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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The Treasury of Norse Mythology
by Donna Jo Napoli
Illustrator: Christina Balit
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Meet Thor the Thunder God, Loki the Trickster, Freyja the Magician and the other Norse gods. Lavish, colorful illustrations.
by Donna Jo Napoli
Illustrator: Christina Balit
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Meet Thor the Thunder God, Loki the Trickster, Freyja the Magician and the other Norse gods. Lavish, colorful illustrations.
The Truth about Twinkie Pie
by Kat Yeh
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Armed with her Mom's recipe book and her big sister's support, brainy 12-year-old Gigi moves from the trailer parks of South Carolina to navigate a new private school in New York.
by Kat Yeh
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Armed with her Mom's recipe book and her big sister's support, brainy 12-year-old Gigi moves from the trailer parks of South Carolina to navigate a new private school in New York.
The Way to Stay in Destiny
by Augusta Scattergood
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Theo, 12, wants a home, a friend and a piano, and he's found them all in the town of Destiny. Unfortunately, Uncle Raymond has other ideas.
by Augusta Scattergood
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Theo, 12, wants a home, a friend and a piano, and he's found them all in the town of Destiny. Unfortunately, Uncle Raymond has other ideas.
The Wolf Wilder
by Katherine Rundell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
With the help of a band of children and half-wild wolves, Feo sets out to free her mother from a Czarist prison.
by Katherine Rundell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
With the help of a band of children and half-wild wolves, Feo sets out to free her mother from a Czarist prison.
This Bridge Will Not Be Gray
by Dave Eggers
Illustrator: Tucker Nichols
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A humorous, unique history of design and building of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Colored paper and collage illustrations.
by Dave Eggers
Illustrator: Tucker Nichols
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A humorous, unique history of design and building of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Colored paper and collage illustrations.
Trash Talk!
by Michelle Mulder
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A brief but inspiring discussion of our human trash-making prowess and of how we might begin to clean up our towns and our planet.
by Michelle Mulder
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A brief but inspiring discussion of our human trash-making prowess and of how we might begin to clean up our towns and our planet.
Tricky Vic
written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Robert Miller spent a lifetime bilking rich people of their money by appealing to their avarice. Mixed-media artwork.
written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Robert Miller spent a lifetime bilking rich people of their money by appealing to their avarice. Mixed-media artwork.
Trombone Shorty
by Troy (Trombone Shorty) Andrews
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
When he finds a broken trombone, a young boy in New Orleans fulfills his wish of becoming a musician like his dad and brother. Stunning watercolors and collages.
by Troy (Trombone Shorty) Andrews
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
When he finds a broken trombone, a young boy in New Orleans fulfills his wish of becoming a musician like his dad and brother. Stunning watercolors and collages.
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
Illustrator: P. J. Loughran
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Lynda Blackmon recounts the summer of 1965 when she was the youngest marcher in the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, voting rights march. Photographs and graphic illustrations.
by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
Illustrator: P. J. Loughran
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Lynda Blackmon recounts the summer of 1965 when she was the youngest marcher in the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, voting rights march. Photographs and graphic illustrations.
United States Encyclopedia
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Information about the fifty states includes personalities, cultural sites, history, helpful maps, timeline, and copies of founding documents.
by
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Information about the fifty states includes personalities, cultural sites, history, helpful maps, timeline, and copies of founding documents.
Untamed
by Anita Silvey
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Outstanding photographs enhance this discussion Goodall and her work with chimpanzees.
by Anita Silvey
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Outstanding photographs enhance this discussion Goodall and her work with chimpanzees.
Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Kelly Jones
Illustrator: Katie Kath
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Moving to Los Angeles to a farm is a difficult adjustment for Sophia and her multi-ethnic family. Handling supernatural chickens is an even greater challenge. Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
by Kelly Jones
Illustrator: Katie Kath
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Moving to Los Angeles to a farm is a difficult adjustment for Sophia and her multi-ethnic family. Handling supernatural chickens is an even greater challenge. Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
Voice of Freedom
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Born into extreme poverty in Mississippi in 1917, this African American activist fought tirelessly for voting rights and social justice. Told in free verse with vibrant collages.
by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Born into extreme poverty in Mississippi in 1917, this African American activist fought tirelessly for voting rights and social justice. Told in free verse with vibrant collages.
Walking Two Worlds
by Joseph Bruchac
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Fictional account of the early life of Ely Parker, who as a Seneca chief became leader of the Iroquois nation in the mid-1800s.
by Joseph Bruchac
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Fictional account of the early life of Ely Parker, who as a Seneca chief became leader of the Iroquois nation in the mid-1800s.
Wangari Maathai
by Franck Prévot
Illustrator: Aurélia Fronty
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
This African woman won the Nobel Prize for contributions to sustainable forest management, democracy, and tribal peace. Lush, colorful illustrations. Extensive backmatter.
by Franck Prévot
Illustrator: Aurélia Fronty
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
This African woman won the Nobel Prize for contributions to sustainable forest management, democracy, and tribal peace. Lush, colorful illustrations. Extensive backmatter.
What's the Buzz?
by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Colorful photographs and illustrations accompany information about the life of bees, their role as pollinators, and how we can help to protect them.
by Merrie-Ellen Wilcox
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Colorful photographs and illustrations accompany information about the life of bees, their role as pollinators, and how we can help to protect them.
Wonder at the Edge of the World
by Nicole Helget
Illustrator: Marcos Calo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In the mid 1850s, an adolescent girl left in charge of her father's artifacts, travels from Kansas to Antarctica with a shrunken head.
by Nicole Helget
Illustrator: Marcos Calo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In the mid 1850s, an adolescent girl left in charge of her father's artifacts, travels from Kansas to Antarctica with a shrunken head.
Absolutely Almost
by Lisa Graff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
A wonderful babysitter and two good friends help ten-year-old Albie, painfully aware of his weaknesses, discover his strengths.
by Lisa Graff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
A wonderful babysitter and two good friends help ten-year-old Albie, painfully aware of his weaknesses, discover his strengths.
A Hitch At the Fairmont
by Jim Averbeck
Illustrator: Nick Bertozzi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
The great Alfred Hitchcock himself stars in this light-hearted mystery, helping a young orphan, Jack, solve a kidnapping. Enlivened by clever comic-strip illustrations.
by Jim Averbeck
Illustrator: Nick Bertozzi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
The great Alfred Hitchcock himself stars in this light-hearted mystery, helping a young orphan, Jack, solve a kidnapping. Enlivened by clever comic-strip illustrations.
Alvin Ho: Allergic To the Great Wall, the Forbidden Palace, and Other Tourist Attractions
by Lenore Look
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Alvin is back! This time he is on a family trip to China to visit relatives. Will he survive the plane trip and other scary adventures? Lively black-and-white illustrations.
by Lenore Look
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Alvin is back! This time he is on a family trip to China to visit relatives. Will he survive the plane trip and other scary adventures? Lively black-and-white illustrations.
Angel Island
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Chinese immigrants who arrived at the “Ellis Island of the West”--Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay--provide accounts of the difficulties they faced. Photographs, reproductions of immigrants' poetry, notes, and bibliography.
by Russell Freedman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Chinese immigrants who arrived at the “Ellis Island of the West”--Angel Island, in San Francisco Bay--provide accounts of the difficulties they faced. Photographs, reproductions of immigrants' poetry, notes, and bibliography.
Animalium
by Jenny Broom
Illustrator: Katie Scott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
This “museum” of the animal kingdom matches incredible colorful illustrations with informative text introducing the tree of life, the theory of evolution, and biodiversity.
by Jenny Broom
Illustrator: Katie Scott
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
This “museum” of the animal kingdom matches incredible colorful illustrations with informative text introducing the tree of life, the theory of evolution, and biodiversity.
Annika Riz, Math Whiz
by Claudia Mills
Illustrator: Rob Shepperson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Can Annika win the sudoku contest and convince her best friends that math is really cool? Black-and-white illustrations.
by Claudia Mills
Illustrator: Rob Shepperson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Can Annika win the sudoku contest and convince her best friends that math is really cool? Black-and-white illustrations.
Ashley Bryan's Puppets
by Ashley Bryan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Found objects from the sea create a magical puppet world. Accompanying poems are told in the voices of characters from African traditions, shown in close-up photographs.
by Ashley Bryan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Found objects from the sea create a magical puppet world. Accompanying poems are told in the voices of characters from African traditions, shown in close-up photographs.
A Snicker of Magic
by Natalie Lloyd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Twelve-year-old Felicity and her new friend, Jonah, work to restore Midnight Gulch's magic by reversing a long-standing curse.
by Natalie Lloyd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2014
Twelve-year-old Felicity and her new friend, Jonah, work to restore Midnight Gulch's magic by reversing a long-standing curse.