It's time for our annual roundup of staff favorite books! 2019 was a great year for books and these lists include everything from award-winning fiction to anticipated Teen debuts to charming children's titles. We're certain there is something here for everyone but if you still need more recommendations we have email newsletters for a variety of genres, bestseller lists, read-a-like tools, and personalized reading suggestions.
Here's to many more great books in 2020!
Adult Fiction and Nonfiction Picks
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Ninth House
by Leigh Bardugo Surviving a horrific multiple homicide, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks is unexpectedly offered a full scholarship to Yale, where her mysterious benefactors task her with monitoring the university’s secret societies. |
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Fleishman is in trouble : a novel
by Taffy Brodesser-Akner Divorcing his hostile wife when he concludes he could find genuine happiness elsewhere, a doctor is astonished when his ex abruptly disappears, making him unable to move on without acknowledging painful truths about his marriage. |
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Fruit of the drunken tree : a novel
by Ingrid Rojas Contreras A novel set against the violence of 1990s Columbia follows a sheltered girl and a teen maid, who forge an unlikely friendship as the families of both struggle to maintain stability amidst Bogotá's rapidly escalating violence. |
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Evvie Drake starts over : a novel
by Linda Holmes Young widow Evvie Drake and major league pitcher Dean Tenney, who has lost his game and needs a chance to reset his life, form an unlikely relationship when Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie's house. |
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The institute : a novel
by Stephen King Published to coincide with the release of It: Chapter Two, a supernatural thriller finds an abducted youth imprisoned in an inescapable institute, where teens with psychic abilities are subjected to torturous manipulation. |
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Red, white & royal blue : a novel
by Casey McQuiston After an international incident affects U.S. and British relations, the president's son Alex and Prince Henry must pretend to be best friends, but as they spend time together, the two begin a secret romance that could derail a presidential campaign. |
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How long 'til black future month?
by N. K Jemisin Offers a collection of the author's short fiction, including "The City Born Great," where a young street kid fights to give birth to an old metropolis's soul. |
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Trust exercise : a novel
by Susan Choi Falling in love while attending a competitive 1980s performing arts high school, David and Sarah rise through the ranks before the realities of their family dynamics and economic statuses trigger a spiral that impacts their adult lives. |
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Trick mirror : reflections on self-delusion
by Jia Tolentino A New Yorker writer presents nine original essays examining the fractures at the center of culture today, offering insights into the conflicts, contradictions, incentives and changes related to the rise of toxic social networking. |
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Notes from a young Black chef : a memoir
by Kwame Onwuachi The Top Chef star traces his culinary coming-of-age in both the Bronx and Nigeria, discussing his eclectic training in acclaimed restaurants while sharing insights into the racial barriers that have challenged his career. |
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Know my name : a memoir
by Chanel Miller Miller, once known as "Emily Doe," the woman sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. She tells of her struggles with isolation and shame, reveals the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios, and illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators. |
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The girl with seven names : a North Korean defector's story
by Hyeonseo Lee An extraordinary insight into the life under one of the world's most ruthless and secretive dictatorships - and the story of one woman's terrifying struggle to escape. |
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The body : a guide for occupants
by Bill Bryson The award-winning author of A Short History of Nearly Everything presents an engaging head-to-toe tour of the human body that shares anecdotal insights into its functions, ability to heal and vulnerability to disease. |
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Heating & Cooling : 52 Micro-Memoirs
by Beth Ann Fennelly Ranging from childhood recollections to quirky cultural observations, these micro-memoirs build on one another to arrive at a portrait of Beth Ann Fennelly as a wife, mother, writer, and deeply original observer of life’s challenges and joys. |
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My friend Anna : the true story of the fake heiress
by Rachel DeLoache Williams Tells the true story of Anna Delvey, a young con artist posing as a German heiress in New York City—as told by the former Vanity Fair photo editor who got seduced by her friendship and then scammed out of more than $62,000. |
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How we fight for our lives : a memoir
by Saeed Jones The co-host of BuzzFeed’s AM to DM, award-winning poet and author of Prelude to Bruise documents his coming-of-age as a young, gay, black man in an American South at a crossroads of sex, race, and power. |
Teen Picks
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Pet
by Akwaeke Emezi A girl and her best friend confront difficult choices in the face of a home city in denial when they meet a being who exposes the community’s willful disbelief about the existence of monsters. A first young adult novel by the award-winning authors of Freshwater. |
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Fake it till you break it
by Jenn P. Nguyen Constantly pushed together by their matchmaking moms, teens Mia and Jake start a fake relationship to prove how wrong they are for each other and orchestrate a spectacular breakup before realizing that they do not hate each other as much as they thought. By the author of The Way to Game the Walk of Shame. |
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With the fire on high
by Elizabeth Acevedo Navigating the challenges of finishing high school while caring for a daughter, talented cook Emoni Santiago struggles with a lack of time and money that complicate her dream of working in a professional kitchen. |
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The weight of our sky
by Hanna Alkaf A music-loving teen with OCD works desperately to find her way back to her mother during the 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. |
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The fountains of silence : a novel
by Ruta Sepetys Drawn back to his mother’s homeland by the utopian promises of the Franco regime in 1957 Madrid, the photographer son of an oil tycoon bonds with a girl who raises his awareness about the lingering shadows of the Spanish Civil War. |
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On the come up
by Angie Thomas The best-selling author of The Hate U Give returns to the world of Garden Heights in the story of an aspiring teen rapper who confronts the unexpected realities of achieving one's dreams. |
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The maple murders
by Micol Ostow Investigating the story behind a Riverdale festival that was suspended 75 years earlier, Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead uncover a skeleton in a historic time capsule at the same time their friends are targeted by suspicious accidents. |
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Call down the hawk
by Maggie Stiefvater In a world where dreamers have the ability to pull the wonders and catastrophes of their dreams into reality, a thief becomes inextricably tied to the dream objects she pursues while a hunter races to prevent destructive dreaming. |
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Here to stay
by Sara Farizan When a cyberbully sends the entire high school a picture of basketball hero Bijan Majidi, photo-shopped to look like a terrorist, the school administration promises to find and punish the culprit, but Bijan just wants to pretend the incident never happened and move on. |
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Watch us rise
by Renée Watson Fed up with gender imbalances at their progressive NYC high school, two friends start a women's rights club and post poems, essays and videos online until their work goes viral, compelling the principal to shut them down. |
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Shout : a poetry memoir
by Laurie Halse Anderson A poetic memoir and urgent call-to-action by the award-winning author of Speak blends free-verse reflections with deeply personal stories from her life to rally today's young people to stand up and fight the abuses, censorship and hatred of today's world. |
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Wayward son
by Rainbow Rowell A highly anticipated sequel to the best-selling Carry On finds an overwhelmed Simon joining Penny and Bax on a trip to the American West in a vintage convertible, only to be confronted by dragons, vampires and gun-toting skunks. |
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Patron saints of nothing
by Randy Ribay Setting aside his college ambitions when he learns that his cousin has been murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, a high school senior travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth, and the part he may have played in it. By the author of After the Shot Drops. |
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Shatter the sky
by Rebecca Kim Wells When her girlfriend is conscripted into the ranks of their corrupt emperor’s army, a young woman from a conquered mountain nation orchestrates a rescue mission involving the theft of a dragon. |
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The adventure zone : murder on the Rockport Limited!
by Clint McElroy Taako, Merle, and Magnus board the Rockport Limited in search of a deadly magical artifact and come face-to-face with a genius child detective, an ax-wielding professional wrestler, and a pair of meat monsters. |
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Shuri : the search for Black Panther
by Nnedi Okorafor When T'Challa disappears, it's up to his younger sister Shuri to find him, enlisting the help of Storm, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. |
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Mech Cadet Yu. Volume one
by Greg Pak Every year, giant sentient robots from outer space come to Earth and bond forever with a new group of Sky Corps Academy cadets, but this year one mech bonds with a young child, who now has the opportunity to defend the planet. |
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Star Wars : Poe Dameron : the spark and the fire
by Charles Soule Shares what Poe, Rey, Finn, Leia, Snap Wexley, Jessika Pava and other Star Wars heroes were up to during the unseen events of "The Force Awakens" and "The Last Jedi." |
Middle Grade and Tween Picks
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The moon within
by Aida Salazar A modern tale of early adolescence finds Celi navigating questions about her changing body, first attraction and a best friend's genderfluid explorations while resisting her mother's embarrassing plans for an ancestral Mexica moon ceremony to celebrate her first period. |
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Dear Sweet Pea
by Julie Murphy Struggling to adjust to her parents’ sudden divorce at the same time she is forced to sit next to her former best friend in class, a teen finds herself in the unlikely role of a community advice columnist. By the best-selling author of Dumplin’. |
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Sauerkraut
by Kelly Jones To earn enough money to build his own computer, HD Schenk agrees to help clean out his uncle's basement, but when he does, he finds an old pickling crock haunted by the ghost of his great-great-grandmother, who has a plan of her own. |
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Stargazing
by Jen Wang Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness. |
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Beverly, right here
by Kate DiCamillo Resolved to leave her home for good, young runaway Beverly is determined not to depend on anyone else, but as she settles in her new home and job, she forms connections with the people around her that alter her perspectives about life and herself. |
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The miraculous
by Jess Redman A boy who has loved stories about the inexplicable and extraordinary all his life suffers a crisis in faith in the aftermath of a family tragedy before bonding with an outspoken classmate and an eccentric letter carrier. A first novel. |
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The remarkable journey of Coyote Sunrise
by Dan Gemeinhart Living on the road in an old school bus with her dad after losing her mother and sisters, 12-year-old Coyote devises an elaborate plan to convince her father to make a first trip home to Washington state in five years, a journey marked by an eclectic group of passengers they meet along the way. |
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Blended
by Sharon M. Draper Piano-prodigy Isabella, eleven, whose black father and white mother struggle to share custody, never feels whole, especially as racial tensions affect her school, her parents both become engaged, and she and her stepbrother are stopped by police. |
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The Plant Planet : The Plant Planet
by Jon Scieszka This laugh-out-loud, visually groundbreaking read launches a major new series by children's literature legend Jon Scieszka. AstroWolf, LaserShark, SmartHawk and StinkBug are animals that have been hybridized to find other planets for humans to live on once we've ruined Earth. So off they rocket to the Plant Planet! |
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Lalani of the distant sea
by Erin Entrada Kelly A fantasy debut by the author of the Newbery Medal-winning Hello, Universe finds a young girl embarking on a quest normally reserved for boys in the hope of saving her village from life-threatening hazards, including a deadly plague affecting her mother. |
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White bird : A Wonder Story
by R. J Palacio Inspired by the author’s best-selling Wonder, a graphic novel debut traces the heartrending story of a grandmother who as a Jewish girl was hidden by a brave, compassionate family in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II. |
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A wolf called Wander
by Rosanne Parry A literary rendering of a remarkable true story traces the journey of a young wolf who after being separated from his family navigates human and natural threats while traveling 1, miles across the Pacific Northwest to safety. By the award-winning author of Written in Stone. |
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Max & the Midknights
by Lincoln Peirce Aspiring knight Max teams up with a band of brave adventurers, the Midknights, on a madcap quest to save a kidnapped relative from a cruel king who is driving all the happiness out of the realm of Byjovia. By the best-selling creator of the Big Nate series. |
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The law of finders keepers
by Sheila Turnage With two treasure hunts underway, Desperado Detectives are trying find Blackbeard's buried treasure which is rumored to be near Tupelo Landing and Mo is looking for her Upstream Mother, as Mo, Dale, and Harm realize one of them may end up leaving their hometown. |
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This was our pact
by Ryan Andrews Ben and his friends are determined to find out where the paper lanterns of the annual Autumn Equinox Festival go, so they follow the river as far as they can until the only followers left are Ben and Nathaniel. |
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The unsung hero of Birdsong USA
by Brenda Woods Forging a close friendship with an African American World War II veteran who has recently returned to their unwelcoming Jim Crow community, a 12-year-old white boy worries for his heroic friend's safety when racist locals threaten the man's family. |
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The benefits of being an octopus
by Ann Braden Seventh-grader Zoey Albro focuses on caring for three younger siblings and avoiding rich classmates at school until her fascination with octopuses gets her on the debate team and she begins to speak out. |
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Look both ways : a tale told in ten blocks
by Jason Reynolds A whimsical exploration of the role detours play in life follows a group of students who become so engaged in everyday activities while taking 10 different routes home from school that they fail to notice a school bus that has dropped from the sky. By the award-winning author of Ghost. |
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Best friends
by Shannon Hale A follow-up to Real Friends finds Shannon embarking on a promising sixth grade year before the constantly changing rules of her best friend’s in-crowd make her question whether popularity is worth the trouble. |
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Tristan Strong punches a hole in the sky
by Kwame Mbalia Haunted by the bus accident that ended his best friend’s life, seventh grader Tristan Strong dreads a visit to his grandparents’ Alabama farm before a bizarre living doll snatches away his friend’s notebook and draws him into a world of burning seas, iron monsters and exhausted black folk heroes. |
Picture Book Picks
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The girl and the wolf
by Katherena Vermette When a young girl becomes lost in the woods, a friendly wolf reminds her of her own ability to survive and she soon finds her mother again |
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The mushroom fan club
by Elise Gravel The author describes her family's love of mushroom hunting and provides facts about the fungi that litter the forest floor |
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Spit : What's Cool About Drool
by Mary Batten Spit uncovers the secrets secreting in the many mouths on the globe. From humans to cows to vampire bats to spitting spiders, this book looks at spit from many different angles to provide readers with the fascinating world found in this gross-out subject. |
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The piano recital
by Akiko Miyakoshi A little girl named Momo is nervous about performing in the piano recital, but she ends up devising a creative way to soothe her fears. |
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Dasher
by Matt Tavares Longing for a life in the snowy north, Dasher, an adventurous young circus reindeer, takes advantage of an opportunity to pursue her dream, before an encounter with a kind man in a red suit grants her a powerful Christmas wish. |
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A day so gray
by Marie Lamba A winter's day is transformed from bleak to beautiful by warm friendship and a new perspective in a gentle story that encourages the appreciation and celebration of cozy pleasures and quiet joys. |
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One big heart : a celebration of being more alike than different
by Linsey Davis Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text celebrate both diversity and commonality, as shown in one lively little classroom filled with happy children. |
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Rumple Buttercup : a story of bananas, belonging, and being yourself
by Matthew Gray Gubler Rumple Buttercup the monster embraces his distinctively weird features, from asymmetrical feet to green skin, alongside his imaginary trash friend, Candy Corn Carl, in a celebration of individuality and the magic of belonging. |
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Fry bread : a Native American family story
by Kevin Noble Maillard A celebration of the long-cherished Seminole Nation tradition of sharing fry bread during family meals combines evocative verses with vibrant artwork by the award-winning illustrator of La Princesa and the Pea. |
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Caspian finds a friend
by Jacqueline Véissid A story about how the power of imagination can make the world a better place follows the experiences of a young boy who leaves his lonely lighthouse to embark on a quest to find a friend. By the author of Ruby’s Sword. |
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Matchy Matchy
by Erin McGill Thanks to Mom, everything about Maria matches--her clothes, her socks, her underwear, her backpack, and her lunchbox. Maria even matches the dog, the duvet, and the doilies. But Maria doesn't want to be so matchy matchy. She wants to mix it up! Feathers and fringe! Pom-poms and plaid! Spikes and spots! Leopard and lace! Tie-dye and tutus! One day she does just that and asserts her very own unique style. |
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Make games with circuits : A 4D Book
by Christopher L Harbo If you can build it, you can play it! Create fun games just by making a simple circuit. Learn about what a circuit is by creating your own. Each project contains a list of easy-to-find supplies and step-by-step instructions. |
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Because
by Mo Willems The six-time Emmy Award-winning Sesame Street writer and three-time Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! follows a young girl's journey to center stage through a powerful symphony of chance, discovery, persistence and magic. |
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The boring book
by Shinsuke Yoshitake A child, bored by his toys, contemplates the emotion and concept of boredom, and whether or not it is boring to be an adult--or a child. |
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Another
by Christian Robinson The Caldecott Honor-, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor- and Newbery Medal-winning artist of Last Stop on Market Street presents an author-illustrator debut that invites children on a playful, imaginative journey into another world. |
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My papi has a motorcycle
by Isabel Quintero The award-winning creators of Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide depicts a Mexican-American girl's sunset motorcycle rides with her beloved, hardworking papi throughout their vibrant, rapidly changing immigrant neighborhood. |