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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Human Body Theater
written and illustrated by Maris Wicks
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A comprehensive, but humorous overview of human physiology uses friendly, cartoon-like body parts and elements as characters. Helpful diagrams.
written and illustrated by Maris Wicks
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A comprehensive, but humorous overview of human physiology uses friendly, cartoon-like body parts and elements as characters. Helpful diagrams.
I See a Pattern Here
written and illustrated by Bruce Goldstone
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Look at diverse patterns in nature, art work, and more, and explore the secrets behind them. Instructions for making your own patterns. Colorful photographs.
written and illustrated by Bruce Goldstone
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Look at diverse patterns in nature, art work, and more, and explore the secrets behind them. Instructions for making your own patterns. Colorful photographs.
Jars of Hope
by Jennifer Roy
Illustrator: Meg Owenson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, smuggled nearly 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto before she was arrested. Atmospheric digitally-created illustrations.
by Jennifer Roy
Illustrator: Meg Owenson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, smuggled nearly 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto before she was arrested. Atmospheric digitally-created illustrations.
Lillian's Right to Vote
by Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
En route to vote, 100-year-old Lillian reviews her family's turbulent voting history. Striking, large colorful illustrations bring to life the struggle.
by Jonah Winter
Illustrator: Shane W. Evans
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
En route to vote, 100-year-old Lillian reviews her family's turbulent voting history. Striking, large colorful illustrations bring to life the struggle.
Lilliput
by Sam Gayton
Illustrator: Alice Ratterree
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Kidnapped from her beloved home in Lilliput, three-inch-tall Lily finds herself Gulliver's prisoner. Will she escape? Pencil and watercolor illustrations.
by Sam Gayton
Illustrator: Alice Ratterree
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Kidnapped from her beloved home in Lilliput, three-inch-tall Lily finds herself Gulliver's prisoner. Will she escape? Pencil and watercolor illustrations.
Listen, Slowly
by Thanhhà Lai
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Traveling to Vietnam to help her grandmother reconcile the wartime loss of her husband helps Mai define a broader view of her own life. Helpful map.
by Thanhhà Lai
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Traveling to Vietnam to help her grandmother reconcile the wartime loss of her husband helps Mai define a broader view of her own life. Helpful map.
Look Both Ways in the Barrio Blanco
by Judith Robbins Rose
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
When 12-year-old Jacinta, child of illegal immigrants, confronts the world outside the barrio, she faces opportunities, challenges, and confusion.
by Judith Robbins Rose
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
When 12-year-old Jacinta, child of illegal immigrants, confronts the world outside the barrio, she faces opportunities, challenges, and confusion.
Lost In the Sun
by Lisa Graff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
ARC Twelve-year-old Trent struggles with guilt and anger after a fatal accident, but then another outcast classmate befriends him.
by Lisa Graff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
ARC Twelve-year-old Trent struggles with guilt and anger after a fatal accident, but then another outcast classmate befriends him.
Lucky Strike
by Bobbie Pyron
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Struck by lightning, Nate's bad luck changes, but so do his friendships in the fishing town of Paradise Beach, Florida.
by Bobbie Pyron
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Struck by lightning, Nate's bad luck changes, but so do his friendships in the fishing town of Paradise Beach, Florida.
Mechanica
by Betsy Cornwell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Is there a happily ever after for the 16-year-old inventor-mechanic who needs to escape her dreary existence with her bullying stepfamily? A different kind of Cinderella story.
by Betsy Cornwell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Is there a happily ever after for the 16-year-old inventor-mechanic who needs to escape her dreary existence with her bullying stepfamily? A different kind of Cinderella story.
Mesmerized
by Mara Rockliff
Illustrator: Iacopo Bruno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
On a visit to Paris, Franklin uses the scientific method to prove that Dr. Mesmer's magic wand really has no power. Digitally-colored pencil illustrations. Resources.
by Mara Rockliff
Illustrator: Iacopo Bruno
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
On a visit to Paris, Franklin uses the scientific method to prove that Dr. Mesmer's magic wand really has no power. Digitally-colored pencil illustrations. Resources.
Moonpenny Island
by Tricia Springstubb
Illustrator: Gilbert Ford
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Her best friend leaves, her parents fight, her big sister acts strange, and Flor doesn't know how she will survive as the only eleven-year-old left on the island.
by Tricia Springstubb
Illustrator: Gilbert Ford
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Her best friend leaves, her parents fight, her big sister acts strange, and Flor doesn't know how she will survive as the only eleven-year-old left on the island.
My Seneca Village
by Marilyn Nelson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
The residents, mostly free African Americans, tell of their changing lives in the early 19th century New York City neighborhood. Various verse forms. Introductions and notes.
by Marilyn Nelson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
The residents, mostly free African Americans, tell of their changing lives in the early 19th century New York City neighborhood. Various verse forms. Introductions and notes.
My Story, My Dance
by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Dancer, choreographer Robert Battle's inspiring journey from bow-legged childhood to artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is accompanied by beautiful pastels. Bibliography.
by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Illustrator: James E. Ransome
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Dancer, choreographer Robert Battle's inspiring journey from bow-legged childhood to artistic director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is accompanied by beautiful pastels. Bibliography.
My Tata's Remedies
by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford
Illustrator: Antonio Castro L
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Tata (Grandpa) uses herbs to cure illness. Full page colored illustrations and glossary of medicinal herbs and remedies. In English and Spanish
by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford
Illustrator: Antonio Castro L
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Tata (Grandpa) uses herbs to cure illness. Full page colored illustrations and glossary of medicinal herbs and remedies. In English and Spanish
Night on Fire
by Ronald Kidd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In 1961, after witnessing violent attacks on the peaceful Freedom Riders in her home town of Anniston, Alabama, Billie, 13, bonds with Janine, a black girl. Together they travel to Montgomery to join the fight against segregation.
by Ronald Kidd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In 1961, after witnessing violent attacks on the peaceful Freedom Riders in her home town of Anniston, Alabama, Billie, 13, bonds with Janine, a black girl. Together they travel to Montgomery to join the fight against segregation.
Nooks & Crannies
by Jessica Lawson
Illustrator: Natalie Andrewson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In 1907 England, Tabith Crum is summoned, with five others, to the home of a Countess. There Tabith unlocks a mystery, changing her life forever. Expressive black-and-white drawings.
by Jessica Lawson
Illustrator: Natalie Andrewson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
In 1907 England, Tabith Crum is summoned, with five others, to the home of a Countess. There Tabith unlocks a mystery, changing her life forever. Expressive black-and-white drawings.
Octopuses!
by Laurence Pringle
Illustrator: Meryl Henderson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Learn all about these solitary, highly intelligent mollusks who can change color and shape in a fraction of a second and perform complex tasks. Finely detailed watercolor illustrations. Glossary, bibliography, and index.
by Laurence Pringle
Illustrator: Meryl Henderson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Learn all about these solitary, highly intelligent mollusks who can change color and shape in a fraction of a second and perform complex tasks. Finely detailed watercolor illustrations. Glossary, bibliography, and index.
Old Wolf
by Avi
Illustrator: Brian Floca
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
An old wolf and his starving pack, a mocking raven, a boy with bow and arrow, all collide in the Colorado mountains. Evocative pen-and-ink drawings.
by Avi
Illustrator: Brian Floca
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
An old wolf and his starving pack, a mocking raven, a boy with bow and arrow, all collide in the Colorado mountains. Evocative pen-and-ink drawings.
On the Shoulder of a Giant
retold by Neil Christopher
Illustrator: Jim Nelson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
The giant Inukpak adopts a human hunter as a son and takes him on his travels. Dramatic digital illustrations.
retold by Neil Christopher
Illustrator: Jim Nelson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
The giant Inukpak adopts a human hunter as a son and takes him on his travels. Dramatic digital illustrations.
Paper Things
by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
After their parents die, eleven-year-old Ari and her older brother leave the safety of their guardian and attempt to live independently, with unfortunate consequences.
by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
After their parents die, eleven-year-old Ari and her older brother leave the safety of their guardian and attempt to live independently, with unfortunate consequences.
Poems in the Attic
by Nikki Grimes
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
While visiting her grandmother, a young girl discovers poems her mother wrote when her father was in the Air Force. Mixed-media illustrations.
by Nikki Grimes
Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
While visiting her grandmother, a young girl discovers poems her mother wrote when her father was in the Air Force. Mixed-media illustrations.
Rhythm Ride
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Ride along with the Groove for an exciting history of Detroit music from Diana Ross to the Jackson 5. Illustrated with photographs.
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Ride along with the Groove for an exciting history of Detroit music from Diana Ross to the Jackson 5. Illustrated with photographs.
River Runs Deep
by Jennifer Bradbury
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Sent to the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky to cure his tuberculosis, 12-year-old Elias comes upon runaway slaves seeking their freedom.
by Jennifer Bradbury
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
Sent to the Mammoth Caves of Kentucky to cure his tuberculosis, 12-year-old Elias comes upon runaway slaves seeking their freedom.
Roller Girl
by Victoria Jamieson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A trip to a roller derby inspires Astrid to leave her predictable life to attend roller derby boot camp. Colorful, dynamic and expressive panels.
by Victoria Jamieson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2015
A trip to a roller derby inspires Astrid to leave her predictable life to attend roller derby boot camp. Colorful, dynamic and expressive panels.