2025 ALSC Notable Children's Books — OlderLike this list

25 items

• Across So Many Seas

  Behar, Ruth, 1956-

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  Told from the perspectives of four girls from the same Sephardic family, the novel chronicles each girl’s search for freedom and safety, spanning from Spain in 1492 to Miami in 2003. (Newbery Honor Book)

• Black Girl You Are Atlas

  Watson, Renée,

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  Vibrant collages adorn Watson's semi-autobiographical collection of poems that explores growing up as a Black girl and celebrates the strengths of the Black women in her life.

• The Bletchley Riddle

  Sepetys, Ruta,

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  While working at Bletchley Park during WWII, siblings Lizzie and Jacob try to find out what happened to their mother after she disappeared in Poland when the Nazis invaded.

• Cruzita and the Mariacheros

  Granillo, Ashley Jean, 1987-

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  A summer of new responsibilities and experiences leads Cruzita on a journey of self-discovery as she explores what it means to her to be Mexican American. (Pura Belpré Children's Author Honor Book)

• Deer Run Home

  LeZotte, Ann Clare,

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  In this novel in verse inspired by an actual court case, a deaf girl finds the courage to speak up about her isolation and abuse.

• The Enigma Girls

  How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II

  Fleming, Candace,

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  The true story of 10 young women who left their homes during WWII to work in secret at Bletchley Park, intercepting German communications, breaking their codes, and helping end the war. (Sibert Honor Book)

• The First State of Being

  Kelly, Erin Entrada,

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  Y2K becomes the least of Michael’s worries when he meets Ridge, a boy from the future. (Newbery Medal Book)

• Ghostkeeper

  Taylor, Johanna,

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  A near-death experience as a child left Dorian with the ability to communicate with ghosts, which he now uses to counsel wayward and unhappy spirits.

• The Girl Who Sang

  a Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival

  Nadel, Estelle,

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  This unflinching and accessible graphic memoir tells the extraordinary true story of Nadel’s survival in Nazi-occupied Poland and her journey of resilience after the war. (Sibert Honor Book)

• How It All Ends

  Hunsinger, Emma,

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  Thirteen-year-old Tara’s overactive imagination fuels her anxiety and fear over skipping eighth grade and starting high school early, but after making friends and learning to be true to herself, she enjoys a good year.

• Impossible Creatures

  Rundell, Katherine,

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  Christopher and Mal must work together to save the last magical place on Earth, the Archipelago, and all the mythical creatures that inhabit it from destruction.

• Louder Than Hunger

  Schu, John, 1981-

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  Inspired by the author’s own experiences, this novel-in-verse follows 13-year-old Jake as he battles anorexia and confronts his inner voice while in an inpatient program.

• Mid-Air

  Williams, Alicia, 1970-

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  Isaiah has big plans to spend the summer with his friends, but when one is killed in a tragic accident, Isaiah learns to process his grief in unexpected ways and accept help from unfamiliar faces.

• Murray Out of Water

  Tracy, Taylor,

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  When a hurricane forces Murray and their family to evacuate to their uncle's house, they navigate complicated family dynamics while discovering new facets of their identity.

• Next Stop

  Fong, Debbie,

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  Pia takes a bus tour on her own to see a magical glowing lake and hopes that it will grant her wish for her family to be whole again.

• Pearl

  Smith, Sherri L.,

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  Traveling alone to care for her ailing great-grandmother in Hiroshima, a Japanese-American girl struggles with her identity and loyalty when Japan attacks Pearl Harbor and she is forced to translate for the Japanese military.

• Red Bird Danced

  Quigley, Dawn,

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  In this emotional novel-in-verse set in the present day, two Ojibwe neighbors, Ariel and Tomah, struggle with the disappearance of Ariel’s aunt while raising awareness for missing Indigenous women.

• Shark Teeth

  Winston, Sherri,

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  Twelve-year-old Sharkita "Kita" Hayes must decide whether to continue covering for her mother, who struggles with alcoholism, in order to keep her siblings together or seek help from trusted adults, risking their separation.

• Sona and the Golden Beasts

  LaRocca, Rajani,

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  After finding an orphaned golden-eared wolf pup, Sona and Raag embark on a quest to find the other sacred beasts of Devia, hoping to fulfill a prophecy and save their homeland.

• The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

  Choldenko, Gennifer, 1957-

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  After waiting for his unreliable mother to come home, 11-year-old Hank seeks out his grandmother’s friend to care for him and his toddler sister, and he finds unexpected hope and support along the way.