Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the WorldDylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Ruby FressonThe Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World is an illustrated middle-grade nonfiction book that traces 50 inventions and scientific discoveries across places and periods, showing how one technology can lead to the next.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsCBC Favorites Awards 2026
Annual favorites chosen by children, teachers, and librarians from books submitted by publishers.
2026 CBC Favorites AwardsSee the original list
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Kids Favorites — 6th–8th Grade
20 of 40 selections on this pageContinued from page 2
Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the WorldDylan Thuras, Jennifer Swanson, illustrated by Ruby FressonThe Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World is an illustrated middle-grade nonfiction book that traces 50 inventions and scientific discoveries across places and periods, showing how one technology can lead to the next.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Benny on the CaseWesley KingBenny, a boy with Mosaic Down syndrome, adjusts to a mainstream classroom and joins a new friend to investigate a thief threatening his home.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeATOS 4.6AR interest Middle Grades (MG 4-8)View book details
Bree Boyd is a LegendLeah JohnsonRule-loving seventh grader Bree Boyd is a spelling champion who thrives on predictability and high expectations. After lightning gives her telekinesis, she must adapt to a life she can no longer control.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Bug Bandits: The Museum Is Her Home. Her Mission Is to Save It., TheJenni L. WalshWhen a science-loving girl and her friends overhear a plot to rob her dad’s insectarium, they embark on a mission to stop the burglary of the museum’s rarest insects. Without a mom and with her dad busy running the museum, Liberty Jacobs was practically raised by the tarantulas, leopard geckos, and rare butterflies of the Walnut Street Insectarium.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Cassette Tape Secret, TheDanielle HerzogThirteen-year-old Alex Bennett is used to being overlooked by his classmates. From being bullied due to his OCD, he’s learned that being invisible is the safest option.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Chinese Mythology: Legendary Tales of Heaven, Earth, Humanity, and BeyondAaron Hwang, illustrated by Adela LiStep into the magical and rich world of Chinese mythology with tales of gods, goddesses, the Monkey King, the White Snake, and more in this gorgeous, fully illustrated collection of myths and fairy tales.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Court of the Dead: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, TheRick Riordan and Mark OshiroNew York Times #1 best-selling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico's half-sister Hazel Levesque…Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Deepwater CreekMichael Regina, illustrated by Michael ReginaFrom the creator of The Sleepover comes a horror graphic novel for kids about two brothers and their friends who set out to uncover what terrors may be lurking in their nearby creek.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Dragonforged: Sword of the ChampionEric LideA New York Public Library Best of 2025 book An ordinary boy must find his inner hero in this hilarious, action-packed debut middle-grade graphic novel filled with jokes, friendship, incompetent villains, and lots of heart.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
DreamBarbara O'ConnorDream follows a small town girl with big aspirations who discovers that anything is possible with your best friends and an adorable pup by your side!The sky is the limit.Idalee Lovett is content with her life in small-town Colby, North Carolina, living in her family’s huge house with rooms for rent.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Extra LargeTyler PageTyler Page returns with a touching middle grade memoir about a boy dealing with Button Pusher weight gain, bullying, and gendered expectations all while starting a new school year.It’s the start of a new school year for Tyler, and with it comes brand-new problems.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Leyendas/Legends: 60 Latine People Who Changed the WorldMónica Mancillas, illustrated by Isadora ZeferinoThis collective biography introduces 60 Latine artists, engineers, activists, athletes, and other figures whose work changed their communities and fields.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Lice: How to Survive on HumansBerta Paramo, illustrated by Berta ParamoIn a hilarious spin on insect books, this lavishly illustrated survival guide for lice—by lice—helps us understand the miracle of life everywhere. Finally a book that celebrates our extraordinary story and prepares us for survival.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Marisol Acts the PartElle Gonzalez RoseA teen actress lands a role on the same high-profile show as her ex-boyfriend—only for things to get messy when she falls for his cute scene partner—in a dazzling sapphic rom-com from the author of Caught in a Bad Fauxmance.“A swoony celebrity romance sure to steal your heart.” —Jennifer Dugan, author of Some Girls DoActress Marisol Polly-Rodriguez might…Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Ride or DieDelilah S. DawsonA sleepover at an amusement park takes a chilling turn in this pulse-pounding horror from the New York Times bestselling author of Mine and Camp Scare. Turning fun into fear. . . .Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
School for ThievesPeter BurnsWhen he fails at the last and their home is raided, Tom is the only one not carted off to the workhouse.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Summer of Dragonflies, ANatasha DeenGuppie Persaud wants to be a hero, but most days, she feels more like a terminally shy zero.Then her dad gets chosen for a yearlong teacher exchange program, and the whole family packs up for a big move.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-UpsGail JarrowFinalist, 2026 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young AdultsA School Library Journal Best BookChicago Public Library Best of the Best List 2025CCBC…Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Wildcats: A Graphic NovelCrystal Velasquez, illustrated by Eva CabreraMina is just an average middle schooler. But when she starts attending a new boarding school that her parents also attended, she and three other girls learn that they have generational powers that turn them into wildcats.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book details
Wish Switch, TheLynn PainterEmma Rockford knows it will take bonafide magic to make middle school everything she wants it to be. Luckily, before Emma’s beloved Nana died, she left detailed instructions on how to access an ancient, secret, magical wishing well.Kids Favorites — 6th–8th GradeView book detailsKids Favorites — 9th–12th Grade
40 selections
Rank 1Dear MannyNic StoneHis platform is solid—built on increased equity and inclusion in all sectors of campus life—and he’s got a good chance of beating the deeply conservative business major he’s running against.But when a transfer student enters the race, she calls Jared out for his big-talk/little-action way of moving.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 2Flip Side, TheJason WalzAnd then something even more disconcerting happens: His town literally flips upside down and everyone disappears, except for a threatening, shape-shifting monster and a snarky teenage girl who knows her way around this flipped world.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 3Buzz! (2025 edition)Ananth Hirsh, illustrated by Tess StoneOn his first day of high school, Webster stumbles into underground competitive spelling and is labeled the Golden Kid after an unexpected success. New rivals and mentors pull him into battles built around words, friendship, and self-worth.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 4Messi Mania: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Soccer StarLuis Miguel EchegarayIn Messi Mania, discover the seismic effect Leo has had on MLS and global soccer, woven through with fascinating insights into his family background, childhood, teenage years, and career to date.Messi’s career has been built on hard work, determination, and teamwork, but his early years in Argentina were tough, including personal challenges that almost ruined his dreams of…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 5Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel, TheMaggie Stiefvater; adapted by Stephanie Williams, illustrated by Sas MilledgeNATIONAL BESTSELLER • A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the first book in Maggie Stiefvater’s #1 New York Times bestselling series The Raven Cycle!Blue Sargent comes from a family of psychics.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 6Art of Drag, TheJake Hall, illustrated by Sofie Birkin, Helen Li, and Jasjyot Singh HansThis illustrated cultural history traces drag through theater, fashion, sexuality, and politics, from ancient performance and Kabuki to Shakespeare, Stonewall, ballroom culture, and contemporary artists.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 7Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan GenocidePablo Leon, illustrated by Pablo LeonIn 2013 Maryland, Jose’s questions about a genocide trial lead his mother Clara to describe her childhood during Guatemala’s civil war. The graphic novel shifts to 1982, when violence separated Clara and her sister Elena from their village and each other.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeATOS 3.9AR interest Upper Grades (UG 9-12)View book details
Rank 8FirebloomsAlexandra VillasanteAn absorbing speculative Queer romance, set in a town that uses technology to prevent hate speech and bullying. He tries to help, but despite being ill, her tongue is as sharp as ever, finding all Sebas’s tender places.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 9Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' RightsAshley Hope PérezFifteen authors and illustrators contribute fiction, memoir, poetry, comics, and essays about book bans and the freedom to read. The anthology also includes guidance and resource lists for teenagers responding to censorship.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 10After We BurnedMarieke NijkampAfter a fire destroys Fenix’s high school and kills Eden, five teenagers each hold part of the truth about what happened. Their attempts to protect their own secrets drive this suspense novel.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 11Latina Superheroes (Volume 1): Jalisco & SantaKayden PhoenixMeet Jalisco and Santa: Jalisco is looking for her beloved mother, who disappeared mysteriously. Santa is faced with taking down the corrupt politicians in her hometown.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 12Tall WaterSJ SinduTHE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE HONOR BOOK!From Stonewall Honor–winning writer SJ Sindu, author of Shakti, and celebrated illustrator Dion MBD comes a…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 YelchinEugene Yelchin's graphic memoir recounts his young adulthood in the Soviet underground art scene, the danger of military conscription, confinement in a Siberian asylum, and eventual escape to the United States.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 14(S)KinIbi ZoboiEvery new moon, she sheds her skin like the many women before her, shifting into a fireball witch who must fly into the night and slowly sip from the lives of others to sustain her own.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Rank 15Girl You Know, TheElle Gonzalez RoseThey Wish They Were Us meets All That’s Left to Say in this dark academia thriller about who is allowed to break the rules—and…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
13 Days of SummerStephanie Kate StrohmAfter high school graduation, Carson, Noemi, and Eleanor take a cross-country road trip to a Taylor Swift concert. Picking up a stranded traveler introduces romance and tensions that test their friendship before they reach the show.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and The Mysterious Fad that Haunted a NationBarb RosenstockThis nonfiction account follows Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox, whose claimed spirit messages helped popularize séances in nineteenth-century America. It examines their fame, public skepticism, and the Civil War–era demand for contact with the dead.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Among GhostsRachel HartmanAfter seven safe years in St. Muckle’s, Charl sees a ghost and his past returns amid a murder, plague, and mercenary dragon. He flees to a haunted abbey where murdered girls, a dangerous nun, and buried history await him.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Climate of ChaosCassandra NewbouldAn exhilarating dystopian YA recalling The Last of Us and Divergent—Climate of Chaos is a hard-hitting survival story featuring a disabled protagonist that explores the chilling effects of climate change and medical debt.In dystopic Seattle, storms have devastated Earth’s population, a new virus is spreading, and the privileged live inside domes controlled by Aegis Corp.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Common Rule Youth Edition, The: Growing Your Faith in a Distracted WorldJustin Whitmel EarleyThe Common Rule Youth Edition provides clarity and purpose, tailored specifically for teens and tweens (grades 6-12). Adapted from Justin Whitmel Earley's bestselling book, The Common Rule Youth Edition empowers youth to break free from the stress and anxiety that modern life can impose.The CommonRule Youth Edition equips young people with the tools to help them find peace…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Death in the DarkBryce MooreFrom the author of The Perfect Place to Die, Don't Go to Sleep, and A Family of Killers comes another chilling historical mystery.As bombs light up the night sky, a killer waits in the shadows.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Devil's in the Dancers, TheCatherine YuScholarship student Mars Chang has finally been accepted into the most prestigious dance academy―and she’ll do anything to stay.Earning a scholarship to the Allegra Academy summer intensive was supposed to fix everything for Mars Chang.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Espada: The Will of the BladeAnabel Colazo; Translated by Diego Jourdan Pereira, illustrated by Anabel ColazoA 2026 Children's Book Council Kid's Favorite From Spanish cartoonist Anabel Colazo (No Mires Atrás, Encuentros Cercanos) comes Espada, a tale of a young princess and her quest to carve out her own destiny amid a lineage of power.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Everything I Promised YouKaty UppermanDespite army-brat life orbiting them in and out of each other's worlds, Lia knows they are destined to be together. It's more than their friendship and chemistry.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Extraordinary Quests for Amateur WitchesKayla CottinghamAfter accidentally cursing his ex-boyfriend, a reluctant hero must complete a dangerous quest to undo his spell . . . all while falling for a brooding new crewmate with dark secrets.Kieran has never had much luck in love or magic.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Fawn's Blood: A NovelHal SchrieveVampires, vampire slayers, and a bloodthirsty underground resistance converge in a campy YA fantasy about being a queer teen in a world that wishes they did not exist.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Gay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusBut when she stumbles upon a queer romance novel at the library, everything about her life—centered around a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group —is thrown into question. And to make things even more complicated, there’s a new girl in town.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal StoriesCynthia Leitich SmithPrintz Award Winner American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Love, MishaAskel AdenMorris YA Debut Award finalistSelected for the Rainbow Book ListComic Book Council 2026 KIDS FAVORITEVLA Graphic Novel Diversity AwardLammy Award FinalistThis beautifully drawn teen graphic novel explores the complicated, ever-evolving bond between a mother and child.Can this road trip get any worse?Yes, Mom (Audrey) wanted to spend time with Misha.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
On Again, Awkward Again: A NovelErin Entrada Kelly and Kwame MbaliaWell, more like love at first fleeting, injury-riddled glance, since the moment is ruined thanks to clumsiness and a criminal case of IBS. Despite their total lack of game, Pacy and Cecil are drawn to each other.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 BeckAlanna isn’t like other girls from noble families—what she really wants is to become a knight and earn her shield, something women definitely aren’t allowed to do. But Alanna will not be deterred, and she arrives in the capital disguised as a boy to begin training as a page, the first step toward becoming a knight.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Student GovernmentDave Justus and Lilah Sturges, illustrated by Joe EismaThe interim student government of a prestigious university discovers a loophole in the school's charter that sets them on a journey to save their beloved school from demolition.At America's second-oldest university, four earnest, clever, and desperate teens on the interim student government exploit a charter loophole in an effort to save their school from being demolished, facing down…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Summer I Ate the Rich, TheMaika Moulite and Maritza MouliteJust add garlic, lemon, and a dash of the one percent.This smart, biting novel explores what happens when a Haitian American girl uses her previously hidden zombie abilities to exact revenge on the wealthy elites who’ve caused her family pain.Brielle Petitfour loves to cook.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)Suzanne CollinsAnd it's great." The New York TimesWhen you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
They Bloom at NightTrang Thanh TranNoon and her mother have carved out a life in the wreckage, trawling for the mutated wildlife that lurks in the water and trading it to the corrupt harbormaster.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
This Could Be ForeverEbony LadelleThis paperback features stunning stenciled sprayed edges while the special edition supply lasts. The first in her large family to go to college, she wants to study chemistry and sell natural skin care products, like the ones she already creates from plants grown on her family’s North Carolina farm.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Toxic SummerDerek Charm, illustrated by Derek CharmBut they arrive to find that a mysterious toxic spill has turned the water unswimmable and littered the shore with rotting fish carcasses. Their jobs become beach cleanup and the hunks are nowhere to be seen—like hermit crabs.When they save a local historian with suspiciously glowing eyes from the water, and tentacled monsters begin snatching people in the…Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Wake the Wild CreaturesNova Ren SumaA Washington Post Best Book of the Year! Three years ago, Talia lived happily in the ruins of the Neves, a once-grand hotel in the wilds of the Catskill Mountains, with her mother Pola and their community of like-minded women.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
What We Did to Each OtherJosuee HernándezIt’s the early 2010s, and seventeen-year-old Yesenia Rivera hates everything about herself: her brown skin and wide nose, her curly hair and hand-me-down clothing, and her inability to fit in with either the Mexican girls or the white girls at her school.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details
Yomigaeri Tunnel, TheKelly MurashigeShe’s still grieving the loss of the one classmate who didn’t make it to graduation, a boy named Shun with whom she had a complicated relationship.Then, during her final Japanese Club meeting, Monika hears about the Yomigaeri Tunnel.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeView book details