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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Daughters of the Lamp
Nedda Lewers
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Parallel tales connect a modern Egyptian American girl, struggling with her bicultural identity, to the magical mission passed down to her from a 10th-century ancestor.
Nedda Lewers
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Parallel tales connect a modern Egyptian American girl, struggling with her bicultural identity, to the magical mission passed down to her from a 10th-century ancestor.
Deadly Daylight, The (Alice England Mystery series)
Ash Harrier
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Can 12-year-old Alice, who works alongside her father in the family funeral home, solve the clues to an intriguing mystery with the help of her new misfit friends?
Ash Harrier
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Can 12-year-old Alice, who works alongside her father in the family funeral home, solve the clues to an intriguing mystery with the help of her new misfit friends?
Dear Dad: Growing Up With a Parent in Prison -- and How We Stayed Connected
Jay Jay Patton, with Kiara Valdez
Illustrator: Markia Jenai
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Patton tells her story of fighting for the right to stay in touch with her dad, even developing an app to do it. Brightly colored comic panels.
Jay Jay Patton, with Kiara Valdez
Illustrator: Markia Jenai
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Patton tells her story of fighting for the right to stay in touch with her dad, even developing an app to do it. Brightly colored comic panels.
Drawing Deena
Hena Khan
Illustrator: Abigail Dela Cruz
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Pakistani American Deena worries about how much her parents argue over money. If she helps her mother's clothing business do better, will things improve? Black-and-white spot art.
Hena Khan
Illustrator: Abigail Dela Cruz
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Pakistani American Deena worries about how much her parents argue over money. If she helps her mother's clothing business do better, will things improve? Black-and-white spot art.
Eating My Words and 128 Other Poems
Brian P. Cleary
Illustrator: Andy Rowland and Richard Watson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A feast of global poetic forms served with skillful amusing examples from haiku to acrostics, each clearly defined. Topically diverse and spiced with puns and wordplay. Colorful illustrations. Back matter.
Brian P. Cleary
Illustrator: Andy Rowland and Richard Watson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A feast of global poetic forms served with skillful amusing examples from haiku to acrostics, each clearly defined. Topically diverse and spiced with puns and wordplay. Colorful illustrations. Back matter.
Enigma Girls, The: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
Candace Fleming
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
The riveting individual stories of young women recruited to help crack the Nazis' coded messages along with detailed explanations of how they did it. Numerous archival photographs. Exemplary sourcing.
Candace Fleming
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
The riveting individual stories of young women recruited to help crack the Nazis' coded messages along with detailed explanations of how they did it. Numerous archival photographs. Exemplary sourcing.
Everybody's Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
Linda Leopold Strauss
Illustrator: Tim Smart
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A 14th-century Jewish wedding gift read at Passover that originated in Spain was handed down through generations and cared for by people of different faiths. Colorful, stylized illustrations.
Linda Leopold Strauss
Illustrator: Tim Smart
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A 14th-century Jewish wedding gift read at Passover that originated in Spain was handed down through generations and cared for by people of different faiths. Colorful, stylized illustrations.
Fabulous Fannie Farmer, The: Kitchen Scientist and America's Cook
Emma Bland Smith
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A 19th-century food lover turned home cooking into both a science and an art form. Detailed, mixed-media illustrations. Time line, bibliography, suggested reading. Recipes.
Emma Bland Smith
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A 19th-century food lover turned home cooking into both a science and an art form. Detailed, mixed-media illustrations. Time line, bibliography, suggested reading. Recipes.
Fairy Tale Fan Club, The: Legendary Letters Collected by C. C. Cecily
Richard Ayoade
Illustrator: David Roberts
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A narrator closely connected to storybook characters conveys their responses to inquisitive children, many of whom question the improbable elements in these classic tales. Comical pen and ink illustrations.
Richard Ayoade
Illustrator: David Roberts
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A narrator closely connected to storybook characters conveys their responses to inquisitive children, many of whom question the improbable elements in these classic tales. Comical pen and ink illustrations.
Faker
Gordon Korman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
When 12-year-old Trey, his younger sister, and their professional con artist father move to a new town and begin a new scam, an inspiring teacher and an environmental cause change Trey's outlook.
Gordon Korman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
When 12-year-old Trey, his younger sister, and their professional con artist father move to a new town and begin a new scam, an inspiring teacher and an environmental cause change Trey's outlook.
Ferris
Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Ferris Wilkey, 10, spends summer vacation helping a ghost find her way. She discovers, just as her grandmother always said, that every good story is a love story.
Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Ferris Wilkey, 10, spends summer vacation helping a ghost find her way. She discovers, just as her grandmother always said, that every good story is a love story.
Fighting with Love: The Legacy of John Lewis
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Knowing love and rage during a segregated childhood, Lewis chose the message of Martin Luther King and stood strong in the fight for truth and justice. Vibrant collage-like illustrations. Back matter.
Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Knowing love and rage during a segregated childhood, Lewis chose the message of Martin Luther King and stood strong in the fight for truth and justice. Vibrant collage-like illustrations. Back matter.
Finally Heard
Kelly Yang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Fifth grader Lina, recent immigrant from China, struggles to keep up with her new classmates on social media. Highlights the pros and cons of today's technology. Extensive back matter.
Kelly Yang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Fifth grader Lina, recent immigrant from China, struggles to keep up with her new classmates on social media. Highlights the pros and cons of today's technology. Extensive back matter.
Giga Town: A Guide to Manga Iconography
Fumiyo Kouno
Illustrator: Fumiyo Kouno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A pictorial table of contents leads readers to detailed definitions (and cartoon strip examples) of a wealth of symbols found in Japanese kids' cartoons. Gently humorous black-and-white illustrations.
Fumiyo Kouno
Illustrator: Fumiyo Kouno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A pictorial table of contents leads readers to detailed definitions (and cartoon strip examples) of a wealth of symbols found in Japanese kids' cartoons. Gently humorous black-and-white illustrations.
Glenn Burke, Game Changer: The Man Who Invented the High Five
Phil Bildner
Illustrator: Daniel J. O'Brien
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Burke, African American and the first openly gay MLB player, faced discrimination despite his excellence on the field. A joyful greeting he invented showed his love for baseball and his teammates. Evocative digital illustrations. References. Time line.
Phil Bildner
Illustrator: Daniel J. O'Brien
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Burke, African American and the first openly gay MLB player, faced discrimination despite his excellence on the field. A joyful greeting he invented showed his love for baseball and his teammates. Evocative digital illustrations. References. Time line.
Gracie Under the Waves
Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Maxine Vee
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
On a snorkeling vacation in Honduras, 10-year-old Gracie copes with her energetic younger brother while learning about the plight of the world's reefs. A warm family adventure wrapped around an ecology theme. Maps. Greyscale spot art.
Linda Sue Park
Illustrator: Maxine Vee
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
On a snorkeling vacation in Honduras, 10-year-old Gracie copes with her energetic younger brother while learning about the plight of the world's reefs. A warm family adventure wrapped around an ecology theme. Maps. Greyscale spot art.
Gray City, The
Torben Kuhlmann
Illustrator: Torben Kuhlmann
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Robin has moved to a city where everything is gray, controlled by the Gray Works Company. Defiantly wearing her yellow raincoat, she is determined to change that. Detailed watercolor illustrations.
Torben Kuhlmann
Illustrator: Torben Kuhlmann
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Robin has moved to a city where everything is gray, controlled by the Gray Works Company. Defiantly wearing her yellow raincoat, she is determined to change that. Detailed watercolor illustrations.
Great Wolf Rescue, The: Saving the Red Wolves (Sandra Markle's Science Discoveries series)
Sandra Markle
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Red wolves, unique to North America, were nearly extinct; scientists developed a fostering plan for them to live free in protected areas. Photos and maps/ Glossary, sources, suggested reading, index.
Sandra Markle
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Red wolves, unique to North America, were nearly extinct; scientists developed a fostering plan for them to live free in protected areas. Photos and maps/ Glossary, sources, suggested reading, index.
House with a Dragon in It, The
Nick Lake
Illustrator: Emily Gravett
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Summer embarks on a dangerous quest when she finds a bottle guarded by a dragon in a sinkhole in her foster family's living room. Captivating black-and-white spot art.
Nick Lake
Illustrator: Emily Gravett
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Summer embarks on a dangerous quest when she finds a bottle guarded by a dragon in a sinkhole in her foster family's living room. Captivating black-and-white spot art.
How to Explain Robotics to a Grown-Up
Ruth Spiro
Illustrator: Teresa MartÃnez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A light-hearted, clear explanation of how robots work and why they are so useful. Clear, digitally created illustrations.
Ruth Spiro
Illustrator: Teresa MartÃnez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
A light-hearted, clear explanation of how robots work and why they are so useful. Clear, digitally created illustrations.
How to Know a Crow: The Biography of a Brainy Bird
Candace Savage
Illustrator: Rachel Hudson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Among the smartest of the dinosaurs' descendants, corvids use tools, have complex social lives, protect one another, and even carry grudges. Graceful mixed-media illustrations. Varied activities. Glossary, resources.
Candace Savage
Illustrator: Rachel Hudson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Among the smartest of the dinosaurs' descendants, corvids use tools, have complex social lives, protect one another, and even carry grudges. Graceful mixed-media illustrations. Varied activities. Glossary, resources.
Hummingbird/Aamo-binashee
Jennifer Leason
Illustrator: Jennifer Leason
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Children are admonished by their grandparents to flee the dreaded Windigo, a manifestation of dehumanizing forces, and embrace Hummingbird, the messenger who nurtures the spirit. Lyrical text, dreamlike acrylic illustrations. Bilingual in Anishinaabemowin and English.
Jennifer Leason
Illustrator: Jennifer Leason
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Children are admonished by their grandparents to flee the dreaded Windigo, a manifestation of dehumanizing forces, and embrace Hummingbird, the messenger who nurtures the spirit. Lyrical text, dreamlike acrylic illustrations. Bilingual in Anishinaabemowin and English.
Hummingbird Season
Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
In the middle of the first, disorienting and isolating year of the COVID-19 pandemic, young Archie bonds with a local hummingbird, awakening his interest and empathy. Free verse.
Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
In the middle of the first, disorienting and isolating year of the COVID-19 pandemic, young Archie bonds with a local hummingbird, awakening his interest and empathy. Free verse.
I Am Wind: An Autobiography
Rachel Poliquin
Illustrator: Rachel Wada
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Speaking in the first person, Wind describes what causes air to move, how it manipulates landforms, and what its historical and emotional impact on humans is. Emotive illustrations. Table of contents, index.
Rachel Poliquin
Illustrator: Rachel Wada
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
Speaking in the first person, Wind describes what causes air to move, how it manipulates landforms, and what its historical and emotional impact on humans is. Emotive illustrations. Table of contents, index.
I Heard: An American Journey
Jaha Nailah Avery
Illustrator: Steffi Walthall
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
The narrator relates major events of Black history in the United States, from its African roots to today's struggles and triumphs. Told in lyrical verse. Lush paintings. Extensive back matter.
Jaha Nailah Avery
Illustrator: Steffi Walthall
Ages: 9+
Published: 2024
The narrator relates major events of Black history in the United States, from its African roots to today's struggles and triumphs. Told in lyrical verse. Lush paintings. Extensive back matter.