Rank 1Don't Trust FishNeil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatWhat begins as an informational book about animals takes an increasingly dramatic turn toward warnings about fish. The narrator presents fish as suspicious and untrustworthy, pushing the claim into absurd territory. Alongside animal information and humor, the picture book draws attention to the difference between facts and fiction, the role of bias, and whether a narrator can be relied upon.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book detailsCBC Favorites Awards 2026
The 2026 edition contains 565 selections published by the Children's Book Council. The source uses 12 audience or subject sections, including Kids Favorites, Kindergarten through 2nd Grade, Kids Favorites, 3rd through 5th Grade, Kids Favorites, 6th through 8th Grade, and Kids Favorites, 9th through 12th Grade. It is one year of the CBC Favorites program, whose results may be grouped by Kids, Teachers, and Librarians.
2026 CBC Favorites AwardsSee the original list
Selections565
Published byChildren's Book Council
Sections12 sections
Browse sections12 sections
Kids Favorites — K–2nd Grade
60 selections
Rank 1Don't Trust FishNeil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatWhat begins as an informational book about animals takes an increasingly dramatic turn toward warnings about fish. The narrator presents fish as suspicious and untrustworthy, pushing the claim into absurd territory. Alongside animal information and humor, the picture book draws attention to the difference between facts and fiction, the role of bias, and whether a narrator can be relied upon.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book details
Rank 2Aggie and the GhostMatthew Forsythe, illustrated by Matthew ForsytheAggie is eager to live by herself until she discovers that her new home is haunted. She makes a list of rules for the ghost, including limits on haunting and eating all the food. The ghost refuses to follow them and proposes a game of tic-tac-toe, with the house at stake. Their contest turns the shared home into a dispute over rules and who gets to stay.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.9AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Rank 3POP! Goes the Nursery RhymeBetsy Bird, illustrated by Andrea TsurumiA secretary bird sets out to narrate a traditional nursery-rhyme collection in an orderly fashion. A feisty weasel repeatedly barges into the recitation, disrupting rhymes such as “Little Miss Muffet” and “Jack and Jill.” As the bird tries to restore order, the interruptions send the familiar tales in increasingly chaotic directions. The book remixes nursery rhymes through a conflict between careful narration and exuberant mischief.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 4Bruce Saves the PlanetRyan T. Higgins, illustrated by Ryan T. HigginsBruce, a bear who prefers being alone, is also the mother of four geese and three mice. While trying to enjoy a quiet day of fishing, he finds beetles taking his lunch and protesters attempting to protect a forest from a factory’s construction. Bruce and the residents of Soggy Hollow face the question of whether they can protect the planet amid this disruption to his peaceful outing.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 5Piece OutAlex WillanRed, a board-game piece, is accidentally left outside the game box and far from the game closet and friend Yellow. A vacuum cleaner carries Red away, beginning a hazardous journey back home. Red faces obstacles including a transparent cliff, hanging forests, a family dog, and time in a junk drawer. Through mistakes and persistence, Red keeps trying to reunite with the other game pieces.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeWord Count 493View book details
Rank 6Recess: A Picture BookLane Smith, illustrated by Lane SmithSchool is a place for learning and fun, but this picture book insists that breaks are important too. When it is not regular recess time, the book imagines other kinds of recess: a break needed right now, a break wherever someone happens to be, or a chance to let imagination run loose. Its interactive premise invites readers to call out for recess and pause their routine.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Rank 7E-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a FarmZach von Zonk, illustrated by Benjamin ChaudThis picture book reworks the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” as a space adventure. An alien takes Old MacDonald’s farm animals away in a UFO, leaving Old MacMartian with cows, pigs, sheep, and other noisy, hungry, mischievous barnyard passengers aboard a spaceship. The story uses rhyming, song-based wordplay and follows the chaos the animals create alongside Old MacMartian and his three-eyed dog.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 8Buffalo Fluffalo and PuffaloBess Kalb, illustrated by Erin KraanBuffalo Fluffalo’s familiar prairie routine changes when a new sibling, Puffalo, arrives. Fluffalo initially dislikes the loud little buffalo and questions what Puffalo needs. Crow explains that the newcomer needs time to learn and grow. As Puffalo learns to move about, Fluffalo teaches the younger buffalo to eat plants and avoid red ants. The two eventually take walks together and share naps.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeWord Count 587View book details
Rank 9Flat Cat: The Class PetTara Lazar, illustrated by Pete OswaldFlat Cat has always been flat and usually prefers it that way. Seeking a new view, he climbs into his friend Willow's backpack and goes to school. At school, he becomes a paper airplane, a secret note, and a bathroom pass. The chaotic visit leaves him trying to escape, while raising the possibility that he may find unexpected pleasure in it.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.9AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Rank 10Axolotl and AxolittleJess Hitchman, illustrated by Sarah RebarAxolotl and his younger brother Axolittle approach life in very different ways. Axolotl likes eating snacks and living at full speed, while Axolittle prefers studying facts. Their differences lead the siblings to tease each other, argue, shout, and sulk. The story follows their clash as they work toward making up and finding a way to get along despite their opposite habits.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD390LATOS Book Level 2.0View book details
Rank 11Biggest Dog in the Book, TheBen Lerwill, illustrated by Mark ChambersA pack of dogs of different breeds and sizes appears in this comparison book, which asks which one is the largest. Readers meet dogs including Agnes the Chihuahua, who burrows beneath cushions; Holly the Collie, who chases her tail; Popcorn the Beagle; and Poncho the Dalmatian. Each dog has its own habits, and a gatefold opens to reveal the book’s biggest dog.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 12Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World)Corey R. Tabor, illustrated by Corey R. TaborCrow sits on a telephone wire and loudly refuses invitations to play from Squirrel, Hummingbird, Rat, Bat, and Cat. After a phone rings at the pole, Crow reveals why he has cleared the area: a hidden elevator carries him to an underground base. He puts on a spacesuit, launches into space, and uses missiles and lasers against an asteroid heading for Earth. When he returns, the animals gather with Crow to watch the resulting shooting stars.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 1.8AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Rank 13Buzz! Boom! Bang!: The Book of SoundsBenjamin Gottwald, illustrated by Benjamin GottwaldThis wordless interactive picture book presents sounds through bold, unusual illustrations. Readers are prompted to supply noises such as bangs, booms, caws, crashes, buzzes, whooshes, yawns, moos, and roars, then turn the page and continue. With no printed words, the book is built around matching vocal sounds to the images on each page.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 14FireworksMatthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia ChienOn a hot Fourth of July, two siblings spend the day in their city neighborhood before an evening fireworks display. After breakfast with their grandmother, they splash in a leaky fire hydrant, eat watermelon, dance to music drifting from windows, and return home for dinner. From their building’s rooftop, they watch the sky fill with bright fireworks, including a final burst revealed by a gatefold.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.5AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Rank 15Trouble with Giraffes, TheLisa Mantchev, illustrated by Taeeun YooAt Pet Club, a girl and her pet giraffe discover that being welcome is not the same as being able to take part in every activity. The giraffe cannot fit into the club’s treehouse, and the pair are often more different than alike. In response, the Pet Club members work together to change their space so it can welcome and accommodate everyone.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 16Messi's Magic: How Lionel Messi Became the G.O.A.T.Caroline L. Perry, illustrated by Luciano LozanoThis picture-book biography focuses on Lionel “Leo” Messi’s early years and his path in soccer. It describes him as a small, shy child who was devoted to the sport and had a serious medical condition. The book follows setbacks including loss and loneliness as Messi continued pursuing his goal of becoming a record-setting scorer. It also includes facts, statistics, career highlights, and a timeline.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 17Bob and Dob: A Tale of TattlingSean E. Avery, illustrated by Sean E. AveryDob and his brother Bob are small birds, but Dob repeatedly tells on Bob in hopes of getting him in trouble. After their mother scolds Dob for tattling, Bob goes off alone. Dob then finds Bob in a dangerous situation involving a set of jaws. Because Dob has developed a reputation for tattling, no one wants to listen when he seeks help, forcing him to find another way to save his brother.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 18Caboose: A Picture BookTravis Jonker, illustrated by Ruth ChanCedric loves being the first child in a classroom line and uses tricks such as walking fast or slow, tapping shoulders, and stopping abruptly to stay in front. When his line-leading antics go too far, he is sent to the very back of the line as the caboose. Cedric then invents new ways to create mischief from that position, including a turtle walk, stepping backward, and insisting others go ahead.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.0AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Rank 19Hedgehogs Don't Wear UnderwearMarissa Valdez, illustrated by Marissa ValdezJacques is a French hedgehog with a secret: he loves wearing underwear. In the hedgehog world, the accepted rules are to eat grubs, make nests, and snort with sniffly noses, but not to wear underpants. Jacques must decide what to do with his hidden affection for underwear and whether he can find the courage to share it despite the expectations around him.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 20Big Snowdown, TheKaty Hudson, illustrated by Katy HudsonForest animals prepare for their first winter games after training all year for different events. Owl has not practiced, but she assumes that her natural ability means she will be the best anyway. The competition puts Owl’s confidence to the test and explores the distinction between confidence and arrogance, alongside the role of preparation and friendship.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 21Wombats Go Wild for Words, TheBeth Ferry, illustrated by Lori NicholsEvergreen Forest is orderly but quiet, with its animals using very few words. That changes when three wandering wombats arrive with an enthusiasm for language. Their nouns, verbs, and adjectives initially puzzle the forest animals, but a curious duckling eagerly takes in every new word she hears. As the wombats and duckling use language, the forest is transformed from its dull routine into a more expressive place.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 22DropbearPhilip BuntingWoodland animals pass along alarming tales about Dropbear, a creature said to live high in an old gum tree. A koala’s apparent falls from trees are blamed on cruel intent, even though that explanation is mistaken. One small bird decides to look into what is really happening. Rhyming text and humorous mixed-media illustrations follow the mystery around the rumored Dropbear.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 23Monster in the Lake, TheLeo Timmers, Bill NagelkerkeFour ducks leave their little pond to visit a much larger lake. Eric walks behind the others, worried that a monster could be there. He sees a frightening shape moving under the water, but it rises only when his friends have turned away. The story follows Eric’s uneasy sightings as the ducks explore the lake, with acrylic and spray-paint artwork.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 24Calm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur: How to Relax Muscle by MuscleBrenda S. Miles and Colleen A. Patterson, illustrated by John JosephDinosaur characters introduce progressive muscle relaxation for moments of anger, stress, and frustration. In rhyming text, the book guides readers through tightening and then releasing muscles, helping them notice the contrast between feeling tense and relaxed. The calming routine is presented as a step-by-step mind-body technique for managing overwhelming feelings through a playful dinosaur theme.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level JView book details
Rank 25Just a BananaBarney Saltzberg, illustrated by Barney SaltzbergThis lift-the-flap picture book begins with images that look like ordinary bananas. Opening each flap changes the yellow shape into something unexpected, such as a lizard, a boat, a unicorn horn, a smile, a mouse, or a crescent moon. A narrator keeps insisting that the object is simply a banana while the illustrations invite readers to imagine other possibilities. The book contains ten lift-the-flaps.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Are You a Hungry Monster?Guilherme Karsten, illustrated by Guilherme KarstenAn interactive monster invites readers to consider whether they are hungry enough for its unusual snack recipe. The monster prefers ingredients such as raggedy old socks and earwax, while readers may prefer pasta, cookies, and fruit. Questions throughout the book ask readers to respond and take part as the monster shares its favorite foods. The playful food comparison builds toward a comic ending.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Babies Are Not BearsLinda Lodding, illustrated by Lara DombretA baby and a bear compare the things they have in common and the ways they differ. Both are shown enjoying activities such as coloring, peek-a-boo, eating porridge, dressing up for Halloween, and reading books about one another. As they spend time making comparisons, they discover distinctions as well, including their musical tastes: the baby likes soft lullabies, while the bear prefers country music.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Chalk the WalkChelsea Tornetto, illustrated by Laurel AylesworthTwo siblings use a bucket of chalk to change the world around them. Starting with dull pavement and gray city streets, they draw on the sidewalk and invite people of different ages from their neighborhood to join them. Told in rhyme, the picture book follows their shared chalk-making as the surroundings become increasingly colorful and imaginative.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Charley Mouse Cleans HouseKaterina Gorelik, illustrated by Katerina GorelikCharley Mouse loves cleanliness and order, from lavender-scented bed linens to socks and cheese crusts sorted in her cupboard. She works as a house cleaner and looks forward to helping her neighbors keep their homes tidy. Over a busy week, Charley visits familiar fairytale characters whose houses need attention. The story features magical messes and tiny hidden details within the illustrations.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD800LATOS Book Level 5.1View book details
Cute Animals That Could Kill You DeadBooke Hartman, illustrated by María GarcíaThis nonfiction picture book looks at animals whose cute appearances belie dangerous defenses or hunting abilities. It introduces creatures including slow lorises with venom, ladybugs described as fierce, and owls that eat a wide range of prey. Through comic-style narration and animal facts, the book explores claws, poison, and predatory instincts found in wildlife.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 999LATOS Book Level 6.7View book details
Distraction Monster, TheRyan K. Woodall, illustrated by Stevie MahardhikaOllie’s Distraction Monster fills his day with ideas and imaginary adventures, including a dragon drawing and a pretend train rescue. Yet those distractions leave Ollie struggling to focus on his chores before a family dinner at the Pasta Palace, while the mess grows. As he tries to get things done, Ollie learns to make room for adventures while also completing tasks and managing ADHD.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Dogs Love Books, TooMaria Coco, illustrated by Maria CocoDogs Love Books, Too explores why dogs might be drawn to books. The possibilities range from their smell and taste to reasons shared by human readers. At its heart, the story connects reading with the comfort of being alongside a good book and another companion. It also looks at the humorous, affectionate relationship between people and the dogs in their lives, and at the stories that relationship can inspire.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Fib, ThePedro Iniguez, illustrated by Nathan KwanPepe, a second grader, wants an exciting story for show-and-tell, so he invents a creature unlike any ordinary animal. His fib gives the creature ram-like horns, bear-like claws, bat wings, owl eyes, and a lion’s tail. The imagined being then becomes real and frightening, forcing Pepe to confront what he has said. The story follows the consequences of his lie and Pepe’s recognition that telling the truth matters.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Fish Don’t Go to SchoolDeb Pilutti, illustrated by Deb PiluttiHenry wears a sparkly fish costume wherever he goes, including while shopping, eating dinner, and walking his fish, Marigold. On his first day of school, he feels anxious and wishes Marigold could come along. When that is not possible, Henry chooses his costume to help himself feel brave as he enters school and meets new friends.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Fish Fry Friday: A Picture BookWinsome Bingham, illustrated by C. G. EsperanzaWhen school is closed on a Friday, a child joins Granny on her usual fishing trip before the family fish fry. They pack rods, reels, lures, lines, bobbers, and bait, then fish together at the pier. After bringing home their catch, the child helps clean and prepare the fish while Granny teaches the steps for making batter. The child also suggests using leftover batter for hushpuppies before relatives arrive with dishes for the evening meal.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Goats AfloatLezlie Evans, illustrated by Julia PattonFive young goats take a boat to bring a cake to Granny Goat for her birthday. They choose the water route because they want to avoid a bridge troll on land. When their trip does not go as intended, the goats must adapt and devise another way to continue. The story follows their attempt to arrive at Granny’s house in time for the celebration, in a rhyming adventure centered on their journey together.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Good Morning, SpaceLinda Bondestam, illustrated by Linda BondestamSweetie looks at the early-morning sky through a toilet-paper-tube telescope and sees not just one spectacular world, but many. Elsewhere in the universe, aliens wake from sleep, rocket ships host parties, and interstellar bath time begins. The book imagines a new day across outer space, from rising sun and shining stars to friends getting out of bed. Cutouts are part of the story’s presentation.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Grumpy Ghost Upstairs, TheMamiko Shiotani, illustrated by Mamiko ShiotaniA little ghost lives alone in the attic of a large house and likes the quiet that way. When a curious girl arrives, he tries every ghostly trick he knows to frighten her away. The visitor, however, is not looking for a scare: she wants to be his friend. Their encounter asks the ghost to respond to an unwelcome change in his solitary routine.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Hank Meets FrankMaudie Powell-TuckHank, a goose known for being troublesome, is told to behave when his apparently angelic cousin Frank visits the family reunion. Frank secretly pulls a prank, but Hank receives the blame. The two cousins then try to outdo one another with more pranks, raising the question of which goose is truly causing the disruption.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Humpty's Great FallAmy Moore, illustrated by Josh ClelandOn an autumn day, Humpty Dumpty realizes that he has overlooked something, though he cannot remember what it is. He leaves his wall and travels through the neighborhood, where his nursery-rhyme friends are spending time outdoors in the fall weather. Their activities provide hints as Humpty tries to identify what is missing. The story follows his search for an answer while returning to familiar nursery-rhyme characters and the seasonal setting.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
In-Between PlacesAlex Killian, illustrated by Grady McFerrinThis picture book explores times when a person is unsure where to go next. Its in-between place is neither one location nor another, with directions leading up or down, left or right. The book considers how to choose a path when the destination is unclear, presenting a leap as a way to move through an uncertain transition.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Max and Chaffy: Welcome to Animal IslandJamie Smart, illustrated by Jamie SmartThe Boggle family has newly arrived on Animal Island, where Max wants to explore everything there is to discover. Max especially enjoys finding things and returning them to where they belong. When Orlando, a pilot, tells him about an unusual creature seen in the woods, Max is eager to investigate. The story follows his curiosity about the island and its mystery.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Mindful Nature: Connecting with Our Great Green WorldPaige Towler, illustrated by Paige TowlerUsing real animal photographs, this book invites children to pause, breathe, imagine, and notice the natural world. It asks readers to picture waking in a flower like a harvest mouse, resting on warm sand like a meerkat, or flying through cold air like a snowy owl. Each spread suggests actions such as stretching, wiggling toes, or simply observing a scene.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level MView book details
Minh and the Magic Grains of RiceĐỗ Nguyệt HàMinh refuses to eat rice until an unusual night sends him on a magical journey with three talking grains of rice. After he carelessly spills rice, he travels into the past and encounters his ancestors. Through a mission before he can return home, Minh learns about rice cultivation, the harvest, and the work connected to the food on his table.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 620LATOS Book Level 4View book details
Miya Wears OrangeWanda John-Kehewin, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez MedinaMiya loves attending school, especially storytime. During one class, her teacher tells a painful history about a girl taken to a residential school. The girl cannot return home, has her hair cut, and is prevented from keeping her favorite doll. Miya’s story explores the complicated feelings that arise as she learns about residential schools and this history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
My Quiet PlaceMonica Mikai, illustrated by Monica MikaiOne child moves through a loud, busy day, from quiet dawn to breakfast, street noise, a crowded playground, and packed buses or markets. The sounds and activity around her can feel overwhelming. She identifies ways to find quiet when she needs it, then shares that quiet with someone else who needs some too. The story addresses sensory overload and the search for rest.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Night Creatures: FireflyRobert Macfarlane, illustrated by Luke Adam HawkerIn winter darkness, a child who seeks the sun comes upon a meadow lit by fireflies. The fireflies shine and move among summer grass, resembling stars that have fallen to earth. Told in verse, the story follows this discovery as the light of the insects helps send the child’s fears away and shifts the night’s atmosphere.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
No More GnomesBeth Mills, illustrated by Beth MillsHerbert is known for being exceptionally polite and has a medal to show for it. His manners are challenged after his nanny, Ms. Goat, brings home a rude garden gnome. More gnomes soon follow, and Herbert reaches his limit. He must figure out how to tell Ms. Goat that he cannot tolerate any more gnomes while trying to remain polite.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Not-So-Bad-Guys Snow MonsterMichael Buxton, illustrated by Michael BuxtonSimon, a yeti, loves the snowy place where he lives. When some humans begin damaging that world, Simon faces the question of how a not-so-bad guy might stop them. The story centers on his attachment to his wintery home and the threat posed by people who try to spoil it.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Over and Under the Coral ReefKate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas NealThis nonfiction picture book explores a Caribbean coral reef and the animals that live above the water, on the reef, and beneath it. It includes an author’s note and back matter about the featured animals, along with further-reading resources and websites. The book is part of Kate Messner’s Over and Under series.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 4.2AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Pencil's Best Story EverCarly Gledhill, illustrated by Carly GledhillPencil has finished a story and is eager to share it. His plan unravels when the characters refuse to follow the parts he has written for them, creating chaos in the tale. Pencil tries to bring the story back under control so everyone can take part and enjoy it. The book centers on a creator, unruly characters, and the challenge of shaping a shared story.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Ready, Set, Mango!Tamla T. Young, illustrated by Raz LatifWhile vacationing on an island with their auntie, cousins Tee and Dee search for mangoes to make smoothies. Though close friends, they turn the hunt into a contest over who will find the ideal fruit first. Another shiny, round treasure sparks a second competition, until they discover that a goat is making the objects they have been collecting. The cousins laugh together at the mix-up.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LATOS Book Level 3.2View book details
There Doesn't Have to Be A ReasonM.C. Kasper, illustrated by M.C. KasperA bear wonders why he has a tail after other animals describe how theirs are useful. A bird’s tail can help it fly, while a beaver’s supports swimming and a bison’s can swat insects. Bear’s own tail does none of those things, and encounters with more animals do not supply an answer. His search leads him to understand that loving his body does not require a practical justification.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
This Plant Is NOT BoringMarie Hoy-Kenny, illustrated by Mike DeasMia hopes for a dog, but her mother asks her to begin with a plant instead. At first, Mia sees the plant as uninteresting because it cannot do the things she associates with a pet. Then it starts consuming her belongings, including her sandwich and stuffed lion, and leaves a message on a bathroom mirror. After finding the plant’s care tag, Mia understands that its behavior is connected to how she cares for it, and considers whether it could become a companion.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
To Catch a GhostRachel Michelle Wilson, illustrated by Rachel Michelle WilsonSam, new to a class, wants to impress classmates at show-and-tell and decides that catching a ghost would give him something memorable to bring. He gathers supplies and sets out to find one, then spends time with the ghost as he works out how to build a trap. His plan becomes more complicated when the encounter leads him toward an unexpected understanding of friendship.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.1AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Torrible Puns: A Collection of Punny PoemsTricia Torrible, illustrated by Robert DunnThis collection contains more than thirty poems built around puns and words or phrases with double meanings. Its subjects include animals, nursery-rhyme characters, outer space, and sports. The poems vary in length and use rhyme, while illustrations accompany the wordplay. Readers are invited to notice how a word can sound the same as another word while carrying a different meaning.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Vida: The Mice, the Cat, and the AlebrijeDuncan Tonatiuh, illustrated by Duncan TonatiuhIn the lively mouse city of Mousetepec, a growing cat-shaped shadow causes fear and empties the marketplace. Mouse siblings Vida and Máximo make a plan to protect their town. After a colorful alebrije appears in a dream, it helps them face the dangerous cat. This original fable draws on Mexican folk art and culture as the siblings confront a threat with courage and imagination.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Welcome to Whalebone Mansion: Creatures That Lurk at a Whale FallLaken Slate, illustrated by Bindy JamesTwo small fish find a strange structure far below the ocean surface and wonder whether it is a haunted house. The building is a whale fall: after a whale dies, its body settles on the seafloor and decomposes, providing food for many creatures. Once the remains are picked clean, the whale’s bones form an eerie structure. The fish enter and encounter creatures living there.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Why Do Okapis Look So Funny?: A Book about Rainforest AnimalsJack Beard, illustrated by Jayri GomezThis nonfiction picture book examines the adaptations and behavior of rainforest animals. It asks why brown-throated three-toed sloths move slowly, why capybaras enjoy swimming, and why mountain gorillas live in groups. Other animals include Draco lizards, okapis, and scarlet macaws. The book connects questions about animals’ bodies and actions with facts about rainforest life.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Zip Zap Wickety WackMatthew Diffee, illustrated by Matthew DiffeeA sheep says “baa,” but a goat insists that the sound belongs to it, starting a dispute among farm animals over which sounds are theirs. Sheep and Goat try out increasingly unusual alternatives as the argument grows. An alien also enters the clash over sounds. The story eventually reaches a comic compromise about sharing, using animal noises as the source of its conflict and humor.Kids Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.1AR Interest Level LG K-3View book detailsKids Favorites — 3rd–5th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1CrocoAzul López, illustrated by Azul López, Kit MaudeCroco, a young crocodile, becomes stuck in a hole and must work out a way to get free. Friends offer suggestions, but their advice does not provide the answer Croco needs. Facing the problem, Croco keeps trying and ultimately discovers a solution independently. The tale centers on persistence, self-reliance, and finding a way forward when help from others is not enough.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 2Biggest Fake in the UniverseJohan Rundberg, Eva ApelqvistMo wants to catch the attention of a talented, mysterious girl who skates, so he abandons his chess, guinea pig, and astronomy books to present himself as a skater. By luck, he performs an extraordinary skateboarding trick that spreads widely online. Suddenly watched by his town and beyond, Mo must confront the difference between the public image he has created and who he really is.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 3Swap-A-Word! Fun with a Sound-Alike-WordsMarvin Terban, illustrated by Andreas WittmannThis picture book introduces homophones, words that sound alike, through visual wordplay. Each illustration asks readers to guess a humorous related image on the following page, such as deciding whether a word should be “pore” or “pour.” The book pairs this guessing game with illustrations and includes material at the end that extends its exploration of sound-alike words.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 4George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles: The Glasses That Saved AmericaSelene Castrovilla, illustrated by Jenn HarneyAfter the Revolutionary War, George Washington’s officers have gone unpaid by the Continental Congress for years and plan to confront Congress. Washington learns of the plan and speaks to the officers, but they are not persuaded. When he struggles to read a letter from Congress and puts on his glasses, they recognize the sacrifices he has made alongside them. The incident helps calm the crisis.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 530LView book details
Rank 5Dog Man: Big Jim Believes: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #14)Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dav PilkeyDog Man: Big Jim Believes follows Dog Man, Commander Cupcake, Sprinkles, Mecha Molly, Big Jim, Grampa, and Molly after the Space Cuties From Space interrupt a celebration. They find their city transformed and face a situation in which little seems familiar. As they respond, the group must decide whether they can rely on one another, while Big Jim's optimism becomes part of the effort to help save the day.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 3.2AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Rank 6Why We Eat Fried Peanuts: A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year TraditionsZed Zha, illustrated by Sian JamesMeng, a Chinese American girl, prepares for Lunar New Year with her family. During the festivities, her father tells her about tai nai nai, Meng's great-grandmother, whose courageous act became an important family story. Meng also learns why Mandarin, traditional holiday foods, and ancestral stories matter to her family. Peanuts have a special place among the foods shared for the celebration.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 7Zero! The Number That Almost Wasn'tSarah Albee, illustrated by Chris HsuThis nonfiction picture book follows the long development of zero, a numeral that had to be invented despite its importance in mathematics. It begins with early counting methods and moves through Babylonian place value, Maya use of a zero symbol, and the spread of Indo-Arabic numerals through trade. The book also traces the slow acceptance of this number system in Europe.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 5.0AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Rank 8Duck and Moose: Moose's Bad Hair Day!Kirk Reedstrom, illustrated by Kirk ReedstromMoose likes quiet, while his neighbor Duck is more impulsive, and their differences test their potential friendship. When Moose has a bad hair day, Duck offers to trim his hair. During the haircut, one of Moose’s antlers comes off. Duck tries to put it back before Moose realizes what has happened, including by disguising the antler as a supposed relative. The two friends must work through Duck’s mistake.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 9Snips: A Bad Buzz Day, TheRaúl the Third, illustrated by Raúl the ThirdFlealix the Dog joins Casco, Patty, Letty, and Nubes, a group of barbers in Scissor City who solve mysteries and fight crime. Their superhero work involves scissors, striking hairstyles, and unusual hair inventions. Buzz and Boffo Buzzington are trying to defeat the Snips. The brothers descend from the inventor of the buzz cut and want to return Buzz Corp, their family business, to the leading position in hair cutting while winning their father’s respect.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 10Paw & Order Vol. 1Jason Platt, illustrated by Jason PlattThe annual Grilled Cheese Festival is thrown into disarray when every sandwich disappears. Detectives Purrlock and Marlowe take the case and consider several possible culprits: Jinny Giraffe, whose Art Festival was affected by the event; Coach Allan Alligator, who was barred from the festival the previous year; and Purrlock’s rival, Meowiearty. As the detectives investigate, the book invites readers to follow the clues and work toward identifying the thief.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 11So Rude!: Animals Behaving BadlyJessica Fries-GaitherThis nonfiction book examines animals whose behavior might seem rude by human standards. It pairs seven human behavior rules with animals that break them and explains why those actions can aid survival. Scarlet kingsnakes imitate venomous coral snakes to frighten predators, while hippos spray waste to protect their territories. Through these and other examples, the book considers animal behavior as a response to threats and the need to survive.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book details
Rank 12Operation: Cover UpTate GodwinIn this graphic novel, a class clown and a brainiac exchange identities at their elementary school as part of an elaborate plan. The two students’ initially separate experiences eventually come together. The story centers on the consequences of their switch and addresses loyalty, identity, and honesty, alongside the uncertainty and self-doubt felt even by people who outwardly seem confident.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 13Cake Problem: Equivalent and Simplified Fractions, TheBill Wise, illustrated by Davilyn LynchFarmer Ed brings a chocolate cake to Sheep, Chicken, and Goat, but its unusual shape makes sharing it difficult. Goat suggests dividing the cake so that Goat receives half while Sheep and Chicken split the remaining portion. The animals consider whether that arrangement is the best way to share it. Their comic-style problem explores equivalent and simplified fractions through the challenge of cutting a cake fairly.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 14Gabby Torres Gets a Billion FollowersAngela DominguezFourth-grader Gabby wants to create a social-media profile for her club, despite her parents’ warnings about being online. When someone leaves a cruel comment on one of the posts, Gabby becomes consumed with figuring out who the anonymous commenter might be. Her effort to promote the club turns into a struggle with online cruelty and the consequences of trying to handle the problem on her own.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 490LATOS Book Level 3.5View book details
Rank 15Adventures of Penguin and Panda: In the Dark (Vol 4), TheBrenda Maier, illustrated by Fanni MézesPenguin and Panda return for four adventures shaped by friendship, strong feelings, and mistakes. Penguin faces her first campout in the dark and develops an unexpected rivalry with a new neighbor. Panda is ready with advice, but his habit of postponing things causes him to spoil a special Fun Friday. As the pair deal with these situations, their contrasting approaches bring them into moments of competition, uncertainty, and shared problem-solving.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
CaringKobi YamadaA boy forms a friendship with an elderly gardener whose lifelong work has transformed barren land into a thriving natural place. Their relationship centers on care, effort, and the possibility that one person’s actions can matter. As the boy observes the gardener’s devotion, the story considers helping, nurturing the world, and the changes that can grow from attention and kindness.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Chicken PredicamentMary Rand Hess and Randy Preston, illustrated by Marilena PerilliWhen the classroom hen Lady Cluckery disappears, Preston’s class must locate her before the school day ends for the weekend. The students divide into groups to search while also caring for her eggs until they hatch. They eventually discover Lady Cluckery in the costume closet and bring her back. She returns in time for the arrival of three chicks: Hatch, Chirp, and Peep.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Dinosaur PieJen Wallace, illustrated by Alan O'RourkeRory has suddenly become a small, feathered dinosaur. His new body makes ordinary routines difficult: he cannot use a human toilet, hold a video-game controller with his claws, or ignore his carnivorous cravings for sausages. At first, his friends do not take the situation seriously. Once they do, they join Rory in Operation Make Rory Human Again, an effort to reverse the transformation before he remains a dinosaur permanently.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Einstein the PenguinIona Rangeley, illustrated by David TazzymanThe Stewart family’s life changes when a penguin carrying a backpack arrives at their door. The penguin, Einstein, proves brighter than the family expected as they learn to live with their unusual new guest. Imogen, an amateur detective, and her shy younger brother Arthur work together to discover why Einstein has come and to help him accomplish his goal. Their investigation turns the household surprise into a shared adventure.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Family for Zoya: The True Story of an Endangered Cub, ADebra Kim Wolf, illustrated by Annalisa Durante and Marina DuranteThis true story follows Zoya, the only surviving cub among critically endangered Amur tigers born at the Philadelphia Zoo. After Zoya’s mother rejects her, zoo staff seek another family for the cub and identify Lola, a Sumatran tiger at the Oklahoma City Zoo who has recently had three cubs. Zoya travels across the country in an attempt to join Lola’s den, raising questions about whether Lola will accept her and feed all four cubs.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Fight for the Right to Read: Samuel Wilbert Tucker and the 1939 Sit-Down Strike for Library Reading EqualityJeff Gottesfeld and Michelle Y. Green, illustrated by Kim HoltThis book recounts Tucker’s life from his childhood in the segregated South through his work as a lawyer who loved reading. In 1939, he organized a sit-in at a segregated library to demand public access to reading. His effort continued through court cases and years of legal struggle, as he pressed for everyone to be able to read in a public library.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Growing HomeBeth Ferry, illustrated by Terry Fan, Eric FanAt Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, a houseplant named Ivy, a grumpy goldfish named Toasty, and a curious spider named Arthur become unlikely housemates. Ivy is Jillian Tupper’s beloved plant, which frustrates Toasty, who considers himself the family pet. Arthur arrives hidden in an antique typewriter, followed by another potted plant, Ollie. Water from Toasty’s unusual fish tank gives Ivy and Ollie magical powers, shifting their friendships as the creatures work to protect their home from a greedy human.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 4.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
How Do Seeds Grow Into Gardens?: A Hands-On Book about GardeningClayton Grider, illustrated by Srimalie BassaniThis nonfiction book explains how gardens can grow from small seeds. It covers popular vegetables, the plant life cycle, and different gardening methods through diagrams and illustrations. Presented in a question-and-answer format, the book explores the science behind its questions and includes facts and figures. Gardening activities and a glossary extend its focus on plants, growing food, and the processes involved in making a garden.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
I Am the SunJanessa Parker, illustrated by Beverly BlacksheepThis picture book portrays present-day Diné life, including sheep raising, jewelry making, rug weaving, and connections to family, language, art, food, dance, and land. It also addresses hardships faced by many Native Americans, including the lack of running water or electricity for some people. The book describes the endurance of a people whose history and stories remain largely unknown beyond their own community.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing MedusasMichelle Cusolito, illustrated by Ellen RooneyThis biography recounts scientist Maude Delap’s research on jellyfish. After taking a jellyfish from the water, she observed it for more than a year and traced its life cycle from larva to adult. Her work with a compass jellyfish in 1899 and 1900 achieved something other scientists had not managed and helped establish a basis for research that continues today. The book follows her patient observations and experiment.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to SwimKobina Commeh, illustrated by Bárbara QuintinoKwesi enjoys going to the lake with his friends, but he cannot swim. He discovers that his Ghanaian grandmother, Nana Ruby, cannot swim either. They make an agreement to learn together and face their fear of water as a pair. Their effort is connected to the West African legend of Mami Wata, while their shared undertaking gives both Kwesi and Nana Ruby support as they try something new.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Let's Get SpookyŠtěpánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Lukáš FigeľThis Halloween seek-and-find book invites readers to search six haunted locations for hidden objects and unexpected details. The settings include Dracula’s castle, a misty forest, graveyards, a deserted house, dark streets, and a warlock’s tower. Each illustrated scene contains spooky discoveries to locate. The book also has a cover that glows in the dark, extending its eerie visual play beyond the pages.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Museum of Shapes, TheSven Völker, illustrated by Sven VölkerAlma is the curator of a museum devoted to shapes, deciding where each shape belongs. The book introduces geometric forms such as triangles, which have three sides and three angles, and circles, whose edge points are equally distant from the center. It also looks beyond geometric forms to wiggly and messy lines, inviting readers to make a wiggly line with their bodies. Interactive prompts guide its exploration of shapes in the world.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Mythology Land: 12 Classic Legends ReimaginedClaire Cock-Starkey, illustrated by Pham Quang PhucMythology Land gathers twelve retold legends about characters and creatures from myth. Each story is paired with an illustrated map of its setting. The collection travels to Midgard and the land of giants associated with Thor, into the Deep Dark Forest with Baba Yaga, and along the Yangtze River for a race involving animals. These different locations frame stories drawn from multiple mythic worlds and their distinctive landscapes.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World: How the Scientist, Writer, and Nature Lover Changed the Enviornmental MovementKate Hannigan, illustrated by Kate HickeyThis picture-book biography follows Rachel Carson’s early interest in nature, her writing about animals and outdoor experiences, and her wish to study the ocean. Although financial limits prevented her from completing a PhD, she found work in science and became a nature writer. After learning about environmental damage caused by pesticides and chemicals, Carson wrote Silent Spring to address their threat to nature.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Return of the Terns: How Scientists Are Saving Island BirdsJennifer Keats Curtis and Kim Abplanalp, illustrated by Phyllis SaroffThis true account follows scientists working to help Common Terns after climate change and erosion reduced their nesting habitat. Partners from Maryland conservation and wildlife organizations build large floating rafts for the birds to nest on. The rafts are intended to protect nests from development and predators as well as provide nesting space. The book asks whether the terns will choose these new nesting areas.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Shadow Warrior (Spider-Man: Original Manga)Shogo Aoki, illustrated by Shogo AokiIn this original Spider-Man manga, reimagined versions of Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy enter a parallel universe where Japan remains under shogunate rule. Wilson Fisk, known as the Kingpin, has left America and made himself governor of Edo. The heroes pursue him there, but he has brought an alien parasite that can give people extraordinary abilities. When a young man named Hyo bonds with it and seems to become Venom, the conflict deepens.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Shape FamiliesLynn Parrish Sutton, illustrated by Jake TebbitShape Families introduces geometric characters and their varied households. A young cylinder lives with his sphere grandmother; a hexagon has twin trapezoid sisters; and a trapezoid has heptagon and nonagon mothers who perform in a band. The comic-style book uses these characters to present shapes and different family units. Back matter provides descriptions of every geometric shape featured in the story.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
She Speaks: The Women of Norse Myths in their Own WordsHonor Cargill-Martin, illustrated by Pauliina HannuniemiShe Speaks is an illustrated collection of eight Norse myths and legends that places women at the center of the stories. Written by classicist Honor Cargill-Martin, the book revisits familiar material through the women’s perspectives. Its focus is on Norse mythic figures and the legends in which they appear, presenting the collection as a set of illustrated retellings rather than a single continuous tale.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
SketchJacques Goldstyn, illustrated by Jacques GoldstynSketch is a boy whose lively imagination and creative energy make him visibly different from the people around him. In a town that prizes order, he struggles with standing apart, even with encouragement from his parents and art teacher. After moving to a new school, he meets other children who are different in their own ways. The story centers on art, individuality, and finding connection.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Supernavigators: How Animals Find Their Way (Young Readers Edition)David Barrie; adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, illustrated by Qu LanThis illustrated nonfiction book examines how more than a dozen kinds of animals navigate. It considers questions such as how birds locate food, how humpback whales keep a straight course across an ocean, and how Arctic terns make long yearly journeys. Examples include monarch butterflies using the sun, dung beetles guided by the Milky Way, and moths and sea turtles responding to Earth’s magnetic field.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Ultimate Book of Silly Jokes for Kids, TheHighlights, illustrated by HighlightsThis collection contains more than 900 jokes, riddles, and tongue twisters, accompanied by black-and-white cartoons. Its humor draws on subjects including animals, space, and food. The book gathers short comic material designed for reading aloud or sharing, with riddles and wordplay alongside conventional jokes. It is a 256-page compilation focused on silly humor and language-based amusement.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
We're All Gonna Die-nosaur!Kon Tan, illustrated by Kon TanPterry, a pterodactyl, repeatedly dreams about frightening events that then happen. After dreaming that dinosaurs will disappear, Pterry is especially worried because flying scares him and he has not learned how to do it. His parents believe a pterodactyl can escape danger by taking flight, leaving Pterry to confront that fear as he tries to keep himself and his family safe. Black-and-white illustrations appear throughout the book.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
When a Tree Falls: Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest PowerKirsten PendreighA forest tree provides places for living things to grow, rest, and shelter until it falls. The book explains how its fallen trunk can continue to sustain the woods as a nurse log. The log supplies a nutrient-rich place for seedlings, shelters small animals, and hosts different plants. As a new tree grows from this support, the story follows an ongoing forest cycle in which one tree’s end helps make new life possible.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Witches of Anderson House: A Spell for Disaster, TheJennie Poh and Dave Lowe, illustrated by Jennie PohAnderson House is a retirement home inhabited by witches and other unusual residents. Myrtle Stormwhisper, a retired witch, is at the center of this first story in the series. With assistance from her witch friends, Myrtle works to recover her magic. The setting combines a spooky house, magical characters, nighttime disturbances, and mischief as Myrtle begins a new adventure among the residents.Kids Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsKids Favorites — 6th–8th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1ChickenpoxRemy LaiAbby is home with all four of her usually irritating siblings during a chickenpox outbreak. As the family recovers, the eldest sister navigates the crowded, chaotic quarantine and starts to reconsider how she feels about her family. Set in 1990s Indonesia, this semi-autobiographical graphic novel also follows Abby as she works through the changing dynamics of her tween friendships.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 3.0AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Rank 2Blood in the WaterTiffany D. JacksonKaylani McKinnon, a girl from Brooklyn, spends the summer with family friends in Martha’s Vineyard. She finds beaches, ice cream, local Black history, and a few welcoming kids her age, but also feels out of place in a large, status-conscious household. After a popular teenage boy dies, the community is shaken and Kaylani resolves to investigate. The mystery unfolds alongside Martha’s Vineyard history, elitism within Black communities, wrongful incarceration, and Kaylani’s interest in a future legal career.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.3View book details
Rank 3J vs. KKwame Alexander, Jerry CraftJ and K, two fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School, each hope to place in the annual creative storytelling contest. J draws wordless stories, while K writes. When they discover they are both entering, their rivalry intensifies as each tries to outdo the other. The former competitors eventually consider whether combining their different creative strengths could help them win the contest.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.8AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Rank 4CovenSoman Chainani, illustrated by Joel GennariHester, Anadil, and Dot are witches known in the Endless Woods for investigating crimes and safeguarding peace. When they answer a request from Red Isle, they find its Light and Dark Lands nearing war as each side blames the other for a series of deaths. The three friends must identify the killer before the conflict destroys Red Isle, while a hidden adversary may be closer than they expect. This is a graphic novel by Soman Chainani.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 5Creaky AcresCalista Brill, Nilah Magruder, illustrated by Nilah MagruderNora is a competitive horseback rider whose move brings major changes. She enters a new class as its only Black student and moves her horse, Hay Fever, to Creaky Acres, a barn unlike the one she knew. At the stable she meets Laura, Wilson, and Dolores, known as Dizzy. Nora must work with this new team as she prepares for the next regional horse show.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 6Aarzu All AroundMarzieh AbbasRecently orphaned Aarzu lives with her aunt and uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, alongside her younger sister. She wants to play cricket like the boys around her, but her uncle refuses to allow it. When her sister needs urgent medical care and money is scarce, Aarzu searches for paid work. Because the available job is for boys, she disguises herself as a turban-wearing boy. Her story is told in several poetic forms.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.9AR Interest Level MGView book details
Rank 7Dial If You DareAlexandre Côté-Fournier, illustrated by Geneviève BiguéOn Halloween, Alex plans to watch horror movies and trade ghost stories with his cousins, Chloe and Luke. He tells them about Jack Hatchett, a local hardware-store owner suspected of murder before his store burned down. Local legend says Hatchett’s ghost answers the store’s old phone number. Drawn by the possibility that the story is true, the three cousins decide to call it.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 580LView book details
Rank 8Billions to BurnTaylor BanksTwelve-year-old Zeus Jones believes his grandfather’s unlikely stories about the Harlem Renaissance, including a magazine called Burn! that was destroyed in a fire. When Zeus finds a page hidden in the ashes on the day his grandfather disappears, the stories gain new meaning. The page becomes a map connected to a lost fortune, sending Zeus on a search through New York City to find both treasure and his grandfather.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 9Isle of EverJen CalonitaEverly “Benny” Benedict discovers that she is the only heir to the fortune of Evelyn Terry, an ancestor from the nineteenth century. To claim it, Benny has two weeks to follow old clues and win a game devised by Evelyn. Her search leads toward a tiny island described in Evelyn’s diary, an island that vanished long ago and has not appeared on maps for centuries. A curse is also tied to the island.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 701LATOS Book Level 4.5View book details
Rank 10Trouble With Heroes, TheKate MessnerThirteen-year-old Finn Connolly damages a cemetery gravestone and is assigned an unusual punishment: complete all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks during one summer. He hikes with the dog belonging to the woman whose stone he knocked down. The demanding trip is also tied to a poetry assignment about heroes, a word often applied to Finn’s late father, who worked as a firefighter and paramedic. Told in free verse, the novel follows Finn as he faces the mountain challenge and works through grief and trauma connected with his father’s death.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.1AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Rank 11Climate Is Just the StartMikaela LoachMikaela Loach explains the climate crisis and links it to wider social inequities. Drawing on stories from her own activism, she also writes about people around the world who are already experiencing its effects and responding to them. The book addresses the sense of powerlessness that can accompany news about the crisis and presents climate action as part of building a more equitable world.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 12Donutella Hamachi and the Library AvengersKim Chi and Stephan Lee, illustrated by UtomaruJae Han, a twelve-year-old Korean immigrant, depends on his local library as a place to work on comics, play video games while building his English skills, and spend time with other kids who feel outside the mainstream. When the mayor proposes demolishing the building for mall parking, Jae asks the librarian for help. Learning that a funding shortfall also threatens the library, he and his friends organize a fundraising effort, aided by the drag superhero from Jae’s comic.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 13Cosmo ParkMadeleine Finlay, illustrated by Tom DearieAt the Universal Nature Park, visitors travel through the Milky Way in hover-buggies and encounter cosmology through a comic adventure. The journey includes black holes that may escape their enclosure, meteorite storms, and the freezing far end of the universe. Alongside these imagined park attractions, a mystery and threatening plot develop while the fate of the universe is at risk. The narrative introduces key ideas about cosmology.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 14AnotherPaul TremblayCasey Wilson does not know who will be arriving when his parents tell him that a friend is coming for a sleepover. The visitor, Morel, becomes an unsettling presence in Casey’s life. As the sleepover guest turns his world frightening, Casey appears to be displaced within his own family. This horror novel centers on a disturbing friendship, an inhuman impostor, and the nightmares that follow.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.9AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Rank 15Adorable Empire: A Graphic NovelLaura Terry, illustrated by Laura TerryJinx is adjusting to her parents’ divorce and a move to an unfamiliar apartment building, where she feels misunderstood at school and misses her father. A neighbor gives her a mysterious crystal, which brings a group of magical creatures called the Adorables into her life. The creatures are troublesome and follow her everywhere. As Jinx tries to get rid of them, she begins to know another resident, Robyn.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 2.4AR Interest Level MGView book details
Adi of Boutanga: A Story from CameroonAlain Serge DzotapThirteen-year-old Adi lives in western Cameroon, where she swims in the river, makes dolls for her younger sisters, and records unfamiliar words at school. Her life changes when Uncle Amadou, the family’s most powerful member, says she is old enough to marry. Afraid of what that means, Adi is supported by her parents, who arrange for her to attend a school where she can live and learn without fear. The story is translated from the author’s original French.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 690LView book details
Adventures of the Flash Gang, Episode Three: Berlin Breakout, TheM.M. Downing and S.J. WaughIn 1936, twelve-year-old Lewis Carter follows a map and an address through Berlin with his friend Pearl Alice Clavell to locate his long-missing father, Professor Harold Carter. They are surrounded by the dangers of Nazi territory, and Pearl’s connections cannot fully protect them. Their search reveals that the professor is involved in a deadly plot that could affect global stability and the approaching war.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
All the Blues in the SkyRenée WatsonWritten in prose and free verse, this novel follows Sage after her best friend dies on Sage’s thirteenth birthday. The celebration and planned sunrise give way to grief, leaving Sage without the person with whom she shared secrets and dreams. In a counseling group, she encounters the idea that losses differ from one another and that recovery does not follow a predictable course. The story centers on bereavement and Sage’s path through it.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure NPATOS Book Level 5.0View book details
At the Edge of LostMartha BrockenbroughCaleb and Ronan have been together throughout Caleb’s life, even though Ronan is a dog. When Caleb settles in Seattle with his grandfather because Ronan is too old for travel, a sudden emergency sends Poppy to the hospital and separates the pair. Caleb and Ronan each try to find the other. Their paths are complicated by an approaching deadly storm and predators as they search for a way home.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 561LATOS Book Level 3.7View book details
Athlete is AgenderKatherine Locke and Nicole MellebyThis collection brings together profiles and first-person testimony about LGBTQ+ people in sports across many ages, levels, and athletic fields. It includes Adam Rippon’s path from Olympic alternate to medalist, CeCé Telfer’s work as a trans track athlete, and coauthor em dickson’s experience of gender identity through sailing, a sport that does not divide competitors by gender. Additional profiles include Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King, addressing identity, participation, and obstacles in sport.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 6.4AR Interest Level MG+View book details
Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the WorldDylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Ruby FressonAn illustrated nonfiction guide surveys 50 inventions and scientific discoveries from different places and periods. Its categories range from fire and ancient renewable technologies to binary numbers and artificial intelligence. One section begins with a 2,700-year-old lens and connects it with later lenses used in telescopes and microscopes. Each invention includes longitude and latitude that can be entered into an online map, allowing readers to locate where it occurred.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Benny on the CaseWesley KingBenny, who has Mosaic Down syndrome, lives with his mother at the retirement home she runs in Newfoundland. As he enters a mainstream classroom after years in special education, he encounters teasing and prejudice. He befriends Salma, another new student, who is treated as an outsider in the small community. When several retirement-home residents, including Salma’s grandmother, are robbed, Benny asks Salma to help investigate and catch the thief.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.6AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Bree Boyd is a LegendLeah JohnsonSeventh grader Bree Boyd relies on rules, routines, and high expectations. She rereads familiar books, holds the school spelling-bee title, and is used to trying to be the best for her father and sisters. Then a severe storm strikes Bree with lightning and leaves her able to move objects with her mind. The unexpected power overturns the predictable life she has carefully built.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Bug Bandits: The Museum Is Her Home. Her Mission Is to Save It., TheJenni L. WalshLiberty Jacobs has grown up at the Walnut Street Insectarium, where her father works and where she lives among tarantulas, leopard geckos, and rare butterflies. She loves science and considers herself the museum’s “Bug Girl.” When Liberty and her friends overhear a plan to steal the insectarium’s rarest insects, they set out to stop the burglary. The museum also needs financial support to remain both their home and Liberty’s father’s workplace.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Cassette Tape Secret, TheDanielle HerzogThirteen-year-old Alex Bennett has learned to avoid attention after classmates bully him because of his OCD. When new student Ida May asks him to join her on a school project, it leads them to a cassette recording with a puzzling message and to a box buried in Alex’s yard. With encouragement from Ida May and his therapist, Alex moves beyond the limits of his comfort zone to investigate the history they uncover and question whether their new friendship will last.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and BeyondAaron Hwang, illustrated by Adela LiThis illustrated collection presents myths and fairy tales from China, including stories involving gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, and the White Snake. Its ancient world includes the Jade Emperor in the heavens and supernatural beings such as dragons, ghosts, demons, animal tricksters, and snake-women. The tales explore accounts of the world’s beginning, the order of heaven, the shaping of earth, the rise of humanity, and questions about natural forces such as wind, rain, and luck.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, TheRick Riordan and Mark OshiroAfter returning from Tartarus, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace travel to Camp Jupiter to help Nico’s half-sister, Hazel Levesque. Monsters from the Underworld have come there seeking safety after learning they need not remain evil. When the residents begin vanishing, Nico, Will, and Hazel confront an unknown dark power that is targeting the monsters over their earlier deeds. As they investigate the disappearances, the three demigods discover that each of them has a connection to the threat.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Deepwater CreekMichael Regina, illustrated by Michael ReginaWade and his younger brother Andrew plan one final summer fishing trip with their friends Camilla and Tommy before the brothers begin attending different schools. Heavy fog moves across the creek, and Andrew catches something far larger than expected. During the resulting confusion, the brothers fall into the water and glimpse something monstrous beneath it. The children wonder whether a recent hurricane released a danger from below, while their parents dismiss what they saw.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeWord Count 12532View book details
Dragonforged: Sword of the ChampionEric LideOrin’s ordinary life changes when he learns he is the reincarnation of a hero destined to defeat the Fiendlord. He must find a mystical sword and becomes the prospective Champion of Draeland with help from an entrepreneurial young sorceress. The Fiendlord, once a conqueror, has grown lazy and sees Orin as a chance to restore his former reputation. Orin’s task is complicated because he keeps making friends with the Fiends he is expected to destroy.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
DreamBarbara O'ConnorIdalee Lovett lives in Colby, North Carolina, in her family’s large house with rooms to rent. While her mother tours with a cover band for the summer, Idalee works on becoming a songwriter. She hopes to hear one of her country songs played on the radio. When the local station announces a contest whose winning song will be recorded by an emerging singer, Idalee decides she wants to win it.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Extra LargeTyler PageAt the start of a new school year, Tyler faces unfamiliar rules and bullies while becoming more aware of how his body differs from those of other boys. Messages on television and pressure at home to diet add to his questions about thinness, health, and fatness. As his family begins dieting at his father’s insistence, Tyler considers the difference between meeting social expectations and living comfortably in his own body.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Leyendas/Legends: 60 Latine People Who Changed the WorldMónica Mancillas, illustrated by Isadora ZeferinoThis illustrated collective biography profiles sixty Latine people whose work affected their communities and fields. Its subjects include artists, engineers, activists, athletes, entertainers, scientists, and public figures, such as Frida Kahlo, Roberto Clemente, Sonia Sotomayor, Shakira, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Jharrel Jerome. Individual entries include a Colombian singer who began writing songs as a child, a Mexican chemist connected to research on the ozone hole, and a Puerto Rican congresswoman.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Lice: How to Survive on HumansBerta Paramo, illustrated by Berta ParamoTold as a survival guide addressed to lice, this illustrated nonfiction book examines how the parasites live on human heads. It describes claws suited to the width of human hair, their ability to lift far more than their own weight, and how they touch and taste with their whole bodies. The guide also covers their eggs and uses a comic, deliberately gross perspective to present lice as creatures of nature.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Marisol Acts the PartElle Gonzalez RoseTeen actor Marisol Polly-Rodriguez takes a part in the same upcoming drama series as Miles, her former costar and ex-boyfriend. She hopes the job will show him and online critics that she is serious about acting, but the production brings new complications: an eccentric director repeatedly changes her lines, and another cast member tries to outdo her. On set, Marisol finds she can be herself with the show’s leading lady, Jamila.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Ride or DieDelilah S. DawsonBrie sees an overnight trip to the Wildwoods amusement park as a chance to join the school’s most popular girls while keeping a damaging secret hidden. The group’s game of truth or dare leaves her alone in an abandoned, unsettling part of the park. There she meets older teens who seem welcoming, unaware that an awakened evil is nearby and threatens to turn the night into a deadly encounter.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeWord Count 47913View book details
School for ThievesPeter BurnsTom Morgan survives on London’s streets by shining shoes and stealing wallets, trying to protect other street children from snatchers. After a raid sends his companions to a workhouse and leaves him behind, he intends to get them out. He is then offered a place at an exclusive school that trains thieves, setting up a story of criminal training, rescue, and risky break-ins.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Summer of Dragonflies, ANatasha DeenGuppie Persaud wants to become a hero, though she usually thinks of herself as intensely shy. When her father receives a yearlong teacher-exchange placement, her family leaves Calgary for New York City. Guppie and her brothers secretly plan to enter an online photography contest in hopes of winning phones and overturning their parents’ rule. Their three-week road trip brings a hot van, no phones, and plenty of time together.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-UpsGail JarrowThis chronological nonfiction account examines American presidents whose serious illnesses, injuries, or medical conditions were kept from the public. It begins with James Garfield’s 1881 shooting and the medical treatment that followed, then considers Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Joe Biden. The book also recounts how Wilson’s wife and doctors concealed his stroke while she took charge of presidential duties. An epilogue considers why presidents sometimes chose secrecy about their health.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Wildcats: A Graphic NovelCrystal Velasquez, illustrated by Eva CabreraMina begins at a boarding school once attended by her parents and struggles with its social groups. A history teacher introduces Mina, Lin, Ana, and Shani to the objects their families gave the school museum, encouraging them to learn about their ancestry. The four girls discover inherited powers that let them become wildcats. Beneath the museum lies a temple connected to the Brotherhood of Chaos, a dangerous group they must confront.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Wish Switch, TheLynn PainterEmma Rockford follows her late Nana’s detailed directions to reach an ancient hidden wishing well, hoping magic can improve seventh grade. Her plan changes when Jackson, a new student she finds obnoxious, adds wishes of his own. Once school begins, Emma’s wishes start happening for Jackson instead of her. The mix-up may harm both families and threaten Emma’s friendships, so the two must try to undo it before matters worsen.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsKids Favorites — 9th–12th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1Dear MannyNic StoneAt university, Jared Peter Christensen campaigns for president of the Junior Class Council on a platform of greater equity and inclusion across campus. A transfer student, Dylan, enters the race and challenges the gap she sees between Jared’s words and actions. As the contest intensifies, Jared confronts questions about how change happens, develops feelings, and learns secrets. He writes letters to his deceased friend Manny while trying to understand his uncertainty.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 2Flip Side, TheJason WalzAfter Theo’s best friend dies, he is overwhelmed by sadness that others around him seem not to notice or respect. His town then turns upside down, leaving him in an alternate world with only a shape-shifting monster and a sharp-tongued teenage girl who understands the place. Theo must face this frightening reality, which embodies his depression, and question whether he can escape the state he has entered.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 3Buzz! (2025 edition)Ananth Hirsh, illustrated by Tess StoneWebster’s first day of high school takes an unexpected turn when he comes upon a back-alley spelling contest. After he is named the Golden Kid, he enters a hidden world of competitive spelling in which letters are part of the action and losing is treated as unacceptable. Khan, called the Outlaw King, and Bonnie, known as the Black Queen, recognize Webster’s ability and introduce him to this unrestricted form of competition. This color edition adds a new cover, recolored interior artwork, and bonus material from the creators.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 4Messi Mania: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Soccer StarLuis Miguel EchegarayThis book follows soccer player Lionel Messi from his family background and childhood in Argentina through his teenage years and career. It describes personal difficulties in his early life that threatened his ambition to become a professional player, as well as the hard work, determination, and teamwork associated with his career. The account also looks at Messi’s effect on Major League Soccer and international soccer after his arrival in the United States. It is written by soccer journalist and commentator Luis Miguel Echegaray.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 5Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel, TheMaggie Stiefvater; adapted by Stephanie Williams, illustrated by Sas MilledgeBlue Sargent grows up in a family of psychics but lacks their clairvoyant powers, leaving her feeling ordinary amid the magic around her. When Gansey, a student at the local all-boys private school, invites her on a search for a Welsh king said to sleep beneath the mountains near their Virginia town, she joins him and three other Raven Boys. The story is a graphic-novel adaptation of the first Raven Cycle novel.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 6Art of Drag, TheJake Hall, illustrated by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh HansThis illustrated guide examines the history of drag through fashion, theater, sexuality, and politics. It moves from early forms of performance to the present, taking in Kabuki theater, Shakespeare, the Stonewall riots, and New York’s ballroom scene. It also includes Paris Is Burning, Pose, Lady Bunny, and Victoria Sin. Perspectives on drag’s future come from Don One, Sweatmother, Crystal Rasmussen, and The Vixen.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 7Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan GenocidePablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonThis intergenerational graphic novel connects a family in Maryland in 2013 with Guatemala in 1982. Brothers Jose and Charlie know little about their mother Clara’s earlier life until Jose asks about a genocide trial. Clara eventually recounts her childhood during the Guatemalan Civil War, when violence reached her village and separated her from her sister Elena. The story draws on historical research and the creator’s experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeATOS Book Level 3.9AR Interest Level Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book details
Rank 8FirebloomsAlexandra VillasanteSeventeen-year-old Sebastian moves to New Gault to care for his estranged, abusive mother after her cancer diagnosis, honoring a promise to his Abuela. At the town’s technology-focused high school, student ambassador Lu introduces him to a system designed to prevent hate speech and bullying. The system offers safety but limits what people can say and how many words they can use. Sebastian declines its restrictions while navigating his mother’s illness and the unfamiliar community.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 9Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' RightsAshley Hope PérezThis anthology brings together fourteen creators whose youth books have faced recent challenges in school and public libraries. Through essays, comics, short fiction, poetry, memoir, and other forms, they address censorship and book bans in the United States. The pieces connect their personal experiences to the work they make and examine how attempts to restrict books affect authors, illustrators, and young people. Contributors reflect on representing the varied realities of children’s and teens’ lives, including the country’s past and present, while considering what is at stake when access to books is limited.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 10After We BurnedMarieke NijkampA fire destroys the high school in Fenix and kills a student named Eden. In the aftermath, the town grieves while questions remain about why Eden was in the building that night and who truly knew her. Five teenagers each hold part of what happened, along with personal secrets they are determined to protect. An investigation into the fire exposes hidden truths in the small town through multiple first-person accounts.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 11Latina Superheroes (Volume 1): Jalisco & SantaKayden PhoenixThis graphic novel follows two Latina heroines with separate struggles. Jalisco searches for her mother, whose disappearance is dismissed by authorities, and her search brings her to the Adelitas, a secretive group opposing forces behind femicides in their community. Santa faces corrupt politicians in her hometown. Their stories center on Latina women confronting injustice while drawing on inner strength, self-discovery, and sisterhood.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 12Tall WaterSJ SinduNimmi, a seventeen-year-old with ties to both the United States and Sri Lanka, travels from South Dakota with her journalist father to Sri Lanka, which is affected by war. She wants to face the mother who left her sixteen years earlier. In this graphic novel, Nimmi’s search for her mother unfolds as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami strikes, bringing a major disaster into an already fraught family journey.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 13I Wish I Didn't Have to Tell You This: A Graphic MemoirEugene Yelchin, illustrated by Eugene YelchinIn Cold War-era Leningrad, young artist Yevgeny pursues creative work under KGB scrutiny. After an encounter with an American student named Libby, he falls in love and sees a possibility of leaving the Soviet Union. The threat of conscription to fight in Afghanistan drives him to avoid the military draft by taking a theater-set-design job in Siberia. Punished for draft evasion, he is sent to a psychiatric hospital. This graphic memoir follows his fear and lack of freedom under an authoritarian regime.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 14(S)KinIbi ZoboiThis novel in verse draws on Caribbean folklore and centers on fifteen-year-old Marisol, the daughter of a soucouyant. At each new moon, she sheds her skin as women in her family have done before her and becomes a fireball witch. To sustain herself, she must fly into the night and slowly take from the lives of others. The story addresses inherited magic and the cost of pursuing the life one longs for.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 15Girl You Know, TheElle Gonzalez RoseAfter her identical twin Solina dies, Luna believes the death was murder rather than an accident. Solina had planned to leave Kingswood Academy, an upper-class boarding school in the Washington mountains, and Luna takes her sister’s identity to investigate there. As Luna searches for answers, she encounters Solina’s friends, her roommate Claudia, and information about secrets Solina had kept. The mystery unfolds alongside Luna’s grief and her determination to learn what happened.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
13 Days of SummerStephanie Kate StrohmAfter their final year of high school, Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor set off on a cross-country road trip to attend a Taylor Swift concert. At a rest stop, they pick up a charming, mysterious hitchhiker. As he and Carson become attracted to one another, tensions rise within the group of friends. Their thirteen-day journey puts both the concert plan and the friends’ relationships under strain.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and The Mysterious Fad that Haunted a NationBarb RosenstockThis nonfiction account traces Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox, sisters whose alleged communications with a spirit began after unexplained rapping in their Hydesville, New York, home in 1848. The messages were said to come from a murdered traveling peddler. As public attention grew, the sisters held séances in cities for wealthy clients seeking contact with dead relatives, helping spur the Modern Spiritualist movement.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Among GhostsRachel HartmanCharl and his mother fled to the remote town of St. Muckle’s seven years ago and made a new home there. The town offers freedom to people who remain within its walls for a year and a day, and its muddy location has kept dragons away. When Charl sees a ghost, his past begins to threaten that safety. A tragic accident, murder, plague, and a mercenary dragon follow.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Climate of ChaosCassandra NewbouldIn a storm-ravaged future Seattle, a virus spreads while privileged people live in corporate-controlled domes. Healthcare depends on hours worked in pharmaceutical factories; those who fall behind are sent to Harvest House to repay debt. After a storm kills her parents and leaves her disabled, Fox LaRosa joins her aunt’s mercenary group with her younger sister, Rabbit. When Rabbit is captured after a medical-supply robbery, Fox enters the domes to find her.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Common Rule Youth Edition, The: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted WorldJustin Whitmel EarleyAdapted from Justin Whitmel Earley’s earlier book, this youth edition addresses life amid screens and continual notifications. It presents intentional, simple habits meant to help young people pursue faith, freedom, rest, peace, and fulfillment. The book frames modern distraction as a source of stress and anxiety and offers practices intended to bring greater clarity and purpose within a busy, digitally connected world.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Death in the DarkBryce MooreIn London during 1942, nightly air raids and blackouts create the backdrop for a historical mystery. A murderer targets women and disappears in the darkness amid the war. After seventeen-year-old Mary Churchill discovers that her new friend Evelyn has been murdered, she begins investigating. Her search leads to further deaths that share disturbing details: the victims are women, they have been strangled and mutilated, and the cases are connected. The story follows Mary as she pursues the killer during wartime London.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Devil's in the Dancers, TheCatherine YuMars Chang earns a scholarship to the Allegra Academy’s summer dance program, hoping it will lead toward an Ivy League future. At the academy, run by the Bechler pharmaceutical family, she is assigned to room with Alex Bechler, the program director’s great-niece and its strongest dancer. The headmistress asks Mars to replace Alex’s supplements with a new product in exchange for year-round admission. As Mars knows Alex better, she sees the academy’s unfairness more clearly.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Espada: The Will of the BladeAnabel Colazo; Translated by Diego Jourdan Pereira, illustrated by Anabel ColazoAnia, a princess and unwilling heir to the Kingdom’s throne, becomes absorbed in conflicting stories about its magical past. One legend says a power struggle drew a demon from another world that destroyed everything; another tells of a sword-bearing hero who protected the people. With the queen now the only person able to use magic, Ania searches for answers after finding a mysterious sword and seeks to determine the truth behind the old tales.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Everything I Promised YouKaty UppermanLia has long believed she and Beck were meant to be together. Their friendship and attraction have persisted even as an army-brat life repeatedly brings them together and pulls them apart. Her certainty is tied to a fortune teller’s prediction to Lia’s mother: that her daughter would fall for her best friend’s son. When Beck dies, Lia must confront the loss of someone she expected to share her life with. She questions who she is without that future and whether her grief can eventually leave room for life or another love.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Extraordinary Quests for Amateur WitchesKayla CottinghamKieran, who has struggled with both love and magic, accidentally places a curse on his former boyfriend through a disastrous poem. When the Witches Council insists that he complete his magical training, he declares that his Calling will be to discover a cure capable of breaking any curse. The task sends him on a dangerous journey with his twin sister Briar, Briar’s girlfriend Delilah, and Sebastian, a new crewmate who has his own secrets.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Fawn's Blood: A NovelHal SchrieveFawn and Silver came out as trans together in their small Maryland town, share a fascination with vampires, and have begun secretly kissing during sleepovers. In their world, vampires are pursued, jailed, and killed because they are considered dangerous to humans. Elsewhere, in Seattle, Rachel belongs to her mother’s vampire-slaying vigilante group, but her loyalties shift after she is bitten by her mother’s enemy and wakes with a need for blood.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Gay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusValerie Danners has been raised within a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group, without realizing that it is a cult. Finding a queer romance novel in the library makes her begin to question the life she knows. She meets Riley, a rebellious new arrival, and the two connect over being multiracial teens in a community that is largely white and deeply religious. As their relationship grows, Valerie and Riley exchange secret notes and kisses while confronting the limits surrounding them.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal StoriesCynthia Leitich SmithThis anthology gathers seventeen interconnected stories centered on Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In. The lively gathering place exists beyond ordinary space and time, appearing when it is needed. Native teen protagonists from around the United States come there for food, advice, mentoring, comfort, or connection. Some know the drive-in well through work or regular visits, while others discover it amid immediate problems. Across varied styles and subjects, the stories follow young people dealing with identity, family relationships, crushes, and pressing deadlines within a welcoming setting shaped by the elders who run it.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Love, MishaAskel AdenMisha takes a rare road trip with their mother, Audrey, who is seldom present in their life and does not live with them. Audrey has trouble recognizing Misha as nonbinary, and Misha’s attempt to share a heartfelt letter further complicates their relationship. After a wrong turn on a forest road, they enter the Realm of Spirits and cannot find their way back to their own world. Mother and child must work together while navigating both danger and their strained bond.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
On Again, Awkward Again: A NovelErin Entrada Kelly and Kwame MbaliaDuring their first week of freshman year, Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway notice each other, though the encounter is derailed by clumsiness and Cecil’s IBS. They remain drawn to one another but rely on unhelpful advice from friends, family members, and people online. Their paths cross again when both join the committee organizing the freshman dance for Wakeville’s Awesome Décor Society. Spending time together gives them a chance to see whether their awkward connection might become something more.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Song of the Lioness, Book 1: Alanna: A Graphic Novel AdaptationTamora Pierce; adapted by Vita Ayala, illustrated by Sam BeckThis graphic-novel adaptation introduces Alanna of Trebond, a noble girl in Tortall. Though women are barred from becoming knights, she wants to earn a shield. She travels to the capital posing as a boy and starts page training, the first stage of knighthood. Difficult work and harsh conditions test her, while her ability and determination help her make allies among nobles and people in the lower city.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Student GovernmentDave Justus and Lilah Sturges, illustrated by Joe EismaAt one of America’s oldest universities, four teenagers serve on the interim student government while their school faces demolition. They uncover a loophole in the institution’s charter and use it in an effort to protect the campus they care about. Their campaign brings them into conflict with mounting pressures at the university and with an increasingly hostile Board of Regents. The story follows their determined attempt to save the school through the powers and rules of student government.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Summer I Ate the Rich, TheMaika Moulite and Maritza MouliteBrielle Petitfour loves cooking, but caring for her chronically ill mother and dealing with bills make a culinary career seem out of reach. When her mother loses her job, Brielle earns money by preparing food for wealthy families. Her customers enjoy the unexpected flavors and textures of her dishes without knowing their hidden ingredient is human flesh. Brielle’s previously concealed zombie abilities become part of her revenge against elites whose actions have harmed her family, in a story drawing on Haitian zombie lore.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)Suzanne CollinsSet on the morning of Panem’s fiftieth Hunger Games, this novel follows Haymitch Abernathy in District 12. The event’s Quarter Quell requires twice the usual number of tributes, and Haymitch is selected on his sixteenth birthday as one of four from his district. Before his name is called, he is focused on getting through the day and spending time with the girl he loves; afterward, his hopes are shattered.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
They Bloom at NightTrang Thanh TranAfter a hurricane, Noon and her mother survive in Mercy, Louisiana, where a red algae bloom has changed the water and its wildlife. They collect the altered creatures and trade them to the town’s corrupt harbormaster. As residents vanish and warnings circulate about shadows beneath the water and nighttime knocking, the harbormaster orders Noon to catch the being blamed for drownings. His daughter, Covey, becomes an uneasy partner in the search.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
This Could Be ForeverEbony LadelleDeja is preparing to become the first person in her large family to attend college. Before classes begin, she joins a University of Maryland summer program, hoping to study chemistry and eventually sell plant-based skin care products like those she makes from crops on her North Carolina family farm. Raja, who is apprenticing in a College Park tattoo shop, wants to open a tattoo parlor despite his parents’ hopes that he will pursue engineering and an arranged marriage.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Toxic SummerDerek Charm, illustrated by Derek CharmBest friends Ben and Leo plan to spend the summer after graduation as lifeguards in the seaside town of Port Dorian. Instead, a mysterious toxic spill makes the water unsafe and covers the beach with dead fish. Their expected lifeguarding work turns into beach cleanup, and the summer’s social plans vanish along with it. The story begins as they confront the spill’s effects on their town and an unsettling situation at the shore, mixing a beach setting with spooky mystery elements.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Wake the Wild CreaturesNova Ren SumaThree years after being taken from her home, Talia seeks a way back to the Neves, a ruined hotel hidden in the Catskill Mountains. She once lived there with her mother, Pola, and a community of women who had escaped cruel men or hidden from the law. A mysterious mist shielded their refuge from outsiders. But after the community grew, electric lights broke through the forest, uniformed men arrested Pola for murder and fugitive status, and Talia was removed from the mountaintop haven.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
What We Did to Each OtherJosuee HernándezIn the early 2010s, seventeen-year-old Yesenia Rivera dislikes features and circumstances that make her feel unable to belong with either Mexican or white girls at school. When her mother’s job moves them to the Pacific Northwest, Yesenia decides to remake herself. She uses skin-lightening cream, blue contacts, blonde dye, and the name Jessie to pass as white at her new school. The change brings the popularity she had wanted, but mistakes risk exposing her. Guillermo Rivera, called Willy by classmates, also stands out at their mostly white high school.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Yomigaeri Tunnel, TheKelly MurashigeMonika is grieving Shun, the classmate who died before graduation, during the last summer before she starts college. At a final Japanese Club meeting, she hears about the Yomigaeri Tunnel, an urban legend involving a passage where travelers face trials, hidden secrets, and their deepest fears. Anyone who succeeds is said to be able to return one dead person to life. Monika enters in hopes of bringing Shun back. Shiori, who wants to revive her mother, is determined to pursue the same goal.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsTeacher Favorites — K–2nd Grade
60 selections
Rank 1Make a Pretty Sound: A Story of Ella Jenkins—The First Lady of Children's MusicTraci N. ToddThis biography follows folk singer Ella Jenkins from her musical childhood in Chicago through a career spent performing and creating music for children. She listens closely to music from many places, including call-and-response, Moroccan and Indian records, and harmonica blues. As an adult, she learns conga drums, develops her own approach, and shares old songs and newly made ones with children. The book also includes her participation in freedom marches and her travels to learn and share musical traditions.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 2Don't Trust FishNeil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatWhat begins as an informational book about animals takes an increasingly dramatic turn toward warnings about fish. The narrator presents fish as suspicious and untrustworthy, pushing the claim into absurd territory. Alongside animal information and humor, the picture book draws attention to the difference between facts and fiction, the role of bias, and whether a narrator can be relied upon.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book detailsRank 3Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World)Corey R. Tabor, illustrated by Corey R. TaborCrow sits on a telephone wire and loudly refuses invitations to play from Squirrel, Hummingbird, Rat, Bat, and Cat. After a phone rings at the pole, Crow reveals why he has cleared the area: a hidden elevator carries him to an underground base. He puts on a spacesuit, launches into space, and uses missiles and lasers against an asteroid heading for Earth. When he returns, the animals gather with Crow to watch the resulting shooting stars.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 1.8AR Interest Level LG K-3View book detailsRank 4POP! Goes the Nursery RhymeBetsy Bird, illustrated by Andrea TsurumiA secretary bird sets out to narrate a traditional nursery-rhyme collection in an orderly fashion. A feisty weasel repeatedly barges into the recitation, disrupting rhymes such as “Little Miss Muffet” and “Jack and Jill.” As the bird tries to restore order, the interruptions send the familiar tales in increasingly chaotic directions. The book remixes nursery rhymes through a conflict between careful narration and exuberant mischief.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 5Recess: A Picture BookLane Smith, illustrated by Lane SmithSchool is a place for learning and fun, but this picture book insists that breaks are important too. When it is not regular recess time, the book imagines other kinds of recess: a break needed right now, a break wherever someone happens to be, or a chance to let imagination run loose. Its interactive premise invites readers to call out for recess and pause their routine.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Rank 6Pine Cone's Secret, TheHannah Barnaby, illustrated by Cédric AbtThis rhyming picture book follows a pine cone as it changes from page to page. Its transformations include becoming a tower, a feast, a magic trick, and a Christmas tree, while tracing the life cycle of a pine tree. The book also includes additional facts about pine trees and places where they can be found. A pine-cone craft appears in the back matter, connecting the changing cone to an activity using natural materials.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 7Max and Chaffy: Welcome to Animal IslandJamie Smart, illustrated by Jamie SmartThe Boggle family has newly arrived on Animal Island, where Max wants to explore everything there is to discover. Max especially enjoys finding things and returning them to where they belong. When Orlando, a pilot, tells him about an unusual creature seen in the woods, Max is eager to investigate. The story follows his curiosity about the island and its mystery.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 8Buffalo Fluffalo and PuffaloBess Kalb, illustrated by Erin KraanBuffalo Fluffalo’s familiar prairie routine changes when a new sibling, Puffalo, arrives. Fluffalo initially dislikes the loud little buffalo and questions what Puffalo needs. Crow explains that the newcomer needs time to learn and grow. As Puffalo learns to move about, Fluffalo teaches the younger buffalo to eat plants and avoid red ants. The two eventually take walks together and share naps.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeWord Count 587View book detailsRank 9Piece OutAlex WillanRed, a board-game piece, is accidentally left outside the game box and far from the game closet and friend Yellow. A vacuum cleaner carries Red away, beginning a hazardous journey back home. Red faces obstacles including a transparent cliff, hanging forests, a family dog, and time in a junk drawer. Through mistakes and persistence, Red keeps trying to reunite with the other game pieces.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeWord Count 493View book details
Rank 10Awesome Earth: Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating LandformsJoan Bransfield Graham, illustrated by Tania GarcíaConcrete poems explore the shapes and features of Earth’s landforms. The book considers forces such as shifting crust, swelling water, flowing lava, and advancing glaciers, then connects those forces with forms including canyons, volcanoes, archipelagoes, and hoodoos. The arrangement of the poems uses visual form as part of the exploration. Back matter provides further information about landforms, a glossary, and additional resources, extending the book’s look at the planet’s physical geography and geological change.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 11BearNatalia ShaloshviliBear plans a quiet day with a bench, a cookie, a book, and a balloon. One by one, Fox, Wolf, Rabbit, and Elephant want to share his space or possessions. Bear reluctantly agrees while his frustration builds. As the demands continue, he struggles to say what he means and reach a limit. Loose acrylic paint and watercolor-crayon art show the growing group of animals.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 12Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to SwimKobina Commeh, illustrated by Bárbara QuintinoKwesi enjoys going to the lake with his friends, but he cannot swim. He discovers that his Ghanaian grandmother, Nana Ruby, cannot swim either. They make an agreement to learn together and face their fear of water as a pair. Their effort is connected to the West African legend of Mami Wata, while their shared undertaking gives both Kwesi and Nana Ruby support as they try something new.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 13Humpty's Great FallAmy Moore, illustrated by Josh ClelandOn an autumn day, Humpty Dumpty realizes that he has overlooked something, though he cannot remember what it is. He leaves his wall and travels through the neighborhood, where his nursery-rhyme friends are spending time outdoors in the fall weather. Their activities provide hints as Humpty tries to identify what is missing. The story follows his search for an answer while returning to familiar nursery-rhyme characters and the seasonal setting.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 14Flat Cat: The Class PetTara Lazar, illustrated by Pete OswaldFlat Cat has always been flat and usually prefers it that way. Seeking a new view, he climbs into his friend Willow's backpack and goes to school. At school, he becomes a paper airplane, a secret note, and a bathroom pass. The chaotic visit leaves him trying to escape, while raising the possibility that he may find unexpected pleasure in it.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.9AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsRank 15Dogs Love Books, TooMaria Coco, illustrated by Maria CocoDogs Love Books, Too explores why dogs might be drawn to books. The possibilities range from their smell and taste to reasons shared by human readers. At its heart, the story connects reading with the comfort of being alongside a good book and another companion. It also looks at the humorous, affectionate relationship between people and the dogs in their lives, and at the stories that relationship can inspire.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 16On Our Way with Mr. JayChelsea Lin Wallace, illustrated by Thyra HederMr. Jay drives a school bus through town as the clock runs toward the opening bell. His route takes him through the country, up a hill, and into the city as he collects children for school. Along the way, he handles a succession of unexpected problems: settling upset stomachs, cleaning pony poo, repairing a diorama, avoiding a stampede, calming a dog that boards the bus, and confronting swans. The story follows his effort to deliver everyone to school on time.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 17Froggy: A Pond Full Of Pals!Paige Walshe, illustrated by Paige WalsheFroggy lives in a forest pond and faces a wide range of sticky situations. A little clumsy, he encounters local wizards, humans having picnics, and giant fish while trying to make friends. The small frog must cope with big feelings, powerful spells, and the challenges of a world that can feel too large. Each day brings new encounters in and around the pond, but Froggy keeps going instead of giving up when things become difficult.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 18Day the Crayons Made Friends, TheDrew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver JeffersDuncan’s crayons disappear from their usual place and venture into his room. There they encounter three-dimensional, everyday objects and begin making new friends. Individual crayons have their own experiences: Red Crayon drives a firetruck, Blue Crayon meets a fashion doll missing her head, and Esteban approaches a teddy bear as if it were a wild creature to tame. The picture-book adventure follows the crayons beyond the drawing surface as they explore objects around Duncan’s home.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsRank 19Just a BananaBarney Saltzberg, illustrated by Barney SaltzbergThis lift-the-flap picture book begins with images that look like ordinary bananas. Opening each flap changes the yellow shape into something unexpected, such as a lizard, a boat, a unicorn horn, a smile, a mouse, or a crescent moon. A narrator keeps insisting that the object is simply a banana while the illustrations invite readers to imagine other possibilities. The book contains ten lift-the-flaps.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 20Aggie and the GhostMatthew Forsythe, illustrated by Matthew ForsytheAggie is eager to live by herself until she discovers that her new home is haunted. She makes a list of rules for the ghost, including limits on haunting and eating all the food. The ghost refuses to follow them and proposes a game of tic-tac-toe, with the house at stake. Their contest turns the shared home into a dispute over rules and who gets to stay.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.9AR Interest Level LG K-3View book detailsRank 21Buzz! Boom! Bang!: Book of Sounds, TheBenjamin Gottwald, illustrated by Benjamin GottwaldThis wordless interactive picture book presents sounds through bold, unusual illustrations. Readers are prompted to supply noises such as bangs, booms, caws, crashes, buzzes, whooshes, yawns, moos, and roars, then turn the page and continue. With no printed words, the book is built around matching vocal sounds to the images on each page.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 22CrocoAzul López, illustrated by Azul López, Kit MaudeCroco, a young crocodile, becomes stuck in a hole and must work out a way to get free. Friends offer suggestions, but their advice does not provide the answer Croco needs. Facing the problem, Croco keeps trying and ultimately discovers a solution independently. The tale centers on persistence, self-reliance, and finding a way forward when help from others is not enough.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 23I Hate Everything!Sophy Henn, illustrated by Sophy HennA cheerful ghost sets out to help a grumpy ghost reconsider the claim that everything is hateful. Their exchange centers on a difficult, frown-filled day and the possibility of recognizing things to love instead. The story follows the two ghostly friends as one persistently encourages the other to admit that not everything is so bad. Spare, expressive illustrations accompany this playful tale.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 24Grumpy Ghost Upstairs, TheMamiko Shiotani, illustrated by Mamiko ShiotaniA little ghost lives alone in the attic of a large house and likes the quiet that way. When a curious girl arrives, he tries every ghostly trick he knows to frighten her away. The visitor, however, is not looking for a scare: she wants to be his friend. Their encounter asks the ghost to respond to an unwelcome change in his solitary routine.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 25Hedgehogs Don't Wear UnderwearMarissa Valdez, illustrated by Marissa ValdezJacques is a French hedgehog with a secret: he loves wearing underwear. In the hedgehog world, the accepted rules are to eat grubs, make nests, and snort with sniffly noses, but not to wear underpants. Jacques must decide what to do with his hidden affection for underwear and whether he can find the courage to share it despite the expectations around him.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Amy's TravelsKathryn Starke, illustrated by Jennifer Carter, Laura Starke Barrick, Charlotte Barrick, and Charity WellsAmy travels across all seven continents, visiting varied landscapes and places around the world. Her journey includes a desert in Asia, African rainforests and jungles, mountains in South America, and cities in Europe. She also experiences Antarctica’s severe cold, goes on safari, and meets people who speak different languages. The story is presented as a global journey and is inspired by a true story, using Amy’s travels to move among continents, environments, languages, and cultures.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Awesome of the DayEllen Javernick, illustrated by Bhagya MadanasingheAndrew feels that one problem after another is piling up, from trouble at school to scraped knees at the park. His older sister offers him a challenge: rather than giving all his attention to what went badly, he should look for one good thing each day. Andrew initially finds the task difficult, but his perspective gradually begins to shift. Even when events still fail to unfold as he hoped, he and his family continue his search for positive moments in ordinary days.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsAxolotl and AxolittleJess Hitchman, illustrated by Sarah RebarAxolotl and his younger brother Axolittle approach life in very different ways. Axolotl likes eating snacks and living at full speed, while Axolittle prefers studying facts. Their differences lead the siblings to tease each other, argue, shout, and sulk. The story follows their clash as they work toward making up and finding a way to get along despite their opposite habits.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD390LATOS Book Level 2.0View book details
Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend: A Picture BookBob Shea, illustrated by Bob SheaA turtle wearing a bear suit insists that he is truly a bear. To prove it, he meets another turtle who considers himself an expert on real bears. Bearsuit Turtle demonstrates activities he believes show his bear identity, including climbing trees and hibernating, alongside bike riding, ice-cream eating, and pumpkin smashing. When Bear-Expert Turtle shares a secret, Bearsuit Turtle must reveal one as well. Their exchange leaves open the possibility that the two turtles can become genuine friends.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Big Boy JoyConnie Schofield-Morrison, illustrated by Shamar Knight-JusticeThis picture book centers on boys at play, with climbing, running, crashing, sharing, and playing together. Playtime becomes a space for making new friends and imagining worlds beyond the everyday. The boys’ large feelings and energetic actions are part of the story’s view of childhood. Their activities include both high-energy movement and moments of sharing, presenting play as an opportunity for imagination, social connection, and expressing emotions through active games.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsBig Snowdown, TheKaty Hudson, illustrated by Katy HudsonForest animals prepare for their first winter games after training all year for different events. Owl has not practiced, but she assumes that her natural ability means she will be the best anyway. The competition puts Owl’s confidence to the test and explores the distinction between confidence and arrogance, alongside the role of preparation and friendship.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Biggest Smallest Thing, TheSara de Waal, illustrated by Ana StretcuMo enters the Scintillating Science Symposium determined to win. He considers himself a serious future chemist and believes his plan for making something small become big will outshine the other students’ work, especially Muriel’s. Muriel has a very different ambition: she wants to be a cat. At Sunnysill Elementary, the projects bring unexpected scientific ideas to the fair, including lemon meringue pie and boogers.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCaboose: A Picture BookTravis Jonker, illustrated by Ruth ChanCedric loves being the first child in a classroom line and uses tricks such as walking fast or slow, tapping shoulders, and stopping abruptly to stay in front. When his line-leading antics go too far, he is sent to the very back of the line as the caboose. Cedric then invents new ways to create mischief from that position, including a turtle walk, stepping backward, and insisting others go ahead.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.0AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsCalm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur: How to Relax Muscle by MuscleBrenda S. Miles and Colleen A. Patterson, illustrated by John JosephDinosaur characters introduce progressive muscle relaxation for moments of anger, stress, and frustration. In rhyming text, the book guides readers through tightening and then releasing muscles, helping them notice the contrast between feeling tense and relaxed. The calming routine is presented as a step-by-step mind-body technique for managing overwhelming feelings through a playful dinosaur theme.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level JView book details
Cat Like That, ALester L. Laminack, illustrated by Nicole WongA large, round cat makes her usual way through an island village over the course of a day. As she walks, she stops to interact with people at the bakery, bookstore, and pier. The cat knows the residents, and they recognize her regular route through town. Each stop raises the question of where she will go next and what awaits at her final destination. The story follows the cat’s sociable daily journey through a familiar community.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCute Animals That Could Kill You DeadBooke Hartman, illustrated by María GarcíaThis nonfiction picture book looks at animals whose cute appearances belie dangerous defenses or hunting abilities. It introduces creatures including slow lorises with venom, ladybugs described as fierce, and owls that eat a wide range of prey. Through comic-style narration and animal facts, the book explores claws, poison, and predatory instincts found in wildlife.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 999LATOS Book Level 6.7View book details
Day the Books Disappeared, TheJoanna Ho, Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Dan SantatArnold prefers his book about airplanes and cannot understand why anyone chooses stories about other subjects. Then he discovers that he can make the books he dislikes vanish. His power soon removes every book, including the one he loves most. Confronted with an empty world of reading, Arnold must try to restore what disappeared. The story considers why different readers need different stories and perspectives.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.1AR Interest Level LG K-3View book details
Dinosaur DaysCourtney Pippin-Mathur, illustrated by Pauline GregoryIzzy Rae puts on a dinosaur costume and treats the whole day as an opportunity to be ferocious. Her imagination changes ordinary actions: she chomps instead of simply eating, stomps rather than walking downstairs or along the sidewalk, and roars while looking at signs. She enjoys acting like a dinosaur from morning onward, using costume play and energetic movement to transform her routine. By the end, she discovers that one dinosaur’s chomping, stomping, and roaring can become even more exciting with another dinosaur joining in.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsE-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a FarmZach von Zonk, illustrated by Benjamin ChaudThis picture book reworks the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” as a space adventure. An alien takes Old MacDonald’s farm animals away in a UFO, leaving Old MacMartian with cows, pigs, sheep, and other noisy, hungry, mischievous barnyard passengers aboard a spaceship. The story uses rhyming, song-based wordplay and follows the chaos the animals create alongside Old MacMartian and his three-eyed dog.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Ellie Has a SecretAmelia Bothe, illustrated by Amelia BotheEllie finds an unusual shell during recess, with a mysterious creature living inside it. Although she would not normally take something from the classroom without her teacher’s permission, she slips the shell into her pocket and keeps it hidden. The secret grows heavy for her to carry, and Ellie must consider whether she can finally release it.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Emily Was SO EmbarrassedMichelle Olson, illustrated by Michelle OlsonEmily enjoys dancing and twirling a favorite ribbon alone in her room. When her friend Becky asks her to take part in the school talent show, Emily is frightened by the possibility of forgetting the routine or being laughed at. Facing an audience makes her want to hide, but encouragement helps her recognize that nervousness is something everyone can feel.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsFireworksMatthew Burgess, illustrated by Cátia ChienOn a hot Fourth of July, two siblings spend the day in their city neighborhood before an evening fireworks display. After breakfast with their grandmother, they splash in a leaky fire hydrant, eat watermelon, dance to music drifting from windows, and return home for dinner. From their building’s rooftop, they watch the sky fill with bright fireworks, including a final burst revealed by a gatefold.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.5AR Interest Level LG K-3View book detailsFish Don’t Go to SchoolDeb Pilutti, illustrated by Deb PiluttiHenry wears a sparkly fish costume wherever he goes, including while shopping, eating dinner, and walking his fish, Marigold. On his first day of school, he feels anxious and wishes Marigold could come along. When that is not possible, Henry chooses his costume to help himself feel brave as he enters school and meets new friends.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsFish Fry Friday: A Picture BookWinsome Bingham, illustrated by C. G. EsperanzaWhen school is closed on a Friday, a child joins Granny on her usual fishing trip before the family fish fry. They pack rods, reels, lures, lines, bobbers, and bait, then fish together at the pier. After bringing home their catch, the child helps clean and prepare the fish while Granny teaches the steps for making batter. The child also suggests using leftover batter for hushpuppies before relatives arrive with dishes for the evening meal.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Hank's Change of HeartCindy Williams Schrauben, illustrated by Sasha RichardsHank cannot get enough of hearts. He wears them, searches for them in animals and rocks, and saves every heart-shaped treasure he finds. When he cannot locate more hearts, he makes his own. But his collecting begins to cause problems, leading Hank to realize that the hearts he gathers may have a purpose beyond being kept for himself.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Home Like This, ALaura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Miriam NerloveThis board book looks at homes across the natural world. Animal dwellings can be large or small, above or below ground, built from many materials, and either lasting or temporary. As it moves among these varied places, the book includes human homes too and connects them through the idea of a place where love is found.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Hugs Are (Not) for EverybodyElla Russell, illustrated by Udayana LugoAt a birthday party, a friend greets and celebrates with hugs, but the guests do not all want the same kind of contact. One child waves hello, another chooses high fives, and someone proposes a secret handshake that includes a magic trick. The bunny does not want to vanish in the trick. The story presents different ways to greet, celebrate, and wish someone a happy birthday.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
I Know What You Do When I Go to SchoolSiona TalekarA young narrator imagines that her mother spends the school day eating chocolate cake, watching movies, and enjoying herself. Her mother’s actual work is very different: she is a pediatric oncologist caring for children with cancer. Created by Siona Talekar when she was seven and later revised with new illustrations and storytelling, the book contrasts a child’s imagined version of a parent’s day with reality.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Mara Plants a SeedRobert Furrow and Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Melissa BaileyMara cleans up an empty lot and plants fifty sunflower seeds, hoping to create a garden. As she returns, many other participants shape what grows: insects, worms, birds, neighbors, rainstorms, rabbits, and animals that eat weeds or fertilize the soil. Each visit reveals another change in the developing wild garden and the many forces at work there.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsPencil's Best Story EverCarly Gledhill, illustrated by Carly GledhillPencil has finished a story and is eager to share it. His plan unravels when the characters refuse to follow the parts he has written for them, creating chaos in the tale. Pencil tries to bring the story back under control so everyone can take part and enjoy it. The book centers on a creator, unruly characters, and the challenge of shaping a shared story.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
PiccoloDan Yaccarino, illustrated by Dan YaccarinoPiccolo, a shrew who makes lists, sets out to visit his favorite city places. His plans change when Mr. Rosso needs help carrying artwork to the museum, which is already on Piccolo’s list. Traveling by scooter, Piccolo continues helping friends solve their problems, but the many requests leave him wondering whether he will reach the place he most wants to visit.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Sign Up for Adventure!: The Doodling Duo vs. Spaghetti MonsterLavanya Karthik, illustrated by Lavanya KarthikNeel is interested in Adil, the new student in his class, but does not know how to communicate with him. Adil is Deaf and uses sign language. When Adil sees Neel drawing in a notebook at lunch, the two find a possible way forward: Adil can learn to draw, while Neel can learn to sign. Together, they imagine the adventures their friendship could bring.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Snarky SharkyBethan Clarke, illustrated by Nikolas IlićSnarky Sharky believes he rules the reef, but the creatures around him increasingly irritate him. He thinks dolphins deliberately act cheerful to bother him and finds sea stars frustrating as well. Deciding that life elsewhere must be better, he leaves the reef on his own. His journey asks whether he will find what he is seeking away from home.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Strongest Monster on Mill Street, TheSarah Sparks, illustrated by Sypha VendezDrake sees himself as brave, strong, and ready to help others. A fierce storm blows him far from his course and leaves him trapped in a difficult situation. To get out, Drake has to discover a different form of strength and use it somewhere unexpected. This rhyming monster story follows his response to a messy setback and the new approach he needs to find a way forward.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
This Year, a Witch!Zoey Abbott, illustrated by Zoey AbbottTired of the cute costumes her parents have chosen in previous years, a girl decides that this Halloween she will be a witch. With some help from her father, she prepares witchy hair, spells, and a costume designed to be frightening. But when she sees herself in the mirror, the result scares her. Her dad helps her recover before they get ready to go trick-or-treating together.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Tiny T. Rex and the First-Day Oopsies: A Back-to-School BookJonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay FleckTiny T. Rex arrives for his first day at a new school feeling prepared, complete with a giant backpack and a lucky bow tie. Even so, he soon encounters some first-day “oopsies.” With his best friend Pointy alongside him, Tiny learns that school does not require getting everything right and that trying unfamiliar things includes mistakes along the way.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD510LATOS Book Level 2.2View book detailsTorrible Puns: A Collection of Punny PoemsTricia Torrible, illustrated by Robert DunnThis collection contains more than thirty poems built around puns and words or phrases with double meanings. Its subjects include animals, nursery-rhyme characters, outer space, and sports. The poems vary in length and use rhyme, while illustrations accompany the wordplay. Readers are invited to notice how a word can sound the same as another word while carrying a different meaning.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsVida: The Mice, the Cat, and the AlebrijeDuncan Tonatiuh, illustrated by Duncan TonatiuhIn the lively mouse city of Mousetepec, a growing cat-shaped shadow causes fear and empties the marketplace. Mouse siblings Vida and Máximo make a plan to protect their town. After a colorful alebrije appears in a dream, it helps them face the dangerous cat. This original fable draws on Mexican folk art and culture as the siblings confront a threat with courage and imagination.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Will The Pigeon Graduate?Mo Willems, illustrated by Mo WillemsThe Pigeon is approaching graduation after doing the work, paying attention to details, and overcoming major obstacles. He feels ready for the occasion, yet uncertainty remains: will he actually graduate, or will something unexpected stand in the way? The book centers on the Pigeon’s question as the graduation moment draws near.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeWord Count 112View book details
Wôpanâak Seasons: Seeqan, Neepun, Keepun, Pup8nCarrie Anne Vanderhoop, illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-SteckleyA young Wampanoag child guides a year-round journey through Aquinnah on Neope, also called Martha’s Vineyard. Wildlife returns in spring; summer includes beach outings and clambakes. In fall, people harvest cranberries and make jam, while winter brings close gatherings and traditions. Across the seasons, the book portrays Wampanoag cultural heritage, connections to the land, and time spent together in the community.Teacher Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsTeacher Favorites — 3rd–5th Grade
50 selections
Rank 1South Pole and the North Pole: Two Books in One, TheLi Rongbin, illustrated by Juliana MotzkoThis two-sided picture book compares Earth’s North and South Poles. Both regions are extremely cold, but they have distinct landscapes and wildlife. The book introduces the habitats of polar bears and penguins along with the geography, plants, and animals that distinguish each polar region. Its format allows the two poles to be explored from opposite sides of the book.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 2Earl and Worm #1: The Bad Idea and Other StoriesGreg PizzoliEarl, a cheerful bird who plays saxophone for his plants in the morning, moves into the tree next to Worm. Worm prefers quiet reading and dislikes new things, so the neighbors begin on uneven terms. Over sweet lemonade, paint choices, and an unfinished poem, they learn more about one another and discover that neither wants to be alone. The volume contains three stories about their new friendship.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 3Growing HomeBeth Ferry, illustrated by Terry Fan, Eric FanAt Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, a houseplant named Ivy, a grumpy goldfish named Toasty, and a curious spider named Arthur become unlikely housemates. Ivy is Jillian Tupper’s beloved plant, which frustrates Toasty, who considers himself the family pet. Arthur arrives hidden in an antique typewriter, followed by another potted plant, Ollie. Water from Toasty’s unusual fish tank gives Ivy and Ollie magical powers, shifting their friendships as the creatures work to protect their home from a greedy human.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 4.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsRank 4Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing MedusasMichelle Cusolito, illustrated by Ellen RooneyThis biography recounts scientist Maude Delap’s research on jellyfish. After taking a jellyfish from the water, she observed it for more than a year and traced its life cycle from larva to adult. Her work with a compass jellyfish in 1899 and 1900 achieved something other scientists had not managed and helped establish a basis for research that continues today. The book follows her patient observations and experiment.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 5Duck and Moose: Moose's Bad Hair Day!Kirk Reedstrom, illustrated by Kirk ReedstromMoose likes quiet, while his neighbor Duck is more impulsive, and their differences test their potential friendship. When Moose has a bad hair day, Duck offers to trim his hair. During the haircut, one of Moose’s antlers comes off. Duck tries to put it back before Moose realizes what has happened, including by disguising the antler as a supposed relative. The two friends must work through Duck’s mistake.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 6Dog Man: Big Jim Believes: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #14)Dav Pilkey, illustrated by Dav PilkeyDog Man: Big Jim Believes follows Dog Man, Commander Cupcake, Sprinkles, Mecha Molly, Big Jim, Grampa, and Molly after the Space Cuties From Space interrupt a celebration. They find their city transformed and face a situation in which little seems familiar. As they respond, the group must decide whether they can rely on one another, while Big Jim's optimism becomes part of the effort to help save the day.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 3.2AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book detailsRank 7We're All Gonna Die-nosaur!Kon Tan, illustrated by Kon TanPterry, a pterodactyl, repeatedly dreams about frightening events that then happen. After dreaming that dinosaurs will disappear, Pterry is especially worried because flying scares him and he has not learned how to do it. His parents believe a pterodactyl can escape danger by taking flight, leaving Pterry to confront that fear as he tries to keep himself and his family safe. Black-and-white illustrations appear throughout the book.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 8Mariam's Dream: The Story of Mariam Al-Shaar and Her Food Truck of HopeLeila Boukarim, illustrated by Sona AvedikianThis biography follows Mariam Al-Shaar, a Palestinian refugee who was born and raised in Lebanon. Living in Beirut’s Bourj Al-Barajneh refugee camp, Mariam decides to build a food business but faces the need for money and paperwork as others tell her the idea is impossible. Supported by women in the camp, she works to establish Soufra, a women-run kitchen, bringing food and hope to her community.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 9Journey of the HumpbacksJuliana Muñoz Toro, illustrated by DipachoThis illustrated nonfiction book traces humpback whales as they migrate from Antarctica to the Colombian Pacific. It presents information about their swimming, songs, calves, life spans, baleen-whale biology, and notable acrobatics. Infographics and back matter expand on the material, and the creators contribute a special note. The book combines the whales’ long journey with facts about how they live.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 10Calm: A Choose Your Own Attitude BookGail Hayes, illustrated by Helen FlookThis choose-your-own-attitude book asks readers to help four children decide how to respond to everyday stressful or unexpected situations. Evelyn wonders whether a new student will take away her best friends, William faces a last-minute change from a waterpark visit to babysitting his brother, and Harper confronts a long list of tasks. Discussion questions and a feelings chart appear at the end.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 11What to Do When the News Scares You, Revised Edition: A Kid's Guide to Understanding Current EventsJacqueline B. Toner, PhD, illustrated by Janet McDonnellThis revised interactive guide addresses frightening current events and the feelings they can bring. It considers news about natural disasters, climate change, violence, conflict, wildfires, and protests. Activities, illustrations, and strategies help children examine what they have heard, ask questions, and work through their emotional reactions. The book focuses on making sense of overwhelming headlines while finding ways to feel calmer and more secure amid uncertainty.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 12CaringKobi YamadaA boy forms a friendship with an elderly gardener whose lifelong work has transformed barren land into a thriving natural place. Their relationship centers on care, effort, and the possibility that one person’s actions can matter. As the boy observes the gardener’s devotion, the story considers helping, nurturing the world, and the changes that can grow from attention and kindness.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 13All EarsStuart GibbsTeddy Fitzroy is asked to help after a herd of elephants interrupts a Friday-night football game. Once the animals are returned to their sanctuary, everyone discovers that Tanzy, the lone African elephant, is missing. At the same time, Teddy’s friend Xavier is accused of damaging a bulldozer while protesting construction at TurtleTown. Teddy must investigate both the missing elephant and the accusation against his friend.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 5.5AR Interest Level MGView book detailsRank 14SketchJacques Goldstyn, illustrated by Jacques GoldstynSketch is a boy whose lively imagination and creative energy make him visibly different from the people around him. In a town that prizes order, he struggles with standing apart, even with encouragement from his parents and art teacher. After moving to a new school, he meets other children who are different in their own ways. The story centers on art, individuality, and finding connection.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 15Chicken PredicamentMary Rand Hess and Randy Preston, illustrated by Marilena PerilliWhen the classroom hen Lady Cluckery disappears, Preston’s class must locate her before the school day ends for the weekend. The students divide into groups to search while also caring for her eggs until they hatch. They eventually discover Lady Cluckery in the costume closet and bring her back. She returns in time for the arrival of three chicks: Hatch, Chirp, and Peep.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
365 Amazing True Things to Read in BedEdward Brooke-Hitching, illustrated by Oksana DrachkovskaThis collection offers one true fact, anecdote, story, or question for each day of the year. Its entries range across unusual questions and phenomena, including diamond rain, the smell of comets, fish that live in trees, a lawn mowed by a camel, and chimpanzee painting. Other subjects include trees that turn to glass, frogs in trousers, and the world’s tallest Christmas tree.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Around the World on 80 HorsesJill Newton, illustrated by Jill NewtonThis book travels the world through eighty breeds of horses and ponies, examining how they have adapted to difficult environments. It includes real and mythical equines, from horses that dance, talk, or spell to those connected with battlefield rescues and film awards. Questions about feathered horses, sleeping while standing, and a seven-headed horse from Indian folklore introduce its mix of animal facts and stories.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Bad BadgerMaryrose Wood, illustrated by Giulia GhiginiSeptimus lives alone in a seaside cottage and worries that he is not a proper badger. He has spots rather than the usual nose stripes, prefers the sea to the forest, enjoys tea and opera, and dreams of Venice. When Gully, a quiet seagull, begins visiting his porch, Septimus welcomes a first friendship. Their outings reveal differences that make him question whether they have enough in common. After Gully goes missing, Septimus leaves his familiar life to search for his friend and learn more about himself.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 660LATOS Book Level 4.3View book details
C Is for Crime Scene: A Forensics A to Z BookDr. Judy Staveley, illustrated by Alessandra VitelliAn A-to-Z tour of forensic science introduces the tools and procedures used to investigate a crime scene. Readers encounter scientists who dust for fingerprints and swab samples, along with ultraviolet lights and microscopes that reveal evidence. The book follows clues from the scene to laboratory analysis and emphasizes the role of asking questions during an investigation. It also covers crime-scene analysis techniques.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Change is Gonna Come, ASam Cooke, illustrated by Nikkolas SmithThis illustrated book pairs lines from Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem with images of pivotal moments in African American history. The artwork accompanies a song that reflects a difficult past while looking toward change. Detailed back matter identifies and explains the historical events shown in the illustrations, placing the song’s words alongside a broader account of the civil rights struggle.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Dino Poet: A Graphic NovelTom Angleberger, illustrated by Tom AnglebergerDino Poet wants to create the first great poem, while Frog has an urgent goal of avoiding being eaten. After Frog criticizes Dino Poet’s writing, their encounter becomes a journey through a prehistoric world. As they trade humorous banter and avoid other dinosaurs, they explore different forms of poetry. The graphic novel combines their chase with a guide to poetic possibilities and the challenge of making a poem.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 2.1AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Down Syndrome Out LoudMelissa Hart, illustrated by María PereraThis illustrated biography collection introduces more than twenty people with Down syndrome and their accomplishments in fields such as film, sports, business, and photography. Profiles include Chris Nikic, identified as the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman Triathlon, and fashion designer Isabella Springmuhl Tejada. The book also describes organizations that support the Down syndrome community, including Special Olympics and Best Buddies.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsEinstein the PenguinIona Rangeley, illustrated by David TazzymanThe Stewart family’s life changes when a penguin carrying a backpack arrives at their door. The penguin, Einstein, proves brighter than the family expected as they learn to live with their unusual new guest. Imogen, an amateur detective, and her shy younger brother Arthur work together to discover why Einstein has come and to help him accomplish his goal. Their investigation turns the household surprise into a shared adventure.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Farting Fish: and 49 other weird and wonderful scientific discoveriesAlice Harman, illustrated by Sam WedelichThis illustrated nonfiction book explores 50 Ig Nobel Prize-winning studies, research recognized for being unusual and thought-provoking. Its subjects include herring communication, the chemicals behind smelly feet, soggy cereal, a dog-to-human translation device, fart-proof underwear, and collecting whale mucus by remote-control helicopter. Each entry is paired with a card that rates qualities such as silliness, usefulness, and grossness.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Fossil Keeper's Treasure: With Amazing Fossils to Touch, TheAmy Atwater, illustrated by Natalia CardozoThis interactive scrapbook explores how fossils reveal the distant past. It introduces notable dinosaur, plant, and human fossils, including Tiktaalik roseae, a fish associated with walking on land; T. rex; and Lucy, identified as a human ancestor. Embossed fossil images appear throughout for readers to touch as they move through the book’s journey across time. The book is written by paleontologist Amy Atwater.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsGeorge Washington's Spectacular Spectacles: The Glasses That Saved AmericaSelene Castrovilla, illustrated by Jenn HarneyAfter the Revolutionary War, George Washington’s officers have gone unpaid by the Continental Congress for years and plan to confront Congress. Washington learns of the plan and speaks to the officers, but they are not persuaded. When he struggles to read a letter from Congress and puts on his glasses, they recognize the sacrifices he has made alongside them. The incident helps calm the crisis.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 530LView book details
Golden Necklace: A Darjeeling Tea Mystery, TheMitali Perkins, illustrated by Maithili JoshiTwelve-year-old Sona lives on a tea plantation in Darjeeling, northern India, and becomes friends with Tara. Tara’s uncle, the plantation manager, has promised her in marriage in hopes of gaining her jewelry inheritance. When Tara’s gold jewelry disappears, Sona investigates. She must determine who took it and prove that her brother, Samiran Daju, was not responsible. The mystery unfolds amid cultural and social issues in the region.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Lighthouse Keeper, TheEugenio Fernández Vázquez; translated by Kit Maude, illustrated by Mariana Villanueva SegoviaOn a storm-threatened coast, a lighthouse keeper lives at sea and devotes his life to rescuing people who are lost or shipwrecked. Though he appears to live alone, a secret friend comes to him when he needs help. Told in illustrated verse, the story centers on the keeper’s service, his endurance through frightening moments, and the possibility of help arriving in darkness.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Me & the Magic CubeDaniel Fehr; translated by Marshall Yarbrough, illustrated by GOLDEN COSMOSAfter finding a colorful cube in a dusty box and mixing up its colors, a child wants to know whether it can be solved and how it works. Three friends seek answers while the book also explores the cube’s mathematics, history, and technology. It notes that Rubik invented the well-known cube in 1974 and that speed-cubing records continue to be set.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Newborns: How Baby Animals Come into the WorldPaulina Jara, illustrated by Mercè GalíThis nonfiction book looks at how 25 different animals enter the world and survive their earliest moments. It includes Darwin’s frogs, whose tadpoles hatch in their father’s mouth; giraffes, whose newborns fall while their mothers stand; and dolphins, whose babies must reach the surface to breathe. From scorpions to ravens and red kangaroos, it compares gestation, independence, and parental care.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Not Extinct: The Przewalski's Horse Returns from Extinct in the WildDarcy PattisonThis book traces the effort to save Przewalski’s horse, also called the P-horse, after the species nearly disappeared in the early twentieth century. In 1959, an international effort began with a small population descended from 12 founding horses. Over more than 60 years, scientists worked to breed the horses and establish wild herds again on the steppes of Mongolia and China.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Passover on EverestRachelle Burk, illustrated by Craig OrbackNikki loves two things: large family holiday gatherings and mountains. In this true account, she and her mother, Cheryl, form a Jewish mother-daughter climbing team on Mount Everest. As Passover approaches, Nikki expects to observe the holiday on an icy slope with unfamiliar people and only a little matzah. Instead, their expedition brings an unexpected seder and a cross-cultural experience of kindness. A closing note from Cheryl and Nikki accompanies the story.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Paws, Camera, Action! Starring Bugsy: A Collection of Poems & VideosKristine Koziol-Gallop, illustrated by Surya GunawanBugsy the dog is the focus of this collection of poems, illustrations, and videos. The book presents his playful activities through poems and pictures, while QR codes on the pages link to videos from his life. Readers can move between the printed pages and the accompanying clips as Bugsy’s adventures unfold. The collection combines a dog’s point of view with visual art and an interactive multimedia element.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsReturn of the Terns: How Scientists Are Saving Island BirdsJennifer Keats Curtis and Kim Abplanalp, illustrated by Phyllis SaroffThis true account follows scientists working to help Common Terns after climate change and erosion reduced their nesting habitat. Partners from Maryland conservation and wildlife organizations build large floating rafts for the birds to nest on. The rafts are intended to protect nests from development and predators as well as provide nesting space. The book asks whether the terns will choose these new nesting areas.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Sabotage at Casa Grande SpringsDD SternerBrice and Brianna join their friend Daniel and dog Weaver to investigate sabotage at their grandfather’s new home in the Casa Grande Springs Care Center. The PI Squad encounters four-foot cranes, alligators, arrows, and collapsing roofs as it uncovers a smuggling operation. As the investigation deepens, the group discovers a dangerous plot and works to protect the new home.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Saving Hawai'i's HonuLeslie Ann Hayashi, illustrated by Kelly PousetteThis biography follows sea turtle scientist George Balazs and his work with Hawai‘i’s green sea turtles, or honu. After seeing his first honu, he moved to Hawai‘i to study them and found their population declining as turtles and shells were sold. He lived on remote beaches, researched the turtles, educated the public, and advocated for protection at the state-government level.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
SeabirdMichelle KadarusmanInspired by the life of a nineteenth-century feminist, this novel follows Kartini, a young Javanese noble girl in the Dutch East Indies. Before turning thirteen, she is confined at home to prepare for an arranged marriage and is separated from school and the wider world. Kartini writes to Lesty, a former Dutch schoolmate now in the Netherlands. With Lesty’s support, she questions the limited roles assigned to girls and women and confronts prejudice and tradition while seeking a voice in her own future.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsShape FamiliesLynn Parrish Sutton, illustrated by Jake TebbitShape Families introduces geometric characters and their varied households. A young cylinder lives with his sphere grandmother; a hexagon has twin trapezoid sisters; and a trapezoid has heptagon and nonagon mothers who perform in a band. The comic-style book uses these characters to present shapes and different family units. Back matter provides descriptions of every geometric shape featured in the story.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Shirley Chisolm: Champion of ChangeDr. Tonya Allen, illustrated by Chasity HamptonThis biography recounts Shirley Chisholm’s path from educator to political pioneer. It covers her election as the first Black woman in the United States Congress, her run for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, and her effort to obtain a major-party endorsement as the first Black candidate to seek one. Chisholm received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Smalltown City and the Spirit of City HallNancy Pearson, illustrated by John KlossnerDuring a climate-related storm, a third-grade class visits city hall. Laila, Kehinde, Sasha, Mae, Martin, and Dolly the service dog watch local government at work from the front row. With help from a friendly spirit, the children learn about the tasks involved in running a small city and consider what community means. This opening installment in a chapter-book series centers on civics, community engagement, and the ways children can influence local decision-makers before they can vote.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Snake in the Grass: A Fina Mendoza MysteryKitty FeldeFina Mendoza, the ten-year-old daughter of a congressman, investigates mysteries in the U.S. Capitol with her large orange dog, Senator Something. Tensions on Capitol Hill are high as lawmakers insult one another and punish cross-party cooperation. Then snakes begin appearing in gym bags and trash cans. Fina and her dog must identify who is behind the incidents and uncover the real “snake in the grass.”Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsSnips: A Bad Buzz Day, TheRaúl the Third, illustrated by Raúl the ThirdFlealix the Dog joins Casco, Patty, Letty, and Nubes, a group of barbers in Scissor City who solve mysteries and fight crime. Their superhero work involves scissors, striking hairstyles, and unusual hair inventions. Buzz and Boffo Buzzington are trying to defeat the Snips. The brothers descend from the inventor of the buzz cut and want to return Buzz Corp, their family business, to the leading position in hair cutting while winning their father’s respect.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsSo Rude!: Animals Behaving BadlyJessica Fries-GaitherThis nonfiction book examines animals whose behavior might seem rude by human standards. It pairs seven human behavior rules with animals that break them and explains why those actions can aid survival. Scarlet kingsnakes imitate venomous coral snakes to frighten predators, while hippos spray waste to protect their territories. Through these and other examples, the book considers animal behavior as a response to threats and the need to survive.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book details
Stuck! The Story of La Brea Tar PitsJoyce Uglow, illustrated by Valerya MilovanovaThis nonfiction picture book investigates the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. It explains how excavation revealed clues to the pits’ formation and to prehistoric animals fossilized after becoming trapped there. The book connects asphalt, ancient creatures, and Ice Age Los Angeles, with a timeline and glossary providing further context for the scientific and historical material.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, TheAubrey HartmanClare is an undead fox who ushers souls to the afterlife from Deadwood Forest. He dreads All Hallow’s Eve, when the four afterlife realms are open to souls whether or not they belong there, and a prophecy warns that someone in Deadwood will vanish. When the badger Gingersnipes arrives, Clare cannot send her to any realm. Hesterfowl tells him that Gingersnipes is the next Usher, meant to replace him, but Clare does not want to step aside.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 5.3AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Voyage That Changed The World: The Epic Story of The First Crew to Sail Around the Globe, TheThekla Priebst, illustrated by Thekla PriebstThis nonfiction account retells Ferdinand Magellan’s ill-fated expedition and the sailors who became the first crew to sail around the Earth. Their voyage is framed by the race for spices and includes encounters with Indigenous peoples. It also highlights Enrique de Malacca, a Malay guide compelled to join the expedition whose role shaped its course. The crew faces jungles, frozen regions, rough waters, danger, and mutiny before returning with stories of distant places and confirmation that Earth is round.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
When a Book Begins: A Book of PoemsAlegra Dashielle, illustrated by Daniela AlarconThis collection of playful poems uses a recurring “When a” opening before taking readers in unexpected directions. The verses introduce quirky situations and characters, including a dog caught up in a wild car ride, a flower looking for its home, and a crow enduring a thoroughly bad day. Humor shapes these short fictional adventures, while surprising turns keep each poem imaginative and lively. Together, the poems celebrate the possibilities of language and the creative pleasure of storytelling.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Wild Wonderings: Scientists and Their QuestionsJessica Fries-Gaither, illustrated by Linda OlliverThis book considers the questions scientists ask and the discoveries that can follow. It introduces theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking’s interest in black holes and the universe’s origins, alongside ornithologist Margaret Nice’s bird observation and tracking work in her own backyard. Through stories, pictures, and rhymes, it explores scientific work as a process that can involve accident, patience, persistence, and curiosity. The book emphasizes that questions are worth asking, whether they come from scientists or anyone else.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
You Are HomeBex Tobin Fine, illustrated by Andrés LandazábalAfter losing their home, a child begins a journey to rebuild a sense of place and belonging. Along the way, the child meets other children living in different housing situations. Together, the story asks what makes a home: a location, a person, shared stories, artwork, connection, or hope. It follows the child’s search for an answer through relationships and changing circumstances.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsZero! The Number That Almost Wasn'tSarah Albee, illustrated by Chris HsuThis nonfiction picture book follows the long development of zero, a numeral that had to be invented despite its importance in mathematics. It begins with early counting methods and moves through Babylonian place value, Maya use of a zero symbol, and the spread of Indo-Arabic numerals through trade. The book also traces the slow acceptance of this number system in Europe.Teacher Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 5.0AR Interest Level LG K-3View book detailsTeacher Favorites — 6th–8th Grade
35 selections
Rank 1ChickenpoxRemy LaiAbby is home with all four of her usually irritating siblings during a chickenpox outbreak. As the family recovers, the eldest sister navigates the crowded, chaotic quarantine and starts to reconsider how she feels about her family. Set in 1990s Indonesia, this semi-autobiographical graphic novel also follows Abby as she works through the changing dynamics of her tween friendships.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 3.0AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book detailsRank 2J vs KKwame Alexander, Jerry CraftJ and K, two fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School, each hope to place in the annual creative storytelling contest. J draws wordless stories, while K writes. When they discover they are both entering, their rivalry intensifies as each tries to outdo the other. The former competitors eventually consider whether combining their different creative strengths could help them win the contest.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.8AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book detailsRank 3Blood in the WaterTiffany D. JacksonKaylani McKinnon, a girl from Brooklyn, spends the summer with family friends in Martha’s Vineyard. She finds beaches, ice cream, local Black history, and a few welcoming kids her age, but also feels out of place in a large, status-conscious household. After a popular teenage boy dies, the community is shaken and Kaylani resolves to investigate. The mystery unfolds alongside Martha’s Vineyard history, elitism within Black communities, wrongful incarceration, and Kaylani’s interest in a future legal career.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.3View book details
Rank 4Almost SunsetWahab Algarmi, illustrated by Wahab AlgarmiDuring Ramadan, Hassan fasts from sunrise to sunset while keeping up with homework, soccer, and gaming. At school, his teachers and friends have little understanding of Ramadan, so he finds it easier not to discuss it. As the month continues, Hassan joins his family and community for predawn meals, sunset feasts, and evening mosque visits while trying to balance faith, tradition, school, and fun.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 301LATOS Book Level 2.3View book details
Rank 5El NiñoPam Muñoz RyanKai Sosa wants to regain the swimming ability he once had on an elite team, but his times have changed since his sister Cali disappeared while surfing two years earlier. He is still haunted by dreams of Cali and by her request that he find her missing gold cuff. The magic of El Niño brings him visions of a mythical Amazonian queen, where myth, memory, and reality begin to meet as Kai confronts grief and hope.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 740LATOS Book Level 5.3View book detailsRank 6Athlete is AgenderKatherine Locke and Nicole MellebyThis collection brings together profiles and first-person testimony about LGBTQ+ people in sports across many ages, levels, and athletic fields. It includes Adam Rippon’s path from Olympic alternate to medalist, CeCé Telfer’s work as a trans track athlete, and coauthor em dickson’s experience of gender identity through sailing, a sport that does not divide competitors by gender. Additional profiles include Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King, addressing identity, participation, and obstacles in sport.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 6.4AR Interest Level MG+View book details
Rank 7BustedDan GemeinhartTwelve-year-old Oscar Aberdeen lives at Sunny Days retirement home, where he enjoys bridge, Frank Sinatra, and attending funerals. When eviction threatens the only home he has known, Oscar agrees to help a dubious resident get away. Their dangerous journey includes theft, trespassing, a police chase, and a search for money that could save the home. Along the way, Oscar’s unusual circle of companions tests his loyalty, courage, and compassion.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 3.7AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Rank 8Island of Forgotten Gods, TheVictor PiñeiroNico hopes that making the right film will transform his life, but instead spends the summer in Puerto Rico with his grandmother Luciana and his cousins. There, Nico and the cousins awaken a creature that resembles the Chupacabra. The monster pursues them around the island, turning the family visit into a perilous fantasy adventure involving Puerto Rico’s old gods and Taíno traditions and beliefs.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 769LATOS Book Level 4.9View book details
Rank 9Make Good TroubleJamia Wilson, illustrated by Devon Blow and Ashley LukashevskyThis illustrated nonfiction collection examines more than 70 protest movements and other acts of activism that shaped history. Its accounts range from the 1899 newsboys’ strike to climate demonstrations and efforts opposing book bans. Inspired by John Lewis’s call to confront injustice, the book explores significant moments of global activism. It also includes dates, a glossary, and practical suggestions for taking action.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 10HickSarah MillerThis biography traces Lorena “Hick” Hickok from a difficult childhood in the upper Midwest into a career in journalism. Supporting herself as a teenager, she later worked in newspapers and gained a reputation for reporting both news and feature stories in male-dominated newsrooms. By thirty-five, she had become a leading Associated Press reporter. Assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential campaign, Hick formed a close friendship and romantic relationship with the future first lady that lasted into the 1940s.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 11Ink of NightmaresJeff Szpirglas, illustrated by Andrew P. BarrTanya and Niah bring writer Joel Southland to a coffee shop to learn about his scheme, but customers begin falling into unnatural sleep because of Southland and evil ink. When he says Tanya must help return the ink to its origin, she sees few alternatives. Interwoven nightmares include a boy troubled by hair blocking a drain, a hot-pepper livestream challenge, and a ghoul called Gory Gary.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 650LView book details
Rank 12Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb: Young Readers Edition of AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert OppenheimerKai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Adapted by Eric S. SingerThis adapted edition follows physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who directed the American project to create the atomic bomb during World War II. It traces his childhood, his confidential work on the weapon, and his role in the Cold War. The account also considers the moral consequences Oppenheimer faced after helping to develop the bomb and recounts his subsequent downfall. Dozens of photographs and updated material accompany this biography of a major twentieth-century scientific figure.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 13Old SchoolGordon KormanDexter Foreman has lived with his grandmother at The Pines retirement village since he was six. The residents have homeschooled him, and he feels more at ease with older people than with children his own age. When a truancy officer requires him to attend the local middle school, Dex must leave the life he knows. At school, his old-fashioned clothes and interests make him stand out.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 781LATOS Book Level 5View book details
Rank 14War GamesAlan GratzEvie Harris travels to the 1936 Olympics as a gymnast competing for the United States, alongside athletes including Jesse Owens. Her focus is winning a gold medal, but the Games unfold under the watch of Adolf Hitler and Nazi officials in Germany. When Evie discovers a troubling secret, she faces a dangerous situation in Berlin and risks everything to stop a sinister plot. The story combines Olympic competition with the political threat surrounding the Nazi-era Games.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeWord Count 68845View book details
Rank 15Allyship as Action: 7 Ways to Advocate for OthersTanya Boteju, illustrated by Bithi SutradharThis book presents allyship as continuing work that combines learning with action in support of people who do not share the same privileges. It discusses recognizing privilege, distinguishing allyship from performative allyship, and responding to mistakes. Seven approaches and realistic scenarios give readers tools for considering how to take a stand for others when fitting in can feel especially important.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 970LView book detailsAarzu All AroundMarzieh AbbasRecently orphaned Aarzu lives with her aunt and uncle in Karachi, Pakistan, alongside her younger sister. She wants to play cricket like the boys around her, but her uncle refuses to allow it. When her sister needs urgent medical care and money is scarce, Aarzu searches for paid work. Because the available job is for boys, she disguises herself as a turban-wearing boy. Her story is told in several poetic forms.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.9AR Interest Level MGView book detailsAdi of Boutanga: A Story from CameroonAlain Serge DzotapThirteen-year-old Adi lives in western Cameroon, where she swims in the river, makes dolls for her younger sisters, and records unfamiliar words at school. Her life changes when Uncle Amadou, the family’s most powerful member, says she is old enough to marry. Afraid of what that means, Adi is supported by her parents, who arrange for her to attend a school where she can live and learn without fear. The story is translated from the author’s original French.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 690LView book details
Afia in the Land of WondersMia Araujo, illustrated by Mia AraujoAfia feels incomplete beside her twin sister Aya, who accepts their family’s expectations. Afia instead longs to explore beyond their secluded cliffside home of Dafra. When a shape-shifter named Bakame offers her a path to the magical land of Ijábù, she follows him into forbidden forests that no one has returned from. There she enters a world of magical sights, a queen, and an intriguing court.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 800LATOS Book Level 5.1View book details
Are There Rainbows in Space?: A Colorful Compendium of Seriously Cool ScienceSheila Kanani, illustrated by Liz KayThis science book examines how color appears in the world around us. It addresses questions about a polar bear’s color beneath its fur, flamingos’ pink feathers, blue moons, red blood, and the blue appearance of the sky. The book also considers ultraviolet light, how hippos stay cool, and how certain animals change color to avoid predators. Illustrations accompany its explanations of color in animals, nature, and space.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 1080LFountas & Pinnell Text Level YView book detailsAtlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the WorldDylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Ruby FressonAn illustrated nonfiction guide surveys 50 inventions and scientific discoveries from different places and periods. Its categories range from fire and ancient renewable technologies to binary numbers and artificial intelligence. One section begins with a 2,700-year-old lens and connects it with later lenses used in telescopes and microscopes. Each invention includes longitude and latitude that can be entered into an online map, allowing readers to locate where it occurred.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Burning Season, TheCaroline Starr RoseTwelve-year-old Opal is training to become the fourth generation of her family to serve as a lookout on Wolf Mountain in New Mexico. Although she is deeply afraid of fire, she lives with her mother and grandmother in a fire tower and helps watch for smoke. When her mother goes to town, her grandmother disappears, and Opal sees smoke moving up the mountain. Alone, she must confront her fear as a wildfire threatens lives and home. The story is told in free verse.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 600LATOS Book Level 3.9View book detailsChinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and BeyondAaron Hwang, illustrated by Adela LiThis illustrated collection presents myths and fairy tales from China, including stories involving gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, and the White Snake. Its ancient world includes the Jade Emperor in the heavens and supernatural beings such as dragons, ghosts, demons, animal tricksters, and snake-women. The tales explore accounts of the world’s beginning, the order of heaven, the shaping of earth, the rise of humanity, and questions about natural forces such as wind, rain, and luck.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsCourt of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, TheRick Riordan and Mark OshiroAfter returning from Tartarus, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace travel to Camp Jupiter to help Nico’s half-sister, Hazel Levesque. Monsters from the Underworld have come there seeking safety after learning they need not remain evil. When the residents begin vanishing, Nico, Will, and Hazel confront an unknown dark power that is targeting the monsters over their earlier deeds. As they investigate the disappearances, the three demigods discover that each of them has a connection to the threat.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsCreaky AcresCalista Brill, Nilah Magruder, illustrated by Nilah MagruderNora is a competitive horseback rider whose move brings major changes. She enters a new class as its only Black student and moves her horse, Hay Fever, to Creaky Acres, a barn unlike the one she knew. At the stable she meets Laura, Wilson, and Dolores, known as Dizzy. Nora must work with this new team as she prepares for the next regional horse show.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsExtra LargeTyler PageAt the start of a new school year, Tyler faces unfamiliar rules and bullies while becoming more aware of how his body differs from those of other boys. Messages on television and pressure at home to diet add to his questions about thinness, health, and fatness. As his family begins dieting at his father’s insistence, Tyler considers the difference between meeting social expectations and living comfortably in his own body.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Glade, TheNaseem JamniaPina’s first summer camp trip lets her leave her overbearing parents and spend time with her best friend, Jo. At Camp Clear Skies, the friends learn about a secret woodland clearing called the Glade. Sleeping there allows them to enter each other’s dreams, where they become figures such as superheroes and knights and confront nightmares. The discovery grows frightening when Pina’s nightmares begin appearing in waking life and something seems to take hold of Jo.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Halfway to SomewhereJose PimientaNonbinary Ave moves from Mexicali to Lawrence, Kansas, with their mother and younger brother Ramón. Ave misses home, knows little English, and worries that learning it could mean losing their native language. During the summer, Ave meets Rene and is welcomed into his friend group and relay team. Then Ave learns that their parents have separated and that the family will not reunite, forcing Ave and their mother to address feelings they have kept private.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure GN330LATOS Book Level 2.8View book details
It's WatchingLindsay CurrieOn Halloween, Josie, Jackson, and Alison enter Bachelor’s Grove cemetery hoping to find evidence of a famous ghost for the school newspaper. A security guard sends them away before they can finish their investigation. Later, a threatening meme appears on their phones, showing the phantom farmhouse associated with the graveyard. As unsettling events begin happening around the friends, they must determine who or what is frightening them.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Malcolm Lives! The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young ReadersIbram X. KendiThis biography follows Malcolm X from childhood through adulthood. His early life included violence, loss, hunger, foster care, racism, and incarceration. He later became a Black Muslim, a father, a revolutionary, and an influential African American leader and activist. The book uses short chapters and language shaped by Malcolm’s speaking style. Primary-source documents and photographs introduce each chapter, and the volume includes extensive source notes.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
OasisGuojingJieJie and DiDi live alone in a sand-covered wasteland while their mother works in glass-domed Oasis City, saving to bring them there. While gathering water, they pursue a fox into a restricted dump and discover a discarded robot. Once repaired, the robot responds to DiDi’s wish for a mother by entering mother mode. It provides the siblings with necessities, stories, dance lessons, and projected movies as they form an attachment to it.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 2.0AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Ollie In BetweenJess CallansAs Ollie approaches thirteen, puberty changes their relationships with longtime friends. They feel caught between the neighborhood hockey team, where they are seen as too much of a girl, and a friend who expects a more traditionally girly version of them. Without their mother, Ollie must also navigate family expectations and shifting friendships. The story follows Ollie's efforts to find their own voice and make sense of gender and identity.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
One Crazy Summer: The Graphic NovelRita Williams-GarciaEleven-year-old Delphine travels from Brooklyn to Oakland for the summer with her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, to visit the mother who left them years earlier. Delphine has often taken on a motherly role for her sisters. Their mother does not give them the visit they expected and instead sends them to a day camp operated by the Black Panthers. Over the summer, the three sisters learn more about their family, themselves, and their country in this graphic-novel adaptation.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Refugee: The Graphic NovelAlan Gratz, illustrated by Syd FiniThree young people seek safety in different eras and places. In 1930s Germany, Josef and his Jewish family leave under the threat of concentration camps. Isabel’s family departs Cuba amid the unrest of 1994, while Mahmoud and his family flee violence in Syria in 2015 and travel toward Europe. Their dangerous journeys unfold across decades and continents, with links between their stories emerging by the end.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 800LATOS Book Level 5.3View book detailsTrouble With Heroes, TheKate MessnerThirteen-year-old Finn Connolly damages a cemetery gravestone and is assigned an unusual punishment: complete all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks during one summer. He hikes with the dog belonging to the woman whose stone he knocked down. The demanding trip is also tied to a poetry assignment about heroes, a word often applied to Finn’s late father, who worked as a firefighter and paramedic. Told in free verse, the novel follows Finn as he faces the mountain challenge and works through grief and trauma connected with his father’s death.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.1AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
We Need to Talk About Divorce : An IMPORTANT book about Separation, Stepfamilies, and Feeling HeardKate Scharff, illustrated by Annika Le LargeA therapist offers personal and professional guidance for children dealing with divorce and other changes in family life. The book addresses the upheaval that can follow separation, including stepfamilies and the need for children to feel heard. Cartoon-style illustrations accompany practical advice intended to help readers navigate feelings and family transitions.Teacher Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsTeacher Favorites — 9th–12th Grade
45 selections
Rank 1Trans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present DayAlex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, illustrated by Alex L. Combs and Andrew EakettThis full-color graphic nonfiction book introduces trans history from ancient times through the present. It considers what the term “trans” means and uses illustrated stories and historical records to show that diversity in sex and gender is not new. Profiles include the Roman emperor Elagabalus, seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso, and Stonewall veterans Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The book also explores historical societal roles for trans people and the global spread of European gender ideas.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 2Beyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should KnowEm Dickson, illustrated by Cameron MukwaThis illustrated guide presents 20 biographies of nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit people. Its subjects come from fields including music, sports, film and television, and politics, as well as activism and other work. The book includes people with varied identities across the nonbinary spectrum, among them N. D. Stevenson, Janelle Monáe, Maia Kobabe, Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, Judith Butler, and others. It focuses on the contributions and public work of gender-diverse individuals.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 3Art of Drag, TheJake Hall, illustrated by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh HansThis illustrated guide examines the history of drag through fashion, theater, sexuality, and politics. It moves from early forms of performance to the present, taking in Kabuki theater, Shakespeare, the Stonewall riots, and New York’s ballroom scene. It also includes Paris Is Burning, Pose, Lady Bunny, and Victoria Sin. Perspectives on drag’s future come from Don One, Sweatmother, Crystal Rasmussen, and The Vixen.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 4I Can't Even Think StraightDean AttaWritten in verse, this story follows Kai as a new school year brings decisions about coming out as gay, dating, and his future. Kai and his best friend Matt had agreed to remain closeted, but Kai wants to live openly and decides to break that promise. After coming out, he begins dating Obi, while the relationship proves difficult. Kai also wonders whether love may be closer to home than he has realized.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 5Messi Mania: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Soccer StarLuis Miguel EchegarayThis book follows soccer player Lionel Messi from his family background and childhood in Argentina through his teenage years and career. It describes personal difficulties in his early life that threatened his ambition to become a professional player, as well as the hard work, determination, and teamwork associated with his career. The account also looks at Messi’s effect on Major League Soccer and international soccer after his arrival in the United States. It is written by soccer journalist and commentator Luis Miguel Echegaray.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 6Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel, TheMaggie Stiefvater; adapted by Stephanie Williams, illustrated by Sas MilledgeBlue Sargent grows up in a family of psychics but lacks their clairvoyant powers, leaving her feeling ordinary amid the magic around her. When Gansey, a student at the local all-boys private school, invites her on a search for a Welsh king said to sleep beneath the mountains near their Virginia town, she joins him and three other Raven Boys. The story is a graphic-novel adaptation of the first Raven Cycle novel.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 7Eve (Adapted for Young Adults): How the Female Body Shaped Human EvolutionCat BohannonThis adaptation traces a 200-million-year account of how the female body shaped human evolution and life on Earth. It examines questions about why women live longer than men, whether female brains are wired differently, and changes in academic performance around puberty. The book also addresses mental health, adolescent brain development, and shifting hormones. Its focus connects evolutionary history with questions about bodies, biology, and the future.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 8Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan GenocidePablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonThis intergenerational graphic novel connects a family in Maryland in 2013 with Guatemala in 1982. Brothers Jose and Charlie know little about their mother Clara’s earlier life until Jose asks about a genocide trial. Clara eventually recounts her childhood during the Guatemalan Civil War, when violence reached her village and separated her from her sister Elena. The story draws on historical research and the creator’s experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeATOS Book Level 3.9AR Interest Level Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book detailsRank 9Buzz! (2025 edition)Ananth Hirsh, illustrated by Tess StoneWebster’s first day of high school takes an unexpected turn when he comes upon a back-alley spelling contest. After he is named the Golden Kid, he enters a hidden world of competitive spelling in which letters are part of the action and losing is treated as unacceptable. Khan, called the Outlaw King, and Bonnie, known as the Black Queen, recognize Webster’s ability and introduce him to this unrestricted form of competition. This color edition adds a new cover, recolored interior artwork, and bonus material from the creators.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 10You've Found OliverDustin ThaoThis companion and direct sequel to You’ve Reached Sam takes place a year after Sam’s death. It is presented as a love story shaped by yearning, romance, heartbreak, hope, and a touch of magic. The story’s premise includes a devastating magical turn, while its emotional focus remains on loss and the feelings that follow it. It continues the world introduced in the earlier book and centers on an experience described as both painful and hopeful.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 11King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)Jonathan Eig; Adapted by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. LongThis young adult adaptation follows the life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., from his childhood in Atlanta’s Sweet Auburn neighborhood to his emergence as a civil rights leader in Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery. It presents him as a student, preacher, activist, dreamer, husband, and father, as well as an influential and controversial figure. The biography also addresses his depression, doubts, serial infidelities, and persecution by the FBI. It includes archival photographs and footnotes.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 12Royal Heirs AcademyLindsey DugaKing Leander Eldana has ruled Ashland for fifty years without choosing an heir. He sends his grandchildren to Almus Terra Academy, a boarding school, where they must compete for the crown. Titus expects to inherit but must prove himself. Alaric, raised without privilege, believes he knows how to rule through force. Emmeline, eager to please her neglectful parents, will pursue the crown at others’ expense. The contest puts royal family tensions at the center of school life.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 13Latina Superheroes (Volume 1): Jalisco & SantaKayden PhoenixThis graphic novel follows two Latina heroines with separate struggles. Jalisco searches for her mother, whose disappearance is dismissed by authorities, and her search brings her to the Adelitas, a secretive group opposing forces behind femicides in their community. Santa faces corrupt politicians in her hometown. Their stories center on Latina women confronting injustice while drawing on inner strength, self-discovery, and sisterhood.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 14Crimson Throne, TheSara Raasch and Beth RevisSamson Calthorpe lives under a curse that has separated him from people he cares about. A chance to break it requires him to risk his life as a royal spy, infiltrating the Scottish queen’s court and investigating a plot against Queen Elizabeth. Alyth Graham protects Mary Queen of Scots from physical and magical dangers, including threats involving her husband, Lord Darnley. Alyth, the child of a fae prince and human mother, is a guardian sworn to defend Scotland from the Red Caps.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 15Maya in MulticolorSwati TeerdhalaAfter an unlabeled freshman romance, Maya decides to reshape her college life. She plans a major Holi celebration, drawing on the Hindu festival’s association with rebirth. Student council makes upperclassman and DJ Nishant Rai her co-planner. Maya wants to honor tradition, while Nishant proposes an EDM music-festival version of the event. Working together brings them closer, even though Maya initially sees him as the one person she should avoid.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details(S)KinIbi ZoboiThis novel in verse draws on Caribbean folklore and centers on fifteen-year-old Marisol, the daughter of a soucouyant. At each new moon, she sheds her skin as women in her family have done before her and becomes a fireball witch. To sustain herself, she must fly into the night and slowly take from the lives of others. The story addresses inherited magic and the cost of pursuing the life one longs for.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details13 Days of SummerStephanie Kate StrohmAfter their final year of high school, Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor set off on a cross-country road trip to attend a Taylor Swift concert. At a rest stop, they pick up a charming, mysterious hitchhiker. As he and Carson become attracted to one another, tensions rise within the group of friends. Their thirteen-day journey puts both the concert plan and the friends’ relationships under strain.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsAfter We BurnedMarieke NijkampA fire destroys the high school in Fenix and kills a student named Eden. In the aftermath, the town grieves while questions remain about why Eden was in the building that night and who truly knew her. Five teenagers each hold part of what happened, along with personal secrets they are determined to protect. An investigation into the fire exposes hidden truths in the small town through multiple first-person accounts.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Bright Before Us, Like a Flame: Igniting The New Generation of WritersEdited by Sasa Aakil and Kathy Crutcher; foreword by Elizabeth AcevedoEdited by Sasa Aakil and Kathy Crutcher, with a foreword by Elizabeth Acevedo, this anthology marks ten years of youth writing published by Shout Mouse Press. It brings together memoir, poems, fiction, comics, and children’s literature by young authors. The selections address immigration, identity, social justice, resilience, family, friendship, and belonging. Writing prompts, author conversations, and behind-the-scenes material accompany the pieces, inviting readers to explore how stories are made and to develop their own writing.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsCommon Rule Youth Edition, The: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted WorldJustin Whitmel EarleyAdapted from Justin Whitmel Earley’s earlier book, this youth edition addresses life amid screens and continual notifications. It presents intentional, simple habits meant to help young people pursue faith, freedom, rest, peace, and fulfillment. The book frames modern distraction as a source of stress and anxiety and offers practices intended to bring greater clarity and purpose within a busy, digitally connected world.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Education of Kia Greer, TheAlanna BennettKia has grown up in public view as the daughter of a reality star, but she wants room to shape an ordinary life for herself. She longs for school parties, drama-club gossip, college applications, mistakes, and love without the spotlight. A public-relations relationship is part of her search for genuine happiness. When she meets Cass, he offers Kia a glimpse of the everyday freedom she has been missing.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Extraterrestrial Zoo 1: Finding the Lost One, TheSamantha van LeerThirteen-year-old Ava helps run her family’s refuge for extraterrestrial beings. After meteors bring eggs containing alien babies to Earth, Ava’s parents hatch, care for, raise, and study them. The growing number of beings leads to a government-funded Alien Zoo. Years later, Ava’s mother has died in a car accident, and her grieving father leaves Ava and the zoo with his brother. A sudden attack on the zoo leads Ava toward a government conspiracy that changes what she believes.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsGay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusValerie Danners has been raised within a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group, without realizing that it is a cult. Finding a queer romance novel in the library makes her begin to question the life she knows. She meets Riley, a rebellious new arrival, and the two connect over being multiracial teens in a community that is largely white and deeply religious. As their relationship grows, Valerie and Riley exchange secret notes and kisses while confronting the limits surrounding them.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Get Real, Chloe TorresCrystal MaldonadoAs summer ends and Chloe Torres prepares to begin art school, she cannot let go of two estranged best friends. Hoping to mend their friendship, she organizes a cross-country trip to Las Vegas for a reunion concert by the trio’s favorite boy band. Chloe has arranged the car, hotels, and concert tickets, but getting the other two friends to join her is the central obstacle. The planned trip becomes her effort to address a friendship breakup she still regrets.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Hey, Mary!Andrew Wheeler, illustrated by Rye HickmanMark is a Catholic teen whose life includes church, prayer, and persistent fears about hell. After realizing that he has feelings for another boy at school, he struggles to make sense of those feelings alongside his faith. Shame, judgment, and concern about how his parents may respond weigh on him. This graphic novel follows Mark as he faces the tension between his religious life and his queer identity.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Island CreaturesMargarita EngleTold in verse, this story follows Vida and Adán, childhood friends who once helped animals in Cuba and later reconnect in Florida. Vida reads to animals at a wildlife rescue center, while Adán feels confined by conflict between his grandfather and father. A captive fox brings the two together again. As their romance grows, they work at a zoo that rescues rare species, though their new sense of peace does not last.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Last Bookstore on Earth, TheLily Braun-ArnoldAfter a destructive Storm disrupts civilization, seventeen-year-old Liz Flannery lives in the abandoned New Jersey bookstore where she once worked. She trades books for supplies with the remaining people nearby and treats the shop as a place of safety. When she learns that another devastating Storm is approaching, her situation changes. Maeve, an unfamiliar and possibly dangerous visitor, breaks into the bookstore one night looking for shelter.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
LeapSimina PopescuThis debut graphic novel is set at a performing-arts boarding school in Bucharest, Romania. Dancers Ana and Carina pursue their ambitions while navigating friendship, first love, and queerness in a conservative city. Ana has studied contemporary dance since childhood but no longer feels committed to it. Her attention is on Carina, an ambitious ballerina who fears being outed, keeping their relationship hidden. The girls question whether the future they have worked toward is still the one they want.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsLegendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal StoriesCynthia Leitich SmithThis anthology gathers seventeen interconnected stories centered on Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In. The lively gathering place exists beyond ordinary space and time, appearing when it is needed. Native teen protagonists from around the United States come there for food, advice, mentoring, comfort, or connection. Some know the drive-in well through work or regular visits, while others discover it amid immediate problems. Across varied styles and subjects, the stories follow young people dealing with identity, family relationships, crushes, and pressing deadlines within a welcoming setting shaped by the elders who run it.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Orisha, Volume 1: With Great PowerHuzayfa Umar and Saturday AM, illustrated by Huzayfa UmarAboki is an African teenager who unexpectedly gains the power of an Orisha, one of the immensely powerful beings born from celestial seeds that appear around the world. He is reluctant to use his new abilities. As he forms alliances with companions, Aboki must keep others from claiming his power for conquest. The story also raises questions about whom he can trust and whether people are inherently corrupt.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Payback Girls, TheAlex TravisMeghan’s senior year changes when she discovers that her boyfriend Nate has been dating two other girls, Bria and Robin, without any of them knowing. All three are angry, but Nate is then found bloodied and unconscious in a locker room after a game. The girls become suspects and must determine what happened that night. Their uneasy alliance is built on betrayal, while Meghan develops feelings for a former rival.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Reasons to Hate MeSusan MetalloSeventeen-year-old Jess Lanza is an autistic theater student at Stone Bridge High who has been targeted by cyberbullies over the summer. The posts focus on a past mistake and the loss of her friendship with Chloe. Jess decides to respond by sharing online posts about her own failures and embarrassing traits, but each one leads back to the gap left by Chloe. As Jess seeks Chloe’s forgiveness, she must confront her weaknesses and what happened with Chloe’s boyfriend.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Sabrina Carpenter: A Vibrant Journey Through the Career and Influence of a Pop PrincessSelena FragassiThis biography traces Sabrina Carpenter’s work as both an actor and a pop musician. It covers her time on the Disney Channel before her rise on the music charts, as well as her first recording contract. The book also discusses her singles, the album Short n’ Sweet, her 2025 Grammy wins, and her relationships and well-known friends. It presents Carpenter’s career and fashion through a visual format.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
SoloGráinne O'BrienDaisy is a classical musician whose home life can leave her feeling separate from her twin brothers’ close bond. She relies especially on her parents, including her father, and has one close friend while performing music fills much of her life. When her boyfriend ends their relationship without warning, Daisy feels cut off from music as well. A new school friend, the enigmatic Flora, offers a measure of calm, but that fragile improvement does not last. Told in verse, the novel follows Daisy through heartbreak and upheaval.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Tectiv Vol. 1: NoirtopiaRichard Ashley Hamilton, illustrated by Marco MatroneIn a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, Bingo Finder is the only person who can read. When her best friend disappears, she draws on old detective books and becomes the first detective in centuries. Bingo lives among teens in the farming village of Ellay, scavenging ruins for artifacts to repair, trade, or reuse. Her search for her friend puts her own life at risk and leads her toward a conspiracy within this fragile society.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Teleportation and Other LuxuriesArchie Bongiovanni, illustrated by Mary VerhoevenFour teenagers from very different backgrounds join forces for a major science competition in a futuristic city. Their team includes internet-famous Tyler, anarchist Gabby, private but brilliant Allegra, and engineering-minded L.J. Personality clashes and concealed motives complicate their work, even after they make a teleportation breakthrough. The invention could win the contest, but it also carries danger and makes the group reconsider what they want from success.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsThey Bloom at NightTrang Thanh TranAfter a hurricane, Noon and her mother survive in Mercy, Louisiana, where a red algae bloom has changed the water and its wildlife. They collect the altered creatures and trade them to the town’s corrupt harbormaster. As residents vanish and warnings circulate about shadows beneath the water and nighttime knocking, the harbormaster orders Noon to catch the being blamed for drownings. His daughter, Covey, becomes an uneasy partner in the search.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
This is How We RollRosiee ThorFriends gather for a tabletop fantasy game, guiding their party through a dangerous dungeon where dice can shape the next move. Beyond the imagined adventure, the players face questions that rolls cannot settle, including whom to trust, how to love, and how they understand themselves. One storyline explores gender identity through an oath-bound paladin, while another involves an in-game romance between best friends. The game becomes a space for new relationships and for connecting fictional worlds with everyday life.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Under the Light of FirefliesLee SandersIn 1981 Texarkana, Texas, twelve-year-old Noah Ellis is grieving his father’s death when another tragedy leaves him with severe amnesia. He becomes the focus of a widely publicized trial while trying to understand the accident he cannot remember. Attention from girls and former bullies changes his social world, but Noah remains in his older brother’s shadow and feels responsible for his younger sister. He is still searching for a place of his own.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday, TheKelsey B. ToneyHigh school senior Delia Bridges lives with period pain severe enough to disrupt daily life, though she does not yet know she has endometriosis. She hopes to become a doctor who listens to patients’ symptoms. With graduation, college acceptance, and a planned mentorship ahead, she uses marijuana at school to manage her pain and is expelled. The expulsion puts the future she has carefully planned in jeopardy.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Watch MeTahereh MafiSet ten years after Juliette Ferrars and Aaron Warner Anderson helped lead a worldwide uprising, this novel returns to a world where the Reestablishment remains a threat. James Anderson, Aaron’s younger brother, enters Ark Island, the regime’s final refuge, becoming the first outsider to breach its defenses. His success leaves him confined in a prison cell. As the Reestablishment prepares a major action, it has also selected an assassin, Rosabelle Wolff, whose plans intersect with the conflict.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Wicked Lies of Habren Faire, TheAnna FiteniSabrina Parry lives in a Welsh mining town and tries to keep her job while helping secure a future for her sickly sister, Ceridwen. When Ceridwen disappears into the woods, leaving an iron ring behind, Sabrina enters Eu Gwald, or fairyland, to search for her. The place is more dangerous than she expected, and a fae prince offers assistance in exchange for a risky bargain. Sabrina learns that such bargains exact a price.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
WitchkillerAshlee LatimerFive months after killing a witch to save her brother Hansel, Gretel is still haunted by memories of that violence. Hansel is increasingly like their father, while Gretel is trapped in a society of balls and nobles who scorn her family’s new wealth. Her father intends to marry her to an elderly man for financial gain. Gretel flees a ball and meets Prince Wilfried, who offers a possible answer to her situation.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
World Inside, TheJan FieldsTamika Warren expects a difficult summer after her friends leave for Paris and her mother criticizes her. When her great-aunt Lati falls into a coma, Tamika travels with her mother to Virginia to ready Lati’s farmhouse for her return. The house is said to be haunted and is filled with landscapes painted by Lati. An artist herself, Tamika wants to know her great-aunt, but the paintings begin reacting to her presence and pointing toward troubling secrets.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Your Final MomentsJay ColesHakeem attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings to manage addiction. After his best friend Miles dies by suicide, getting through each day becomes harder, and Hakeem wonders whether he could have eased Miles’s pain. He finds support from Eliza, whom he meets at a meeting. Then Hakeem calls Miles’s former phone number and hears from him beyond death. Miles says he was murdered, setting Hakeem on a search for the truth while he struggles to stay alive.Teacher Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsLibrarian Favorites — K–2nd Grade
75 selections
Rank 1History of We, TheNikkolas Smith, illustrated by Nikkolas SmithThis nonfiction picture book looks to Africa as the place of humanity’s origins. It imagines the ingenuity and accomplishments of early human ancestors, connecting those beginnings to modern civilization. By tracing a shared human past, the book presents the earliest achievements in Africa as part of a history that links people everywhere on Earth.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 680LFountas & Pinnell Text Level RView book details
Rank 2I Am Not Your Hat!Lisa Bentley, illustrated by Lisa BentleyBert and Dot are close friends, though Bert is a large, talkative bird and Dot is small and quiet. Dot protects Bert’s secret by sitting on his head. When other birds assume Dot is Bert’s hat, Bert accepts their praise and the attention it brings. Dot eventually flies away, leaving Bert to face the secret and the loss of his friend. He must try to repair their friendship and be more honest about himself.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 3Scarecited on the First Day of SchoolAlliah L. Agostini, illustrated by Lala WatkinsAfua starts her first day of school with feelings that do not fit neatly into one category. She is both scared and excited, so she calls herself “scarecited.” Rather than choosing one emotion over the other, Afua recognizes that both can be present at once. The story centers on her mixed feelings about beginning school and on finding her own word for the experience.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 4POP! Goes the Nursery RhymeBetsy Bird, illustrated by Andrea TsurumiA secretary bird sets out to narrate a traditional nursery-rhyme collection in an orderly fashion. A feisty weasel repeatedly barges into the recitation, disrupting rhymes such as “Little Miss Muffet” and “Jack and Jill.” As the bird tries to restore order, the interruptions send the familiar tales in increasingly chaotic directions. The book remixes nursery rhymes through a conflict between careful narration and exuberant mischief.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 5Buzz! Boom! Bang!: The Book of SoundsBenjamin Gottwald, illustrated by Benjamin GottwaldThis wordless interactive picture book presents sounds through bold, unusual illustrations. Readers are prompted to supply noises such as bangs, booms, caws, crashes, buzzes, whooshes, yawns, moos, and roars, then turn the page and continue. With no printed words, the book is built around matching vocal sounds to the images on each page.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 6Gathering Table, TheAntwan Eady, illustrated by London LaddA Southern family returns to a special table throughout the year for traditions and celebrations. Around it, they mark a golden anniversary, Juneteenth, a wedding, and the arrival of a new baby sister. The gatherings show family members coming together across seasons and occasions. The story also connects this shared table and the family’s traditions with Gullah Geechee culture and community.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 7Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little CaveDrew Beckmeyer, illustrated by Drew BeckmeyerStalactite and Stalagmite are two cave formations who narrate their long existence together. Over millions of years, they watch creatures pass through their cave, including trilobites, ichthyostega, triceratops, ground sloths, and bats. As time moves on, the two rock formations continue to grow toward one another. Their story combines the changing history of life in and around the cave with the enduring companionship of two formations.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.0AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsRank 8Axolotl and AxolittleJess Hitchman, illustrated by Sarah RebarAxolotl and his younger brother Axolittle approach life in very different ways. Axolotl likes eating snacks and living at full speed, while Axolittle prefers studying facts. Their differences lead the siblings to tease each other, argue, shout, and sulk. The story follows their clash as they work toward making up and finding a way to get along despite their opposite habits.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD390LATOS Book Level 2.0View book detailsRank 9Fish Fry Friday: A Picture BookWinsome Bingham, illustrated by C. G. EsperanzaWhen school is closed on a Friday, a child joins Granny on her usual fishing trip before the family fish fry. They pack rods, reels, lures, lines, bobbers, and bait, then fish together at the pier. After bringing home their catch, the child helps clean and prepare the fish while Granny teaches the steps for making batter. The child also suggests using leftover batter for hushpuppies before relatives arrive with dishes for the evening meal.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 10Sadie Mouse Wrecks the HouseElliott Kalan, illustrated by Tim MillerSadie is a rule-following mouse who listens to her mother and takes her chores seriously. Her brother avoids those responsibilities and leaves the difficult work to Sadie. Reaching her limit, Sadie decides to behave differently. She throws garbage from the windows, makes ice cream sundaes on her bed, and causes a tidal wave in the living room. Her change turns the home upside down.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 11Mama CarLucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen GeorgeA child calls their mother’s wheelchair the “Mama Car” and describes it as a familiar, comforting part of everyday life. Together they take small expeditions around the house and larger trips to the park. The wheelchair can be folded and brought along when a vehicle is needed, and the child helps clear small toys from its path and decorate its wheels. It also becomes a cozy place for the child to sit on their mother’s lap.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 12Tree of Life: Lift-the-flap book about the amazing animals that live in trees around the world, TheNalini Nadkarni, illustrated by Kendra BinneyThis lift-the-flap nonfiction book explores trees as habitats for animals, plants, and fungi. It visits coast redwoods, ancient oaks, Yemen’s dragon blood trees, Asian dipterocarps, African baobabs, and Australian eucalyptus trees. Readers can look for creatures in the illustrations, then lift flaps to learn more about them. Among the animals featured are orangutans, elephants, and koalas, showing how many kinds of life depend on trees around the world.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 13Astronaut SistersJulie FortenberryFern and Rosie imagine that they are astronauts headed for the stars. They put on space boots and helmets, turn a swingset into a launch site, and look up at the night sky from the grass. While the sisters sleep in rocket-ship sleeping bags, their mother travels through the sky on her return to Earth. Their pretend mission becomes part of a family story about space, waiting, and reunion.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 14Goats AfloatLezlie Evans, illustrated by Julia PattonFive young goats take a boat to bring a cake to Granny Goat for her birthday. They choose the water route because they want to avoid a bridge troll on land. When their trip does not go as intended, the goats must adapt and devise another way to continue. The story follows their attempt to arrive at Granny’s house in time for the celebration, in a rhyming adventure centered on their journey together.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 15E-I-UFO: Old MacDonald Had a FarmZach von Zonk, illustrated by Benjamin ChaudThis picture book reworks the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” as a space adventure. An alien takes Old MacDonald’s farm animals away in a UFO, leaving Old MacMartian with cows, pigs, sheep, and other noisy, hungry, mischievous barnyard passengers aboard a spaceship. The story uses rhyming, song-based wordplay and follows the chaos the animals create alongside Old MacMartian and his three-eyed dog.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 16Good Luck, Ice Cream Truck!Sorche Fairbank, illustrated by Terry RunyanNeighborhood children wait for the ice cream truck while many other working vehicles pass through their street. They greet a dump truck, mail truck, fire truck, news truck, utility truck, excavator, garbage truck, and cement truck. Each vehicle has a job to complete, but the children remain eager for the one they have been anticipating. The story follows the changing parade of trucks until the ice cream truck arrives.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 17Babies Are Not BearsLinda Lodding, illustrated by Lara DombretA baby and a bear compare the things they have in common and the ways they differ. Both are shown enjoying activities such as coloring, peek-a-boo, eating porridge, dressing up for Halloween, and reading books about one another. As they spend time making comparisons, they discover distinctions as well, including their musical tastes: the baby likes soft lullabies, while the bear prefers country music.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 18Popo the XoloPaloma Angelina Lopez, illustrated by Abraham MatiasNana, an elderly woman surrounded by her family, begins her passage from life into death with Popo, her Xolo dog, at her side. After Nana dies, Popo accompanies her on a journey to Mictlān, drawing on Aztec mythology and Indigenous understandings from present-day Mexico. Nana’s family remembers the love they shared with her, and one of her grandchildren takes on Popo’s care.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 570LATOS Book Level 2.5View book details
Rank 19They Work: Honey Bees, Nature's PollinatorsJune Smalls, illustrated by Yukari MishimaThis nonfiction picture book looks inside a honey bee hive and follows the bees’ life cycle. It introduces the queen, explains that she is not the hive’s leader, and shows how the hive depends on many bees working together. Alongside poetic text, each page includes facts for further detail. The book also considers dangers that bees encounter outside the hive, including predators and humans.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 20Maker of Dresses, AViolet Lemay and Michael Sampson, illustrated by Violet LemayDressmaker Alexis moves through a week of making clothes and imagining fashion possibilities. Each day brings a different kind of outfit: dresses on Monday, then sports jerseys, costumes, sweatpants, and shorts. The story uses rhymes and illustrations to follow Alexis as she stitches and twirls. Her work across the days reflects her large fashion dreams and the range of garments she can create.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 21Cat Like That, ALester L. Laminack, illustrated by Nicole WongA large, round cat makes her usual way through an island village over the course of a day. As she walks, she stops to interact with people at the bakery, bookstore, and pier. The cat knows the residents, and they recognize her regular route through town. Each stop raises the question of where she will go next and what awaits at her final destination. The story follows the cat’s sociable daily journey through a familiar community.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 22No More GnomesBeth Mills, illustrated by Beth MillsHerbert is known for being exceptionally polite and has a medal to show for it. His manners are challenged after his nanny, Ms. Goat, brings home a rude garden gnome. More gnomes soon follow, and Herbert reaches his limit. He must figure out how to tell Ms. Goat that he cannot tolerate any more gnomes while trying to remain polite.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 23Orson and the World's Loudest LibraryLaura Gehl, illustrated by Stephanie Ross SissonSix-year-old Orson prefers reading quietly by himself at his local library. When a busy day fills the branch with activities and noise, he becomes overwhelmed and has an emotional outburst. After taking time to calm down, Orson begins to see what the library’s lively community can offer. He shifts his approach and shares his enthusiasm for books with new friends. The story follows his effort to handle strong feelings while finding connection in a place he already loves.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rank 24Waiting for Winter: A True Story of Resilience and Joy in the Face of Climate ChangeStephen Gorman, illustrated by Stephen GormanThis nonfiction picture book follows a group of polar bears in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The bears depend on winter for sustenance through the rest of the year, yet they must wait longer for that season to arrive. The book uses photographs by wildlife photographer Stephen Gorman to examine this changing pattern and its connection to climate change. It also includes a guide with ideas and discussion prompts for conversations about changes in Earth’s climate.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsRank 25Calm Your Roar Like a Dinosaur: How to Relax Muscle by MuscleBrenda S. Miles and Colleen A. Patterson, illustrated by John JosephDinosaur characters introduce progressive muscle relaxation for moments of anger, stress, and frustration. In rhyming text, the book guides readers through tightening and then releasing muscles, helping them notice the contrast between feeling tense and relaxed. The calming routine is presented as a step-by-step mind-body technique for managing overwhelming feelings through a playful dinosaur theme.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeFountas & Pinnell Text Level JView book details
Alice AloneJessica Shaw, illustrated by Olga HerreraAlice is the middle child in a large family, with four older brothers and four younger sisters. Wanting some time by herself, she slips away from a family gathering and enjoys skipping, singing, and twirling alone. Her independence takes a difficult turn when she realizes that she is lost and lonely. Alice retraces her route back to her family, and the experience changes how she feels about being in the middle of their busy household.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsAmy's TravelsKathryn Starke, illustrated by Jennifer Carter, Laura Starke Barrick, Charlotte Barrick, and Charity WellsAmy travels across all seven continents, visiting varied landscapes and places around the world. Her journey includes a desert in Asia, African rainforests and jungles, mountains in South America, and cities in Europe. She also experiences Antarctica’s severe cold, goes on safari, and meets people who speak different languages. The story is presented as a global journey and is inspired by a true story, using Amy’s travels to move among continents, environments, languages, and cultures.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsAwesome of the DayEllen Javernick, illustrated by Bhagya MadanasingheAndrew feels that one problem after another is piling up, from trouble at school to scraped knees at the park. His older sister offers him a challenge: rather than giving all his attention to what went badly, he should look for one good thing each day. Andrew initially finds the task difficult, but his perspective gradually begins to shift. Even when events still fail to unfold as he hoped, he and his family continue his search for positive moments in ordinary days.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
BalloonBruce HandyThis nearly wordless seek-and-find story begins when a child accidentally releases a new bright orange balloon. As it rises into the sky, something orange and round can be found in every scene. The book follows the balloon’s path through disappointment and hope, leading to an unexpected ending. Its visual search invites readers to trace the lost balloon from one scene to the next.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Bea's Balikbayan Box of TreasuresChristine Alemshah, illustrated by Dream ChenSeven-year-old Bea and her Filipina-American family prepare a balikbayan box for relatives in the Philippines. Over months, they collect particular gifts, including food for Tito Rico, lotion for Tita Alma, and bubble wands, chocolates, and stuffed animals for Bea’s cousins. Once the box is sent, Bea waits for its overseas journey to finish. Through the tradition, she learns how sending a box can maintain a connection with faraway family.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsBearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend: A Picture BookBob Shea, illustrated by Bob SheaA turtle wearing a bear suit insists that he is truly a bear. To prove it, he meets another turtle who considers himself an expert on real bears. Bearsuit Turtle demonstrates activities he believes show his bear identity, including climbing trees and hibernating, alongside bike riding, ice-cream eating, and pumpkin smashing. When Bear-Expert Turtle shares a secret, Bearsuit Turtle must reveal one as well. Their exchange leaves open the possibility that the two turtles can become genuine friends.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsBig Snowdown, TheKaty Hudson, illustrated by Katy HudsonForest animals prepare for their first winter games after training all year for different events. Owl has not practiced, but she assumes that her natural ability means she will be the best anyway. The competition puts Owl’s confidence to the test and explores the distinction between confidence and arrogance, alongside the role of preparation and friendship.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsBiggest Dog in the Book, TheBen Lerwill, illustrated by Mark ChambersA pack of dogs of different breeds and sizes appears in this comparison book, which asks which one is the largest. Readers meet dogs including Agnes the Chihuahua, who burrows beneath cushions; Holly the Collie, who chases her tail; Popcorn the Beagle; and Poncho the Dalmatian. Each dog has its own habits, and a gatefold opens to reveal the book’s biggest dog.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsBiggest Smallest Thing, TheSara de Waal, illustrated by Ana StretcuMo enters the Scintillating Science Symposium determined to win. He considers himself a serious future chemist and believes his plan for making something small become big will outshine the other students’ work, especially Muriel’s. Muriel has a very different ambition: she wants to be a cat. At Sunnysill Elementary, the projects bring unexpected scientific ideas to the fair, including lemon meringue pie and boogers.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Body Beautiful: A Picture BookSusan Verde, illustrated by Steph LittlebirdThis picture book celebrates bodies as individual, strong, wise, and worthy. It considers what bodies can do, including growing, dancing, and speaking up about what they need. Bodies are also connected with wonders in nature and with the stories of ancestors. The book centers on the idea that every body belongs to its own person and can be valued for its differences and abilities.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCaboose: A Picture BookTravis Jonker, illustrated by Ruth ChanCedric loves being the first child in a classroom line and uses tricks such as walking fast or slow, tapping shoulders, and stopping abruptly to stay in front. When his line-leading antics go too far, he is sent to the very back of the line as the caboose. Cedric then invents new ways to create mischief from that position, including a turtle walk, stepping backward, and insisting others go ahead.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.0AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsChalk the WalkChelsea Tornetto, illustrated by Laurel AylesworthTwo siblings use a bucket of chalk to change the world around them. Starting with dull pavement and gray city streets, they draw on the sidewalk and invite people of different ages from their neighborhood to join them. Told in rhyme, the picture book follows their shared chalk-making as the surroundings become increasingly colorful and imaginative.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCharley Mouse Cleans HouseKaterina Gorelik, illustrated by Katerina GorelikCharley Mouse loves cleanliness and order, from lavender-scented bed linens to socks and cheese crusts sorted in her cupboard. She works as a house cleaner and looks forward to helping her neighbors keep their homes tidy. Over a busy week, Charley visits familiar fairytale characters whose houses need attention. The story features magical messes and tiny hidden details within the illustrations.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD800LATOS Book Level 5.1View book details
Clara and the Man With Books in his WindowMaría Teresa AndruettoSet in rural Argentina in the 1920s, this story follows Clara, the daughter of a poor laundress, and Juan, a wealthy man who rarely leaves his house. Clara discovers books after meeting Juan, and the two form a friendship as he lends them to her. Juan fears that society will not accept who he is, but their connection eventually brings him outside. The story considers friendship, books, and being true to oneself.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCrocoAzul López, illustrated by Azul López, Kit MaudeCroco, a young crocodile, becomes stuck in a hole and must work out a way to get free. Friends offer suggestions, but their advice does not provide the answer Croco needs. Facing the problem, Croco keeps trying and ultimately discovers a solution independently. The tale centers on persistence, self-reliance, and finding a way forward when help from others is not enough.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsCute Animals That Could Kill You DeadBooke Hartman, illustrated by María GarcíaThis nonfiction picture book looks at animals whose cute appearances belie dangerous defenses or hunting abilities. It introduces creatures including slow lorises with venom, ladybugs described as fierce, and owls that eat a wide range of prey. Through comic-style narration and animal facts, the book explores claws, poison, and predatory instincts found in wildlife.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure 999LATOS Book Level 6.7View book details
Dark SkiesLindsey Hobson, illustrated by Makenzie McCarthyLaney loves looking at the stars with her Papaw, but city lights make the night sky hard to see. She and her father take Papaw to a planetarium and add a telescope to their roof so he can continue stargazing. When Papaw’s memories become hazy and he stops watching the sky, Laney makes a plan to reconnect him with the things he loves: his family and the stars. The story brings together family bonds, changing memory, and the natural night sky.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Dear Acorn (Love, Oak)Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Melissa SweetEight pairs of poems take the form of letters between inanimate objects. A newly formed bubble writes to the sky, while an oak reassures an acorn; other exchanges consider what it is like to be big or small. The poems use distinct voices to explore the relationships among objects and their connections within the ecosystem. Whimsical collage illustrations accompany the letters.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 3.8AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Dinosaur Surprise!Rebecca Gardyn Levington, illustrated by Teresa BellonThis interactive board book introduces dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus, brachiosaurus, and stegosaurus alongside playful invented creatures. Readers lift felt flaps to reveal the silly dinosaur surprises hidden beneath them. Rhyming text accompanies the discoveries, and a final flap conceals a mirror for making faces. The book combines familiar dinosaur names, imaginary variations, flaps, and a mirror in a short playful format.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsDon't Trust FishNeil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan SantatWhat begins as an informational book about animals takes an increasingly dramatic turn toward warnings about fish. The narrator presents fish as suspicious and untrustworthy, pushing the claim into absurd territory. Alongside animal information and humor, the picture book draws attention to the difference between facts and fiction, the role of bias, and whether a narrator can be relied upon.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LFountas & Pinnell Text Level OView book details
Emmie Builds Something NewMarjorie Crosby-FairallEmmie, a resourceful mouse, lives among the forgotten objects of an attic and turns everyday materials into elaborate machines. When a black-and-white house cat arrives, she creates a succession of mechanical contraptions to drive it away. Their lively contest gradually opens the possibility of an unexpected friendship. The detailed illustrations present the inventions and their chain-reaction energy in a bright, busy style.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsFib, ThePedro Iniguez, illustrated by Nathan KwanPepe, a second grader, wants an exciting story for show-and-tell, so he invents a creature unlike any ordinary animal. His fib gives the creature ram-like horns, bear-like claws, bat wings, owl eyes, and a lion’s tail. The imagined being then becomes real and frightening, forcing Pepe to confront what he has said. The story follows the consequences of his lie and Pepe’s recognition that telling the truth matters.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsFish Don’t Go to SchoolDeb Pilutti, illustrated by Deb PiluttiHenry wears a sparkly fish costume wherever he goes, including while shopping, eating dinner, and walking his fish, Marigold. On his first day of school, he feels anxious and wishes Marigold could come along. When that is not possible, Henry chooses his costume to help himself feel brave as he enters school and meets new friends.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
George & Lenny Are AlwaysJon Agee, illustrated by Jon AgeeGeorge, a rabbit, and Lenny, a bear, are best friends who spend all their time together. Lenny begins to tire of their constant closeness and tries playing by himself. His experiment with solitude helps him recognize the value of both independent time and time shared with George. The story follows the friends as they work out how being close can include making room for each other.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Grandpas, Piranhas, and Other StoriesRocio Bonilla, illustrated by Rocio BonillaNico and his Grandpa Rodrigo share a series of outings and everyday adventures. They go fishing and bike riding, work through difficult homework, and face a close encounter involving many piranhas. Their time together includes laughter as well as Grandpa Rodrigo’s quiet wisdom. These stories focus on the connection between a grandchild and grandfather through shared activities, family warmth, and unexpected moments.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsGrumpy Ghost Upstairs, TheMamiko Shiotani, illustrated by Mamiko ShiotaniA little ghost lives alone in the attic of a large house and likes the quiet that way. When a curious girl arrives, he tries every ghostly trick he knows to frighten her away. The visitor, however, is not looking for a scare: she wants to be his friend. Their encounter asks the ghost to respond to an unwelcome change in his solitary routine.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Heave HoSally Anne Garland, illustrated by Sally Anne GarlandCub begins the day overwhelmed by intense feelings, leaving little room for school friends. At recess, he moves away from the group and angrily swings from a tree branch, dragging his feet through the dirt. The sound suggests the sea to him. As he gradually settles, Cub invites his friends to join an imagined voyage across rough water toward calmer seas.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Hello, Tobi!Andrea Cáceres, illustrated by Andrea CáceresTobi takes daily walks with his family and greets the people and dogs he meets at the park. The families vary in size, appearance, noise level, and how they spend time together; their dogs vary, too. Sometimes there are so many people and pets that Tobi cannot tell which dog belongs with whom. Even so, he enjoys meeting them all before returning to the family he loves most.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Here Is a Book: A Picture BookElisha Cooper, illustrated by Elisha CooperThis picture book traces how a book reaches a reader. It begins with an artist working with sketches, drafts, watercolor, and imagination, then moves through editing and design in a publisher’s office. At a printer, paper, ink, glue, and time turn the work into a physical book. The finished copies travel to a school, library, and home, ending with a child and a blank sketchbook page ready for another story.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
How To Reach the MoonNicolás Schuff, illustrated by Ana Sender, Lawrence SchimelDuring a summer visit to his abuelo’s forest home, Emilio shares lantern-lit dinners and listens to his grandfather’s fantastical stories. One night, the two set out through the woods to meet the full moon. Along the way, Emilio imagines that he and Abuelo are animals. At a ravine, he sees the moon’s large silver reflection in the water below, and Abuelo takes his hand as they run together.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
I Rock My Hair: Pretty and Protected by the CROWN ActAngel Tate, illustrated by Angel TateA young girl explores her right to wear her hair in the styles she chooses, including twist-outs, braids, and ribbons. Standing out is difficult at first, but encouragement from her family, friends, and community helps her step forward with confidence. The book connects her experience to laws such as the CROWN Act and includes additional information about that legislation, which has been enacted in several states and introduced federally.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
I Said No: A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts PrivateKimberly King, illustrated by Susan SzecsiThis guide addresses private parts, bodies, personal boundaries, and safety in language intended for children and families. It encourages readers to notice and name their feelings, distinguish between reassuring and warning signs, and talk with a trusted adult when something feels wrong. The book presents ways to respond to uncomfortable situations and to assert personal boundaries. Its updated edition has new artwork and revised text, focusing on conversations about privacy, safety, and seeking support from adults.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Luna and the Case of the Missing MooncakesNatasha Yim, illustrated by Violet KimDuring a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, mooncakes begin disappearing from Luna’s family. Luna and her fellow detective Mina look for clues and work through possible suspects, including Luna’s brothers, cousins, and adults. Their investigation uses elimination and logic as they try to determine who has been taking the treats. The book also includes a note about the Mid-Autumn Festival.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsMax and Chaffy: Welcome to Animal IslandJamie Smart, illustrated by Jamie SmartThe Boggle family has newly arrived on Animal Island, where Max wants to explore everything there is to discover. Max especially enjoys finding things and returning them to where they belong. When Orlando, a pilot, tells him about an unusual creature seen in the woods, Max is eager to investigate. The story follows his curiosity about the island and its mystery.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsMiya Wears OrangeWanda John-Kehewin, illustrated by Erika Rodriguez MedinaMiya loves attending school, especially storytime. During one class, her teacher tells a painful history about a girl taken to a residential school. The girl cannot return home, has her hair cut, and is prevented from keeping her favorite doll. Miya’s story explores the complicated feelings that arise as she learns about residential schools and this history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
PencilHye-Eun Kim, illustrated by Hye-Eun KimIn this wordless picture book, a forest is cut down and transformed into pencils. One pencil then passes through manufacture and a store before reaching a young artist. The artist uses it to draw a forest, completing a visual cycle that links loss, making, imagination, and renewal. The story follows how an everyday object changes from living material into a tool for creating something new.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsPiccoloDan Yaccarino, illustrated by Dan YaccarinoPiccolo, a shrew who makes lists, sets out to visit his favorite city places. His plans change when Mr. Rosso needs help carrying artwork to the museum, which is already on Piccolo’s list. Traveling by scooter, Piccolo continues helping friends solve their problems, but the many requests leave him wondering whether he will reach the place he most wants to visit.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Rainy Day for Tortas FritasLau Moraiti, illustrated by Lau MoraitiRain in Uruguay brings a family together in the kitchen to make tortas fritas, a traditional fried sweet flatbread. While raindrops fall outside, the family prepares the treat and fills the home with its scent. The story centers on the shared making and eating of a food connected to a cherished Uruguayan culinary tradition.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Ramon Fellini the Dog DetectiveGuilherme Karsten, illustrated by Guilherme KarstenAfter a boy’s aquarium is attacked and his fish is frightened, Ramon Fellini takes the case. The dog detective wears a cat costume while searching for the culprit, convinced that a cat is responsible. His questions and methods raise doubts about his motives, even as he promises to reveal the truth. Clues are placed in the artwork as the mystery unfolds.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsReady, Set, Mango!Tamla T. Young, illustrated by Raz LatifWhile vacationing on an island with their auntie, cousins Tee and Dee search for mangoes to make smoothies. Though close friends, they turn the hunt into a contest over who will find the ideal fruit first. Another shiny, round treasure sparks a second competition, until they discover that a goat is making the objects they have been collecting. The cousins laugh together at the mix-up.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeLexile Text Measure AD470LATOS Book Level 3.2View book detailsRecess: A Picture BookLane Smith, illustrated by Lane SmithSchool is a place for learning and fun, but this picture book insists that breaks are important too. When it is not regular recess time, the book imagines other kinds of recess: a break needed right now, a break wherever someone happens to be, or a chance to let imagination run loose. Its interactive premise invites readers to call out for recess and pause their routine.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeATOS Book Level 2.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
Ruby René Always Gets Her WayAshley Iman, illustrated by Gladys JoseRuby René hosts a segment on her school’s morning announcements, but an unexpected absence leaves a new student, Yanin Luray, in Ruby’s anchor chair. Ruby reluctantly agrees to share the program and finds she likes having someone to exchange ideas with. When Yanin stops returning, Ruby considers how listening matters alongside speaking. The two girls work toward sharing the show as co-hosts.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Signs of FriendshipAnnie Silvestro, illustrated by Ziyue ChenSally and Sonia have been friends since they were very young. When they learn that Sonia has difficulty hearing, they learn sign language together. Sally later suggests that they plant a garden. After a new neighbor, Dev, arrives with a puppy, Sonia spends much of her time with them, and Sally feels forgotten. She looks for a way to express those feelings and make space for Dev as a friend.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Slightly Spooky Tale of Fox and Mole, TheCecilia Heikkilä, illustrated by Cecilia HeikkiläFox and Mole live in neighboring houses on a headland. As autumn arrives, they read a spooky story together, though Mole repeatedly interrupts and eats all of Fox’s cookies. Fox’s anger at Mole’s selfishness grows until Fox turns into an unearthly shadow beast. Mole must try to make amends before the transformation goes too far.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Snow Day for Amos McGee, APhil C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. SteadAmos McGee is a zookeeper who enjoys spending time with his animal friends throughout the year. When an expected snowfall does not arrive, Amos goes home, hoping for snow another day. Overnight, snow covers the town, and the animals decide to visit Amos so they can play outside together. The story follows their friendship and the long-awaited winter weather.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Some Days I'm the WindRebecca Gardyn Levington, illustrated by Dinara MirtalipovaAn expressive girl’s changing feelings and personality are compared with the wind, sun, and sea. On one day she may be like a wild cyclone: dizzy, energetic, and untamed. On another, she is more like a quiet breeze. The poem emphasizes that a person can feel differently from day to day while remaining themselves, and that feelings need not be sorted into good or bad.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
When You're a BoyBlake Nuto, illustrated by Blake NutoThis book considers the expectations placed on boys and offers a different image of boyhood. Its speaker contrasts being told to resemble forceful oceans with finding strength in flowers, color, and dreams. The text moves through forests, rivers, and mountains while reflecting on what it can mean to be a boy. Nature and imagination shape its exploration of identity and self-expression.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsWhy Do Okapis Look So Funny?: A Book about Rainforest AnimalsJack Beard, illustrated by Jayri GomezThis nonfiction picture book examines the adaptations and behavior of rainforest animals. It asks why brown-throated three-toed sloths move slowly, why capybaras enjoy swimming, and why mountain gorillas live in groups. Other animals include Draco lizards, okapis, and scarlet macaws. The book connects questions about animals’ bodies and actions with facts about rainforest life.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsWôpanâak Seasons: Seeqan, Neepun, Keepun, Pup8nCarrie Anne Vanderhoop, illustrated by Mangeshig Pawis-SteckleyA young Wampanoag child guides a year-round journey through Aquinnah on Neope, also called Martha’s Vineyard. Wildlife returns in spring; summer includes beach outings and clambakes. In fall, people harvest cranberries and make jam, while winter brings close gatherings and traditions. Across the seasons, the book portrays Wampanoag cultural heritage, connections to the land, and time spent together in the community.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book details
Zebra & Yak Backwards AlphabetPaul Friedrich, illustrated by Paul FriedrichThe alphabet begins unexpectedly with Z for Zebra, rather than its usual starting point. Zebra is confused and displeased, as is Yak, who comes near the end of the normal alphabet order. Their friend Apple is missing, so the pair set out to find what has gone wrong. Their search becomes a quest through an alphabet book where the expected sequence has been turned around.Librarian Favorites — K–2nd GradeView book detailsLibrarian Favorites — 3rd–5th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1All the Blues in the SkyRenée WatsonWritten in prose and free verse, this novel follows Sage after her best friend dies on Sage’s thirteenth birthday. The celebration and planned sunrise give way to grief, leaving Sage without the person with whom she shared secrets and dreams. In a counseling group, she encounters the idea that losses differ from one another and that recovery does not follow a predictable course. The story centers on bereavement and Sage’s path through it.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure NPATOS Book Level 5.0View book details
Rank 2Catty Corner Lands on Her FeetJulie Murphy, illustrated by Eve FarbCatty is a confident second grader who is half human and half cat, like her mother and grandmother. Starting at a new school brings difficult moments, so she records her feelings and adventures in a fuzzy diary she calls a scratch pad. The diary sometimes writes back with advice. As Catty faces the changes around her, she begins making friends and finding her place at school.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 660LATOS Book Level 4.3View book detailsRank 3Dino Poet: A Graphic NovelTom Angleberger, illustrated by Tom AnglebergerDino Poet wants to create the first great poem, while Frog has an urgent goal of avoiding being eaten. After Frog criticizes Dino Poet’s writing, their encounter becomes a journey through a prehistoric world. As they trade humorous banter and avoid other dinosaurs, they explore different forms of poetry. The graphic novel combines their chase with a guide to poetic possibilities and the challenge of making a poem.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 2.1AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book detailsRank 4SketchJacques Goldstyn, illustrated by Jacques GoldstynSketch is a boy whose lively imagination and creative energy make him visibly different from the people around him. In a town that prizes order, he struggles with standing apart, even with encouragement from his parents and art teacher. After moving to a new school, he meets other children who are different in their own ways. The story centers on art, individuality, and finding connection.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 5Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, TheAubrey HartmanClare is an undead fox who ushers souls to the afterlife from Deadwood Forest. He dreads All Hallow’s Eve, when the four afterlife realms are open to souls whether or not they belong there, and a prophecy warns that someone in Deadwood will vanish. When the badger Gingersnipes arrives, Clare cannot send her to any realm. Hesterfowl tells him that Gingersnipes is the next Usher, meant to replace him, but Clare does not want to step aside.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 5.3AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book details
Rank 6Speechless: A Graphic NovelAron Nels Steinke, illustrated by Aron Nels SteinkeMira begins middle school hoping for a fresh start, but social anxiety makes it difficult for her to speak anywhere outside home. Her former best friend Chloe is now an enemy, and Mira finds comfort in her private stop-motion animation channel. When a family emergency means Chloe must stay with Mira’s family, Mira is distressed by the new arrangement. The graphic novel follows her friendship conflict, anxiety, and efforts to express herself through animation and beyond.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure GN270LATOS Book Level 2.1View book details
Rank 7Goat MagicKate Wheeler, illustrated by Kate WheelerTrill is a goat herder who can communicate with her flock and longs for life beyond the mountain pastures. In the kingdom of Capeya, Princess Alya doubts herself as heir to the throne. After an attempt on the queen leaves Alya under a spell that turns her into a black goat at sunrise, she hides among Trill’s herd. The girls travel toward the castle to break the curse while confronting enemies, betrayal, and rebellion.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 8Cake Problem: Equivalent and Simplified Fractions, TheBill Wise, illustrated by Davilyn LynchFarmer Ed brings a chocolate cake to Sheep, Chicken, and Goat, but its unusual shape makes sharing it difficult. Goat suggests dividing the cake so that Goat receives half while Sheep and Chicken split the remaining portion. The animals consider whether that arrangement is the best way to share it. Their comic-style problem explores equivalent and simplified fractions through the challenge of cutting a cake fairly.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 9Sign Up for Adventure!: The Doodling Duo vs. Spaghetti MonsterLavanya Karthik, illustrated by Lavanya KarthikNeel is interested in Adil, the new student in his class, but does not know how to communicate with him. Adil is Deaf and uses sign language. When Adil sees Neel drawing in a notebook at lunch, the two find a possible way forward: Adil can learn to draw, while Neel can learn to sign. Together, they imagine the adventures their friendship could bring.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 10Return of the Terns: How Scientists Are Saving Island BirdsJennifer Keats Curtis and Kim Abplanalp, illustrated by Phyllis SaroffThis true account follows scientists working to help Common Terns after climate change and erosion reduced their nesting habitat. Partners from Maryland conservation and wildlife organizations build large floating rafts for the birds to nest on. The rafts are intended to protect nests from development and predators as well as provide nesting space. The book asks whether the terns will choose these new nesting areas.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 11Rise Up!: Powerful Protests in American HistoryRachel C. Katz, illustrated by Sophie BassThis nonfiction picture book surveys 25 episodes of protest, resistance, and revolution in United States history. Its range begins with the Boston Tea Party and reaches the Capitol Crawl. The book shows Americans responding to unfairness or seeking expanded rights by marching, cheering, writing songs and speeches, volunteering, campaigning, voting, and challenging tradition. Background notes, a map, and a timeline are also included.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsRank 12Around the World on 80 HorsesJill Newton, illustrated by Jill NewtonThis book travels the world through eighty breeds of horses and ponies, examining how they have adapted to difficult environments. It includes real and mythical equines, from horses that dance, talk, or spell to those connected with battlefield rescues and film awards. Questions about feathered horses, sleeping while standing, and a seven-headed horse from Indian folklore introduce its mix of animal facts and stories.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 13Astrologica: An Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends From the Planets, Stars and SkiesSuki Ferguson, illustrated by Camelia PhamAstrologica brings together science, storytelling, and celestial traditions from around the world. It considers the moon’s role in ancient China, the popularity of star signs, and how constellations helped early Pacific seafarers navigate. The book includes Greek gods, Indigenous traditions, scientific developments, and zodiac lore, traveling from Mali and Hawaiʻi to Norway and Australia. It also visits early civilizations and empires in tracing stories about the planets, stars, sun, and moon.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Rank 14Bunns RabbitAlan BarillaroBunns is born with small but fully working rabbit ears, and her warren treats them as a sign of bad luck. Protected in her family’s burrow, she listens to her mother’s heartbeat, which her father calls a heartsong. When Bunns ventures into the meadow, neighbors stare and whisper, while elders threaten to banish her family. Beyond the warren she encounters myths, riddles, magic voyages, and new friends as she tries to save her home and family.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 750LATOS Book Level 4.8View book details
Rank 15What Happened ThenErin Soderberg DowningCousins Avery and Jax are among the family members who do not know why their relatives fractured years earlier. Avery is outspoken while Jax tends to keep quiet, especially when he expects criticism. Their Aunt Robbie summons the estranged family to a gathering at a worn-down cabin on Crooked Lake. There, a long-hidden family secret lies within the surrounding sand, water, and woods, waiting to be uncovered.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsBad BadgerMaryrose Wood, illustrated by Giulia GhiginiSeptimus lives alone in a seaside cottage and worries that he is not a proper badger. He has spots rather than the usual nose stripes, prefers the sea to the forest, enjoys tea and opera, and dreams of Venice. When Gully, a quiet seagull, begins visiting his porch, Septimus welcomes a first friendship. Their outings reveal differences that make him question whether they have enough in common. After Gully goes missing, Septimus leaves his familiar life to search for his friend and learn more about himself.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 660LATOS Book Level 4.3View book detailsCaringKobi YamadaA boy forms a friendship with an elderly gardener whose lifelong work has transformed barren land into a thriving natural place. Their relationship centers on care, effort, and the possibility that one person’s actions can matter. As the boy observes the gardener’s devotion, the story considers helping, nurturing the world, and the changes that can grow from attention and kindness.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsChange is Gonna Come, ASam Cooke, illustrated by Nikkolas SmithThis illustrated book pairs lines from Sam Cooke’s civil rights anthem with images of pivotal moments in African American history. The artwork accompanies a song that reflects a difficult past while looking toward change. Detailed back matter identifies and explains the historical events shown in the illustrations, placing the song’s words alongside a broader account of the civil rights struggle.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Chip and Chatti Save the FarmHeidi Paul, illustrated by Heidi Paul, interiors; Karen Vermeulen, cover artChip the dog and Chatti the cat feel stranded after their family leaves them in an unfamiliar home. They meet Twinkle, a mouse who grants wishes, and ask for a route into the countryside. Joined by Bingo, a traveling man who understands their language, they encounter forest animals and reach Farmer Nils’s farm. Nils is missing, and the person who has taken his place is neglecting the animals there.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsDuck and Moose: Moose's Bad Hair Day!Kirk Reedstrom, illustrated by Kirk ReedstromMoose likes quiet, while his neighbor Duck is more impulsive, and their differences test their potential friendship. When Moose has a bad hair day, Duck offers to trim his hair. During the haircut, one of Moose’s antlers comes off. Duck tries to put it back before Moose realizes what has happened, including by disguising the antler as a supposed relative. The two friends must work through Duck’s mistake.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsEinstein the PenguinIona Rangeley, illustrated by David TazzymanThe Stewart family’s life changes when a penguin carrying a backpack arrives at their door. The penguin, Einstein, proves brighter than the family expected as they learn to live with their unusual new guest. Imogen, an amateur detective, and her shy younger brother Arthur work together to discover why Einstein has come and to help him accomplish his goal. Their investigation turns the household surprise into a shared adventure.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Grind: An Ode on SkateboardingCarole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Néstor Omar García LópezThis rhythmic ode follows the culture and experience of skateboarding, from selecting a board and adding personal designs or decals to choosing protective gear. It portrays skaters attempting tricks such as ollies, jumping and landing, and riding down the street. The book also highlights the sport’s creative expression and moments of quiet reflection while cruising. Graphic art accompanies the focus on movement and skateboarding culture.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsGrowing HomeBeth Ferry, illustrated by Terry Fan, Eric FanAt Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, a houseplant named Ivy, a grumpy goldfish named Toasty, and a curious spider named Arthur become unlikely housemates. Ivy is Jillian Tupper’s beloved plant, which frustrates Toasty, who considers himself the family pet. Arthur arrives hidden in an antique typewriter, followed by another potted plant, Ollie. Water from Toasty’s unusual fish tank gives Ivy and Ollie magical powers, shifting their friendships as the creatures work to protect their home from a greedy human.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 4.3AR Interest Level Lower Grades (LG K-3)View book details
I Am We: How Crows Come Together to SurviveLeslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Alexandra FinkeldeyAs winter approaches, American crows gather in enormous nighttime roosts. This informational picture book follows their calls and movements as they assemble, explaining how many watchful birds can help detect and defend against predators such as owls and cats. By morning, the flock separates again, only to reunite at night. Back matter explores additional traits of these social, intelligent birds.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure AD510LATOS Book Level 2.3View book detailsKwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to SwimKobina Commeh, illustrated by Bárbara QuintinoKwesi enjoys going to the lake with his friends, but he cannot swim. He discovers that his Ghanaian grandmother, Nana Ruby, cannot swim either. They make an agreement to learn together and face their fear of water as a pair. Their effort is connected to the West African legend of Mami Wata, while their shared undertaking gives both Kwesi and Nana Ruby support as they try something new.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsLet's Get SpookyŠtěpánka Sekaninová, illustrated by Lukáš FigeľThis Halloween seek-and-find book invites readers to search six haunted locations for hidden objects and unexpected details. The settings include Dracula’s castle, a misty forest, graveyards, a deserted house, dark streets, and a warlock’s tower. Each illustrated scene contains spooky discoveries to locate. The book also has a cover that glows in the dark, extending its eerie visual play beyond the pages.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsLighthouse Keeper, TheEugenio Fernández Vázquez; translated by Kit Maude, illustrated by Mariana Villanueva SegoviaOn a storm-threatened coast, a lighthouse keeper lives at sea and devotes his life to rescuing people who are lost or shipwrecked. Though he appears to live alone, a secret friend comes to him when he needs help. Told in illustrated verse, the story centers on the keeper’s service, his endurance through frightening moments, and the possibility of help arriving in darkness.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker Graphic Novel: DinosaursMary Pope Osborne; adapted by Jenny Laird, illustrated by Jomike TejidoAfter their adventure in Dinosaurs Before Dark, Jack and Annie still have questions about dinosaurs. This nonfiction graphic novel follows their search for information about these prehistoric creatures. It addresses what dinosaurs looked like, where they lived, how they survived, differences between plant-eaters and flesh-eaters, and how dinosaurs died. The book combines factual material with comments from Jack and Annie.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Miss Camper: A Graphic NovelKat Fajardo, illustrated by Kat FajardoSue arrives at Camp Willow eager for hiking, archery, comic-making, and live-action role-playing. She hopes camp will give her independence, but her older sister is a counselor and her younger sister is another camper. Sue also finds that her friends’ activity schedules do not always match hers. Complications grow when Sam has another close camp friend and Izzy develops a crush on Sue, leaving the summer different from what she expected.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure GN350LATOS Book Level 2.9View book detailsMythology Land: 12 Classic Legends ReimaginedClaire Cock-Starkey, illustrated by Pham Quang PhucMythology Land gathers twelve retold legends about characters and creatures from myth. Each story is paired with an illustrated map of its setting. The collection travels to Midgard and the land of giants associated with Thor, into the Deep Dark Forest with Baba Yaga, and along the Yangtze River for a race involving animals. These different locations frame stories drawn from multiple mythic worlds and their distinctive landscapes.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli, TheKarina Yan GlaserTwo stories unfold across time in this historical novel. In Chang’an in 731, Han Yu sells steamed buns in a crowded market while people whisper that he can summon tigers. In Depression-era New York Chinatown, Luli lives above her parents’ restaurant and dreams about dim sum and Chinese art. Both young people leave familiar lives on perilous journeys to protect their families, facing plague and financial crisis. Their adventures connect danger, art, and a touch of magic.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeATOS Book Level 6.0AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book detailsNot Extinct: The Przewalski's Horse Returns from Extinct in the WildDarcy PattisonThis book traces the effort to save Przewalski’s horse, also called the P-horse, after the species nearly disappeared in the early twentieth century. In 1959, an international effort began with a small population descended from 12 founding horses. Over more than 60 years, scientists worked to breed the horses and establish wild herds again on the steppes of Mongolia and China.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsPassover on EverestRachelle Burk, illustrated by Craig OrbackNikki loves two things: large family holiday gatherings and mountains. In this true account, she and her mother, Cheryl, form a Jewish mother-daughter climbing team on Mount Everest. As Passover approaches, Nikki expects to observe the holiday on an icy slope with unfamiliar people and only a little matzah. Instead, their expedition brings an unexpected seder and a cross-cultural experience of kindness. A closing note from Cheryl and Nikki accompanies the story.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsSeabirdMichelle KadarusmanInspired by the life of a nineteenth-century feminist, this novel follows Kartini, a young Javanese noble girl in the Dutch East Indies. Before turning thirteen, she is confined at home to prepare for an arranged marriage and is separated from school and the wider world. Kartini writes to Lesty, a former Dutch schoolmate now in the Netherlands. With Lesty’s support, she questions the limited roles assigned to girls and women and confronts prejudice and tradition while seeking a voice in her own future.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Smurfs: Who is That Smurf?, TheTebo, illustrated by TeboA Smurf arrives unable to speak the Smurfs’ language and unable to remember who he is. The other Smurfs do not recognize him, creating unanswered questions about his identity. The effort to help the stranger brings together Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Hefty Smurf, and Brainy Smurf. Their new adventure takes them through dangers as they seek answers and help the unfamiliar Smurf.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsSouth Pole and the North Pole: Two Books in One, TheLi Rongbin, illustrated by Juliana MotzkoThis two-sided picture book compares Earth’s North and South Poles. Both regions are extremely cold, but they have distinct landscapes and wildlife. The book introduces the habitats of polar bears and penguins along with the geography, plants, and animals that distinguish each polar region. Its format allows the two poles to be explored from opposite sides of the book.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsStuck! The Story of La Brea Tar PitsJoyce Uglow, illustrated by Valerya MilovanovaThis nonfiction picture book investigates the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. It explains how excavation revealed clues to the pits’ formation and to prehistoric animals fossilized after becoming trapped there. The book connects asphalt, ancient creatures, and Ice Age Los Angeles, with a timeline and glossary providing further context for the scientific and historical material.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Stuff That Stuff Is Made Of: The Things We Make With Plants, TheJonathan Drori, illustrated by Raxenne Maniquiz and Jiatong LiuThis book examines 30 plants and the materials people make from them. It links seaweed to ice cream, cork to spacecraft, and dandelions to truck tires, then explains other transformations: papyrus into paper, cacao into chocolate, baobab into rope, cotton into banknotes, and bamboo into useful materials. Plant science is paired with stories from history, technology, and places around the world to show how everyday objects begin with natural materials.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book details
Three Blue HeartsLynne KellyMax leaves with his mother for a Texas beach town, hoping to step out from the shadow of his politician father and begin again. After a storm, he finds an injured octopus washed ashore and rescues it. The encounter changes his summer, placing Max’s sense of strength and the promises he makes under pressure as he forms a connection with the animal.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeLexile Text Measure 670LATOS Book Level 4.4View book details
Very Asian Guide to Taiwanese Food, ANancy Jeng, illustrated by Felicia LiangThis illustrated guide introduces Taiwanese food through both well-known and newer dishes. It explains the background of foods and ingredients, including boba and the distinctive aroma of stinky tofu, while connecting them with Taiwan’s food culture. Short historical, scientific, and cultural notes accompany the entries. The book also includes straightforward recipes and activity sheets, inviting readers to explore how dishes, ingredients, and traditions are connected.Librarian Favorites — 3rd–5th GradeView book detailsLibrarian Favorites — 6th–8th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1J vs KKwame Alexander, Jerry CraftJ and K, two fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School, each hope to place in the annual creative storytelling contest. J draws wordless stories, while K writes. When they discover they are both entering, their rivalry intensifies as each tries to outdo the other. The former competitors eventually consider whether combining their different creative strengths could help them win the contest.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 4.8AR Interest Level Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book detailsRank 2ChickenpoxRemy LaiAbby is home with all four of her usually irritating siblings during a chickenpox outbreak. As the family recovers, the eldest sister navigates the crowded, chaotic quarantine and starts to reconsider how she feels about her family. Set in 1990s Indonesia, this semi-autobiographical graphic novel also follows Abby as she works through the changing dynamics of her tween friendships.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 3.0AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book detailsRank 3HickSarah MillerThis biography traces Lorena “Hick” Hickok from a difficult childhood in the upper Midwest into a career in journalism. Supporting herself as a teenager, she later worked in newspapers and gained a reputation for reporting both news and feature stories in male-dominated newsrooms. By thirty-five, she had become a leading Associated Press reporter. Assigned to cover Eleanor Roosevelt during Franklin Roosevelt’s presidential campaign, Hick formed a close friendship and romantic relationship with the future first lady that lasted into the 1940s.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRank 4Trouble With Heroes, TheKate MessnerThirteen-year-old Finn Connolly damages a cemetery gravestone and is assigned an unusual punishment: complete all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks during one summer. He hikes with the dog belonging to the woman whose stone he knocked down. The demanding trip is also tied to a poetry assignment about heroes, a word often applied to Finn’s late father, who worked as a firefighter and paramedic. Told in free verse, the novel follows Finn as he faces the mountain challenge and works through grief and trauma connected with his father’s death.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 5.1AR Interest Level MG 4–8View book detailsRank 5One Crazy Summer: The Graphic NovelRita Williams-GarciaEleven-year-old Delphine travels from Brooklyn to Oakland for the summer with her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, to visit the mother who left them years earlier. Delphine has often taken on a motherly role for her sisters. Their mother does not give them the visit they expected and instead sends them to a day camp operated by the Black Panthers. Over the summer, the three sisters learn more about their family, themselves, and their country in this graphic-novel adaptation.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRank 6Old SchoolGordon KormanDexter Foreman has lived with his grandmother at The Pines retirement village since he was six. The residents have homeschooled him, and he feels more at ease with older people than with children his own age. When a truancy officer requires him to attend the local middle school, Dex must leave the life he knows. At school, his old-fashioned clothes and interests make him stand out.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 781LATOS Book Level 5View book detailsRank 7War GamesAlan GratzEvie Harris travels to the 1936 Olympics as a gymnast competing for the United States, alongside athletes including Jesse Owens. Her focus is winning a gold medal, but the Games unfold under the watch of Adolf Hitler and Nazi officials in Germany. When Evie discovers a troubling secret, she faces a dangerous situation in Berlin and risks everything to stop a sinister plot. The story combines Olympic competition with the political threat surrounding the Nazi-era Games.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeWord Count 68845View book detailsRank 8White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-UpsGail JarrowThis chronological nonfiction account examines American presidents whose serious illnesses, injuries, or medical conditions were kept from the public. It begins with James Garfield’s 1881 shooting and the medical treatment that followed, then considers Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Joe Biden. The book also recounts how Wilson’s wife and doctors concealed his stroke while she took charge of presidential duties. An epilogue considers why presidents sometimes chose secrecy about their health.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Rank 9Mallory in Full ColorElisa Stone LeahyMallory Marsh keeps many parts of herself hidden and adapts to what other people expect. Her anonymous sci-fi webcomic, published as Dr. BotGirl, is where she expresses her real thoughts and feelings. When her mother enrolls her in swim team, Mallory secretly joins the library comic club instead. There she meets Noa, a nonbinary kid, while managing friendship, identity, and the growing attention around her comic.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRank 10Leyendas/Legends: 60 Latine People Who Changed the WorldMónica Mancillas, illustrated by Isadora ZeferinoThis illustrated collective biography profiles sixty Latine people whose work affected their communities and fields. Its subjects include artists, engineers, activists, athletes, entertainers, scientists, and public figures, such as Frida Kahlo, Roberto Clemente, Sonia Sotomayor, Shakira, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Jharrel Jerome. Individual entries include a Colombian singer who began writing songs as a child, a Mexican chemist connected to research on the ozone hole, and a Puerto Rican congresswoman.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRank 11Allyship as Action: 7 Ways to Advocate for OthersTanya Boteju, illustrated by Bithi SutradharThis book presents allyship as continuing work that combines learning with action in support of people who do not share the same privileges. It discusses recognizing privilege, distinguishing allyship from performative allyship, and responding to mistakes. Seven approaches and realistic scenarios give readers tools for considering how to take a stand for others when fitting in can feel especially important.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 970LView book detailsRank 12Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and BeyondAaron Hwang, illustrated by Adela LiThis illustrated collection presents myths and fairy tales from China, including stories involving gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, and the White Snake. Its ancient world includes the Jade Emperor in the heavens and supernatural beings such as dragons, ghosts, demons, animal tricksters, and snake-women. The tales explore accounts of the world’s beginning, the order of heaven, the shaping of earth, the rise of humanity, and questions about natural forces such as wind, rain, and luck.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRank 13Isle of EverJen CalonitaEverly “Benny” Benedict discovers that she is the only heir to the fortune of Evelyn Terry, an ancestor from the nineteenth century. To claim it, Benny has two weeks to follow old clues and win a game devised by Evelyn. Her search leads toward a tiny island described in Evelyn’s diary, an island that vanished long ago and has not appeared on maps for centuries. A curse is also tied to the island.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 701LATOS Book Level 4.5View book details
Rank 14Winter of the Dollhouse, TheLaura Amy SchlitzEleven-year-old Tiphany Stokes helps an elderly woman who seems close to collapsing near a dollhouse shop. Inside, Gretel, a valuable vintage doll displayed for sale, longs to belong to a child instead of a collector. The woman, Ms. Rózsahegyi, later asks Tiph to care for her dog and cat while she recovers from surgery. At home, Tiph faces tension between her father and stepmother as a new baby demands attention. The three lives become connected through the dollhouse.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 701LATOS Book Level 4.5View book details
Rank 15Dream Warriors 1: A New WorldJesse Byrd, illustrated by Berto SantiagoDream Warriors are magical protectors assigned to sleeping people, with each warrior sharing a special connection with the person they guard. Their work is threatened when the Bad Dreams join forces to turn all dreams into nightmares. Khi, a new twelve-year-old Dream Warrior, must help confront that danger while adjusting to life in the dream realm and learning to accept his role as a superhero.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsAdi of Boutanga: A Story from CameroonAlain Serge DzotapThirteen-year-old Adi lives in western Cameroon, where she swims in the river, makes dolls for her younger sisters, and records unfamiliar words at school. Her life changes when Uncle Amadou, the family’s most powerful member, says she is old enough to marry. Afraid of what that means, Adi is supported by her parents, who arrange for her to attend a school where she can live and learn without fear. The story is translated from the author’s original French.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 690LView book detailsAthlete is AgenderKatherine Locke and Nicole MellebyThis collection brings together profiles and first-person testimony about LGBTQ+ people in sports across many ages, levels, and athletic fields. It includes Adam Rippon’s path from Olympic alternate to medalist, CeCé Telfer’s work as a trans track athlete, and coauthor em dickson’s experience of gender identity through sailing, a sport that does not divide competitors by gender. Additional profiles include Megan Rapinoe and Billie Jean King, addressing identity, participation, and obstacles in sport.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS Book Level 6.4AR Interest Level MG+View book detailsBillions to BurnTaylor BanksTwelve-year-old Zeus Jones believes his grandfather’s unlikely stories about the Harlem Renaissance, including a magazine called Burn! that was destroyed in a fire. When Zeus finds a page hidden in the ashes on the day his grandfather disappears, the stories gain new meaning. The page becomes a map connected to a lost fortune, sending Zeus on a search through New York City to find both treasure and his grandfather.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsBree Boyd is a LegendLeah JohnsonSeventh grader Bree Boyd relies on rules, routines, and high expectations. She rereads familiar books, holds the school spelling-bee title, and is used to trying to be the best for her father and sisters. Then a severe storm strikes Bree with lightning and leaves her able to move objects with her mind. The unexpected power overturns the predictable life she has carefully built.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Canine Connection: How Dogs and Humans Evolved TogetherChristopher GudgeonCanine Connection examines the long relationship between dogs and people. It describes dogs’ skill at reading human body language and expressions, including changes to muscles around their eyes that help communication. The book also considers oxytocin and the feelings of trust and affection connected with eye contact. Ancient dog burials and prehistoric paw prints beside a child’s footprints provide evidence of this long shared history.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 1030LView book details
Catching Cryptids: The Scientific Search for Mysterious CreaturesKim Long, illustrated by Nicole MilesCatching Cryptids considers how scientific tools might be used to investigate mysterious creatures, from the kraken and Mothman to microbats. It notes that a giant squid, once treated as mythical, was photographed alive in 2004. The book connects creature histories with fields of science and introduces tools such as cameras, underwater robots, drones, bioacoustics, forensic analysis, sensors, and airborne DNA. It covers more than forty-five creatures from land, water, and sky.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsCosmo ParkMadeleine Finlay, illustrated by Tom DearieAt the Universal Nature Park, visitors travel through the Milky Way in hover-buggies and encounter cosmology through a comic adventure. The journey includes black holes that may escape their enclosure, meteorite storms, and the freezing far end of the universe. Alongside these imagined park attractions, a mystery and threatening plot develop while the fate of the universe is at risk. The narrative introduces key ideas about cosmology.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsCovenSoman Chainani, illustrated by Joel GennariHester, Anadil, and Dot are witches known in the Endless Woods for investigating crimes and safeguarding peace. When they answer a request from Red Isle, they find its Light and Dark Lands nearing war as each side blames the other for a series of deaths. The three friends must identify the killer before the conflict destroys Red Isle, while a hidden adversary may be closer than they expect. This is a graphic novel by Soman Chainani.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Day at the Beach, AGary D. Schmidt, Ron KoertgeOver the course of a hot day at the shore, 26 children move through the beach scene in intersecting storylines. Some visit different blankets and families, while others play in the water, fly kites, throw Frisbees, or make structures from sand. Tobias’s missing iPhone creates a connection among the children. The novel follows their separate perspectives as their lives overlap during one summer day.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsEl NiñoPam Muñoz RyanKai Sosa wants to regain the swimming ability he once had on an elite team, but his times have changed since his sister Cali disappeared while surfing two years earlier. He is still haunted by dreams of Cali and by her request that he find her missing gold cuff. The magic of El Niño brings him visions of a mythical Amazonian queen, where myth, memory, and reality begin to meet as Kai confronts grief and hope.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 740LATOS Book Level 5.3View book detailsExtra LargeTyler PageAt the start of a new school year, Tyler faces unfamiliar rules and bullies while becoming more aware of how his body differs from those of other boys. Messages on television and pressure at home to diet add to his questions about thinness, health, and fatness. As his family begins dieting at his father’s insistence, Tyler considers the difference between meeting social expectations and living comfortably in his own body.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Game Changers: Stories of Hijabi Athletes from around the WorldCharlene SmithThirteen Muslim women and girls share their experiences as athletes, including runners, basketball players, beach volleyball players, hockey players, soccer players, and more. Many are the first competitors in their sports to wear a hijab. Their profiles describe obstacles ranging from traditions that restrict girls’ sports participation to institutional anti-hijab rules, as well as efforts to change those rules so Muslim girls can compete.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 1100LView book details
Hamburgers Don't Grow on Trees: Raising Beef on a Family Farm with KindnessLiza F. Carter, illustrated by Liza F. CarterThrough the life of Lima Bean, a calf on a family farm, this book follows the process of raising beef for food. It addresses birth, a calf’s playful early life, and death, while describing a farm committed to animal welfare and sustainable practices. The story considers care for animals, the land, and the people who work on the farm, as well as food choices and their environmental effects.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Into the RapidsAnn BradenWhen a super-storm strikes Addy’s remote mountain community, a damaged bridge leaves her home cut off from the main road. She fears missing a survival camp that matters deeply to her family, while the raging river brings back painful memories for her mother. Addy and her mother have kept apart from their neighbors, but Addy encounters classmate Caleb as both seek cell service. The disaster tests her wilderness abilities and her willingness to connect with others.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 740LATOS Book Level 4.7View book details
Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams: The Woman Who Rescued a Generation of Children and Founded the World’s Largest Children’s LibraryKatherine PatersonIn 1945, Jella Lepman, a Jewish woman who escaped the Nazis, was assigned to create a place of imagination and joy for German children affected by war. She turned to children's books in an effort to restore a sense of childhood after conflict. Her work led to the International Youth Library and IBBY. Retro-style color illustrations and archival photographs accompany the account.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Limelight: Curtain Up on Poetry Comics!Renee LaTulippe, illustrated by Chuck GonzalesLimelight is a collection of theater-centered poems and comics arranged in three acts around a middle-school musical. The poems follow the production from auditions and rehearsals through opening night, giving voices to parts of the theater world such as the script, rehearsal piano, and dressing-room mirror. Back matter introduces poetic forms and theater terms used in the book.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Lost Women of Science, TheMelina Gerosa Bellows and Katie Hafner, illustrated by Karyn LeeThis collection tells the stories of ten women scientists whose work and lives were overlooked in historical accounts. Their contributions include conducting experiments, identifying diseases, and deciphering codes that affected World War II. Drawing on the Lost Women of Science podcast, the book presents these STEM pioneers through illustrated sketches, photographs, and accounts of their achievements and the barriers they faced.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsRefugee: The Graphic NovelAlan Gratz, illustrated by Syd FiniThree young people seek safety in different eras and places. In 1930s Germany, Josef and his Jewish family leave under the threat of concentration camps. Isabel’s family departs Cuba amid the unrest of 1994, while Mahmoud and his family flee violence in Syria in 2015 and travel toward Europe. Their dangerous journeys unfold across decades and continents, with links between their stories emerging by the end.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeLexile Text Measure 800LATOS Book Level 5.3View book detailsRide or DieDelilah S. DawsonBrie sees an overnight trip to the Wildwoods amusement park as a chance to join the school’s most popular girls while keeping a damaging secret hidden. The group’s game of truth or dare leaves her alone in an abandoned, unsettling part of the park. There she meets older teens who seem welcoming, unaware that an awakened evil is nearby and threatens to turn the night into a deadly encounter.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeWord Count 47913View book details
Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of MayhemJohn Claude Bemis, illustrated by Nicole MilesAfter running away from a difficult home life, foster kid Sidney Poblocki is drawn into trouble across the multiverse. Interdimensional assassins pursue him and every other child with his name, while his best friend Walt no longer remembers him. Rodeo Hawkins and her Daughters of Mayhem say they are trying to protect Sidney, but he is unsure of them as a series of misadventures begins to reshape the multiverse.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Scientists Like Me: Stories, Advice, and Inspiration from 25 Trailblazers with Experiments to Try at HomeJaNay Brown-Wood and Kamin Science Center, illustrated by Kristen UrodaScientists Like Me profiles twenty-five historical and contemporary scientists working in fields that include medicine, physics, mathematics, marine biology, programming, and artificial intelligence. The book shares the paths that led these scientists to their professions and includes their advice for a new generation. More than a dozen hands-on activities invite readers to explore observation, discovery, and different scientific disciplines.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Six -- Young Readers Edition: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts, TheLoren GrushSix scientists—Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, Rhea Seddon, Sally Ride, Judith Resnik, and Anna Lee Fisher—became the first American women astronauts. In the 1960s and 1970s, NASA excluded women from its astronaut corps by insisting on military test-pilot experience, a career women were barred from entering. When the 1980s began, the six joined NASA despite intense sexism. They trained, flew missions, and challenged barriers in a profession that had previously been restricted to men.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Totally Awesome World of Caitlin Clark: Learn All There Is to Know about Your Favorite All-Star, TheSara WeissThis guide profiles Caitlin Clark, following major moments in her basketball career as well as parts of her life away from the court. It centers the WNBA player’s career highlights and presents her as a prominent figure in professional basketball. The book gathers information about her accomplishments to date while recognizing that her career is still continuing in the sport today.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Unexplained: UFOs, TheAdam Allsuch Boardman, illustrated by Adam Allsuch BoardmanThis graphic guide investigates enduring questions about UFOs and whether humans are alone in the universe. It explores reports of unusual lights in the sky, extremely fast aircraft, alien sightings, strange encounters, and the secrecy associated with Area 51. Rather than settling the question, the book presents the mysteries that have kept people wondering about unidentified flying objects for decades.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Village Beyond the Mist, TheSachiko Kashiwaba; translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, illustrated by Miho SatakeLina Uesugi spends the summer in Misty Valley, a hidden Japanese village reached with the aid of a magical umbrella. Its single street is shared by humans descended from sorcerers and fantastical beings. To stay at Picotto Hall, Lina works in local shops and with their residents. Her tasks eventually include identifying a prince changed into pottery, helping end his curse, and reuniting a shop owner with her missing son.Librarian Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsLibrarian Favorites — 9th–12th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' RightsAshley Hope PérezThis anthology brings together fourteen creators whose youth books have faced recent challenges in school and public libraries. Through essays, comics, short fiction, poetry, memoir, and other forms, they address censorship and book bans in the United States. The pieces connect their personal experiences to the work they make and examine how attempts to restrict books affect authors, illustrators, and young people. Contributors reflect on representing the varied realities of children’s and teens’ lives, including the country’s past and present, while considering what is at stake when access to books is limited.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 2Art of Drag, TheJake Hall, illustrated by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh HansThis illustrated guide examines the history of drag through fashion, theater, sexuality, and politics. It moves from early forms of performance to the present, taking in Kabuki theater, Shakespeare, the Stonewall riots, and New York’s ballroom scene. It also includes Paris Is Burning, Pose, Lady Bunny, and Victoria Sin. Perspectives on drag’s future come from Don One, Sweatmother, Crystal Rasmussen, and The Vixen.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 3Secret AstronomersJessica Walker, illustrated by Jessica WalkerA recent transfer student begins writing her diary in an old astronomy textbook from the Green Bank High School library and unexpectedly receives a reply. The exchange begins a friendship between two secret pen pals and uncovers long-buried secrets. Copernicus is grieving her mother’s sudden death after moving from San Francisco, while Kepler is a small-town student planning to become the first in her family to attend college.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 4All Better NowNeal ShustermanA deadly virus spreads through the world, but survivors develop an unfamiliar lasting effect: complete contentment. Stress, depression, greed, and other painful feelings disappear after infection, and many people welcome the change. Others, especially people whose power and business interests depend on insecurity and discontent, oppose it. As campaigns warn that permanent happiness is dangerous, competing agendas raise questions about what the new condition will mean for society.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeLexile Text Measure 931LATOS Book Level 6.1View book detailsRank 5Dear MannyNic StoneAt university, Jared Peter Christensen campaigns for president of the Junior Class Council on a platform of greater equity and inclusion across campus. A transfer student, Dylan, enters the race and challenges the gap she sees between Jared’s words and actions. As the contest intensifies, Jared confronts questions about how change happens, develops feelings, and learns secrets. He writes letters to his deceased friend Manny while trying to understand his uncertainty.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 6Fake SkatingLynn PainterDani returns to Minnesota for her senior year after moving away from her childhood friend Alec. Now living with her grandfather as her parents’ divorce unfolds, she reconnects with Alec, the hockey-playing son of her mother’s best friend. Once inseparable, they lost contact after her move. Their reunion in a hockey-focused hometown leads them to pretend they are romantically involved while old history and new secrets surface.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeLexile Text Measure 899LATOS Book Level 5.8View book details
Rank 7Shampoo UnicornSawyer LovettIn Canon, West Virginia, Brian co-hosts Shampoo Unicorn, a podcast made by two anonymous hosts about queer life in rural places. His interests differ from the town’s focus on religion, patriotism, and football. Greg, the town’s football star, privately shares Brian’s sexuality. Nearby in Pennsylvania, Leslie, a transgender girl, is trying to find reasons to keep going. The book addresses rural queer life through isolation, everyday slights, boredom, and flashes of joy.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 8Up In SmokeNick BrooksAfter Jason pressures Cooper King to join a looting spree during a local march, gunshots are fired and someone dies. Cooper flees the scene, and news coverage shows four masked teenagers nearby, including Cooper and his friends. The story follows a girl working to clear her brother’s name and a boy trying to keep his own name out of danger, with a secret between them and a murderer to identify.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 9Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)Suzanne CollinsSet on the morning of Panem’s fiftieth Hunger Games, this novel follows Haymitch Abernathy in District 12. The event’s Quarter Quell requires twice the usual number of tributes, and Haymitch is selected on his sixteenth birthday as one of four from his district. Before his name is called, he is focused on getting through the day and spending time with the girl he loves; afterward, his hopes are shattered.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 10(S)KinIbi ZoboiThis novel in verse draws on Caribbean folklore and centers on fifteen-year-old Marisol, the daughter of a soucouyant. At each new moon, she sheds her skin as women in her family have done before her and becomes a fireball witch. To sustain herself, she must fly into the night and slowly take from the lives of others. The story addresses inherited magic and the cost of pursuing the life one longs for.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 11Under the Same StarsLibba BrayThree connected stories follow teenagers whose ordinary and extraordinary lives are shaped by political and global events. In 1939 Kleinwald, Germany, friends Hanna and Sophie reconnect through the Resistance as World War II progresses. In 1980 Berlin, amateur photographer Jenny falls for Lena, an East German escapee seeking to help her brother, and hears stories of the missing girls from an elderly neighbor. In New York during the early pandemic, Miles navigates isolation while his two mothers are separated by their work and travel.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 12After We BurnedMarieke NijkampA fire destroys the high school in Fenix and kills a student named Eden. In the aftermath, the town grieves while questions remain about why Eden was in the building that night and who truly knew her. Five teenagers each hold part of what happened, along with personal secrets they are determined to protect. An investigation into the fire exposes hidden truths in the small town through multiple first-person accounts.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsRank 13Latina Superheroes (Volume 1): Jalisco & SantaKayden PhoenixThis graphic novel follows two Latina heroines with separate struggles. Jalisco searches for her mother, whose disappearance is dismissed by authorities, and her search brings her to the Adelitas, a secretive group opposing forces behind femicides in their community. Santa faces corrupt politicians in her hometown. Their stories center on Latina women confronting injustice while drawing on inner strength, self-discovery, and sisterhood.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 14Sometimes the GirlJennifer Mason-BlackEighteen-year-old Holiday is shaken by her brother’s recent suicide attempt, misses her former girlfriend Maya, and struggles to write after a long dry spell. To earn money for a trip with Maya, she takes a temporary job organizing the attic of Elsie McAllister, a famous elderly author. As Holiday sorts through unexpected items and learns more about Elsie, she confronts secrets that alter how she sees art, life, and her own choices.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 15First Time for Everything, AK. L. WaltherMadeline is close to her family, so her older brother’s engagement comes as a shock when he shares it without warning them. Unenthusiastic about his fiancée, Katie, Madeline decides to build a relationship with her and agrees to serve as a bridesmaid. During a late-night truth-or-dare game, she admits she has never kissed or dated anyone, prompting the other bridesmaids to help seek a wedding plus-one.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details13 Days of SummerStephanie Kate StrohmAfter their final year of high school, Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor set off on a cross-country road trip to attend a Taylor Swift concert. At a rest stop, they pick up a charming, mysterious hitchhiker. As he and Carson become attracted to one another, tensions rise within the group of friends. Their thirteen-day journey puts both the concert plan and the friends’ relationships under strain.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
All the Hidden Monsters (Book One)Amie JordanSage is both an ordinary girl and a werewolf, trying to understand her place between different worlds. When her supernatural friend Lucy is murdered in the human domain, Sage insists on joining the investigation. The case is led by Oren Rinallis, a warlock detective with a dangerous past. Sage trusts her ability to detect a killer, even as conflict and distrust complicate her work with Oren.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeLexile Text Measure HL660LView book details
All the Tomorrows AfterJoanne YiWinter Moon saves money in hopes that she and her grandmother can leave, but her mother takes the money and spends it. Winter then makes an agreement with her estranged father, recently back in her life after more than a decade: she will spend time with him in exchange for payment. As she struggles with loss, grief, and anger, a new student named Joon offers her support.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsAmerican Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and The Mysterious Fad that Haunted a NationBarb RosenstockThis nonfiction account traces Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox, sisters whose alleged communications with a spirit began after unexplained rapping in their Hydesville, New York, home in 1848. The messages were said to come from a murdered traveling peddler. As public attention grew, the sisters held séances in cities for wealthy clients seeking contact with dead relatives, helping spur the Modern Spiritualist movement.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
And the River Drags Her DownJihyun YunAfter her older sister Mirae drowns in the river running through their coastal town, Soojin Han breaks a family rule and uses ancestral magic to bring her back. The sisters initially celebrate being together again, but Mirae becomes restless and hungry. Seeking revenge and the truth behind a past family wound, Mirae coincides with destructive rain and unusual deaths. Soojin must question whether the sister she restored is the one she knew.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeLexile Text Measure HL790LView book detailsBeyond They/Them: 20 Influential Nonbinary and Gender-Diverse People You Should KnowEm Dickson, illustrated by Cameron MukwaThis illustrated guide presents 20 biographies of nonbinary, genderqueer, and two-spirit people. Its subjects come from fields including music, sports, film and television, and politics, as well as activism and other work. The book includes people with varied identities across the nonbinary spectrum, among them N. D. Stevenson, Janelle Monáe, Maia Kobabe, Sam Smith, Demi Lovato, Judith Butler, and others. It focuses on the contributions and public work of gender-diverse individuals.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Catalog of Burnt Objects, AShana YoungdahlSeventeen-year-old Caprice is trying to repair her relationship with her older brother after he returns home from rehab, even as she resents the disruption he caused in their family. She is also experiencing a first romance and building an app she hopes will lead to a college scholarship and a technology job. Then wildfires strike Sierra, her small California town, destroying what she knows and forcing her to confront an uncertain future. The story considers loss, survival, family, and the consequences of wildfire.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Chappell Roan: A Vibrant Journey Through the Career and Influence of the Indie-Pop SuperstarHarbert DayThis illustrated biography follows Chappell Roan’s journey from a small-town upbringing to pop stardom. It covers her personal and professional development, her songwriting process, and the career turns that shaped her public work. With more than forty photographs, the book considers her creative choices, self-expression, and LGBTQ+ representation, including the challenges of maintaining individuality in an industry that often expects conformity.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsClimate of ChaosCassandra NewbouldIn a storm-ravaged future Seattle, a virus spreads while privileged people live in corporate-controlled domes. Healthcare depends on hours worked in pharmaceutical factories; those who fall behind are sent to Harvest House to repay debt. After a storm kills her parents and leaves her disabled, Fox LaRosa joins her aunt’s mercenary group with her younger sister, Rabbit. When Rabbit is captured after a medical-supply robbery, Fox enters the domes to find her.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsCommon Rule Youth Edition, The: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted WorldJustin Whitmel EarleyAdapted from Justin Whitmel Earley’s earlier book, this youth edition addresses life amid screens and continual notifications. It presents intentional, simple habits meant to help young people pursue faith, freedom, rest, peace, and fulfillment. The book frames modern distraction as a source of stress and anxiety and offers practices intended to bring greater clarity and purpose within a busy, digitally connected world.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Cope FieldT. L. SimpsonCrawford “Craw” Cope is sentenced to community service after hitting his father with a baseball bat. The work involves repairing a neglected ball field that will be named for his father, a former major league player. Craw believes he has been spared harsher consequences because of that family connection. At the field he meets Hannah Flores, and their friendship grows as he wrestles with an explosive home life and questions about why his mother left him behind.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Everything Is PoisonJoy McCulloughIn early seventeenth-century Rome, sixteen-year-old Carmela Tofana longs to join her mother’s apothecary, La Tofana’s, in Campo Marzio. When she is finally allowed into its workroom, she learns how her mother and two assistants prepare remedies for customers. Among flower extracts and other medicines are potions made with darker ingredients, including Aqua Tofana, described as the apothecary’s remedy of last resort. The novel centers women providing care amid dangerous hidden secrets.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsGay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusValerie Danners has been raised within a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group, without realizing that it is a cult. Finding a queer romance novel in the library makes her begin to question the life she knows. She meets Riley, a rebellious new arrival, and the two connect over being multiracial teens in a community that is largely white and deeply religious. As their relationship grows, Valerie and Riley exchange secret notes and kisses while confronting the limits surrounding them.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
His Face is the SunMichelle Jabès CorporaIn Khetara, news of the pharaoh’s illness spreads as rebellion grows and ancient gods begin to stir. A forgotten oracle reemerges, linking four people—a princess, priestess, rebel, and thief—to the future of an empire. Their separate lives and the prophecy surrounding them place the kingdom’s fate in their hands. This opening novel in the Throne of Khetara trilogy draws on ancient Egyptian inspiration for its fantasy world.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsOn Again, Awkward Again: A NovelErin Entrada Kelly and Kwame MbaliaDuring their first week of freshman year, Pacy Mercado and Cecil Holloway notice each other, though the encounter is derailed by clumsiness and Cecil’s IBS. They remain drawn to one another but rely on unhelpful advice from friends, family members, and people online. Their paths cross again when both join the committee organizing the freshman dance for Wakeville’s Awesome Décor Society. Spending time together gives them a chance to see whether their awkward connection might become something more.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsPayback Girls, TheAlex TravisMeghan’s senior year changes when she discovers that her boyfriend Nate has been dating two other girls, Bria and Robin, without any of them knowing. All three are angry, but Nate is then found bloodied and unconscious in a locker room after a game. The girls become suspects and must determine what happened that night. Their uneasy alliance is built on betrayal, while Meghan develops feelings for a former rival.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Secret Investigator of Astor Street: A Piper Sail Mystery, TheStephanie MorrillAfter graduating high school, Piper Sail wants to become a detective in 1920s Chicago. Although her earlier investigation involved her missing best friend, society does not expect an eighteen-year-old woman to pursue such work. When a girl questions the ruling that her brother died by suicide, she asks Piper to investigate the possibility of murder. Piper takes up her notebook and enters the city’s mafia-controlled underworld in search of answers.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsSilenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan GenocidePablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonThis intergenerational graphic novel connects a family in Maryland in 2013 with Guatemala in 1982. Brothers Jose and Charlie know little about their mother Clara’s earlier life until Jose asks about a genocide trial. Clara eventually recounts her childhood during the Guatemalan Civil War, when violence reached her village and separated her from her sister Elena. The story draws on historical research and the creator’s experiences as a Guatemalan immigrant.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeATOS Book Level 3.9AR Interest Level Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book detailsThey Bloom at NightTrang Thanh TranAfter a hurricane, Noon and her mother survive in Mercy, Louisiana, where a red algae bloom has changed the water and its wildlife. They collect the altered creatures and trade them to the town’s corrupt harbormaster. As residents vanish and warnings circulate about shadows beneath the water and nighttime knocking, the harbormaster orders Noon to catch the being blamed for drownings. His daughter, Covey, becomes an uneasy partner in the search.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
This Is the YearGloria MuñozAfter her twin sister dies, Julieta “Juli” Villarreal is struggling with grief and a Florida home affected by climate disaster. An aspiring writer, she is selected by Cometa, a private program that recruits New American teens to train for a mission establishing an extraterrestrial settlement. Juli sees the demanding opportunity as a way to make a larger life for herself and gain freedom. As she prepares for a possible place on the first colony, new friendships and a romantic connection make her reconsider whether leaving Earth is what she truly wants.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsTrans History: A Graphic Novel: From Ancient Times to the Present DayAlex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, illustrated by Alex L. Combs and Andrew EakettThis full-color graphic nonfiction book introduces trans history from ancient times through the present. It considers what the term “trans” means and uses illustrated stories and historical records to show that diversity in sex and gender is not new. Profiles include the Roman emperor Elagabalus, seventeenth-century conquistador Antonio de Erauso, and Stonewall veterans Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The book also explores historical societal roles for trans people and the global spread of European gender ideas.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Truth Is: A NovelHannah V. SawyerrSeventeen-year-old Truth Bangura is pregnant, overwhelmed, and lying to the people around her, but her poems become a place where she can speak honestly. She wants a life beyond her hometown and is trying to decide what will happen to her body. When she joins a slam poetry club, Truth looks for a way to shape a future according to her own choices. The story is told in free verse.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
We Fell Apart: A We Were Liars NovelE. LockhartSeventeen-year-old Matilda receives an unexpected invitation from Kingsley Cello, the famous artist father she has never met. She goes to his isolated seaside home hoping to understand a missing part of her life, but finds her half-brother Meer, former child star Brock, and Tatum instead. With Kingsley absent, Matilda searches the uneasy, decaying property for answers while confronting the secrets surrounding her family and Hidden Beach.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
When Devils SingXan KaurWhen teenager Dawson Sumter disappears from a struggling small-town motel, blood left in room 4 is the only immediate trace. Neera Singh’s family owns the motel, and she joins three unlikely allies to investigate what happened. Their search leads them toward something sinister at the center of their community—something far older than the disappearance itself. The story combines a missing-person investigation with Southern Gothic horror.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book detailsYomigaeri Tunnel, TheKelly MurashigeMonika is grieving Shun, the classmate who died before graduation, during the last summer before she starts college. At a final Japanese Club meeting, she hears about the Yomigaeri Tunnel, an urban legend involving a passage where travelers face trials, hidden secrets, and their deepest fears. Anyone who succeeds is said to be able to return one dead person to life. Monika enters in hopes of bringing Shun back. Shiori, who wants to revive her mother, is determined to pursue the same goal.Librarian Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details