Big Books of 2026

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Coraline by Neil GaimanThe Graveyard Book by Neil GaimanA Monster Calls by Patrick NessDoll Bones by Holly BlackThe Last Hope in Hopetown by Maria Tureaud
Spooky Middle Grade Reads
391 books — 265 voters
The Graveyard Book by Neil GaimanThe Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang by Stan YanWait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing HahnDeep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing HahnThe Legend of Decimus Croome by Kevin Purdy
Middle Grade Ghost Stories
271 books — 151 voters

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa PearceCharlotte Sometimes by Penelope FarmerThe Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. BostonA Traveller in Time by Alison UttleyWhen Marnie Was There by Joan G. Robinson
Timeslip in Children's Fiction
356 books — 104 voters
Close to Famous by Joan BauerSave the Cupcake! by Lisa PapademetriouCake Pop Crush by Suzanne NelsonScones and Sensibility by Lindsay ElandPizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous by Kathryn Williams
YA & MG Baking Fiction
150 books — 65 voters

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskeyPippi Longstocking by Astrid LindgrenLittle Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderCurious George by H.A. ReyThese Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Best Children's Books of the 1940s
232 books — 63 voters
Warning! Short Stories for Middle School Boys Only, Because G... by Gene J. MillerThe True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AviThe Beast of Cretacea by Todd StrasserBloody Jack by L.A. MeyerPirates! by Celia Rees
Seafaring Middle Graders
158 books — 62 voters

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse AndersonThe Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson BurnettChasing Secrets by Gennifer CholdenkoAt the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary HooperA Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
YA & Middle Grade Epidemics/Pandemics
244 books — 61 voters
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. LewisCharlotte’s Web by E.B. WhiteThe Cat in the Hat by Dr. SeussHow the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. SeussThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Best Children's Books of the 1950s
284 books — 60 voters

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls WilderThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. TolkienLittle House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls WilderMadeline by Ludwig BemelmansThe Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Best Children's Books of the 1930s
225 books — 53 voters
A Year Down Yonder by Richard PeckMoon Over Manifest by Clare VanderpoolEsperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz RyanA Long Way from Chicago by Richard PeckBlue Willow by Doris Gates
The Great Depression in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
135 books — 51 voters

Chains by Laurie Halse AndersonJohnny Tremain by Esther ForbesForge by Laurie Halse AndersonThe Fifth of March by Ann RinaldiToliver's Secret by Esther Wood Brady
The American Revolution in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
157 books — 48 voters
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy BlumeNothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClementsJunie B., First Grader (at Last!) by Barbara ParkSixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClementsSixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar
School Grades in Title
259 books — 41 voters

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams BiancoThe Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid BanksPinocchio by Carlo CollodiCoraline by Neil GaimanThe Doll People by Ann M. Martin
Magical or Living Toys
172 books — 36 voters
Cogheart by Peter BunzlThe Cabinet of Curiosities by Stefan BachmannThe League of Seven by Alan GratzThe Fog Diver by Joel N. RossSecrets of the Dragon Tomb by Patrick Samphire
Steampunk for Middle Grade Readers
41 books — 34 voters

Chains by Laurie Halse AndersonCopper Sun by Sharon M. DraperJefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker BradleyA Picture of Freedom by Patricia C. McKissackMeet Addy by Connie Rose Porter
Slavery in YA & Middle Grade Historical Fiction
189 books — 32 voters
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline KellyA Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam GidwitzA Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy MassScones and Sensibility by Lindsay ElandThe Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall
Middle Grade Silhouette Covers
128 books — 31 voters

The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah by Nora Raleigh BaskinMy Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman13 by Jason Robert BrownPink Slippers, Bat Mitzvah Blues by Ferida WolffTurtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Fiction
64 books — 28 voters
Witch Child by Celia ReesA Break with Charity by Ann RinaldiThe Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George SpeareI Walk in Dread by Lisa Rowe FraustinoSorceress by Celia Rees
Salem Witch Trials in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
59 books — 25 voters

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan MatsonArtichoke's Heart by Suzanne SuppleeThe Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McVoyYou Wish by Mandy HubbardHeretics Anonymous by Katie Henry
YA Fiction with Food on the Cover
130 books — 24 voters
Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope FarmerDo You Realize? by Kevin A. KuhnTime for Andrew by Mary Downing HahnMirror Mirror by Hilary BellSwitching Well by Peni R. Griffin
Time Switch
20 books — 18 voters

A Valentine for Charlie Brown by Charles M. SchulzArthur's Valentine by Marc BrownDad Jokes by Ralph LaneJunie B. Jones and the Mushy Gushy Valentime by Barbara ParkThe Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney
St Valentine's Day for Middle Grades & Early Readers
111 books — 15 voters
By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid FleischmanWalk on Earth a Stranger by Rae CarsonThe Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen CushmanSeeds of Hope by Kristiana GregoryNewsgirl by Liza Ketchum
California Gold Rush in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
25 books — 13 voters

Miss Nelson Is Missing! by Harry AllardThe Fourth Grade Wizards by Barthe DeClementsMolly Learns a Lesson by Valerie TrippThe Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid BlytonClass Clown by Johanna Hurwitz
Classroom on the Cover
145 books — 13 voters
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles GannettThe Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler WarnerLittle House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls WilderThe Story About Ping by Marjorie FlackDolphin Treasure by Wayne Grover
Sonlight Core A read alouds
28 books — 11 voters

Once on This Island by Gloria WhelanWhispers of War by Kit PearsonOn Tide Mill Lane by Melissa WileyThe Smuggler's Treasure by Sarah Masters BuckeyThe Bully Boys by Eric Walters
War of 1812 in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
40 books — 10 voters
Pirates! by Celia ReesHazel by Julie HearnWhose Side Are You On? by Alan GibbonsMy Name Is Not Angelica by Scott O'DellThe Pull Of Freedom by Brenda Barrett
Slavery in the Caribbean in YA & MG Historical Fiction
14 books — 7 voters

Out from This Place by Joyce HansenMy Home Is over Jordan by Sandra ForresterSound the Jubilee by Sandra ForresterStella Stands Alone by A. LaFayeFires of Jubilee by Alison Hart
Reconstruction in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
21 books — 6 voters
Breathing Room by Marsha HaylesRiver Runs Deep by Jennifer BradburyThe Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan ShepherdQueen of Hearts by Martha BrooksThe Year of My Indian Prince by Ella Thorp Ellis
Tuberculosis in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
21 books — 6 voters

Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem FoxTwilight Comes Twice by Ralph FletcherBunnicula by Deborah HoweDear Mrs. LaRue by Mark TeagueHow I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
Books to use with 3rd Grade Writers
11 books — 4 voters
Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée RussellInsignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti BowlingMomentous Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti BowlingMia's Lists of Ten by Teddy O'MalleySomething More by Jackie Khalilieh
Protagonists in 8th or 9th grade
42 books — 4 voters

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