Best Books for Kids 2023

29 Books Found

Filtered by 'Realistic'
  • 9 Kilometers

    Art by Gabriela Lyon. Translated by Lawrence Schimel | Detailed acrylic illustrations convey the daily arduous journey that a young Chilean child makes in order to receive the education they so richly deserve. Extensive backmatter includes information about trips to school for children of other cultures.

    Cover of 9 Kilometers
  • Aniana del Mar Jumps In

    Recently diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Aniana must navigate the dual obstacles of chronic pain and the familial trauma that keeps her mother stubbornly opposed to the young athlete’s dreams of life as a professional swimmer.

    Cover of Aniana del Mar Jumps In
  • Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors

    This empowering collection of short stories written by authors of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds shares the joy, gravity, and humor of menstruation from an array of perspectives.

    Cover of Calling the Moon: 16 Period Stories from BIPOC Authors
  • Cross My Heart and Never Lie

    In this sweetly sensitive graphic diary, 12-year-old Tuva navigates the difficulties that come with being a tween: balancing kid stuff with growing up, exploring relationships and first crushes, all while figuring out who she is and what she wants.

    Cover of Cross My Heart and Never Lie
  • Curlfriends: New in Town

    Twelve-year-old military kid Charlie Harper is no stranger to being the new kid. Middle school means a fresh start, and she is convinced this is her chance to be cool. However, Charlie feels like fitting in might mean pretending to be someone she isn't.

    Cover of Curlfriends: New in Town
  • Do You Remember?

    A boy and his mother reflect on the past to bring comfort through a major life change. Poignantly illustrated vignettes depict the memories of birthdays, picnics, and heartfelt moments that help calm their spirits on their first night in a new home.

    Cover of Do You Remember?
  • Doodles from the Boogie Down

    In the Bronx circa 2000, it's time for eighth-grader Steph to apply to high school. Will she pick the private Catholic school chosen by her protective Dominican mother or LaGuardia, where she can pursue her own dreams of becoming an artist?

    Cover of Doodles from the Boogie Down
  • The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn

    Neurodivergent Maudie settles into a small California town after wildfires force her to evacuate her dad's. As she learns to express herself through surfing, Maudie struggles with whether to confide in her dad about the physical and emotional abuse she experiences at her mom's house.

    Cover of The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
  • Hands

    Twelve-year-old Trev just wants to protect his family. When he learns his violent stepfather is scheduled to be released from jail, Trev feels torn between using his hands to fight or to make art. Compelling prose and complex characters create a story that hits hard.

    Cover of Hands
  • Hoops

    When Title IX creates funding for a girls' basketball team, Judi gives up her spot on the cheer squad to join the Lady Bears. With enough determination and hard work, can the team earn their rights to equal treatment and climb their way to the championship?

    Cover of Hoops
  • The House That Whispers

    Between growing family tension, an increasingly forgetful grandma, and being called a name that feels all wrong, Simon is miserable on a would-be fun trip to Nanaleen's. When a ghost hunting game gets too real, Simon must fix everything before his life completely falls apart.

    Cover of The House That Whispers
  • Lasagna Means I Love You

    Feeling disconnected from her roots when she finds herself in the New York City foster care system, Mo begins writing letters to her late grandmother. Inspired by a stolen cookbook, Mo builds a website and connects with others to share recipes and find her relatives.

    Cover of Lasagna Means I Love You
  • The Lost Year

    During the Covid-19 pandemic, Matthew's Ukrainian American great-grandmother moves in. When Matthew discovers letters exchanged between cousins during the famine in 1930s Ukraine, his relationship with GG and understanding of her life and true identity are permanently altered.

    Cover of The Lost Year
  • Mascot

    A broad range of emotions, opinions, and cultures are on display when seventh graders at Rye Middle School debate the implications of their school's racially charged mascot.

    Cover of Mascot
  • Nothing Else but Miracles

    Pop has gone off to fight in World War II. With no mother to keep them in line, Dory and her brothers rely upon the kindness of their Lower East Side community and their own ingenuity to outsmart a nosy landlord, solve a mystery, and hold things together until Pop comes home.

    Cover of Nothing Else but Miracles
  • Parachute Kids

    When Mama's visa extension is denied, the Lin kids must stay behind in the U.S. while their mom travels back to Taiwan. With support from family friends, they must learn how to live in this new country, lean on each other, and handle tough life lessons together.

    Cover of Parachute Kids
  • The Party Diaires

    Art by Aaliya Jaleel | Contemplative Priya and her extroverted best friend plan a color-themed birthday party for Priya's aunt.

    Cover of The Party Diaires
  • Remember Us

    It's summer in "The Matchbox" Bushwick, and seventh-grader Sage just wants to play basketball. But outside the game, there's a world of changing friendships, sudden deaths, and homes lost and found. A gritty but lyrical look at what "once was" in 1970s Brooklyn.

    Cover of Remember Us
  • Ruby Lost and Found

    It's the worst punishment 13-year-old Ruby could imagine: being forced to spend the summer at her grandmother's senior center. As Ruby delves deeper into her Chinese American community, she grapples with her grandfather's death and concern for Nai-Nai's fading memory.

    Cover of Ruby Lost and Found
  • Saving Sunshine

    Muslim twins Zara and Zeeshan can't seem to get along! While on a family trip, they find an ailing sea turtle and realize they must work together to save its life and unite against the prejudice they face.

    Cover of Saving Sunshine
  • That Flag

    Art by Nikkolas Smith | Keira and Bianca are best friends, but only at school. At home, Bianca's family flies a Confederate flag, and their differing perspectives on the flag's meaning cause conflict. When a tragedy occurs in their community, they must grapple with the flag's impact and racist history.

    Cover of That Flag
  • Two Tribes

    Since her Muskogee father and Jewish mother separated when she was three, Mia is constantly caught in between—out of place in her Jewish school and disconnected from her Indigenous roots. Can she find a way to forge an identity of her own and embrace all parts of herself?

    Cover of Two Tribes
  • The Unlovable Alina Butt

    Alina is a misfit: an awkward tween from Pakistan with frizzy hair, a nose she hasn't quite grown into, and a last name that is the "butt" of every joke. As Alina navigates new friendships and stands up to bullies, her confidence and self-understanding begin to take shape.

    Cover of The Unlovable Alina Butt
  • The Walk

    Art by E.B. Lewis | A young girl and her neighbors walk together to participate in an important act of democracy: voting! Photorealistic illustrations modeled after a real-life town highlight how the difficult journey to the polls can be made easier through the power of community.

    Cover of The Walk
  • What Happened to Rachel Riley?

    Aspiring investigative journalist Anna Hunt wants to figure out her new school dynamics and why no one talks to Rachel Riley. Anna dives in and uncovers an iceberg of issues, including Rachel's ostracization, pressure to remain silent, and sexual harassment disguised as a game.

    Cover of What Happened to Rachel Riley?
  • Will on the Inside

    Amid the challenges of middle school, Will receives a diagnosis of Crohn's disease that may mean the end of soccer. His friendships, social standing, and identity suddenly feel a lot more complicated, and he must embrace who he is, both inside and out.

    Cover of Will on the Inside
  • A Work in Progress

    Told through verse, prose, and illustration, this intimate and powerful novel tackles bullying, eating disorders, and self-esteem issues from the perspective of a middle school boy on the road to healing and self-acceptance.

    Cover of A Work in Progress
  • The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet

    The last thing Al Schneider wants to do is talk about her stomach problems, but after a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, that's all anyone wants her to do! When Al joins a support group and meets Mina, suddenly it’s more than just Crohn’s causing the butterflies in her stomach.

    Cover of The Year My Life Went Down the Toilet
  • You Are Here: Connecting Flights

    In this series of interwoven short stories by AAPI authors, Asian American families find themselves stranded in an airport during a storm. While they wait it out, these characters resist, resolve, and find solidarity against racism to show the world that they belong.

    Cover of You Are Here: Connecting Flights