Kids Booklists

Booklists

Browse our booklists to find your next great book or series. Whether you are looking for fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, or more, you’re bound to find it here!

Booklists are organized by age, genre, content, or format. Click on a list to view books recommended by our staff. Click on a title in the list to check its availability in our catalog and to place a hold. Unsure what books are included under a specific genre? Read the genre definitions.

Books available as an e-book or an e-audiobook through Axis360, Hoopla, or Overdrive/Libby are identified in the lists. For more information about our e-book services, please visit eBooks and Downloadables.

Picture Books

By Age

Please note that the links below will open PDF files of the booklists. Since these lists were formatted to be printed and folded for use in the library, the last page and the first page appear on page 1, and the inside pages are on page 2. Books are listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Special Topics

• New Baby – Picture books to help children adjust to a new baby sibling.
• Helping Children Cope – Picture books to help children cope during difficult times. Includes guidebooks for parents.

Early Readers

These book recommendations are for beginning or younger readers, typically children in Kindergarten to 3rd grade. The reading level is provided for each book based on the library’s reading levels, from A for beginning readers to E for advanced readers.

 

Older Readers

These book recommendations are older readers, typically in 3rd grade and up. Lexile reading levels are provided for each book if available.

 

Genres

Not sure what types of books are included under the different booklists? Here’s a brief definition of the various fiction genres.

Definitions adapted from Novelist.

Animals

This list contains books about animals adventuring on their own as well as people interacting with animals.

Adventure

Adventure stories place characters in exciting situations throughout the majority of the tale. These stories tend to be fast-paced and plot-driven, with character development de-emphasized in favor of action.

Classics

Crossing a variety of genres, these are must-read titles that are at least ten years old and are books that stand the test of time.

Fantasy

Fantasy fiction stories take place in a world that is rooted in magic or enchantment. Things that seem impossible become possible, and readers find themselves in a story where animals talk, children have magic powers, dragons exist, or storybook characters come to life.

Historical Fiction

Historical fiction is more than just a novel set in the past. The setting must be crucial to the plot, and by reading these novels, readers will get a sense of what life was like for men and women living in the time and place described.

Humor

Humorous stories can cross many genres and take place in different settings. But, in the end, the reader should leave the book smiling, giggling, or snickering.

Horror or Scary

Readers of horror are looking to feel scared, uneasy, or uncomfortable. In these books, a kid’s nightmares — monsters under the bed, things that go bump in the night, or the boogeyman — become real.

Mystery

At the heart of every mystery is a puzzle to solve. The plot contains a whodunit: a crime has been committed or something or someone is missing or stolen, causing everyone to scratch their heads in befuddlement.

Read Around the World

These books are set in countries around the world or are told from the perspective of a character born in another country.

Realistic Fiction

Realistic fiction depicts real life. In these stories, authentic young protagonists live relatable, recognizable lives and tackle important, sometimes sensitive, situations and topics that kids are facing today.

Science Fiction

Science fiction explores the many ways our world could look as our planet’s boundaries are expanded through scientific or technological innovation. Science fiction poses the question “what if” and answers it by creating a possible reality.

Sports

While any book can have an athlete as a character, in sports fiction, the development of the character is interwoven with their identity as an athlete. Themes of sports fiction typically relate to issues of winning, both in life and in competition.