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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Krista Kim-Bap
by Angela Ahn
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Canadian-Korean Krista and Jason are best friends, but when the popular girl in school invites Krista to her party, their friendship begins to erode.
by Angela Ahn
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Canadian-Korean Krista and Jason are best friends, but when the popular girl in school invites Krista to her party, their friendship begins to erode.
La Frontera
by Deborah Mills
Illustrator: Claudia Navarro
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Alfredo Alva tells his powerful story of coming from a small Mexican town to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, several decades ago. Graphite, acrylic, and digital illustrations. Bilingual.
by Deborah Mills
Illustrator: Claudia Navarro
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Alfredo Alva tells his powerful story of coming from a small Mexican town to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant, several decades ago. Graphite, acrylic, and digital illustrations. Bilingual.
Lifeboat 12
by Susan Hood
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Based on a true story, free verse expresses the harrowing adventure of a 13-year-old trying to escape the Nazis in a life boat.
by Susan Hood
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Based on a true story, free verse expresses the harrowing adventure of a 13-year-old trying to escape the Nazis in a life boat.
Louisana's Way Home
by Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
After her Granny abandons her in Georgia, Louisiana Elefante, 12, begins to believe her life is just a series of good-byes. Can she change her destiny?
by Kate DiCamillo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
After her Granny abandons her in Georgia, Louisiana Elefante, 12, begins to believe her life is just a series of good-byes. Can she change her destiny?
Lucky Enough
by Fred Bowen
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Thirteen-year-old Trey made the baseball travel team and had a good start. Was it due to his lucky pile of seaglass?
by Fred Bowen
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Thirteen-year-old Trey made the baseball travel team and had a good start. Was it due to his lucky pile of seaglass?
Lu (Track series)
by Jason Reynolds
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
As the Defenders prepare for the track championship, Lu must overcome his fear of jumping hurdles, even as he discovers the truth about his father.
by Jason Reynolds
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
As the Defenders prepare for the track championship, Lu must overcome his fear of jumping hurdles, even as he discovers the truth about his father.
Made By Hand
by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
This tribute to handmade objects brings American history alive. Styles include narrative, poetry, memoir, and journal entries. Gouache illustrations.
by Carole Lexa Schaefer
Illustrator: Becca Stadtlander
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
This tribute to handmade objects brings American history alive. Styles include narrative, poetry, memoir, and journal entries. Gouache illustrations.
Marley Dias Gets It Done
by Marley Dias
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Teen Marley Dias, founder of #1000blackgirlbooks, shares advice on activism based on her experiences. Copious photographs and a list of 1000 books with black girls as protagonists.
by Marley Dias
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Teen Marley Dias, founder of #1000blackgirlbooks, shares advice on activism based on her experiences. Copious photographs and a list of 1000 books with black girls as protagonists.
Masterpiece Robot and the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack
by Frank Tra
Illustrator: Rebecca Evans
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Vivid present-day scenes contrast with muted sci-fi imagination as Laura and her young siblings become superheroes to battle against their older sister, an evil, powerful robot.
by Frank Tra
Illustrator: Rebecca Evans
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Vivid present-day scenes contrast with muted sci-fi imagination as Laura and her young siblings become superheroes to battle against their older sister, an evil, powerful robot.
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop
by Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The story of the Memphis sanitation strike during the struggle for civil rights in 1968 is told through the eyes of a child. Striking illustrations. Back matter.
by Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The story of the Memphis sanitation strike during the struggle for civil rights in 1968 is told through the eyes of a child. Striking illustrations. Back matter.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears
by Meg Medina
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Scholarship student Merci, 11, must deal with boy problems in school thanks to rich, bossy Edna Santos. At home, Merci doesn't understand why her beloved grandfather is acting so strangely.
by Meg Medina
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Scholarship student Merci, 11, must deal with boy problems in school thanks to rich, bossy Edna Santos. At home, Merci doesn't understand why her beloved grandfather is acting so strangely.
My Life as a Diamond
by Jenny Manzer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
After moving from Canada to Washington, Caz Cadman joins the local baseball team where he thrives, until a rival threatens to reveal his identity before he's ready.
by Jenny Manzer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
After moving from Canada to Washington, Caz Cadman joins the local baseball team where he thrives, until a rival threatens to reveal his identity before he's ready.
Nightbooks
by J. A. White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Lured into a witch's enchanted apartment, Alex and fellow prisoner Yasmin plot their escape.
by J. A. White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Lured into a witch's enchanted apartment, Alex and fellow prisoner Yasmin plot their escape.
No Small Potatoes
by Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Don Tate
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Groves, formerly enslaved, worked hard to buy his own potato farm, eventually becoming one of the richest men in Kansas. Painterly illustrations; back matter.
by Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Don Tate
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Groves, formerly enslaved, worked hard to buy his own potato farm, eventually becoming one of the richest men in Kansas. Painterly illustrations; back matter.
No Truth Without Ruth
by Kathleen Krull
Illustrator: Nancy Zhang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The life story of the second woman on the US Supreme Court is presented with an emphasis on her advocacy and decisions on sexual equality. Dramatic digital illustrations.
by Kathleen Krull
Illustrator: Nancy Zhang
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The life story of the second woman on the US Supreme Court is presented with an emphasis on her advocacy and decisions on sexual equality. Dramatic digital illustrations.
Ode to an Onion
by Alexandria Giardino
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Pablo Neruda's spirits uplifted by the optimism of a friend while visiting her garden are imagined as the inspiration for his poem. Evocative, bold, colorful motifs. Endnotes.
by Alexandria Giardino
Illustrator: Felicita Sala
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Pablo Neruda's spirits uplifted by the optimism of a friend while visiting her garden are imagined as the inspiration for his poem. Evocative, bold, colorful motifs. Endnotes.
One Iguana, Two Iguanas
by Sneed B. Collard III
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The isolation of the Galapagos Islands created a unique evolutionary environment. Photographs and text chronicle two related species of iguanas and introduce the evolutionary process.
by Sneed B. Collard III
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The isolation of the Galapagos Islands created a unique evolutionary environment. Photographs and text chronicle two related species of iguanas and introduce the evolutionary process.
Orphaned
by Eliot Schrefer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
In the Paleolithic era, Snub, a young female gorilla, encounters humans for the first time. A gorilla's thoughts and feelings are told in blank verse.
by Eliot Schrefer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
In the Paleolithic era, Snub, a young female gorilla, encounters humans for the first time. A gorilla's thoughts and feelings are told in blank verse.
Pass Go and Collect $200
by Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The remarkable history of this popular board game is vividly narrated and illustrated with retro-style, mixed-media artwork. Back matter features Monopoly math problems.
by Tanya Lee Stone
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
The remarkable history of this popular board game is vividly narrated and illustrated with retro-style, mixed-media artwork. Back matter features Monopoly math problems.
Picturing America
written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
A British boy who emigrated to America captures the beauty of the Hudson River landscape in his painting. Watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations evoke the power of his canvases.
written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
A British boy who emigrated to America captures the beauty of the Hudson River landscape in his painting. Watercolor, pencil, and ink illustrations evoke the power of his canvases.
Playing Atari with Saddam Hussein
by Jennifer Roy
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
When the Gulf War between Iraq and the U.S. begins in 1991, Ali, 11, and his Christian Kurdish family struggle to survive the nightly bombings in Basra.
by Jennifer Roy
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
When the Gulf War between Iraq and the U.S. begins in 1991, Ali, 11, and his Christian Kurdish family struggle to survive the nightly bombings in Basra.
Pride
by Rob Sanders
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Vibrant illustrations and engaging text bring this political activist to life. Timeline, photos, and additional back matter expand on Milk's life and impact.
by Rob Sanders
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Vibrant illustrations and engaging text bring this political activist to life. Timeline, photos, and additional back matter expand on Milk's life and impact.
Rosa's Animals
by Maryann Macdonald
Illustrator: Rosa Bonheur
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
A nineteenth century woman achieves great success with her realistic paintings of animals. A handsome book filled with full-page reproductions. Back matter.
by Maryann Macdonald
Illustrator: Rosa Bonheur
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
A nineteenth century woman achieves great success with her realistic paintings of animals. A handsome book filled with full-page reproductions. Back matter.
Running on Empty
by S. E. Durrant
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Grandad used to take care of AJ's developmentally disabled parents, but he's gone and the bills are overdue. AJ desperately wants to help, but he's only eleven.
by S. E. Durrant
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
Grandad used to take care of AJ's developmentally disabled parents, but he's gone and the bills are overdue. AJ desperately wants to help, but he's only eleven.
Running on the Roof of the World
by Jess Butterworth
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
ARC Fleeing religious persecution, Tash escapes over the mountains to seek help from the Dalai Lama. Back matter.
by Jess Butterworth
Ages: 9+
Published: 2018
ARC Fleeing religious persecution, Tash escapes over the mountains to seek help from the Dalai Lama. Back matter.