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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Detour Ahead
Pamela Ehrenberg and Tracy López
Illustrator: Laila Ekboir
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A friendship helps 12-year-old, neurodiverse Gilah prepare for her bat mitzvah, and 13-year-old Salvadoran American Guillermo enter a poetry contest to win money to fix his broken bicycle. Alternating prose and free verse. Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
Pamela Ehrenberg and Tracy López
Illustrator: Laila Ekboir
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A friendship helps 12-year-old, neurodiverse Gilah prepare for her bat mitzvah, and 13-year-old Salvadoran American Guillermo enter a poetry contest to win money to fix his broken bicycle. Alternating prose and free verse. Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
Different: A Story of the Spanish Civil War
Mónica Montañés
Illustrator: Eva Sánchez Gómez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Two siblings experience difficulties when their father must flee because of his political beliefs. Expressive charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil illustrations. Comprehensive back matter.
Mónica Montañés
Illustrator: Eva Sánchez Gómez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Two siblings experience difficulties when their father must flee because of his political beliefs. Expressive charcoal, pastel, and colored pencil illustrations. Comprehensive back matter.
Dog Star
Megan Shepherd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Laika, a stray dog in the Soviet Union, is sent into outer space. Ethical and political considerations are explored within the context of a girl's friendship with the heroic dog. Archival photos. Back matter.
Megan Shepherd
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Laika, a stray dog in the Soviet Union, is sent into outer space. Ethical and political considerations are explored within the context of a girl's friendship with the heroic dog. Archival photos. Back matter.
Duet
Elise Broach
Illustrator: Ziyue Chen
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A musically gifted goldfinch befriends a boy practicing to play in a Chopin competition. An engaging mystery, with bird and music facts. Black-and-white spot art.
Elise Broach
Illustrator: Ziyue Chen
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A musically gifted goldfinch befriends a boy practicing to play in a Chopin competition. An engaging mystery, with bird and music facts. Black-and-white spot art.
Evicted!: The Struggle for the Right to Vote
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Charly Palmer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
An important event in Civil Rights history, the 1950s Fayette County Tent City movement in Tennessee, comes alive. Vivid, impressionistic acrylic paintings. Back matter.
Alice Faye Duncan
Illustrator: Charly Palmer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
An important event in Civil Rights history, the 1950s Fayette County Tent City movement in Tennessee, comes alive. Vivid, impressionistic acrylic paintings. Back matter.
Falling Short
Ernesto Cisneros
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Two dissimilar but dear friends, Isaac Castillo and Marco Honeyman, help each other to become the middle grade students they want to be.
Ernesto Cisneros
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Two dissimilar but dear friends, Isaac Castillo and Marco Honeyman, help each other to become the middle grade students they want to be.
Flying Man, The: Otto Lilienthal, The World's First Pilot
Mike Downs
Illustrator: David Hohn
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After years of experimenting, in 1891 Lilienthal took his first airborne ride in a glider he had constructed. Back matter describes his trial-and-error path to flight. Mixed-media color illustrations.
Mike Downs
Illustrator: David Hohn
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After years of experimenting, in 1891 Lilienthal took his first airborne ride in a glider he had constructed. Back matter describes his trial-and-error path to flight. Mixed-media color illustrations.
Freddie vs. the Family Curse
Tracy Badua
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Freddie Ruiz, 12, has 13 days to break the curse of the amulet in which his ancestor is trapped —or Freddie will die! Based on a Filipino legend.
Tracy Badua
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Freddie Ruiz, 12, has 13 days to break the curse of the amulet in which his ancestor is trapped —or Freddie will die! Based on a Filipino legend.
Freestyle
Gale Galligan
Illustrator: Gale Galligan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Cory's parents hire nerdy Sunna to tutor him when his geometry grades fall. Soon he discovers she can do cool, very complicated yo-yo tricks. Colorful detailed illustrations.
Gale Galligan
Illustrator: Gale Galligan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Cory's parents hire nerdy Sunna to tutor him when his geometry grades fall. Soon he discovers she can do cool, very complicated yo-yo tricks. Colorful detailed illustrations.
Freewater
Amina Luqman-Dawson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After escaping the Southerland plantation, Homer and Ada join Freewater, a swampland community of formerly enslaved people. But can they ever return and free their mother? Brief historical note.
Amina Luqman-Dawson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After escaping the Southerland plantation, Homer and Ada join Freewater, a swampland community of formerly enslaved people. But can they ever return and free their mother? Brief historical note.
Frizzy
Claribel A. Ortega
Illustrator: Rose Bousamra
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Marlene faces colorism and racism in her Dominican American community because of the texture of her hair, until her aunt teaches her how to care for and love it. Digital illustrations.
Claribel A. Ortega
Illustrator: Rose Bousamra
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Marlene faces colorism and racism in her Dominican American community because of the texture of her hair, until her aunt teaches her how to care for and love it. Digital illustrations.
Gaudi: Architect of Imagination
Susan B. Katz
Illustrator: Linda Schwalbe
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The many life challenges faced by the Catalan artist resulted in a fascination with the crooked line. Most of the buildings he designed in Barcelona reflect that entrancement. Colorful acrylic illustrations.
Susan B. Katz
Illustrator: Linda Schwalbe
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The many life challenges faced by the Catalan artist resulted in a fascination with the crooked line. Most of the buildings he designed in Barcelona reflect that entrancement. Colorful acrylic illustrations.
Ghostcloud
Michael Mann
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Luke Smith-Sharma is enslaved with other children in a dystopian London. When he rescues a girl who turns out to be a ghost, escape and friendship suddenly become possibilities.
Michael Mann
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Luke Smith-Sharma is enslaved with other children in a dystopian London. When he rescues a girl who turns out to be a ghost, escape and friendship suddenly become possibilities.
Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and his Glorious Book
Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Because traveling around America was dangerous for Black people in the 1930s, Green, a Black postman, created a book with information about places that welcomed people of color. Richly detailed illustrations.
Tonya Bolden
Illustrator: Eric Velasquez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Because traveling around America was dangerous for Black people in the 1930s, Green, a Black postman, created a book with information about places that welcomed people of color. Richly detailed illustrations.
Hanmoji Handbook, The: Your Guide to the Chinese Language Through Emoji
Jason Li, An Xiao Mina, Jennifer 8. Lee
Illustrator: Jason Li
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Interesting parallels between emojis and Chinese characters, or hanzi, both of which use images to convey meaning, are illuminated. Playful illustrations. Bibliography, index.
Jason Li, An Xiao Mina, Jennifer 8. Lee
Illustrator: Jason Li
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Interesting parallels between emojis and Chinese characters, or hanzi, both of which use images to convey meaning, are illuminated. Playful illustrations. Bibliography, index.
Haunting, The (Secret of Glendunny series)
Kathryn Lasky
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After an earthquake disrupts life in Glendunny, a deep forest in Scotland, the beavers help ghost siblings find their way, while tackling discrimination in the community.
Kathryn Lasky
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After an earthquake disrupts life in Glendunny, a deep forest in Scotland, the beavers help ghost siblings find their way, while tackling discrimination in the community.
Hilde on the Record: Memoir of a Kid Crime Reporter
Hilde Lysiak
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The author recounts the triumphs and struggles that stemmed from breaking a news story of a local murder when she was nine. Family photos.
Hilde Lysiak
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The author recounts the triumphs and struggles that stemmed from breaking a news story of a local murder when she was nine. Family photos.
H Is for Harlem
Dinah Johnson
Illustrator: April Harrison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Celebrate Harlem and its dramatic role in African American history in this inspiring alphabetical text. Lush mixed-media illustrations show deep knowledge of times, places, and people.
Dinah Johnson
Illustrator: April Harrison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Celebrate Harlem and its dramatic role in African American history in this inspiring alphabetical text. Lush mixed-media illustrations show deep knowledge of times, places, and people.
Honey and Me
Meira Drazin
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Milla and her best friend, Honey, from Modern Orthodox Jewish families, encounter challenges to their friendship amid growing independence as they enter sixth grade. Hebrew and Yiddish glossary. Back matter.
Meira Drazin
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Milla and her best friend, Honey, from Modern Orthodox Jewish families, encounter challenges to their friendship amid growing independence as they enter sixth grade. Hebrew and Yiddish glossary. Back matter.
Hope Is an Arrow: The Story of Lebanese-American Poet Kahlil Gibran
Cory McCarthy
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
As a child, Gibran found solace in art and poetry, helping him meld his Lebanese and new American identities together. Glorious collage and acrylic illustrations
Cory McCarthy
Illustrator: Ekua Holmes
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
As a child, Gibran found solace in art and poetry, helping him meld his Lebanese and new American identities together. Glorious collage and acrylic illustrations
Hope of Elephants, The
Awanda Rawson Hill
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Cass, 12, whose life now centers on her father's medical care, struggles to maintain family traditions while facing the possibility of having inherited his rare disorder. Free verse.
Awanda Rawson Hill
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Cass, 12, whose life now centers on her father's medical care, struggles to maintain family traditions while facing the possibility of having inherited his rare disorder. Free verse.
If You Read This
Kereen Getten
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Brie's 12th birthday present includes three letters, written before her mother's death, that lead her across Jamaica on an adventure involving her father, grandfather, family, and friends.
Kereen Getten
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Brie's 12th birthday present includes three letters, written before her mother's death, that lead her across Jamaica on an adventure involving her father, grandfather, family, and friends.
Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle. The
Shawn K. Stout
Illustrator: Alona Millgram
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ravens present an impoverished lonely 10-year-old a series of objects imbedded with memories of her cursed family's past. Can the birds help her break the curse? Spot illustrations.
Shawn K. Stout
Illustrator: Alona Millgram
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ravens present an impoverished lonely 10-year-old a series of objects imbedded with memories of her cursed family's past. Can the birds help her break the curse? Spot illustrations.
Infinity: Figuring Out Forever
Sarah C. Campbell
Illustrator: Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The mathematical concept of something that is endless is presented simply and accessibly, illuminated with clear color photographs. Back matter includes glossary and information about different infinity sets.
Sarah C. Campbell
Illustrator: Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
The mathematical concept of something that is endless is presented simply and accessibly, illuminated with clear color photographs. Back matter includes glossary and information about different infinity sets.
Inheritance: A Visual Poem
Elizabeth Acevedo
Illustrator: Andrea Pippins
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
An Afro-Dominican protagonist refuses to straighten her hair, lighten her skin, or otherwise internalize others' standards of physical beauty. Free verse. Richly-hued hand drawn and digital illustrations.
Elizabeth Acevedo
Illustrator: Andrea Pippins
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
An Afro-Dominican protagonist refuses to straighten her hair, lighten her skin, or otherwise internalize others' standards of physical beauty. Free verse. Richly-hued hand drawn and digital illustrations.