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/.

How to Perform a Search and Save a List

Punching the Air

Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Ages: 14+

Published: 2020

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

ISBN: 978-0-06-299648-0

Keywords: criminal justice, violence, racism, adolescence, stories in rhyme, African Americans--Fiction

One bad punch during a confrontation between groups of boys results in Amal's incarceration. This novel in verse reveals his sensitivity, talent, intellect, and worth.