Kids Book Index

ALSC Notable Children's Books 2017

The 2017 edition contains 97 selections published by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALA). The source organizes the selections into Younger Readers, Middle Readers, Older Readers, and All Ages. It is the annual record of titles designated Notable by the ALSC committee.

2017 ALSC Notable Children's BooksSee the original list
About this book list
Selections97
Published byAssociation for Library Service to Children (ALA)
Sections4 sections
Browse sections4 sections

Younger Readers

28 selections

Middle Readers

25 selections

Cover of A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785Balloon in 1785 by Matthew OlshanSet in 1785, this picture book follows Englishman John Jeffries and French pilot Jean-Pierre Blanchard as they attempt to cross the English Channel by balloon. Both men want to achieve the first flight from one country to another, despite not getting along. During the journey, Jeffries worries that the balloon looks too full and changes its air valve. The book is inspired by the first international flight and includes an author’s note.Middle ReadersView book details

Older Readers

26 selections

Cover of In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black LivesIn the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black LivesKenneth C. DavisThis nonfiction book examines the conflict between America’s founding ideals of liberty and the dependence of four presidents on enslaved labor. It follows five enslaved people: Billy Lee, connected to George Washington; Ona Judge, who fled Martha Washington; Isaac Granger, who served Thomas Jefferson; Paul Jennings, present in James Madison’s White House during the War of 1812; and Alfred Jackson, held by Andrew Jackson. Their lives illuminate slavery’s links to political power, wealth, suffering, and the continuing effects of racial injustice.Older ReadersView book details
Cover of We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf HitlerWe Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf HitlerRussell FreedmanThis history follows Hans and Sophie Scholl from their early involvement in Nazi youth organizations to their growing disillusionment with the regime. In Munich during the early 1940s, Hans, Sophie, and friends formed the White Rose resistance movement. Their means of opposition were secretly written, printed, and distributed leaflets urging Germans to resist fascism. The book recounts the group’s planning, capture, interrogation, brief trial, and the executions of Hans, Sophie, and another member in 1943.Older ReadersView book details

All Ages

18 selections

Cover of ¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! / Olinguito, from A to Z! Descubriendo el bosque nublado / Unveiling the Cloud Forest¡Olinguito, de la A a la Z! / Olinguito, from A to Z! Descubriendo el bosque nublado / Unveiling the Cloud ForestLulu DelacreUsing the Spanish alphabet as its structure, this bilingual nonfiction book introduces a cloud forest in the Andes. It looks at the plants, animals, and other organisms that live there, including the olinguito, a recently identified South American mammal. The book also follows a search for this elusive animal in the Ecuadorean Andes, with mixed-media illustrations accompanying its exploration of the region’s flora and fauna.All AgesView book details
Cover of When Green Becomes TomatoesWhen Green Becomes TomatoesJulie FoglianoQuiet, whispered poems capture the internal world of a diverse cast of children, who delight in the changing seasons. 2017 Notable Children's Books Committee Paige Bentley-Flannery , Chair, Deschutes Public Library, Sisters, Oregon Skye Corey , Meridian Library District, Meridian, Idaho Lara Crews , Forsyth County Public Library, Kernersville, North Carolina Dr. Brenda Dales , Miami University, Oxford, Ohio Kimberly Probert Grad , Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, New York Sharon Haupt , San Luis Coastal Unified School District, San Luis Obispo, California Ariana Hussain , St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School, Washington, D.C. Maeve Knoth , Phillips Brooks School, Menlo Park, California Benjamin Martin , Saint James School, Montgomery, Alabama Maria Simon , Wood County District Public Library, Bowling Green, OhioAll AgesLexile Text Measure 769LATOS Book Level 4.9View book details