At last, our editors have made their choices for the best children’s books of the year, from picture books to middle grade to young adult titles. It wasn’t easy to decide, but after we roared our terrible roars, and gnashed our terrible teeth, we settled down long enough to agree on 30 excellent books.
Picture Books
- Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
- Blackout by John Rocco
- Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman
- Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson
- Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
- Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
- Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell
- Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
- Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman
Middle Grade
- The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine
- Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
- Drawing From Memory by Allen Say
- The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
- Hidden by Helen Frost
- Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
- Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
- Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Young Adult
- All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
- Badd by Tim Tharp
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
- Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
- Chime by Franny Billingsley
- The Floating Islands by Rachel Neumeier
- The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
- Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet
- Trapped by Michael Northrop
- What We Keep Is Not Always What Will Stay by Amanda Cockrell
What are your favorite children’s books of the year? Let us know in the comments below. You can also click here to enter a contest for a selection of winter/holiday books and, as a bonus, a few titles from the list above. Happy reading!
Loved, loved, loved “Okay for now” by Gary D. Schmidt! Best book I’ve read this year!
My daughter and I read Inside Out and Back Again, and it was fantastic. I really think was one of the best of the year – adult or youth.
I actually loved the two books mentioned above, but I’ll also add Sparrow Road by Sheila O’ Connor. It was such a sweet story filled with memorable characters.
I recently read EVERYBODY SEES THE ANTS by A.S. King and thought it was excellent.
I also bought CLOUDETTE for my niece for Christmas.
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Inside Out & Back Again was definitely one of the most powerful books written this year. I am wonderstruck with Brian Selznick’s work. Loved the Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland. Thank you for including Stars…what a fantastic job Marla Frazee does in making the book one that sticks in your heart. I am also a big fan of the Penderwicks at Point Mouette. Those books make me feel so good.
Lovely picture book picks, and I’m excited to read your middle grade and YA picks. But I’d love to see a category for early readers and early chapter books! They so often get lost in the shuffle.
“Blue Chicken” is the most beautiful picture book in a while! A must-have for your children’s library.
I am embarrassed to say that I had not yet read all your Best of 2011 titles. As an elementary school librarian I am very excited about the reccommendations and look forward to sharing them with my students.
Sorry, in my first post I misspelled recommendations : (