Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from Around the WorldCharlene SmithThirteen Muslim women and girls, often the first in their sport to wear a hijab, share how they excel as runners, basketball players, and more. Colorful illustrations. Back matter.Nine to TwelveLexile 1100LView book detailsBank Street Best Children's Books of the Year 2026
A large annual list organized by age group and subject.
The Best Children's Books of the Year [2026 edition]See the original list
Selections619
Published byBank Street College of Education
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Nine to Twelve
17 of 118 selections on this pageContinued from page 7
Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from Around the WorldCharlene SmithThirteen Muslim women and girls, often the first in their sport to wear a hijab, share how they excel as runners, basketball players, and more. Colorful illustrations. Back matter.Nine to TwelveLexile 1100LView book details
Winner of the 2026 Flora Stieglitz Straus AwardThe Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Woman Anti-Poaching UnitKelly CrullLearn about the history and training of this unique South African anti-poaching unit and how they keep a game reserve’s animals safe. Told in part by the courageous group’s members themselves. Engaging photographs. Extensive back matter.Nine to TwelveLexile 720LATOS 4.6View book details
BridgesMagda GargulákováDiscover the history, types, and construction methods of bridges. Graphically detailed woodcut illustrations and vignettes. QR code references.Nine to TwelveView book details
Great Apes: Protecting Our Animal Cousins (Orca Wild series)Christopher GudgeonExplore the characteristics, habitats, social structures, and family life of bonobos, chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas, and the threats those animals face. Engaging text. Insightful photographs.Nine to TwelveView book details
HurricaneJason Chin, illustrated by Jason ChinAs a community prepares for a hurricane, meteorologists carefully chart its path, while scientists and pilots fly into the storm to see what is happening. Detailed mixed-media illustrations. Back matter.Nine to TwelveATOS 5.8AR interest LG K-3View book details
An Immense World: How Animals Sense Earth’s Amazing SecretsEd Yong, adapted by Annmarie AndersonThrough the lens of the fascinating sensory worlds of animals, we learn how other species perceive their environment and how to protect them from sensory pollution. Colorful illustrations. Young readers edition of An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.Nine to TwelveView book details
Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds (Extraordinary Animal series)Christina CouchExplore the brain functions of six animal species and the brain’s role in aging, sleep, memory, emotions, communication, and innovation. Inviting colorful illustrations. Photographs. Activities. Back matter.Nine to TwelveView book details
Insectarium (Welcome to the Museum series)Dave GoulsonAbout half of Earth’s living species are insects. Their evolution, relatives, and specific types are presented in detail, and their environmental importance is brilliantly depicted. Jewel-like colored ink illustrations. Back matter.Nine to TwelveView book details
It’s About Time! (Big Ideas That Changed the World series)Don Brown, illustrated by Don BrownNobel Prize-winning scientist Albert Einstein leads readers through an exploration of time, from measuring it to understanding smartphone GPS satellites. Humorous color cartoon-style illustrations. Extensive back matter.Nine to TwelveLexile GN940LView book details
My Presentation Today Is About the AnacondaBibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Annemarie Van Haeringen, Nancy Forest-FlierAnimals, witty, opinionated, and argumentative, present reports on other animals. Line drawings and full-page color illustrations accompany this treasure trove of unusual facts.Nine to TwelveATOS 4.3AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep (Orca Wild series)Mark Leiren-YoungIn humorous first-person prose, the author takes us on a journey to the world of octopuses, resilient creatures whose large brains are wrapped around their bodies. Vivid photographs. Index. Back matter.Nine to TwelveView book details
Omnibird: An Avian Investigator’s HandbookGiselle ClarksonFrom the tiny bee hummingbird to the huge ostrich, there is tremendous variety in bird anatomy, behavior, nesting habits, and more. Copious information. Colorful, detailed illustrations. Index.Nine to TwelveView book details
The Secret Life of a Sea TurtleMaddalena BearziClear prose and magnificent graphite and Photoshopped illustrations detail the hazardous journey of a hatchling in a Mexican nature reserve to egg-laying maturity. Suggested conservation actions. Bibliography.Nine to TwelveView book details
Smash, Crash, Topple, Roll!: The Inventive Rube Goldberg: A Life in Comics, Contraptions, and Six Simple MachinesCatherine ThimmeshInformation about Goldberg’s life is interwoven with descriptions of his imaginative mechanisms and the scientific principles behind them. Ingenious design, animated cartoon-style art. Extensive notes and sources.Nine to TwelveView book details
Survival of the Fittest: Who’s Got the Best Medicine?Rebecca DonnellyClear, accessible text and colorful panels with crisp images depict sea creatures whose characteristics inspire medical innovations.Nine to TwelveView book details
To Walk the Sky: How Iroquois Steelworkers Helped Build Towering CitiesPatricia Morris Buckley, illustrated by E.B. LewisFor over a century, many municipal skylines have owed their existence to nimble, courageous Native American workers. Soaring watercolor art. Historical and personal notes. Glossary.Nine to TwelveView book details
We Carry the SunTae KellerLyrical text and animated bold color illustrations help make solar energy technology and its complex political history accessible and stimulating. Back matter.Nine to TwelveView book detailsTwelve to Fourteen
43 of 78 selections on this pageContinues on page 9
Blood in the WaterTiffany D. JacksonSummering on Martha’s Vineyard with family friends, Kaylani finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. Can she solve it and free her father from prison too?Twelve to FourteenATOS 4.3View book details
The Free State of JaxJennifer A. NielsenEscaping from an abusive household, a resourceful 12-year-old founds a micro-nation on a hot spring lake.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Let the Monster OutChad LucasWhite, neurodivergent Kyle and biracial, hot-headed Bones—an unlikely pair—join forces to save the people of their small Canadian town from a local mind-control plot.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Smoke & MirrorsRosalyn RansawAndy, a Black 12-year-old who is helping renovate a crumbling mansion once owned by magician Red Knave, seeks to prove that the magician is not guilty of a murder.Twelve to FourteenView book details
You Were Made for this World: Celebrated Indigenous Voices Speak to Young PeopleStephanie Sinclair, Sara Sinclair, foreword by Mazina Giizhik-iban (Murray Sinclair)Letters in prose and poetry and powerful illustrations that speak about cultural dignity by 40 writers, noted individuals, and artists from many First Nations and Native American communities in Canada and the U.S.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Aarzu All AroundMarzieh AbbasIn Pakistan, restrictions on women are severe. Orphaned, athletic 12-year-old Aarzu is determined to play cricket and to earn enough to save her ailing sister. Written in a variety of poetic forms. Glossary.Twelve to FourteenView book details
City of HorsesFrances MoloneyMisty’s father loses his job, forcing a move to Redbridge, where horses run free. She bonds with new friends and a pony—but a developer wants the unspoiled property.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Mature contentFinding HarmonyEric WaltersHaving convinced the judge that she should live with her mother, Harmony strains to hold life together despite her mother’s bad choices. Is foster care a worse alternative?Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Freedom SeekerRuchira GuptaReligious persecution prompts Simi’s family to seek asylum in the United States, but only her father is accepted. Simi and her mother now face a perilous journey to rejoin him.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Ollie In BetweenJess CallansAn assigned class essay on “What it means to become a woman” forces 13-year-old Ollie to deal with fundamental identity issues.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Rick Kotani’s 400 Million Dollar SummerWaka T. BrownIn Oregon, Japanese American Rick tests his pitching skills in a competitive local baseball league while picking up life lessons from a Japanese folktale his grandfather is translating for him.Twelve to FourteenView book details
ScattergoodH.M. BouwmanPeggy, going on 13, experiences many changes in her 1941 Iowa farm town: her cousin’s leukemia, echoes of war, her first crush, and family secrets. Author’s note.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Spelling It OutMargaret FinneganBen, 12, faces a mixture of challenges and developing talent in competitive spelling bees, while dealing with shifting friendships. A summer stay with his aging grandma augments these experiences.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Very Bad at Math (Very Graphic Novel series)Hope Larson, illustrated by Hope LarsonTeenager Verity (Very) excels in school in Asheville, North Carolina, at everything except math, which she’s failing. Will her dyscalculia cost her the class presidency? Bright digital artwork.Twelve to FourteenView book details
DisplacedPatrick OchiengKimathi’s father is killed for political reasons, and his family must flee to a camp for displaced people within his country, Kenya. How can they rebuild their lives?Twelve to FourteenView book details
Halfway to SomewhereJose PimientaAve’s parents’ divorce splits the family between Mexico and Kansas, giving rise to questions of identity, belonging, language, and parenting. Realistic panels include scenes of memories. Back matter.Twelve to FourteenView book details
On Guard!Cassidy WassermanBetween her parents’ divorce and possible abandonment by her best friend, Grace struggles to survive seventh grade. Cartoon-style art with watercolor backgrounds. Author’s note and art concept gallery.Twelve to FourteenView book details
DefangedH. E. EdgmonVampire Lux’s parents plan to subject him to a defanging “cure” on his 12th birthday. He flees to find a known vampire sanctuary, where he might live free and unafraid.Twelve to FourteenView book details
SparkChris BaronAfter a devasting fire, Finn and his best friend Rabbit want to restore their community, the forest surrounding it, and the animals living there. Can they take on powerful developers?Twelve to FourteenView book details
All the Blues in the SkyRenée WatsonOn Sage’s 13th birthday, her best friend is killed in a hit-and-run. In group counseling, Sage confronts her roiling emotions. Powerful verse and prose.Twelve to FourteenLexile NPATOS 5.0View book details
El NiñoPam Muñoz RyanYears ago, championship swimmer Cali disappeared. Her grief-stricken younger brother finds her overdue library book, which tells of a fantastic underwater realm. Might the mysterious kingdom actually exist? Immersive navy blue illustrations.Twelve to FourteenLexile 740LATOS 5.3View book details
The Burning SeasonCaroline Starr RoseOpal, 12, a fire-lookout-in-training in New Mexico, finds herself alone when she spies smoke in the distance. Can she overcome her terror of fires and save lives? Free verse.Twelve to FourteenView book details
How to Tell a True StoryTricia SpringstubbAmber’s troubled older brother Gage rescues her from a fire that destroyed their house. The family’s new-found fame raises Amber’s social capital, but her parents split up, and Gage is keeping secrets.Twelve to FourteenView book details
BustedDan GemeinhartOscar, 12, lives in a senior center with his grandfather. To earn enough money to avoid being evicted, Oscar makes a deal with a curmudgeonly resident, leading to a series of dramatic adventures.Twelve to FourteenATOS 3.7AR interest MG 4–8View book details
No Purchase NecessaryMaria MarianayagamAfter stealing a candy bar for a bully who then refuses it, Ajay discovers he has the $1,000,000 winning wrapper. How to tell his poor but strict Tamil parents?Twelve to FourteenATOS 4.6AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
A Day at the BeachGary D. Schmidt, Ron KoertgeA hot summer day at the shore from the perspective of 26 different kids whose storylines often intersect. Tobias’s lost iPhone links them.Twelve to FourteenView book details
DiveJohn David AndersonFriendless at her new school, Kass, a talented aquatic diver, teams up with Miles for something riskier: dumpster diving. But is Miles as trustworthy as he is attractive?Twelve to FourteenView book details
Don’t Cause TroubleArree ChungMing’s Chinese immigrant parents lovingly sacrifice everything, sometimes including his dignity, to ensure his academic success. But middle school might be survivable with the right friends. Cheery, boldly colored art.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Run Like a GirlAmaka EgbeTrack star Chidera must move temporarily to her estranged Nigerian immigrant father’s home. The new school has no girls’ track team, so she joins the boys’, sparking her classmates’ hostility.Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Strongest HeartSaadia FaruqiThirteen-year-old Mo is relieved to be living with his aunt and cousin in Houston, but will his father’s fits of rage destroy Mo’s new-found peace?Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Summer I Remembered EverythingCatherine Con MorsePanamanian Taiwanese Emily escapes a high-pressure home life by taking a summer job as a companion to a feisty, elderly Southern lady whose memory and judgement issues become increasingly clear.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Tear This DownBarbara DeeTwelve-year-old Freya learns that her town’s revered founder opposed women’s rights; she determines to work to honor local, historic women—particularly suffragists.Twelve to FourteenView book details
It’s WatchingLindsay CurrieDetermined to write a winning article for the school paper, Josie and her friends decide to visit a “haunted” graveyard on Halloween night—with unexpected results.Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Trouble with HeroesKate MessnerFinn vandalized a cemetery. In punishment, he has to hike the Adirondack 46 in one summer with the dog of the woman whose gravestone he knocked down. The challenging journey helps him grieve his father’s death. Free verse.Twelve to FourteenATOS 5.1AR interest MG 4–8View book details
The Mummy Snatcher Curse (The Wand Keepers series)Tiffany McDanielTo prevent the giants from harming Egypt, her mummified cat, Spella and her friend Tolden fight to stop a monster from capturing more mummies. Black- and-white illustrations.Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Trouble with SecretsNaomi MillinerA rabbi’s daughter would rather play her flute than prepare for her bat mitzvah. When tragedy strikes her family, can she find a path to healing?Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Poisoned King (Impossible Creatures series)Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Ashley MacKenzieDragon protector Christopher joins forces with fugitive Princess Anya, who seeks to prove her father innocent of murder. Black-and-white line drawings. Glossary of mythological creatures.Twelve to FourteenATOS 5.0AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
The School for ThievesPeter BurnsA street urchin who lives by his wits is identified and given the opportunity to train at an elite boarding school for thieves.Twelve to FourteenView book details
AlannaTamora Pierce; adapted by Vita Ayala, illustrated by Sam BeckDisguised as a boy, a young girl fights against all odds to pursue her dream of becoming a knight. Strikingly rich artwork. First book of an adaptation of Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness.Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Forgotten Magic of Zoey TurnerErin StewartStricken with anxiety after losing her father in a tragic accident, Zoey is gifted a mysterious pencil that brings her fantasy stories to life.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Graciela in the AbyssMeg Medina, illustrated by Anna Balbusso, Elena BalbussoAn artistic young blacksmith and a young girl ghost who inhabits the sea must work together to protect the ocean from evil. Brilliant world-building. Atmospheric art.Twelve to FourteenView book details
The Blossoming SummerAnna Rose JohnsonUnited after years apart, Rosemary, 13, and her brothers and parents flee Europe during World War II, seeking haven with their Native American grandmother.Twelve to FourteenView book details
Candle IslandLauren WolkGrieving her father’s death, Lucretia moves to a small Maine island with her artist mother. Initially seeking solitude, she quickly becomes immersed in island life.Twelve to FourteenView book details