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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Chalice
by Robin McKinley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Mirasol, newly appointed as Chalice to a frightening new Master, listens to the land and her bees in this suspenseful, romantic adventure.
by Robin McKinley
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Mirasol, newly appointed as Chalice to a frightening new Master, listens to the land and her bees in this suspenseful, romantic adventure.
Chess! I Love It I Love It I Love It!
by Jamie Gilson
Illustrator: Amy Wummer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Follow the entertaining fortunes of an elementary school chess club. Expressive black and white illustrations.
by Jamie Gilson
Illustrator: Amy Wummer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Follow the entertaining fortunes of an elementary school chess club. Expressive black and white illustrations.
Dear Toni
by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
It's hard being a “new girl”--trying to make friends in another school, but an imaginary girl in a journal assignment helps Gene cope.
by Cyndi Sand-Eveland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
It's hard being a “new girl”--trying to make friends in another school, but an imaginary girl in a journal assignment helps Gene cope.
Diamond Willow
by Helen Frost
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Living in a remote corner of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow who loves and is loved by her sled dogs, feels ordinary until an accident changes her world.
by Helen Frost
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Living in a remote corner of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow who loves and is loved by her sled dogs, feels ordinary until an accident changes her world.
Dolphin Song
by Lauren St. John
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
After being tossed off a boat in a storm, an orphaned South African eleven-year-old is rescued by dolphins.
by Lauren St. John
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
After being tossed off a boat in a storm, an orphaned South African eleven-year-old is rescued by dolphins.
Donavan's Double Trouble
by Monalisa DeGross
Illustrator: Amy Bates
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When his favorite uncle returns from war an amputee, the whole family pitches in as Donavan struggles with his feelings about his changed uncle.
by Monalisa DeGross
Illustrator: Amy Bates
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When his favorite uncle returns from war an amputee, the whole family pitches in as Donavan struggles with his feelings about his changed uncle.
Eleven
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Sam has almost given up on reading and is more interested in pursuing the secret of the attic's locked box.
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Sam has almost given up on reading and is more interested in pursuing the secret of the attic's locked box.
Flight
by Elizabeth Stow Ellison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
At fourteen, Evan still can't read because he is dyslexic. His sister helps to reveal the problem and develop solutions.
by Elizabeth Stow Ellison
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
At fourteen, Evan still can't read because he is dyslexic. His sister helps to reveal the problem and develop solutions.
Found
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Two adopted friends find out about their origins and uncover a time travel mystery.
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Two adopted friends find out about their origins and uncover a time travel mystery.
From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between
by Elizabeth Atkinson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When sixth grader Alice moves to a Boston suburb, she hopes for the best, but making friends is difficult. Her neighbor may not be the best life coach.
by Elizabeth Atkinson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When sixth grader Alice moves to a Boston suburb, she hopes for the best, but making friends is difficult. Her neighbor may not be the best life coach.
Ghost Letters
by Stephen Alter
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Mysterious, undelivered old letters confound time travelers with supernatural overtones that link late nineteenth-century India with present day Massachusetts.
by Stephen Alter
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Mysterious, undelivered old letters confound time travelers with supernatural overtones that link late nineteenth-century India with present day Massachusetts.
Gods of Manhattan
by Scott Mebus
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
A hidden world of Gods, ancient Indians and talking cockroaches lures twelve-year-old Rory into a dangerous mission.
by Scott Mebus
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
A hidden world of Gods, ancient Indians and talking cockroaches lures twelve-year-old Rory into a dangerous mission.
Hansel and Gretel
retold by Michael Morpurgo
Illustrator: Emma Chichester Clark
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Motives and background are described in this intelligent, in-depth retelling. Colorful folk art.
retold by Michael Morpurgo
Illustrator: Emma Chichester Clark
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Motives and background are described in this intelligent, in-depth retelling. Colorful folk art.
Hate That Cat
by Sharon Creech
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
As Jack continues to study poetry, he considers how to share the rich world of sound with his deaf mother.
by Sharon Creech
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
As Jack continues to study poetry, he considers how to share the rich world of sound with his deaf mother.
Highway Cats
by Janet Taylor Lisle
Illustrator: David Frankland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
A band of tough strays reluctantly rescue three kittens in what becomes a life-changing experience for the whole town.
by Janet Taylor Lisle
Illustrator: David Frankland
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
A band of tough strays reluctantly rescue three kittens in what becomes a life-changing experience for the whole town.
Into the Dark
by Peter Abrahams
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Thirteen-year-old Ingrid's discovery of a dead man leads to evidence which implicates her grandfather and challenges her detective skills.
by Peter Abrahams
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Thirteen-year-old Ingrid's discovery of a dead man leads to evidence which implicates her grandfather and challenges her detective skills.
I Put a Spell On You
by Adam Selzer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
The annual spelling bee creates a competitive environment for an unusual cohort of sixth graders.
by Adam Selzer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
The annual spelling bee creates a competitive environment for an unusual cohort of sixth graders.
It's Only Temporary
by Sally Warner
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When her older brother almost dies in an automobile accident, twelve-year-old Skye discovers the value of relationships.
by Sally Warner
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When her older brother almost dies in an automobile accident, twelve-year-old Skye discovers the value of relationships.
Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing)
by Alison McGhee
Illustrator: Drazen Kozjan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Nine-year-old Julia Gillian of Minneapolis conquers her fears through her “art of knowing” along with her dog Bigfoot's help.
by Alison McGhee
Illustrator: Drazen Kozjan
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Nine-year-old Julia Gillian of Minneapolis conquers her fears through her “art of knowing” along with her dog Bigfoot's help.
Juliet's Moon
by Ann Rinaldi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Juliet, captured by Yankees because her brother is a Civil War bushwacker, must find her way between the evils fomented by both sides.
by Ann Rinaldi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Juliet, captured by Yankees because her brother is a Civil War bushwacker, must find her way between the evils fomented by both sides.
Keeping Score
by Linda Sue Park
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
In 1950s Brooklyn, eleven-year-old Maggie learns that a serious world exists beyond her beloved Dodgers.
by Linda Sue Park
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
In 1950s Brooklyn, eleven-year-old Maggie learns that a serious world exists beyond her beloved Dodgers.
Kenny and the Dragon
written and ill. by Tony DiTerlizzi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When the king enlists George to fight the dragon menacing Roundbrook, Kenny must use his wits to save the day.
written and ill. by Tony DiTerlizzi
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
When the king enlists George to fight the dragon menacing Roundbrook, Kenny must use his wits to save the day.
Libertad
by Alma Fullerton
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
After his mother's death, a Guatamalan boy and his little brother struggle to get to the U.S. and their father. Vividly told in verse.
by Alma Fullerton
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
After his mother's death, a Guatamalan boy and his little brother struggle to get to the U.S. and their father. Vividly told in verse.
Little Audrey
by Ruth White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Eleven-year-old Audrey deals with the hardships of a Virginia 1948 coal mining camp and discovers her own voice.
by Ruth White
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
Eleven-year-old Audrey deals with the hardships of a Virginia 1948 coal mining camp and discovers her own voice.
Lizard Love
by Wendy Townsend
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
The discovery of a pet store eases thirteen-year-old Grace's transition from the midwest to New York City and from childhood to adolescence.
by Wendy Townsend
Ages: 9+
Published: 2008
The discovery of a pet store eases thirteen-year-old Grace's transition from the midwest to New York City and from childhood to adolescence.