PAPITO Bookshelf
From newborn to young adult. A short shelf for new and expecting parents, then board books and bedtime stories for the early years, then books to read side by side and talk about as kids grow. Most have won major awards or are widely loved by parents, teachers and librarians.
Award details are listed as we understand them; your librarian can confirm. Books for older kids carry a heads-up when they include mature themes, so you can read alongside them and talk.
Your library card
Public libraries lend e-books, audiobooks and movies through apps. All you need is a library card.
Miami-Dade County, about 50 branches
Apply online for an eCard and start borrowing digital books right away, or get a physical card at any branch. Get a card ↗
Holds can be mailed to your home, and your card also opens the New York Times and Wall Street Journal online. Library website ↗
Live in Hialeah, North Miami, North Miami Beach, Homestead or Miami Shores? Those cities run their own libraries, so check your city’s library website too.
Services change, so check your library’s website for the latest. More cities coming soon.
Showing 424 of 424
New and expecting parents · Parent guide
John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman · Get the latest edition
How couples protect their relationship once the baby arrives.
Talk about: Marriage, Partnership, Conflict
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
American Academy of Pediatrics · Get the latest edition
The pediatricians’ own reference for health, growth and safety from birth to age 5.
Talk about: Health, Development, Safety
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Benjamin Spock · Get the latest edition
The classic that told parents to trust themselves, updated by pediatricians in later editions.
Talk about: Confidence, Child development
Heads-up: Get the newest edition. Early editions include advice that has since been reversed, like putting babies to sleep on their stomachs.
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Laura A. Jana and Jennifer Shu · Get the latest edition
Practical help from two pediatricians for the first weeks at home.
Talk about: Newborn care, First weeks
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Penny Simkin · Get the latest edition
The standard guide for partners supporting a mother through labor and birth.
Talk about: Labor support, Partnership
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Armin A. Brott and Jennifer Ash · Get the latest edition
Month by month, what dads-to-be go through and what they can do.
Talk about: New dads, Pregnancy, Partnership
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Harvey Karp · Get the latest edition
A pediatrician’s method for calming a crying newborn.
Talk about: Soothing, Sleep, Crying
Heads-up: Follow your pediatrician’s safe-sleep guidance alongside it.
Find it at a library ↗New and expecting parents · Parent guide
Karen R. Kleiman and Valerie Davis Raskin · Get the latest edition
Helps moms and partners recognize postpartum depression and get help.
Talk about: Postpartum depression, Supporting mom
Heads-up: Covers postpartum depression. If mom is struggling, call her doctor or the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-852-6262.
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle · 1967
Bold animals in bright colors, each passing the question along.
Talk about: Colors, Animals, Rhythm
Fun fact: Eric Carle’s first picture book as an illustrator.
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
The Global Fund for Children · 2007
Photographs of babies from cultures around the world.
Talk about: Faces, Families around the world
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
Margaret Wise Brown · 1947
A bunny says goodnight to everything in a quiet, rhythmic room.
Talk about: Bedtime routine, Saying goodnight
Fun fact: The illustrations alternate between color and black-and-white pages.
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Picture book
Sam McBratney · 1994
Two hares try to measure how much they love each other.
Talk about: Love, Bedtime
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
Peter Linenthal · 1998
High-contrast black-and-white pictures made for newborn eyes.
Talk about: Shapes, Looking
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Picture book
Nancy Tillman · 2006
A lyrical welcome telling a child how the world celebrated their arrival.
Talk about: Love, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Touch-and-feel
Dorothy Kunhardt · 1940
Touch the bunny, feel Daddy’s scratchy face and play peekaboo.
Talk about: Senses, Play
Fun fact: One of the first touch-and-feel books, in print since 1940.
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
Rachel Isadora · 2002
A toddler plays peekaboo with family and pets through a morning.
Talk about: Family, Morning routine
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Board book
Eric Carle · 1969
A tiny caterpillar eats its way through a week and transforms.
Talk about: Counting, Days of the week, Growing
Fun fact: Eric Carle got the idea while punching holes in a stack of paper with a hole puncher.
Find it at a library ↗Under 1 · Lift-the-flap
Karen Katz · 2000
Lift each flap to find a baby’s eyes, mouth and belly button.
Talk about: Body parts, Peekaboo
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Lift-the-flap
Rod Campbell · 1982
Lift the flaps to see which animal the zoo sent this time.
Talk about: Animals, Guessing
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Donald Crews · 1978
A colorful train rolls through tunnels and cities and across trestles.
Talk about: Colors, Trains, Motion
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Bruce Degen · 1983
A boy and a bear romp through a berry-filled land in rhyme.
Talk about: Rhyme, Play
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Picture book
Anna Dewdney · 2005
Baby Llama frets when Mama leaves the room at bedtime.
Talk about: Bedtime worries, Reassurance
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Picture book
Barbara M. Joosse · 1991
An Inuit girl tests whether her mother’s love has limits.
Talk about: Unconditional love, Arctic culture
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Sandra Boynton · 1982
Animals make their sounds, except the pigs, who sing.
Talk about: Animal sounds, Silliness
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Mem Fox · 2008
Babies from everywhere share the same ten fingers and toes.
Talk about: Babies around the world, Love
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Sandra Boynton · 1982
Animals on a boat bathe, brush and exercise before bed.
Talk about: Bedtime routine
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Board book
Mem Fox · 1993
Animal parents settle their little ones to sleep.
Talk about: Bedtime, Animal families
Find it at a library ↗Age 1 · Lift-the-flap
Eric Hill · 1980
A mother dog looks behind doors and under beds for her puppy.
Talk about: Searching, Pets
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault · 1989
The letters race up a coconut tree, and down they tumble.
Talk about: Alphabet, Rhythm
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Don Freeman · 1968
A teddy bear in a department store searches for his missing button.
Talk about: Friendship, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Sherri Duskey Rinker · 2011
Trucks finish a day’s work and settle in for the night.
Talk about: Bedtime, Hard work
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Kevin Henkes · 2004
A kitten thinks the moon is a bowl of milk and tries to reach it.
Talk about: Persistence, Night
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Mo Willems · 2004
A toddler loses her beloved bunny at the laundromat and can’t explain why.
Talk about: Communication, Family
Fun fact: The backgrounds are photographs of real streets in Brooklyn.
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Alice Schertle · 2008
A friendly truck helps a bossy dump truck stuck in the mud.
Talk about: Kindness, Helping friends
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Martin Waddell · 1992
Three baby owls wait for their mother to come home.
Talk about: Missing a parent, Reassurance
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee · 2002
Parents coax their spirited toddler through a busy day.
Talk about: Family life, Patience
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Ezra Jack Keats · 1962
Peter explores his neighborhood after the first big snowfall.
Talk about: Wonder, Seasons
Fun fact: One of the first major picture books with a Black child as the main character.
Find it at a library ↗Age 2 · Picture book
Michael Rosen · 1989
A family braves grass, mud and a dark cave in a chant-along story.
Talk about: Courage, Family adventure
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Keiko Kasza · 1992
A little bird looking for his mother finds one who doesn’t look like him.
Talk about: Adoption, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Karma Wilson · 2002
Forest friends throw a party in a sleeping bear’s cave.
Talk about: Friendship, Sharing
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Linda Sue Park · 2005
A hungry girl helps her family make a favorite Korean dish.
Talk about: Family meals, Korean culture
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Esphyr Slobodkina · 1938
A peddler must outwit the monkeys who took his caps.
Talk about: Patience, Problem solving
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Mo Willems · 2003
A pigeon pleads with the reader to let him drive the bus.
Talk about: Saying no, Rules
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Suzanne Lang · 2015
Animal families of every shape and size show what makes a family.
Talk about: All kinds of families
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Crockett Johnson · 1955
Harold draws his own adventure, and his way home, with one crayon.
Talk about: Imagination, Creativity
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Robert McCloskey · 1941
A duck family finds a safe home in Boston with help from a police officer.
Talk about: Family, Safety, Community
Fun fact: Robert McCloskey kept ducks in his apartment to draw them, and bronze statues of the family now stand in Boston’s Public Garden.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow · 2018
A girl wears her mother’s headscarf and imagines all she can be.
Talk about: Muslim family, Imagination, Love
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Ezra Jack Keats · 1967
Peter is upset his old things are going to the new baby.
Talk about: A new sibling, Growing up
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Sylvia A. Rouss · 1993
A little spider watches a family celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah.
Talk about: Hanukkah, Colors, Family
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Leo Lionni · 1963
A little black fish teaches his school to swim together as one big fish.
Talk about: Teamwork, Being different
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Jamie Lee Curtis · 1996
A girl asks her parents to retell the night she was adopted.
Talk about: Adoption, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Molly Bang · 1983
A father counts down his daughter’s bedtime routine.
Talk about: Counting, Bedtime, Father and daughter
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Todd Parr · 2003
Every family is different, and every family loves each other.
Talk about: All kinds of families
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Julia Donaldson · 1999
A small mouse outsmarts forest predators with a monster he invented.
Talk about: Cleverness, Courage
Fun fact: Julia Donaldson based it on a Chinese folktale about a girl who tricks a tiger.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Cori Doerrfeld · 2018
When something goes wrong, the rabbit simply listens.
Talk about: Big feelings, Listening
Find it at a library ↗Ages 3 and up · Picture book
Claire Masurel · 2001
A boy has two homes, two bedrooms and two parents who both love him.
Talk about: Divorce and two homes, Love
Find it at a library ↗Age 3 · Picture book
Maurice Sendak · 1963
Max sails to where the wild things are, then returns home to his supper.
Talk about: Big feelings, Imagination, Home
Fun fact: Maurice Sendak said the wild things were inspired by his relatives who visited when he was a child.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Aisha Saeed · 2019
A boy shares his family’s slow-cooked daal with curious friends.
Talk about: Pakistani American family, Food, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Kevin Henkes · 1991
A mouse loves her name until classmates tease her about it.
Talk about: Names, Teasing, Self-worth
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Doreen Cronin · 2000
Cows find a typewriter and start making demands of the farmer.
Talk about: Negotiation, Fairness
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Laurene Krasny Brown and Marc Brown · 1986
A practical guide to divorce for kids, starring a dinosaur family.
Talk about: Divorce and two homes, Feelings
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Yuyi Morales · 2018
A mother and child arrive in a new country and find their way through the library.
Talk about: Immigration, Books, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Joanna Ho · 2021
A girl learns to love her eyes, which look like her mother’s and grandmother’s.
Talk about: East Asian heritage, Self-love, Family
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Jessica Love · 2018
A boy dreams of being a mermaid, and his grandmother embraces him.
Talk about: Self-expression, Grandparents, Acceptance
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Kevin Henkes · 1990
Lilly can’t stand her new baby brother, until someone else insults him.
Talk about: A new sibling, Jealousy
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Matt de la Peña · 2015
A boy rides the bus with his grandmother and learns to see beauty around him.
Talk about: Gratitude, Community, Grandparents
Fun fact: Matt de la Peña became the first Latino author to win the Newbery Medal.
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
John Steptoe · 1987
Two sisters, one kind and one proud, travel to meet a king.
Talk about: Kindness, Character
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Jane Yolen · 1987
A child and father go owling on a quiet winter night.
Talk about: Patience, Nature, Father and child
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Tomie dePaola · 1975
Big Anthony ignores a warning about a magic pasta pot.
Talk about: Listening, Consequences
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Jacqueline Woodson · 2018
Children find the courage to share their stories when they feel different.
Talk about: Belonging, Courage, Differences
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Patrice Karst · 2000
An invisible string connects us to the people we love, wherever they are.
Talk about: Grief and loss, Missing someone
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Tomie dePaola · 1994
A Mexican legend about a humble gift that becomes the poinsettia.
Talk about: Mexican Christmas tradition, Giving
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Joanna Rowland · 2017
A child keeps memories of someone who died in a special box.
Talk about: Grief and loss, Remembering
Heads-up: About the death of a loved one.
Find it at a library ↗Age 4 · Picture book
Munro Leaf · 1936
A bull would rather smell flowers than fight.
Talk about: Being yourself, Gentleness
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Meg Medina · 2011
A girl helps her aunt save for a car while the family sends money back home.
Talk about: Cuban American family, Saving, Family far away
Find it at a library ↗Ages 4 and up · Picture book
Jacqueline Woodson · 2002
A girl and her grandmother prepare for their monthly visit to her father.
Talk about: A parent in prison, Love
Heads-up: About a parent in prison.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Bao Phi · 2017
A boy and his father fish before dawn so the family can eat.
Talk about: Vietnamese American family, Fathers and sons, Work
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Judith Viorst · 1995
Alexander refuses to move away from everything he knows.
Talk about: Moving, Big feelings
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Pop-up
Robert Sabuda · 2003
Lewis Carroll’s story told through elaborate pop-up scenes.
Talk about: Imagination, Curiosity
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Juana Martinez-Neal · 2018
A girl learns the family stories behind each of her many names.
Talk about: Names, Family history
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Geoffrey Hayes · 2008
A mouse brother and sister learn to play pretend together.
Talk about: Siblings, Imagination
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Minh Lê · 2018
A boy and his grandfather, who speak different languages, connect through drawing.
Talk about: Grandparents, Language, Art
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Edwidge Danticat · 2010
A boy trapped after the earthquake keeps his spirits up by imagining play.
Talk about: Haitian heritage, Hope, Imagination
Heads-up: Set during the 2010 earthquake.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Sergio Ruzzier · 2018
A patient fox and an energetic chick share three funny stories.
Talk about: Friendship, Patience
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Early reader
Arnold Lobel · 1970
Five gentle stories about two friends who look out for each other.
Talk about: Friendship, Kindness
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Matthew A. Cherry · 2019
A dad learns to style his daughter’s hair for a special day.
Talk about: Father and daughter, Self-love
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Norm Feuti · 2020
A hedgehog and a bat learn to be good friends.
Talk about: Friendship, Sharing
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Junot Díaz · 2018
A girl who left the island as a baby collects her family’s memories of it.
Talk about: Dominican heritage, Memory, Home
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
James Kochalka · 2008
A little ghost and his pet Squiggle have big, silly adventures.
Talk about: Friendship, Silliness
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Reem Faruqi · 2015
A girl new to her school figures out how to explain fasting for Ramadan.
Talk about: Ramadan, Belonging, Faith
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen · 1983
A gentle explanation that every living thing has a beginning and an end.
Talk about: Grief and loss, Nature
Heads-up: Explains death directly.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Jeff Smith · 2009
A little mouse gets dressed for the barn all by himself.
Talk about: Getting dressed, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Ed Young · 1989
Three sisters outwit a wolf in this Chinese telling of Red Riding Hood.
Talk about: Cleverness, Siblings, Chinese folklore
Heads-up: A wolf threatens three sisters.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Lisa Tucker McElroy · 2005
A girl writes letters to her mother serving overseas.
Talk about: A parent deployed, Letters
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Ben Clanton · 2016
An upbeat narwhal and a skeptical jellyfish become friends.
Talk about: Friendship, Imagination
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Frank Cammuso and Jay Lynch · 2008
A cat wishes everything were orange and learns to be careful what he wishes for.
Talk about: Wishes, Colors
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Andy Runton · 2004
A kind little owl helps a lost worm find his family, told almost without words.
Talk about: Kindness, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Graphic novel
Eleanor Davis · 2008
A swamp monster who hates kids meets a boy who loves frogs.
Talk about: Friendship, Change
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
William Steig · 1969
A donkey’s careless wish separates him from his family.
Talk about: Wishes, Family, Patience
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Oge Mora · 2018
A grandmother shares her stew with everyone who smells it.
Talk about: Generosity, Community
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Picture book
Chris Van Allsburg · 1985
A boy rides a magical train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
Talk about: Wonder, Believing
Find it at a library ↗Age 5 · Early reader
Mo Willems · 2010
Elephant and Piggie discover a reader is reading them.
Talk about: Reading, Humor, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 5 and up · Picture book
Carole Lindstrom · 2020
An Ojibwe girl stands up to protect the water.
Talk about: Ojibwe heritage, Nature, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Picture book
Andrea Beaty · 2016
A girl’s endless questions lead her to experiment.
Talk about: Curiosity, Science, Persistence
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Greg Pizzoli · 2021
A pig, a bunny and friends star in short, funny stories.
Talk about: Friendship, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
James Burks · 2012
A cautious squirrel and a reckless bird flee a hungry cat.
Talk about: Friendship, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Dav Pilkey · 2020
Baby frogs learn to make their own comics, with very different styles.
Talk about: Creativity, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Manga
Konami Kanata · 2004
A lost kitten finds a new home with a young family.
Talk about: Pets, Family
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Dav Pilkey · 2016
Half dog, half cop, all chaos in a comic drawn like kids draw.
Talk about: Humor, Loyalty
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Manga
Fujiko F. Fujio · 1969
A robot cat from the future helps a boy with gadgets that never quite go to plan.
Talk about: Friendship, Inventions
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Picture book
Kevin Noble Maillard · 2019
A celebration of a shared food and the families who make it.
Talk about: Family, Food, Native identity
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Picture book
Allen Say · 1993
A grandfather’s life between Japan and America, and his longing for both.
Talk about: Grandparents, Home, Two cultures
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue · 2010
A guinea pig detective solves a mystery in a pet shop.
Talk about: Mystery, Pets
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Early reader
Cynthia Rylant · 1987
A boy and his huge, loyal dog share small everyday adventures.
Talk about: Pets, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
John Patrick Green · 2016
A hippo leaves the zoo to try out human jobs.
Talk about: Work, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Chapter book
Mary Pope Osborne · 1992
A brother and sister find a tree house that travels through time.
Talk about: Curiosity, Siblings, History
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Early reader
Kate DiCamillo · 2005
A buttered-toast-loving pig accidentally saves the day.
Talk about: Humor, Family
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Chapter book
Richard and Florence Atwater · 1938
A house painter ends up with a family of penguins.
Talk about: Responsibility, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Aron Nels Steinke · 2018
A new teacher and his animal students navigate the first day of school.
Talk about: School, Teachers
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Chapter book
Ruth Stiles Gannett · 1948
A boy sails to a wild island to free a captured baby dragon.
Talk about: Courage, Rescue
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Picture book
Peggy Rathmann · 1995
A police dog secretly steals the show at safety talks.
Talk about: Teamwork, Safety
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Graham Annable · 2018
One sloth sets off to see the world while his friend worries at home.
Talk about: Friendship, Adventure
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
Stephen Shaskan · 2020
Two food friends argue about which of them is the best.
Talk about: Friendship, Competition
Find it at a library ↗Ages 6 and up · Graphic novel
John Patrick Green · 2020
Two alligator detectives solve cases full of puns.
Talk about: Humor, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Age 6 · Picture book
Yangsook Choi · 2001
A Korean girl new to America considers choosing a new name.
Talk about: Names, Immigration, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Mo O’Hara and Jess Bradley · 2019
A moose secret agent solves forest crimes.
Talk about: Mystery, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin · 2018
A mischievous girl’s funny adventures in a neighborhood in Côte d’Ivoire.
Talk about: Ivorian life, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Early reader
Peggy Parish · 1963
A housekeeper takes every instruction literally.
Talk about: Wordplay, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm · 2005
A daydreaming mouse wants to be invited to the popular girl’s sleepover.
Talk about: Imagination, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Laura Knetzger · 2020
Two bug friends explore their world with curiosity.
Talk about: Friendship, Nature
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Chapter book
E. B. White · 1952
A spider saves her friend the pig by writing words in her web.
Talk about: Friendship, Loss, Loyalty
Fun fact: E. B. White studied real spiders and even kept an egg sac in his apartment while writing it.
Heads-up: A beloved character dies.
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Chapter book
Jeff Brown · 1964
A boy flattened by a bulletin board mails himself on adventures.
Talk about: Humor, Adventure
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Comic strip
Jim Davis · 1980
A lasagna-loving cat and his long-suffering owner in the first Garfield collection.
Talk about: Humor, Pets
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Luke Pearson · 2010
A fearless girl explores mountains full of trolls and giants.
Talk about: Adventure, Nature
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Chapter book
Juana Medina · 2016
A girl in Bogotá struggles to learn English, with her dog by her side.
Talk about: Language learning, Family, Colombia
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Comic strip
Winsor McCay · 1905
A boy’s nightly dream adventures in one of the earliest great comic strips.
Talk about: Dreams, Imagination
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
John Gallagher · 2020
A cat gains superpowers from a space meatball.
Talk about: Heroes, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Comic strip
Charles M. Schulz · 1950
Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends in the classic daily strip.
Talk about: Friendship, Persistence
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Comic strip
Dana Simpson · 2014
A girl skips a stone and frees a vain unicorn who becomes her best friend.
Talk about: Friendship, Imagination
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Chapter book
Patricia MacLachlan · 1985
A woman from Maine answers a widowed farmer’s letter.
Talk about: New family, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm · 2011
An amoeba who loves comics wants to be a hero like his idol.
Talk about: Courage, Science
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Picture book
Marcia Brown · 1947
Hungry soldiers trick a wary village into making a feast together.
Talk about: Sharing, Community
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Graphic novel
Aaron Blabey · 2015
A wolf, a shark, a snake and a piranha try to become good guys.
Talk about: Humor, Doing good
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Chapter book
Ann Cameron · 1981
Julian’s tall tales get him and his brother into trouble.
Talk about: Family, Imagination, Honesty
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Picture book
Robert Coles · 1995
A six-year-old walks past angry crowds to integrate her school.
Talk about: Courage, Civil rights, Forgiveness
Heads-up: Depicts racism during school integration.
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Picture book
Margery Williams · 1922
A stuffed rabbit learns what it means to become real through love.
Talk about: Love, Becoming real
Heads-up: Illness and loss.
Find it at a library ↗Age 7 · Classic
A. A. Milne · 1926
Pooh and friends wander the Hundred Acre Wood in gentle stories.
Talk about: Friendship, Kindness
Fun fact: Inspired by the stuffed animals of A. A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin. The original toys are now at the New York Public Library.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 7 and up · Manga
Kiyohiko Azuma · 2003
A curious five-year-old and her easygoing dad discover everyday wonders.
Talk about: Curiosity, Father and daughter
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Manga
Osamu Tezuka · 1952
A robot boy with a heart fights for peace between robots and humans.
Talk about: Robots, Justice
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic
Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs · 2013
Gentle, funny mini-stories of Gotham’s heroes through the holidays.
Talk about: Holidays, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Middle grade
Kate DiCamillo · 2000
A girl and a stray dog bring a small Florida town together.
Talk about: Friendship, Loneliness, Parents
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic strip
Lincoln Peirce · 1991
A sixth grader sure of his own greatness keeps proving otherwise.
Talk about: School, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Jeff Smith · 1991
Three cousins lost in a valley of dragons, rat creatures and mystery.
Talk about: Adventure, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic strip
Bill Watterson · 1987
A boy and his tiger, who is either a stuffed toy or very real.
Talk about: Imagination, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Chapter book
Roald Dahl · 1964
Five children tour a candy maker’s factory with very different results.
Talk about: Greed, Kindness
Fun fact: Roald Dahl was inspired by chocolate companies that sent new candy bars to his school for students to taste-test.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Mike Maihack · 2014
A young Cleopatra is transported to the future and enrolled in a space academy.
Talk about: Courage, Destiny
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic
Jeffrey Brown · 2012
A funny imagining of a famous villain as an everyday dad.
Talk about: Fathers and sons, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Middle grade
Kelly Yang · 2018
A girl helps run a motel while her family builds a new life.
Talk about: Immigration, Fairness, Family
Heads-up: Racism and money worries.
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Middle grade
J. K. Rowling · 1997
An orphan discovers he’s a wizard and starts at Hogwarts.
Talk about: Friendship, Courage, Belonging
Fun fact: J. K. Rowling came up with the idea on a delayed train, and the book was turned down by many publishers.
Heads-up: Some peril and scary scenes.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Judd Winick · 2015
A boy who fell from the sky can’t remember who he is.
Talk about: Friendship, Identity
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Jarrett J. Krosoczka · 2009
The school lunch lady is secretly a crime-fighter.
Talk about: Humor, Heroes
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Chapter book
Roald Dahl · 1988
A brilliant girl stands up to the bullying grown-ups around her.
Talk about: Courage, Reading, Fairness
Heads-up: Cruel adults.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Manga
Hidenori Kusaka and Mato · 1997
A young trainer sets out to catch and train Pokémon.
Talk about: Adventure, Friendship
Heads-up: Creature battles.
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Chapter book
Beverly Cleary · 1981
Ramona navigates third grade and a family under money pressure.
Talk about: Family stress, Growing up
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Molly Brooks · 2018
Two girls on a space station chase down a runaway three-headed kitten.
Talk about: Science, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
MK Reed and Joe Flood · 2016
The real history of how people discovered dinosaurs.
Talk about: Science, History
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes · 2015
Kids crack a school’s mysteries by learning to code.
Talk about: Coding, Mystery
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Michael Northrop and Gustavo Duarte · 2019
Kids write letters to the heroes, who answer in funny stories.
Talk about: Heroes, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic
Hergé · 1943
A young reporter and his dog hunt for a pirate’s lost treasure.
Talk about: Mystery, Adventure
Heads-up: Some dated depictions in older Tintin books.
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Classic
C. S. Lewis · 1950
Four siblings step through a wardrobe into the land of Narnia.
Talk about: Courage, Loyalty, Good and evil
Fun fact: C. S. Lewis said it began with a picture in his head of a faun carrying an umbrella through a snowy wood.
Heads-up: Battle scenes.
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Middle grade
Katherine Applegate · 2012
A gorilla living in a mall works to free a baby elephant.
Talk about: Captivity, Friendship, Art
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Middle grade
Kate DiCamillo · 2003
A tiny mouse with big ears sets out to rescue a princess.
Talk about: Bravery, Forgiveness
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
K. O’Neill · 2017
A young blacksmith learns the art of caring for tiny tea dragons.
Talk about: Craft, Friendship, Memory
Find it at a library ↗Age 8 · Chapter book
Grace Lin · 2006
A girl searches for her talent during the Year of the Dog.
Talk about: Identity, Friendship, Taiwanese American culture
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Comic strip
Will Henry · 2017
A boy in a seaside town explores with his friends.
Talk about: Adventure, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 8 and up · Graphic novel
Ben Hatke · 2011
A girl leaps through a portal to rescue her best friend on an alien planet.
Talk about: Courage, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Kazu Kibuishi · 2008
Two siblings follow their kidnapped mother into a strange underground world.
Talk about: Family, Courage
Heads-up: A parent’s death in the opening.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Comic
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo · 1965
Asterix and Obelix help build a palace for Cleopatra.
Talk about: Humor, History
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Comic
René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo · 1961
One small village holds out against the Roman Empire.
Talk about: Humor, History
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Christopher Paul Curtis · 1999
An orphan sets out to find the father he believes is a jazz musician.
Talk about: Family, Resilience, Hope
Heads-up: Orphanhood and Depression-era hardship.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Manga
CLAMP · 1996
A girl must recapture magical cards she accidentally released.
Talk about: Magic, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Kayla Miller · 2019
A girl who fits in everywhere struggles when everyone forms acts for the show.
Talk about: Friendship, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Pam Muñoz Ryan · 2000
A wealthy girl in Mexico rebuilds her life as a farm worker in California.
Talk about: Resilience, Immigration, Family
Heads-up: Loss of a parent.
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Andrew Clements · 1996
A boy invents a new word for pen, and it spreads far beyond his school.
Talk about: Words, Creativity, Teachers
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Raina Telgemeier · 2016
Two sisters move to a coastal town where ghosts are part of life.
Talk about: Family, Illness, Día de los Muertos
Heads-up: A sibling’s serious illness.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Comic strip
Nick Seluk · 2015
A heart and a brain argue about everything.
Talk about: Feelings, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Scott O’Dell · 1960
A girl survives alone for years on an island off California.
Talk about: Survival, Solitude, Nature
Fun fact: Based on a real Native American woman who lived alone on San Nicolas Island for 18 years.
Heads-up: Death of a sibling.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue · 2021
A girl’s cat-sitting job for a mysterious neighbor gets super.
Talk about: Responsibility, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third · 2014
Three friends build the best lowrider car in the universe.
Talk about: Mexican American culture, Cars, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Ben Hatke · 2016
A modern Jack and the Beanstalk with dangerous garden magic.
Talk about: Siblings, Responsibility
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Nathan Hale · 2012
The Revolutionary War spy tells his story before his execution.
Talk about: American history, Humor
Heads-up: Historical violence, told with humor.
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Graphic novel
Jerry Craft · 2019
A Black seventh grader navigates a private school where few kids look like him.
Talk about: Belonging, Race, School
Fun fact: The first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal.
Heads-up: Microaggressions at school.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Manga
Osamu Tezuka · 1953
A princess raised to rule disguises herself as a prince.
Talk about: Identity, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Maris Wicks · 2016
A fish guides readers through the life of a coral reef.
Talk about: Ocean science, Nature
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Kat Leyh · 2020
A girl befriends the town’s rumored witch, who cares for injured animals.
Talk about: Friendship, Nature
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Jeffrey Brown · 2013
A boy who wanted pilot school ends up at Jedi academy.
Talk about: School, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm · 2015
A girl spends a Florida summer with her grandfather and a family secret.
Talk about: Family, Addiction
Heads-up: A family member’s substance use.
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Judy Blume · 1972
Peter’s little brother Fudge drives him up the wall.
Talk about: Siblings, Humor
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Comic
Hergé · 1953
Tintin joins a mission to build a rocket to the Moon.
Talk about: Space, Adventure
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Shaun Tan · 2006
A wordless story of a father who moves to a new country.
Talk about: Immigration, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Chad Sell · 2018
Neighborhood kids build a fantasy world from cardboard boxes.
Talk about: Imagination, Identity
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Classic
Norton Juster · 1961
A bored boy drives through a tollbooth into a land of words and numbers.
Talk about: Curiosity, Learning, Wordplay
Fun fact: Illustrated by Jules Feiffer, who was Norton Juster’s housemate at the time.
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Peter Brown · 2016
A robot washed ashore learns to survive and raises a gosling.
Talk about: Nature, Parenthood, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
Grace Lin · 2009
A girl journeys to ask the Old Man of the Moon to change her family’s fortune.
Talk about: Folklore, Family, Contentment
Find it at a library ↗Ages 9 and up · Graphic novel
Tui T. Sutherland, adapted by Mike Holmes · 2018
Five young dragons set out to fulfill a prophecy.
Talk about: Destiny, Friendship
Heads-up: Battle violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 9 · Middle grade
R. J. Palacio · 2012
A boy with a facial difference starts school for the first time.
Talk about: Kindness, Differences, Friendship
Fun fact: R. J. Palacio was inspired by a moment when her son reacted to a child with a facial difference outside an ice cream shop.
Heads-up: Bullying.
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Classic
Madeleine L’Engle · 1962
Meg travels through space and time to rescue her father.
Talk about: Courage, Love, Science
Fun fact: Turned down by more than two dozen publishers before it won the Newbery Medal.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Kozue Amano · 2002
A trainee gondolier on a future Mars shaped like Venice.
Talk about: Calm, Work, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Svetlana Chmakova · 2015
A new student’s embarrassing first day haunts her all year.
Talk about: Friendship, Middle school
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Vera Brosgol · 2018
A Russian American girl spends a miserable, funny summer at camp.
Talk about: Belonging, Camp
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Svetlana Chmakova · 2017
A daydreamer navigates teasing and finds his people.
Talk about: Bullying, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Jerry Craft · 2020
The companion to New Kid, following Drew at his private school.
Talk about: Race, Friendship, Class
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Akira Toriyama · 1984
A boy with a tail sets out to find the magical Dragon Balls.
Talk about: Adventure, Training
Heads-up: Some crude humor and fighting.
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
E. L. Konigsburg · 1967
Two siblings run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Talk about: Independence, Siblings, Art
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Haruichi Furudate · 2012
A short player chases his volleyball dreams.
Talk about: Teamwork, Sports
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Gary Paulsen · 1987
A boy survives alone in the Canadian wilderness with only a hatchet.
Talk about: Survival, Resilience, Divorce
Fun fact: Gary Paulsen drew on his own experiences in the wilderness.
Heads-up: A plane crash and a pilot’s death.
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Erin Entrada Kelly · 2017
Four kids’ lives collide when a shy boy goes missing.
Talk about: Friendship, Shyness, Fate
Heads-up: Bullying.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Barry Deutsch · 2010
An Orthodox Jewish girl wants to fight dragons.
Talk about: Orthodox Jewish life, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Novel in verse
Thanhha Lai · 2011
A girl flees Vietnam and starts over in Alabama, told in verse.
Talk about: Refugees, Family, Change
Heads-up: War and displacement.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Kristen Gudsnuk · 2018
A girl uses a magic sketchbook to draw herself a new best friend.
Talk about: Friendship, Middle school
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Jerry Spinelli · 1990
A legendary runaway boy crosses a town divided by race.
Talk about: Racism, Belonging, Home
Heads-up: Racial tension; the main character is orphaned.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu · 2020
A girl enters a cooking contest to bring her grandmother from Taiwan.
Talk about: Immigration, Grandparents, Cooking
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Meg Medina · 2018
A Cuban American girl in Florida juggles school and her grandfather’s illness.
Talk about: Family, Grandparents, Growing up
Heads-up: A grandparent’s Alzheimer’s disease.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Justin A. Reynolds and Pablo Leon · 2021
Miles balances school, a fundraiser for Puerto Rico and a mystery.
Talk about: Community, Heritage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
David Petersen · 2007
Mice soldiers guard their kingdom from predators and traitors.
Talk about: Duty, Courage
Heads-up: Battle violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Lois Lowry · 1989
A Danish girl helps her Jewish best friend escape the Nazis.
Talk about: Courage, Friendship, History
Fun fact: Based on the real rescue of Denmark’s Jewish community in 1943.
Heads-up: Nazi occupation.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Nidhi Chanani · 2017
A magical shawl shows a girl visions of her mother’s India.
Talk about: Mothers and daughters, Indian heritage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks · 2013
The true stories of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas.
Talk about: Science, Women in science
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Shannon Hale, Dean Hale and Nathan Hale · 2008
Rapunzel uses her hair as a lasso in the Wild West.
Talk about: Courage, Fairy tales
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham · 2017
A memoir of finding true friends in elementary school.
Talk about: Friendship, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Victoria Jamieson · 2015
A girl spends a summer learning roller derby.
Talk about: Friendship, Persistence
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Naoko Takeuchi · 1991
A clumsy girl becomes a guardian who fights evil with her friends.
Talk about: Friendship, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Raina Telgemeier · 2014
A road trip forces two sisters to get along.
Talk about: Siblings, Family
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Raina Telgemeier · 2010
A memoir of a dental injury, braces and middle school.
Talk about: Growing up, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Jen Wang · 2019
Two very different Chinese American girls become friends.
Talk about: Friendship, Identity
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru · 2019
Superman helps a Chinese American family stand up to hate.
Talk about: Prejudice, Courage
Heads-up: Racist violence in a 1940s setting.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Gido Amagakure · 2013
A widowed dad learns to cook real meals for his young daughter.
Talk about: Single dad, Cooking, Grief
Heads-up: A parent’s death before the story begins.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Johnnie Christmas · 2022
A girl who can’t swim joins her school’s team and learns why.
Talk about: Swimming, Black history, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Ann M. Martin, adapted by Raina Telgemeier · 2006
Four friends start a babysitting business.
Talk about: Friendship, Responsibility
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Cathy G. Johnson · 2019
Kids on the worst soccer team become real friends.
Talk about: Teamwork, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Middle grade
Kelly Barnhill · 2016
A girl raised by a kind witch discovers her powerful magic.
Talk about: Love, Sorrow, Courage
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Don Brown · 2013
How the dust storms of the 1930s happened and what they did.
Talk about: History, Nature
Find it at a library ↗Age 10 · Classic
J. R. R. Tolkien · 1937
A home-loving hobbit is swept into a quest with dwarves and a dragon.
Talk about: Courage, Adventure, Home
Fun fact: J. R. R. Tolkien began it by scribbling its famous first line on a blank page of an exam he was grading.
Heads-up: Battles.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Manga
Akira Himekawa · 2000
A boy sets out on a quest across a magical kingdom.
Talk about: Courage, Adventure
Heads-up: Fantasy battles.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Emma Steinkellner · 2019
A girl discovers she comes from a long line of witches.
Talk about: Family, Identity
Find it at a library ↗Ages 10 and up · Graphic novel
Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright · 2020
Twin sisters run against each other for class treasurer.
Talk about: Siblings, Identity
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru · 2012
Aang and friends face life after the war.
Talk about: Friendship, Peace
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Katherine Paterson · 1977
Two friends create a secret kingdom, until tragedy strikes.
Talk about: Friendship, Grief, Imagination
Fun fact: Katherine Paterson was inspired by the death of her son’s childhood friend.
Heads-up: Death of a child.
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Novel in verse
Jacqueline Woodson · 2014
The author’s childhood between South Carolina and New York, in verse.
Talk about: Identity, Family, Writing
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Manga
Akane Shimizu · 2015
The cells of the human body as workers on the job.
Talk about: Biology, Teamwork
Heads-up: Germs fight in cartoon battles.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Tony Cliff · 2013
An adventurer and a tea-loving lieutenant team up.
Talk about: Adventure, Friendship
Heads-up: Sword fighting.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang · 2020
The author follows his school’s basketball team on a championship run.
Talk about: Basketball, Persistence
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Pam Muñoz Ryan · 2015
A harmonica links three children across countries and decades.
Talk about: Music, Courage, History
Heads-up: Nazi Germany and discrimination.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Raina Telgemeier · 2019
A memoir about stomach aches, worry and learning to talk about it.
Talk about: Anxiety, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Manga
Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata · 1998
A boy haunted by a Go master discovers the ancient board game.
Talk about: Board games, Mentors
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Louis Sachar · 1998
A boy sent to a desert camp uncovers a family curse.
Talk about: Justice, Friendship, Fate
Heads-up: A harsh detention camp.
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Mildred D. Taylor · 1976
A Black family in Mississippi holds on to their land and dignity.
Talk about: Racism, Family, Land
Heads-up: Racial violence in 1930s Mississippi.
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Novel in verse
Kwame Alexander · 2014
Twin basketball stars face change on and off the court.
Talk about: Brothers, Basketball, Fathers
Heads-up: A parent’s illness.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Faith Erin Hicks · 2016
Two kids from opposite sides of an occupied city become friends.
Talk about: Friendship, Conflict
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Ali Benjamin · 2015
A girl searches for a scientific reason behind her friend’s drowning.
Talk about: Grief, Science, Friendship
Heads-up: Death of a friend.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Comic
Ryan North and Erica Henderson · 2015
A superhero who solves problems by talking first starts college.
Talk about: Humor, Kindness
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Ellen Raskin · 1978
Sixteen heirs compete to solve a millionaire’s puzzling will.
Talk about: Puzzles, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Molly Knox Ostertag · 2017
A boy wants to learn witchcraft in a family where only girls do.
Talk about: Identity, Family
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Sharon Creech · 1994
A girl road-trips with her grandparents and unravels her mother’s story.
Talk about: Grief, Grandparents, Family
Heads-up: A parent’s death.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 11 and up · Graphic novel
Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed · 2020
A true story of a boy raising his brother in a Kenyan refugee camp.
Talk about: Refugees, Brothers, Hope
Heads-up: Life in a refugee camp.
Find it at a library ↗Age 11 · Middle grade
Rebecca Stead · 2009
A girl receives notes that seem to predict the future.
Talk about: Friendship, Time, Mystery
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Linda Sue Park · 2010
Two Sudanese children’s stories, decades apart, meet over water.
Talk about: Resilience, Water, Sudan
Heads-up: War and refugee hardship.
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Hena Khan · 2017
A Pakistani American girl finds her voice after her community is targeted.
Talk about: Identity, Faith, Friendship
Heads-up: A hate crime against a mosque.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
Vera Brosgol · 2011
A girl falls into a well and befriends a ghost who isn’t what she seems.
Talk about: Belonging, Choices
Heads-up: Some dark moments.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Miya Kazuki and Suzuka · 2015
A book lover reborn in a world without books decides to make her own.
Talk about: Books, Persistence
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Satsuki Yoshino · 2009
A city calligrapher moves to a small island and is adopted by its kids.
Talk about: Community, Art
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Yuki Suetsugu · 2007
A girl falls for karuta, a fast-paced Japanese card game.
Talk about: Competition, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Ryoko Kui · 2014
Adventurers cook monsters to survive a dungeon.
Talk about: Cooking, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
Don Brown · 2015
The true story of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Talk about: Disaster, Community
Heads-up: Deaths in the storm.
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Graphic novel
Cece Bell · 2014
A memoir of growing up deaf with a powerful hearing aid.
Talk about: Disability, Friendship, Self-acceptance
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe · 2020
An elf mage learns what her human friends meant to her.
Talk about: Time, Grief, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Jason Reynolds · 2016
A boy who’s always running finds a track team and a coach.
Talk about: Running, Anger, Mentors
Heads-up: Past gun violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano · 2018
A boy from Ghana sets out across Africa and the Mediterranean to find his sister.
Talk about: Migration, Brothers
Heads-up: Dangerous journeys and loss.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Tomohito Oda · 2016
A shy, admired girl tries to make 100 friends.
Talk about: Social anxiety, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Comic
ND Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Shannon Watters and Brooklyn Allen · 2015
Five friends at summer camp face monsters and mysteries.
Talk about: Friendship, Adventure
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Comic
G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona · 2014
A Pakistani American teen in New Jersey gains superpowers.
Talk about: Identity, Faith, Family
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Kohei Horikoshi · 2014
A boy without powers inherits the abilities of the world’s greatest hero.
Talk about: Heroism, Perseverance
Heads-up: Fighting.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Masashi Kishimoto · 1999
An outcast ninja kid dreams of being his village’s leader.
Talk about: Persistence, Friendship
Heads-up: Fighting and some loss.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Hayao Miyazaki · 1982
A princess seeks peace between people and a toxic forest.
Talk about: Nature, Peace
Heads-up: War violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
ND Stevenson · 2015
A shapeshifter joins a villain who might be the good guy.
Talk about: Identity, Friendship
Heads-up: Fantasy violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Eiichiro Oda · 1997
A rubbery pirate captain sails to find the ultimate treasure.
Talk about: Friendship, Adventure
Heads-up: Fighting.
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Sharon M. Draper · 2010
A brilliant girl with cerebral palsy finally finds a way to speak.
Talk about: Disability, Voice, Fairness
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Rick Riordan · 2005
A boy discovers he’s the son of a Greek god.
Talk about: Identity, Learning differences, Myths
Fun fact: Began as bedtime stories Rick Riordan told his son.
Heads-up: Action violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Takehiko Inoue · 1990
A hot-headed teen joins the basketball team to impress a girl.
Talk about: Basketball, Teamwork
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Chūya Koyama · 2007
Two brothers chase their childhood dream of becoming astronauts.
Talk about: Brothers, Space
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Tatsuya Endo · 2019
A spy, an assassin and a mind-reading girl form a fake family.
Talk about: Family, Humor
Heads-up: Some violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Comic
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale · 1998
Young Clark Kent grows up in Smallville, guided by Pa Kent.
Talk about: Fathers and sons, Home
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Nagabe · 2015
A girl and a cursed creature live in a quiet, haunted forest.
Talk about: Fear, Belonging
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Lois Lowry · 1993
A boy in a perfect community is chosen to hold its hidden memories.
Talk about: Memory, Freedom, Choice
Heads-up: Euthanasia is depicted.
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Neil Gaiman · 2008
A boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard grows up and must face the world.
Talk about: Growing up, Belonging
Heads-up: Opens with a family’s murder.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
Jen Wang · 2018
A prince secretly loves wearing gowns made by his talented dressmaker.
Talk about: Identity, Friendship
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley · 2015
A girl with a clubfoot escapes London and an abusive mother during WWII.
Talk about: Disability, Family, Courage
Heads-up: Parental abuse.
Find it at a library ↗Age 12 · Middle grade
Christopher Paul Curtis · 1995
A family road trip south collides with history.
Talk about: Family, Civil rights, Humor
Heads-up: A church bombing.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Graphic novel
George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott and Harmony Becker · 2019
George Takei’s memoir of his family’s imprisonment in American camps.
Talk about: History, Family, Justice
Heads-up: Wartime incarceration.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Comic
Stan Sakai · 1987
A rabbit samurai wanders feudal Japan helping those in need.
Talk about: Honor, Adventure
Heads-up: Sword fighting.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 12 and up · Manga
Kamome Shirahama · 2016
A girl discovers magic is drawn, and becomes an apprentice witch.
Talk about: Magic, Learning
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Classic
Ursula K. Le Guin · 1968
A gifted young wizard must face the shadow he unleashed.
Talk about: Pride, Responsibility, Growing up
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Comic
Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely · 2005
Superman’s final year, told as a celebration of what he stands for.
Talk about: Legacy, Kindness
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Robin Ha · 2020
A memoir of moving from Seoul to Alabama as a teen.
Talk about: Immigration, Mothers and daughters
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang · 2006
Three stories about fitting in weave together.
Talk about: Identity, Stereotypes, Belonging
Heads-up: Racist stereotypes, shown in order to critique them.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Ari Folman and David Polonsky · 2018
Anne Frank’s diary, adapted with her own words.
Talk about: History, Hope
Heads-up: The Holocaust.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Yūsei Matsui · 2012
A class of misfits must defeat their alien teacher, who is the best teacher they’ve ever had.
Talk about: Teachers, Growing up
Heads-up: Fantasy violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata · 2008
Two teens team up to become professional manga creators.
Talk about: Careers, Creativity
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Young adult
Joseph Bruchac · 2005
A Navajo boy becomes a Marine code talker in WWII.
Talk about: Navajo culture, War, Identity
Heads-up: War violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Koyoharu Gotouge · 2016
A boy fights demons to cure his sister.
Talk about: Siblings, Courage
Heads-up: Violence and a family’s deaths.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Natsuki Takaya · 1998
A girl discovers a family cursed to turn into zodiac animals.
Talk about: Family, Healing
Heads-up: Family trauma.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Hiromu Arakawa · 2001
Two brothers search for a way to restore their bodies after an alchemy accident.
Talk about: Brothers, Sacrifice
Heads-up: Violence and death.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Alice Oseman · 2019
Two schoolboys become friends, and then more.
Talk about: Friendship, First love
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Novel in verse
Jason Reynolds · 2017
A teen rides an elevator toward revenge, meeting ghosts on each floor.
Talk about: Grief, Revenge, Choices
Heads-up: Gun violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Chica Umino · 2007
A teen professional shogi player finds a family in three sisters.
Talk about: Board games, Found family
Heads-up: Depression and loneliness.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Tony Lee and Sam Hart · 2015
The teenage girl who led an army in medieval France.
Talk about: Faith, Courage
Heads-up: Battle violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
ONE · 2012
A psychic boy would rather be normal.
Talk about: Self-worth, Emotions
Heads-up: Fights.
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Novel in verse
Karen Hesse · 1997
A girl survives the Dust Bowl and her family’s tragedy, in verse.
Talk about: Grief, Resilience, Dust Bowl
Heads-up: A parent’s death in a fire.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Rainbow Rowell and Faith Erin Hicks · 2019
Two friends spend their last night working at a pumpkin patch.
Talk about: Friendship, Fall
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Comic
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale · 2002
Peter Parker looks back on his first love.
Talk about: Memory, Love
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Young adult
Jerry Spinelli · 2000
An unusual girl transforms a high school, until it turns on her.
Talk about: Conformity, Kindness, First crush
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Memoir
Anne Frank · 1947
A Jewish girl’s diary from hiding during the Nazi occupation.
Talk about: Hope, Family, History
Fun fact: Anne Frank received the diary as a gift for her 13th birthday.
Heads-up: The Holocaust.
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Classic
Sandra Cisneros · 1984
A Latina girl in Chicago imagines a home of her own, in short vignettes.
Talk about: Identity, Home, Growing up
Heads-up: Some mature moments.
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Young adult
Suzanne Collins · 2008
A girl volunteers for a deadly televised contest to save her sister.
Talk about: Power, Survival, Sacrifice
Fun fact: Suzanne Collins got the idea while flipping between reality TV and news coverage of a war.
Heads-up: Children are killed in the games.
Find it at a library ↗Age 13 · Young adult
S. E. Hinton · 1967
Rival teen gangs and a boy who wants to stay gold.
Talk about: Class, Loyalty, Belonging
Fun fact: S. E. Hinton started writing it as a teenager in high school.
Heads-up: Gang violence and death.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Graphic novel
Don Brown · 2018
Real stories of families fleeing Syria’s war.
Talk about: Refugees, War
Heads-up: War and loss.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Kousuke Oono · 2018
A legendary former gangster becomes a devoted stay-at-home husband.
Talk about: Homemaking, Humor
Heads-up: Gangster backstory, played for laughs.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 13 and up · Manga
Naoshi Arakawa · 2011
A piano prodigy who stopped playing meets a free-spirited violinist.
Talk about: Music, Grief
Heads-up: Illness and death.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Manga
Yoshitoki Ōima · 2013
A former bully tries to make amends with the deaf girl he tormented.
Talk about: Bullying, Redemption
Heads-up: Bullying and a suicide attempt.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau · 2019
A boy working at his family’s bakery falls for the new baker.
Talk about: First love, Family business
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Manga
Tsubasa Yamaguchi · 2017
A bored honor student discovers a passion for painting.
Talk about: Art, Purpose
Heads-up: Some mature themes.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang · 2013
Two linked stories of China’s Boxer Rebellion from opposite sides.
Talk about: History, Faith, Conflict
Heads-up: War violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Classic
Ray Bradbury · 1953
A firefighter who burns books begins to question his world.
Talk about: Censorship, Thinking for yourself
Fun fact: Ray Bradbury wrote the first draft on a coin-operated typewriter in a library basement.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Jarrett J. Krosoczka · 2018
A memoir of being raised by grandparents while his mother struggles with addiction.
Talk about: Family, Addiction, Grandparents
Heads-up: A parent’s addiction.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Memoir
Malala Yousafzai · 2014
A girl who stood up for education in Pakistan tells her story.
Talk about: Education, Courage, Activism
Heads-up: An assassination attempt.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Comic
Mark Waid and Alex Ross · 1996
Retired heroes return to a world they no longer understand.
Talk about: Legacy, Responsibility
Heads-up: Superhero violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Mariko Tamaki and Rosemary Valero-O’Connell · 2019
A teen keeps getting back together with a girlfriend who isn’t good for her.
Talk about: Relationships, Friendship
Heads-up: Teen relationships.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham · 2011
A gamer feels pushed to become the doctor his late father wanted.
Talk about: Parents’ expectations, Career
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Graphic novel
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell · 2013
Congressman John Lewis’s memoir of the civil rights movement.
Talk about: Civil rights, Nonviolence, Courage
Heads-up: Racist violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Classic
John Steinbeck · 1937
Two drifters chase the dream of a farm of their own.
Talk about: Friendship, Dreams, Loneliness
Heads-up: Violence, a mercy killing and slurs.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Tillie Walden · 2018
A space crew restoring old buildings helps a girl find her lost love.
Talk about: Found family, Love
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Manga
Ichigo Takano · 2012
A girl receives letters from her future self asking her to save a classmate.
Talk about: Friendship, Regret
Heads-up: A friend’s suicide is central.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Graphic novel
Marjane Satrapi · 2003
A memoir of growing up during Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
Talk about: Revolution, Identity, Family
Heads-up: War and executions.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Comic
Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona · 2003
Teens discover their parents are supervillains.
Talk about: Family, Right and wrong
Heads-up: Some violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Young adult
Laurie Halse Anderson · 1999
A freshman stops speaking after an assault and slowly reclaims her voice.
Talk about: Trauma, Healing, Speaking up
Heads-up: Sexual assault.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Young adult
Markus Zusak · 2005
Death narrates a girl’s life stealing books in Nazi Germany.
Talk about: Words, Loss, Kindness
Heads-up: Wartime deaths.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Young adult
Angie Thomas · 2017
A teen witnesses her friend’s shooting and finds her voice.
Talk about: Justice, Identity, Voice
Heads-up: A police shooting and strong language.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Novel in verse
Elizabeth Acevedo · 2018
A Dominican American teen in Harlem finds herself through slam poetry.
Talk about: Faith, Identity, Voice
Heads-up: Family conflict and some mature themes.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki · 2014
Two friends spend a summer at a lake town, noticing the grown-up world.
Talk about: Growing up, Family
Heads-up: Mature themes and language.
Find it at a library ↗Age 14 · Classic
Harper Lee · 1960
A girl watches her father defend a Black man in the Jim Crow South.
Talk about: Justice, Racism, Empathy
Fun fact: Harper Lee’s only published novel for 55 years.
Heads-up: Racism and a trial over an alleged assault.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Graphic novel
Jonathan Fetter-Vorm · 2012
The science and people behind the first atomic bomb.
Talk about: Science, History, Ethics
Heads-up: The atomic bombings.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 14 and up · Manga
Mizuho Kusanagi · 2009
A princess forced to flee her kingdom becomes a leader.
Talk about: Courage, Leadership
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Play
Lorraine Hansberry · 1959
A Black family in Chicago debates how to use an insurance check.
Talk about: Dreams, Family, Racism
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Classic
George Orwell · 1945
Farm animals overthrow their farmer, then their leaders become tyrants.
Talk about: Power, Propaganda, Equality
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Young adult
Benjamin Alire Sáenz · 2012
Two Mexican American teens form a friendship that changes them both.
Talk about: Friendship, Identity, Family
Heads-up: Violence and some mature content.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Manga
Keiji Nakazawa · 1973
A boy survives the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, based on the author’s life.
Talk about: War, Survival, Family
Heads-up: Graphic depiction of the Hiroshima bombing.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Comic
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale · 1996
A young Batman hunts a killer who strikes on holidays.
Talk about: Mystery, Justice
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Manga
Osamu Tezuka · 1973
An unlicensed genius surgeon takes on impossible cases.
Talk about: Medicine, Ethics
Heads-up: Surgical scenes.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Graphic novel
Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick · 2011
The life of the playful, brilliant physicist Richard Feynman.
Talk about: Science, Curiosity
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Young adult
Angeline Boulley · 2021
An Ojibwe teen goes undercover in an investigation in her community.
Talk about: Ojibwe identity, Justice, Family
Heads-up: Drugs and violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Comic
Mike Mignola and John Byrne · 1994
A demon raised by a professor fights the forces that summoned him.
Talk about: Identity, Folklore
Heads-up: Monster violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Graphic novel
Tony Medina, Stacey Robinson and John Jennings · 2017
A teen killed by police watches what happens next.
Talk about: Justice, Race
Heads-up: A police shooting.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Manga
Gege Akutami · 2018
A high schooler joins a secret school that fights curses.
Talk about: Courage, Friendship
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Classic
William Golding · 1954
Stranded boys build a society that descends into violence.
Talk about: Power, Civilization, Fear
Heads-up: Killings among children.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Graphic novel
Art Spiegelman · 1986
A son records his father’s story of surviving the Holocaust.
Talk about: History, Fathers and sons, Memory
Heads-up: Holocaust atrocities.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Young adult
Walter Dean Myers · 1999
A teen on trial for murder tells his story as a screenplay.
Talk about: Justice, Identity, Choices
Heads-up: Crime and prison.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Memoir
Elie Wiesel · 1956
A teenager and his father survive Auschwitz.
Talk about: Faith, Survival, Fathers and sons
Heads-up: Holocaust atrocities.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Manga
Makoto Yukimura · 1999
Space debris collectors chase their dreams in orbit.
Talk about: Space, Purpose
Heads-up: Mature themes.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Manga
Naoki Urasawa · 2003
A robot detective investigates the murders of the world’s most advanced robots.
Talk about: Robots, Grief, Justice
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Play
William Shakespeare · 1597
Two young lovers from feuding families.
Talk about: Love, Conflict, Choices
Heads-up: Violence and the deaths of the lovers.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Young adult
Ruta Sepetys · 2016
Four young refugees converge on a doomed ship at the end of WWII.
Talk about: Refugees, Survival, History
Heads-up: War violence and death.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 15 and up · Graphic novel
David Small · 2009
A memoir of a childhood surgery and a family that wouldn’t talk.
Talk about: Family, Silence
Heads-up: Family trauma and illness.
Find it at a library ↗Age 15 · Classic
Mark Haddon · 2003
A boy who sees the world differently investigates a neighbor dog’s death.
Talk about: Neurodiversity, Truth, Family
Heads-up: Strong language.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
George Orwell · 1949
A man rebels against a regime that watches every move.
Talk about: Freedom, Truth, Power
Heads-up: Torture.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Manga
Naoki Urasawa · 1999
Childhood friends discover their games are coming true as a cult rises.
Talk about: Friendship, Memory
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Manga
Hajime Isayama · 2009
Humanity fights giants that threaten its walled cities.
Talk about: Freedom, War
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Comic
Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli · 1987
Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon’s first year fighting a corrupt city.
Talk about: Justice, Corruption
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Manga
Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata · 2003
A student finds a notebook that can kill, and a detective hunts him.
Talk about: Justice, Morality
Heads-up: Death and dark themes.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
Mary Shelley · 1818
A scientist creates life and abandons his creation.
Talk about: Responsibility, Creation, Loneliness
Fun fact: Mary Shelley began writing it at 18, during a ghost-story contest with friends.
Heads-up: Murders.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Young adult
Jandy Nelson · 2014
Twins tell their story before and after a family tragedy.
Talk about: Siblings, Art, Grief
Heads-up: Death of a parent and mature content.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Graphic novel
Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings · 2017
A Black woman is pulled back in time to a plantation in the 1800s.
Talk about: Slavery, History
Heads-up: Brutality of slavery.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Graphic novel
Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou · 2009
The search for the foundations of mathematics.
Talk about: Math, Philosophy
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Manga
Naoki Urasawa · 1994
A surgeon who saved a boy’s life later hunts him down.
Talk about: Morality, Justice
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Comic
Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang · 2015
Four newspaper delivery girls are pulled into a time war.
Talk about: Friendship, Time
Heads-up: Strong language and violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
Jane Austen · 1813
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy misjudge each other.
Talk about: First impressions, Family, Love
Fun fact: Jane Austen’s original title was First Impressions.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Graphic novel
Bryan Lee O’Malley · 2004
A slacker must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes.
Talk about: Relationships, Growing up
Heads-up: Language and dating.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 16 and up · Graphic novel
Thi Bui · 2017
A memoir of a Vietnamese family’s escape and becoming parents.
Talk about: Refugees, Parents, Memory
Heads-up: War.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
F. Scott Fitzgerald · 1925
A mysterious millionaire chases a lost love in the Jazz Age.
Talk about: Ambition, Class, Illusion
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
Amy Tan · 1989
Four Chinese immigrant mothers and their American daughters.
Talk about: Mothers and daughters, Immigration
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Young adult
Nicola Yoon · 2016
Two teens meet on the day one of them may be deported.
Talk about: Fate, Immigration, Love
Heads-up: Deportation.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
Zora Neale Hurston · 1937
Janie Crawford searches for her own voice across three marriages in Florida.
Talk about: Independence, Love, Voice
Fun fact: Zora Neale Hurston wrote it in about seven weeks while in Haiti.
Heads-up: Domestic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Classic
Chinua Achebe · 1958
An Igbo leader’s world unravels as colonial forces arrive.
Talk about: Tradition, Change, Colonialism
Fun fact: One of the most widely read African novels, translated into more than 50 languages.
Heads-up: Violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 16 · Young adult
Nina LaCour · 2017
A college freshman alone over winter break faces her grief.
Talk about: Grief, Loneliness, Friendship
Heads-up: Loss of a parent figure.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Toni Morrison · 1987
A formerly enslaved woman is haunted by her past.
Talk about: Slavery, Memory, Motherhood
Heads-up: Graphic violence of slavery.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Graphic novel
Craig Thompson · 2003
A memoir of faith, first love and growing up in a strict home.
Talk about: Faith, First love, Brothers
Heads-up: Sexual content.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Aldous Huxley · 1932
A society engineered for comfort, and one outsider who refuses it.
Talk about: Freedom, Happiness, Technology
Heads-up: Mature content.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Graphic novel
Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá · 2010
A Brazilian writer’s life, seen through many possible endings.
Talk about: Life, Fathers and sons
Heads-up: Death is a recurring theme.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Manga
Satoru Noda · 2014
A veteran and an Ainu girl hunt for hidden gold in Hokkaido.
Talk about: Ainu culture, Survival
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Ralph Ellison · 1952
A young Black man searches for identity in a society that refuses to see him.
Talk about: Identity, Race, Visibility
Heads-up: Racial violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Charlotte Brontë · 1847
An orphaned governess holds to her principles.
Talk about: Independence, Integrity, Love
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Gabriel García Márquez · 1967
Seven generations of the Buendía family in the town of Macondo.
Talk about: Family, Memory, Latin America
Heads-up: Mature content.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Hermann Hesse · 1922
A young man leaves home in search of enlightenment.
Talk about: Searching, Life stages, Wisdom
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
J. D. Salinger · 1951
A teenager wanders New York after leaving prep school.
Talk about: Alienation, Growing up, Grief
Heads-up: Strong language.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Jhumpa Lahiri · 2003
A Bengali American son struggles with the name his father gave him.
Talk about: Identity, Immigration, Names
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Cormac McCarthy · 2006
A father and son walk through a ruined world, carrying the fire.
Talk about: Fathers and sons, Hope, Survival
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Comic
Neil Gaiman · 1989
The lord of dreams escapes captivity and reclaims his realm.
Talk about: Myth, Dreams
Heads-up: Horror and violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 17 · Classic
Tim O’Brien · 1990
Linked stories of soldiers in Vietnam and what they carry home.
Talk about: War, Memory, Storytelling
Heads-up: War violence and strong language.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Manga
Takehiko Inoue · 1998
The life of the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
Talk about: Purpose, Discipline
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Manga
Makoto Yukimura · 2005
A young Viking seeking revenge slowly searches for a life without war.
Talk about: Revenge, Peace
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 17 and up · Graphic novel
Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons · 1986
Retired heroes investigate a murder in an alternate America.
Talk about: Power, Morality
Heads-up: Violence and sexual content.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 18 and up · Manga
Katsuhiro Otomo · 1982
Biker teens in a future Tokyo get caught up in a secret psychic experiment.
Talk about: Power, Friendship
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Nonfiction
Ta-Nehisi Coates · 2015
A father’s letter to his teenage son about being Black in America.
Talk about: Race, Fathers and sons, America
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Memoir
Trevor Noah · 2016
Growing up mixed-race in apartheid South Africa, with a fearless mother.
Talk about: Mothers and sons, Apartheid, Humor
Heads-up: Violence and strong language.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Fyodor Dostoevsky · 1866
A student commits a murder and wrestles with his conscience.
Talk about: Conscience, Guilt, Redemption
Heads-up: Murder.
Find it at a library ↗Ages 18 and up · Graphic novel
Alison Bechdel · 2006
A memoir of the author’s complicated father and her own coming out.
Talk about: Fathers and daughters, Identity
Heads-up: Sexual content and suicide.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Rainer Maria Rilke · 1929
Letters of advice to a young writer starting out.
Talk about: Creativity, Solitude, Patience
Find it at a library ↗Ages 18 and up · Manga
Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima · 1970
A disgraced executioner travels feudal Japan with his toddler son.
Talk about: Fathers and sons, Honor
Heads-up: Graphic violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Memoir
Viktor E. Frankl · 1946
A psychiatrist’s account of finding meaning in the camps.
Talk about: Purpose, Suffering, Choice
Heads-up: Concentration camps.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Marcus Aurelius · c. 180
A Roman emperor’s private notes on living well.
Talk about: Self-discipline, Character
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Paulo Coelho · 1988
A shepherd boy travels in search of treasure and his destiny.
Talk about: Dreams, Purpose, Journey
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Nonfiction
James Baldwin · 1963
Two essays on race and religion, one a letter to Baldwin’s nephew.
Talk about: Race, Faith, America
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Homer · c. 700 BCE
Odysseus’s long journey home to his family.
Talk about: Home, Perseverance, Loyalty
Heads-up: Battle violence.
Find it at a library ↗Age 18 · Classic
Henry David Thoreau · 1854
Two years living simply in a cabin by Walden Pond.
Talk about: Simplicity, Nature, Independence
Find it at a library ↗For parents who want to know what’s assigned or available at school, here’s where that information is usually published.
These lists are general and may not match your child’s class. Your child’s teacher or school is the best source for what they’re actually reading. PAPITO’s book list is separate and isn’t tied to any school curriculum.