
Mahalia Jackson: Freedom's Voice (Very Important People series)
Denise Lewis Patrick
Illustrator: Jennifer Bricking
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The awe-inspiring life of the queen of gospel music included forming a friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. and singing at the March on Washington. Two-color illustrations with timeline.
Denise Lewis Patrick
Illustrator: Jennifer Bricking
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The awe-inspiring life of the queen of gospel music included forming a friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. and singing at the March on Washington. Two-color illustrations with timeline.
Many Meanings of Meilan, The
Andrea Wang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A family feud forces her parents to move from Boston to Ohio, where Meilan's name is changed to Melanie and she fights to get her identity back.
Andrea Wang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A family feud forces her parents to move from Boston to Ohio, where Meilan's name is changed to Melanie and she fights to get her identity back.
Maryam's Magic: The Story of Mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani
Megan Reid
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The first woman to be awarded the Fields Medal, mathematics' highest honor, Iranian-born Maryam had a unique way of solving math problems. Detailed digital illustrations help explain her methods.
Megan Reid
Illustrator: Aaliya Jaleel
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The first woman to be awarded the Fields Medal, mathematics' highest honor, Iranian-born Maryam had a unique way of solving math problems. Detailed digital illustrations help explain her methods.
Maya and the Robot
Eve L. Ewing
Illustrator: Christine Almeda
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Maya, feeling lonely without her best friends, finds a robot and uses her scientific skills to make it work. A whole new world opens for her. Greyscale illustrations.
Eve L. Ewing
Illustrator: Christine Almeda
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Maya, feeling lonely without her best friends, finds a robot and uses her scientific skills to make it work. A whole new world opens for her. Greyscale illustrations.
Merci Suárez Can't Dance (Merci Suárez series)
Meg Medina
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The travails of a Cuban American seventh grader continue as she negotiates school, friendship, and family. A sequel to 2019 Newbery winner, Merci Suárez Changes Gears.
Meg Medina
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
The travails of a Cuban American seventh grader continue as she negotiates school, friendship, and family. A sequel to 2019 Newbery winner, Merci Suárez Changes Gears.
Message, The: The Extraordinary Journey of an Ordinary Text Message
Michael Emberley
Illustrator: Michael Emberley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Lush illustrations help demystify the intricate dance of human neural networks, electrical networks, and fiber optics that speedily enables us to send our thoughts to others. Sources.
Michael Emberley
Illustrator: Michael Emberley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Lush illustrations help demystify the intricate dance of human neural networks, electrical networks, and fiber optics that speedily enables us to send our thoughts to others. Sources.
Miosotis Flores Never Forgets
Hilda Eunice Burgos
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A Dominican American girl growing up in Philadelphia learns how to help herself and those she loves.
Hilda Eunice Burgos
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
A Dominican American girl growing up in Philadelphia learns how to help herself and those she loves.
Monsters of Rookhaven, The
Pádraig Kenny
Illustrator: Edward Bettison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Two orphans find a magical house, inhabited by an unusual family, feared by local townspeople. The humans and supernatural beings learn new lessons of cooperation. Enchanting black-and-white illustrations.
Pádraig Kenny
Illustrator: Edward Bettison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Two orphans find a magical house, inhabited by an unusual family, feared by local townspeople. The humans and supernatural beings learn new lessons of cooperation. Enchanting black-and-white illustrations.
My Ex-Imaginary Friend
Jimmy Matejek-Morris
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Deserted by his parents, ten-year-old Jack decides he needs his ex-best friend George, half-walrus, half-human, to help him put his family back together.
Jimmy Matejek-Morris
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Deserted by his parents, ten-year-old Jack decides he needs his ex-best friend George, half-walrus, half-human, to help him put his family back together.
My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness
Georgia Heard
Illustrator: Isabel Roxas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Guided through whimsical illustrations and poems, comprehensive mindful techniques from around the world cover such key elements as "deep breathing“, "being present' "and "loving-kindness" to achieve inner peace.
Georgia Heard
Illustrator: Isabel Roxas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Guided through whimsical illustrations and poems, comprehensive mindful techniques from around the world cover such key elements as "deep breathing“, "being present' "and "loving-kindness" to achieve inner peace.
Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small
Jess Wade
Illustrator: Melissa Castrillón
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
An award-winning physicist explains atom, elements, and nanos, the tiny building blocks used to create many new inventions. Helpful colorful illustrations. Back matter.
Jess Wade
Illustrator: Melissa Castrillón
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
An award-winning physicist explains atom, elements, and nanos, the tiny building blocks used to create many new inventions. Helpful colorful illustrations. Back matter.
Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued
Peter Sís
Illustrator: Peter Sís
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1939 Prague, Nicholas Winton quietly arranged transport and refuge for 669 Jewish children fleeing Nazi persecution. Detailed, two-page illustrations.
Peter Sís
Illustrator: Peter Sís
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1939 Prague, Nicholas Winton quietly arranged transport and refuge for 669 Jewish children fleeing Nazi persecution. Detailed, two-page illustrations.
Nightingale
Deva Fagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
An orphan turned thief to survive, Lark accidentally steals a magic sword from young Prince Jasper. Is she the “Nightingale” who thwarts an ancient evil?
Deva Fagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
An orphan turned thief to survive, Lark accidentally steals a magic sword from young Prince Jasper. Is she the “Nightingale” who thwarts an ancient evil?
Not All Heroes
Josephine Cameron
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Zinnia's family relocates following her brother's death. Friendship with neighbors assisting others helps her heal. Back matter.
Josephine Cameron
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Zinnia's family relocates following her brother's death. Friendship with neighbors assisting others helps her heal. Back matter.
One Thing You'd Save, The
Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Robert Sae-Heng
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Challenged to decide the one thing rescued if their home were burning, students learn about themselves and classmates. Korean sijo poetry. Black-and-white illustrations.
Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Robert Sae-Heng
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
Challenged to decide the one thing rescued if their home were burning, students learn about themselves and classmates. Korean sijo poetry. Black-and-white illustrations.
Ophie's Ghosts
Justina Ireland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1922, after her father is lynched in Georgia, 12-year-old Ophie and her mother move to Pittsburgh, where ghosts reveal deaths rooted in racism -- and opportunities for justice.
Justina Ireland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2021
In 1922, after her father is lynched in Georgia, 12-year-old Ophie and her mother move to Pittsburgh, where ghosts reveal deaths rooted in racism -- and opportunities for justice.