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

Back to the Bright Before

Katherin Nolte

Illustrator: Jen Bricking

Ages: 9+

Published: 2023

Publisher: Random House Children's Books/PRH

ISBN: 978-0-593-56510-0

Keywords: misfortune, determination, humor, Iowa, Religion, Nuns

Determined to rescue her family from financial ruin, Perpetua, 11, seeks a precious coin in an abbey—with the aid of unusual characters. Spot illustrations.