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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Deborah Ellis
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ten stories feature young people in many different settings, from refugee detention centers to comfortable middle class homes, who need to make personal choices.
Deborah Ellis
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ten stories feature young people in many different settings, from refugee detention centers to comfortable middle class homes, who need to make personal choices.
Storm
Nicola Skinner
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Frankie's ghost is angrily stuck in her family's home, now a tourist attraction. Her newfound ability to hurl objects attracts attention from a nefarious source.
Nicola Skinner
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Frankie's ghost is angrily stuck in her family's home, now a tourist attraction. Her newfound ability to hurl objects attracts attention from a nefarious source.
Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid, The
Matt Wallace
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
How does Max Tercero, a heavy sixth grader, cope with humiliation and bullying? He gets advice from an incarcerated supervillain — and enters a baking contest!
Matt Wallace
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
How does Max Tercero, a heavy sixth grader, cope with humiliation and bullying? He gets advice from an incarcerated supervillain — and enters a baking contest!
Swim Team
Johnny Christmas
Illustrator: Johnny Christmas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Bree, a whiz at math, but afraid of swimming, joins the team and learns why Black people were discouraged from swimming and competing. Warm graphic art.
Johnny Christmas
Illustrator: Johnny Christmas
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Bree, a whiz at math, but afraid of swimming, joins the team and learns why Black people were discouraged from swimming and competing. Warm graphic art.
Swoop and Soar: How Science Rescued Two Osprey Orphans and Found Them a New Family in the Wild
Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A raptor biologist rescues and cares for two young osprey chicks until they can be adopted by adult birds. Beautiful color photographs.
Deborah Lee Rose and Jane Veltkamp
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A raptor biologist rescues and cares for two young osprey chicks until they can be adopted by adult birds. Beautiful color photographs.
Tattooed Torah, The
Marvell Ginsburg
Illustrator: Martin Lemelman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A small, beloved, Jewish scroll that survives the Holocaust makes a perilous journey. Vividly realized with dramatic illustrations. Updated for a new generation. Back matter.
Marvell Ginsburg
Illustrator: Martin Lemelman
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A small, beloved, Jewish scroll that survives the Holocaust makes a perilous journey. Vividly realized with dramatic illustrations. Updated for a new generation. Back matter.
Team Chu and the Battle of the Blackwood Arena (Team Chu series)
Julie C. Dao
Illustrator: Chi Ngo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Vietnamese American siblings Sadie and Clip are fiercely competitive in laser tag. When a virtual-reality-enhanced game becomes dangerous, can they bury their rivalry to escape? Animated black-and-white illustrations.
Julie C. Dao
Illustrator: Chi Ngo
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Vietnamese American siblings Sadie and Clip are fiercely competitive in laser tag. When a virtual-reality-enhanced game becomes dangerous, can they bury their rivalry to escape? Animated black-and-white illustrations.
Thirst
Varsha Bajaj
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
While studying for final exams, Minni, 12, discovers a theft ring depriving her poor Mumbai neighborhood of needed water. Despite growing family responsibilities, she combats the injustice.
Varsha Bajaj
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
While studying for final exams, Minni, 12, discovers a theft ring depriving her poor Mumbai neighborhood of needed water. Despite growing family responsibilities, she combats the injustice.
Three Strike Summer
Skyler Schrempp
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
In 1936 Gloria's family abandons their failed Oklahoma farm to work in California. Gloria is determined to play baseball at the migrant workers' camp, despite the "no girls" code. Back matter.
Skyler Schrempp
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
In 1936 Gloria's family abandons their failed Oklahoma farm to work in California. Gloria is determined to play baseball at the migrant workers' camp, despite the "no girls" code. Back matter.
Tower of Life, The: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs
Chana Stiefel
Illustrator: Susan Gal
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A Holocaust survivor collected thousands of photographs of the Jews of Eishyshok who perished duing World War II and of their descendants to create a permanent exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Evocative watercolor illustrations. Back matter.
Chana Stiefel
Illustrator: Susan Gal
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A Holocaust survivor collected thousands of photographs of the Jews of Eishyshok who perished duing World War II and of their descendants to create a permanent exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Evocative watercolor illustrations. Back matter.
Troublemakers in Trousers: Women and What They Wore to Get Things Done
Sarah Albee
Illustrator: Kaja Kajfez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Joan of Arc, Khutulun, and 19 other women from different countries, eras, and races who wore men's clothing, defying laws and customs, are depicted through informal text and full-page cartoonish portraits. Archival photographs. Extensive sources.
Sarah Albee
Illustrator: Kaja Kajfez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Joan of Arc, Khutulun, and 19 other women from different countries, eras, and races who wore men's clothing, defying laws and customs, are depicted through informal text and full-page cartoonish portraits. Archival photographs. Extensive sources.
Tryout, The
Christina Soontornvat
Illustrator: Joanna Cacao
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Christina, from a multiracial Thai American family, tries out for her Texas middle school cheerleading squad. A warm, honest look at racism and friendship. Expressive graphic panels
Christina Soontornvat
Illustrator: Joanna Cacao
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Christina, from a multiracial Thai American family, tries out for her Texas middle school cheerleading squad. A warm, honest look at racism and friendship. Expressive graphic panels
Tumble
Celia C. Pérez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Adela, 12, has never met her biological father. After learning he is a member of a professional wrestling family she finds a way to meet him, and new relationships evolve.
Celia C. Pérez
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Adela, 12, has never met her biological father. After learning he is a member of a professional wrestling family she finds a way to meet him, and new relationships evolve.
Twin Cities
Jose Pimienta
Illustrator: Jose Pimienta
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Twin Mexican 12-year-olds going to middle school on opposite sides of the Mexico-U.S. border grow apart. Can they find one another again? Colorful graphics of Mexicali and Calexico. Back matter.
Jose Pimienta
Illustrator: Jose Pimienta
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Twin Mexican 12-year-olds going to middle school on opposite sides of the Mexico-U.S. border grow apart. Can they find one another again? Colorful graphics of Mexicali and Calexico. Back matter.
Unforgettable Logan Foster, The (Unforgettable Logan Foster series)
Shawn Peters
Illustrator: Pétur Antonsson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After six failed foster placements, amazingly intelligent neurodivergent Logan, 12, may finally be adopted by a new set of prospective parents, Gil and Margie—but evil awaits. Dramatic black-and-white art.
Shawn Peters
Illustrator: Pétur Antonsson
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
After six failed foster placements, amazingly intelligent neurodivergent Logan, 12, may finally be adopted by a new set of prospective parents, Gil and Margie—but evil awaits. Dramatic black-and-white art.
Unlawful Orders: A Portrait of Dr. James B. Williams, Tuskegee Airman, Surgeon, and Activist
Barbara Binns
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Refusing to accept the Air Force's segregation policy, Williams participated in the Freeman Field mutiny and later became a leading civil rights activist. Archival photos and images. Back matter.
Barbara Binns
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Refusing to accept the Air Force's segregation policy, Williams participated in the Freeman Field mutiny and later became a leading civil rights activist. Archival photos and images. Back matter.
Valentina Salazar Is Not a Monster Hunter
Zoraida Córdova
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Even though an Orü puma killed their father, three siblings rescue an Orü egg that is in danger of being destroyed by monster hunters.
Zoraida Córdova
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Even though an Orü puma killed their father, three siblings rescue an Orü egg that is in danger of being destroyed by monster hunters.
Very Best Sukkah, The: A Story from Uganda
Shoshana Nambi
Illustrator: Moran Yogev
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
In the village near Mbale where the Abayudaya community has practiced Judaism for generations, Shoshi's family and neighbors celebrate Sukkot, building the holiday's traditional outdoor structure. Colorful stylized illustrations. Glossary, back matter.
Shoshana Nambi
Illustrator: Moran Yogev
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
In the village near Mbale where the Abayudaya community has practiced Judaism for generations, Shoshi's family and neighbors celebrate Sukkot, building the holiday's traditional outdoor structure. Colorful stylized illustrations. Glossary, back matter.
Violet & Jobie in the Wild
Lynn Rae Perkins
Illustrator: Lynn Rae Perkins
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
House mice get trapped and released to a wild they've never experienced. Can they learn to survive without humans, upon whom they've come to rely? Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
Lynn Rae Perkins
Illustrator: Lynn Rae Perkins
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
House mice get trapped and released to a wild they've never experienced. Can they learn to survive without humans, upon whom they've come to rely? Detailed black-and-white illustrations.
Waiting Place, The: When Home Is Lost and a New One Not Yet Found
Dina Nayeri
Illustrator: Anna Bosch Miralpeix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ten refugees from Afghanistan and Iran, ages 5-13, wait at a Greek refugee camp to be granted asylum. Engrossing full-color photos. Extensive back matter.
Dina Nayeri
Illustrator: Anna Bosch Miralpeix
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ten refugees from Afghanistan and Iran, ages 5-13, wait at a Greek refugee camp to be granted asylum. Engrossing full-color photos. Extensive back matter.
Weird Rules to Follow
Kim Spencer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A close friendship evolves between middle schoolers Mia, Native Indian, and comparatively privileged Mexican Hungarian Canadian Lara, who live in a fishing community in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
Kim Spencer
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
A close friendship evolves between middle schoolers Mia, Native Indian, and comparatively privileged Mexican Hungarian Canadian Lara, who live in a fishing community in Prince Rupert, British Columbia.
We the People! (Big Ideas that Changed the World series)
Don Brown
Illustrator: Don Brown
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ideas from ancient times through the present and from nations and cultures throughout the world have contributed to the development of democracy in the United States, through steps and missteps. Engaging cartoon illustrations. Notes.
Don Brown
Illustrator: Don Brown
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Ideas from ancient times through the present and from nations and cultures throughout the world have contributed to the development of democracy in the United States, through steps and missteps. Engaging cartoon illustrations. Notes.
We Were the Fire: Birmingham 1963
Sheila P. Moses
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Although only 11, Rufus is determined to participate in the demonstrations being held in his city during the Spring of 1963. Author's note.
Sheila P. Moses
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Although only 11, Rufus is determined to participate in the demonstrations being held in his city during the Spring of 1963. Author's note.
When the World Turned Upside Down
K. Ibura
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Four friends, living in the same apartment building during the COVID pandemic, discover that taking action assisting neighbors and participating in social justice protests helps them to endure turbulent times.
K. Ibura
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
Four friends, living in the same apartment building during the COVID pandemic, discover that taking action assisting neighbors and participating in social justice protests helps them to endure turbulent times.
Wildoak
C.C. Harrington
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
To combat Maggie's stuttering, her parents send her to her grandfather's in the country. There, her mission to save a wounded snow leopard liberates her own voice. Black-and-white spot illustrations. Back matter.
C.C. Harrington
Illustrator: Diana Sudyka
Ages: 9+
Published: 2022
To combat Maggie's stuttering, her parents send her to her grandfather's in the country. There, her mission to save a wounded snow leopard liberates her own voice. Black-and-white spot illustrations. Back matter.