Thursday, December 20, 2018

Brainstorm 163: Top 10s of 2018, Part 3

In this third installment of the Top 10s of 2018 we’ll look at some of my favorite biographies, juvenile nonfiction, graphic novels for MG and LG, and a new category this year, top creators of Asian descent.
The school I work at is in Asia and the elementary librarian and I are constantly on the lookout for books which feature authors, illustrators, settings, and characters that will resonate with our students from Thai, Indian, Korean, Taiwanese, Singaporean, etc backgrounds. I’m sure we aren’t the only ones on such a hunt. So this year I thought it would be great to share my favorite reads of the year featuring creators and characters of Asian descent. The new top 10s in this week’s lists are for creators of Asian descent organized with the students’ absolute favorite ones on top. Next week we’ll look at my top 10 characters of Asian descent from this year.
The books that appear in these lists may have been published in any year unless I needed to narrow down my choice. In that case, I stated the limiters I used by the heading (and the publication year indicates 1st English publication anywhere in the world). My favorite choices (or mine and the students’) are listed first and then it kinda sorta trickles down in descending order, but many of them I'd have trouble choosing between so it is more like some absolute favorites at the top and a 6-8 place tie for runners up. Click on the titles of the books to read my reviews and see any content notes. Enjoy!

Brainstorm 161: Top Adult Fiction, Top YA & Adult Nonfiction, Top YA & Adult Graphic Novels, Top Picture Book Biographies, Top Leveled Readers, Top Christian Nonfiction
Brainstorm 162: Guest Post: Ms Sarah Foit’s Top 10s of 2018
This Week: Top Biographies, Top LG/MG Nonfiction, Top LG/MG Graphic Novels, Top LG Fiction, Top Creators of Asian Descent
Dec 28 (Postponed to Jan 4): Top YA Fiction, Top MG Fiction, Top Fiction Picture Books, Top Asian Characters

Clarification of terms: Lower Grade (LG) refers to Kindergarten-2nd Grade interest level books typically but I'm including Preschool in this division too, Middle Grade (MG) refers to 3rd-8th grade interest level books, and Young Adult (YA) refers to teenage interest level books. Some books will appeal to multiple divisions. For those books I picked the age division I felt it most appealed to.


Top Juvenile, YA & Adult Biography, Autobiography, Memoirs 
(limited to those published in 2016-2018)


The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

MI5 and Me: a Coronet among the Spooks by Charlotte Bingham

Short & Skinny by Mark Tatulli

House of Dreams: the Life of L.M. Montgomery by Liz Rosenberg, ill. by Julie Morstad

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui


Lafayette!: a Revolutionary War Tale (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, #8) by Nathan Hale

Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer by Sarah B. Pomeroy & Jeyaraney Kathirithamby

Hidden Figures: the Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space by Margot Lee Shetterly

Photographic: the Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabela Quintero, ill. by Zeke Peña

The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller


Top Juvenile (LG & MG) Nonfiction 
(limited to those published in 2017 & 2018)


Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, ill. by Shawn Harris

Trash Revolution: Breaking the Waste Cycle by Erica Fyvie, ill. by Bill Slavin

Cute as an Axolotl: Discovering the World’s Most Adorable Animals by Jess Keating, ill. by David DeGrand

Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs by Melissa Stewart, ill. by Stephanie Laberis

I Know Numbers! by Taro Gomi


A House in the Sky by Steve Jenkins, ill. by Robbin Gourley

This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers, ill. by Tucker Nichols

On Our Street: Our First Talk about Poverty by Jillian Roberts and Jaime Casap, ill. by Jane Heinrichs

The Search for Olinguito: Discovering a New Species by Sandra Markle

The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid by Dylan Thuras & Rosemary Mosco, ill. by Joy Ang


Top Middle Grade Fictional Graphic Novels, Comics, & Manga 
(limited to those published in 2018, and only 1 book per series allowed)


Ozy and Millie by Dana Simpson

The Time Museum (The Time Museum, #1) by Matthew Loux

The Divided Earth (The Nameless City, #3) by Erin Faith Hicks

Unicorn of Many Hats (Phoebe and Her Unicorn, #7) by Dana Simpson

The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott, ill. by Robin Robinson


Monsters Beware! (Chronicles of Claudette, #3) by Jorge Aguirre, ill. by Rafael Rosado

The League of Lasers (Star Scouts, #2) by Mike Lawrence

Monsters & Modules (Secret Coders, #6) by Gene Luen Yang, ill. by Mike Holmes

Friends and Foes (Red’s Planet, #2) by Eddie Pittman

Gordon: Bark to the Future (P.U.R.S.T., #2) by Ashley Spires


Top Lower Grade Graphic Novels 
(limited to 1 per series)


Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim

Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens (Kitten Construction Company, #1) by John Patrick Green

Baby Monkey, Private Eye by Brian Selznick and David Serlin

Tiger vs. Nightmare by Emily Tetri

Brobots and the Mecha Melarkey! (Brobots, #2) by J. Torres, ill. by Sean Dove


Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx (Brownstone’s Mythical Collection, #2) by Joe Todd-Stanton

Bad Kitty Camp Daze (Bad Kitty, #11) by Nick Bruel

I’m Silly (My First Comics) by Jennifer L. Holm, ill. by Matthew Holm

Andrew the Seeker (Game for Adventure) by Lee Nordling & Scott Roberts

Intergalactic Gas (The Bad Guys, #5) by Aaron Blabey


Top Lower Grade Fiction 
(only 1 book per series)


Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl (Jasmine Toguchi, #3) by Debbi Michiko Florence, ill. by Elizabet Vukovic

Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Charlie & Mouse, #2) by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Emily Hughes

Something Wonky This Way Comes (Mercy Watson, #6) by Kate DiCamillo, ill. by Chris Van Dusen

Hello, Nebulon! (Galaxy Zack, #1) by Ray O’Ryan, ill. by Colin Jack

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham


Claude on the Slopes (Claude, #6) by Alex T. Smith

Tapir All at Sea (Mango & Bambang, #2) by Polly Faber, ill. by Clara Vulliamy

Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexplained Package (Tales from Deckawoo Drive, #4) by Kate DiCamillo, ill. by Chris Van Dusen

Charge of the Lightning Bugs (The Notebook of Doom, #8) by Troy Cummings

A Boy Called Bat (A Boy Called Bat, #1) by Elana K. Arnold, ill. by Charles Santoso


Top Authors/Illustrators of Asian Heritage Who Create for Middle Grades on up 
(limited to creators who have books published in 2017 & 2018, 
the creator of Asian descent being highlighted will be in bold)


Supernova (Amulet, #8) by Kazu Kibuishi
Kibuishi is fantastic at creating books kids cannot get enough of.

Chi’s Sweet Adventures, Vol. 1 created by Kanata Konami, adapted by Kinoko Natsume
This Japanese illustrator has created one of the most popular characters among the students I work with.

Giant Spider & Me, Vol. 2 by Kikori Morino
Kikori Morino's books have enticed several kids to read who don't normally pick up books.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
This memoir is one of our most checked out books. (Note: I have used a sharpie on our copy to make some of the pages a little cleaner for MG eyes.)

Aru Shah and the End of Time (Pandava Quartet, #1) by Roshani Chokshi
Chokshi has introduced classic Hindu mythology into both YA and MG.


Monsters & Modules (Secret Coders, #6) by Gene Luen Yang, ill. by Mike Holmes
Yang has created so many books our students love, but Secret Coders is by far the most popular.

Loading Penguin Hugs: Heartwarming Comics from Chibird by Jacqueline Chen
This book is still on order, but I know Chen's adorable and encouraging comics will find a fast fanbase here.

The Serpent’s Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond, #1) by Sayantani DasGupta
DasGupta has created a very fun fantasy adventure with Indian folklore that our students are eating up.

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon
Menon writes the oh so popular contemporary fiction romance with main characters of Indian descent.

Rebel Seoul (Rebel Seoul, #1) by Axie Oh
Oh writes a high octane futuristic thriller that contains an infusing of Korean culture.


Top Authors/Illustrators of Asian Heritage Who Create for Lower Grades 
(limited to creators who have books published in 2017 & 2018, 
the creator of Asian descent being highlighted will be in bold)


Drawn Together by Minh Lê, ill. by Dan Santat
I'm cheating with this one and featuring 2 creators of Asian descent who have made some of our students' favorite books. I highly recommend their article about making this book and how it echoes their own experiences with family, language, and culture.

The Itchy Book by LeUyen Pham & Mo Willems
Pham is a prolific and amazing illustrator; most will recognize her best as the illustrator for the amazingly popular Princess in Black books.

Jasmine Toguchi, Super Sleuth by Debbi Mochiko Florence, ill. by Elizabet Vukovic
Debbi Mochiko Florence writes fantastic contemporary fiction stories about a little Japanese American girl who has quickly won many fans at our school.

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
Grace Lin is an amazing author and illustrator who has contributed so many great books featuring Asian traditions, characters, and settings. This is her latest.

Where’s Halmoni? by Julie Kim
Julie Kim's work will satisfy a craving for a nice little dose of Korean culture.


Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson, ill. by Qin Leng
Qin Leng is an illustrator on the rise this year with several books in her adorable style.

I Know Numbers! by Taro Gomi
Gomi is a prolific Japanese author and his latest book that's been translated into English is a fascinating look at something we often tend to overlook.

The First Journey by Phùng Nguyên Quang & Huỳnh Kim Liên
I'm cheating again. Quang and Liên have created one of the most beautiful books I've seen this year, and it is about a Southeast Asian boy too. I'm keeping a lookout for more from these two.

Lines by Suzy Lee
This Korean artist is so creative and able to do so much with just illustrations.

How to Fly Like an Elephant by Kyoko Nemoto
Kyoko Nemoto is a newcomer who has created a great STEAM story featuring enchanting, persevering elephants.

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Brainstorm 162: Top 10s of 2018, Part 2

This week in the Top 10s of 2018 we have a guest post from Ms. Sarah Foit, the fantastic Elementary librarian I have the pleasure of working with at the International Community School of Bangkok. She teaches K4-5th grade library and is sharing with us her Top 10 Reads of 2018 in several categories. Books may have been published in any year, but she read them sometime in the last 12 months. Ms Sarah reads hundreds of books each year, so for a book to make it to these lists is quite impressive. Click on the titles to read Ms. Sarah’s reviews of these books (or in the rare case she did not have a review, to my review).

Part 1, Last Week: Top Adult Fiction, Top YA & Adult Nonfiction, Top YA & Adult Graphic Novels, Top Picture Book Biographies, Top Leveled Readers, Top Christian Nonfiction
Part 2, This Week: Guest Post: Ms Sarah Foit’s Top 10s of 2018
Part 3, Dec 21: Top Biographies, Top LG/MG Nonfiction, Top LG/MG Graphic Novels, Top LG Fiction, Top Creators of Asian Descent
Part 4, Dec 28: Top YA Fiction, Top MG Fiction, Top Fiction Picture Books, Top Asian Characters

Clarification of terms: Easy Books are picture books and tend to be in the lower range of LG books, Lower Grade (LG) refers to Kindergarten-2nd Grade interest level books typically but we've included Preschool in this division too, Middle Grade (MG) refers to 3rd-8th grade interest level books

Top 10 Easy Fiction Picture Books


Mama's Belly by Kate Hosford, ill. by Abigail Halpin

On a Magical Do-Nothing Day by Beatrice Alemagna, translated by Jill Davis

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming, ill. by Stacey Dressen-McQueen

The First Journey by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huỳnh Kim Liên

Time for Bed, Miyuki by Roxanne Marie Galliez, ill. by Seng Soun Ratanvanh


The Sasquatch and the Lumberjack by Crix Sheridan

Ten Cents a Pound by Nhung N. Tran-Davies, ill. by Josée Bisaillon

Chocolate Cake by Michael Rosen, ill. by Kevin Waldron

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano, ill. by Lane Smith

Escargot by Dashka Slater, ill. by Sydney Hanson


Top 10 Easy Nonfiction Picture Books


Free as a Bird: The Story of Malala by Lina Maslo

On Our Street: Our First Talk about Poverty by Jillian Roberts & Jaime Casap, ill. by Jane Heinrichs

I Spy: An Alphabet in Art devised & selected by Lucy Micklethwait

Who Counts?: 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons by Amy-Jill Levine & Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, ill. by Margaux Meganck

Lightship by Brian Floca


The World Is Not a Rectangle: a Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid by Jeanette Winter

ABC Color: Apricot, Burgundy & Chartreuse 26 Brand New Colors Are on the Loose ill. by Ingela P. Arrhenius

A Brave Big Sister: a Bible Story about Miriam by Rachel Spier Weaver & Anna Haggard, ill. by Eric Elwell

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton, ill. by Catalina Echeverri

Wild Ideas: Let Nature Inspire Your Thinking by Elin Kelsey, ill. by Soyeon Kim


Top 10 Lower Grade Fiction Books


Chavo the Invisible by Lee Nordling, ill. by Flávio Silva

The Fran That Time Forgot (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, #4) by Jim Benton

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd-Stanton

Squishy McFluff Meets Mad Nana Dot (Squishy McFluff, #3) by Pip Jones, ill. by Ella Okstad

The Mermaid's Purse by Patricia Polacco


Eugenia Lincoln and the Unexpected Package (Tales from Deckawoo Drive, #4) by Kate DiCamillo, ill. by Chris Van Dusen

The Princess in Black and the Science Fair Scare (The Princess in Black, #6) by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham

Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy (Charlie & Mouse, #2) by Laurel Snyder, ill. by Emily Hughes

Claude on Holiday (Claude, #2) by Alex T. Smith

Fergus and Zeke (Fergus & Zeke, #1) by Kate Messner, ill. by Heather Ross


Top 10 Lower Grade Nonfiction Books


Just Being Jackie by Margaret Cardillo, ill. by Julia Denos

Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real by Marc Tyler Nobleman, ill. by Eliza Wheeler

Hidden Figures: the True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly with Winifred Conkling, ill. by Laura Freeman

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw, photos by Matt Carr

Sequoyah: the Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by James Rumford, translated by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby


The Language of Angels: the Reinvention of Hebrew by Richard Michelson, ill. by Karla Gudeon

Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade, ill. by Alice Ratterree

Manfish: a Story of Jaques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, ill. by Éric Puybaret

Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson, ill. by Qin Leng

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome, ill. by James E. Ransome


Top 10 Middle Grade Fiction Books


The Case of the Case of the Mistaken Identity (The Brixton Brothers, #1) by Mac Barnett, ill. by Adam Rex

Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol

Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead, ill. by Nicholas Gannon

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder

Refugee by Alan Gratz


The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais, translated by Jeremy Melloul

The Nameless City (The Nameless City, #1) by Faith Erin Hicks

Friends and Foes (Red's Planet, #2) by Eddie Pittman

The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine by Mark Twain & Philip Stead, ill. by Erin Stead

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate


Middle Grade Nonfiction Books


What a Wonderful Word by Nicola Edwards, ill. by Luisa Uribe

Trick of the Eye: Art and Illusion by Silke Vry

The Incredible Cabinet of Wonders (Lonely Planet Kids) by Joe Fullman

The Inker's Shadow by Allen Say

This Side of Wild: Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs by Gary Paulsen


The Tarantula in My Purse: and 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George

A Charm of Goldfinches and Other Wild Gatherings: Quirky Collective Nouns of the Animal Kingdom by Matt Sewell

The Great and Only Barnum: the Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming, ill. by Ray Fenwick

Hedy's Journey: the True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust by Michelle Bisson, ill. by El primo Ramón

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton, ill. by Victo Ngai


Friday, December 7, 2018

Brainstorm 161: Top 10s of 2018, Part 1

It's hard to believe, but it is that time of year again! Time for some Top 10s of the Reading Year! All the Fridays of December I will be sharing the top books I've read in the past year (with one guest post from the Elementary librarian I work with). I’ve been doing lots of reading, and I know many others don’t have a chance to read several hundred books in a year. So from the crazy reader to the mildly crazy reader or the downright mellow reader, my Christmas gift to you is some of my favorite reads of the year, ones you may find worth hunting down in the reading time you do have. Sorting through hundreds of books read in the past twelve months is a long, laborious and grueling process. So many hard choices! But if it helps others find good reads, it is worth it. The books that appear in these lists may have been published in any year unless I needed to narrow down my choice. In that case, I stated the limiters I used by the heading (and the publication year indicates 1st English publication anywhere in the world). My favorite choices are listed first and then it kinda sorta trickles down in descending order, but many of them I'd have trouble choosing between so it is more like some absolute favorites at the top and a 6-8 place tie for runners up. Click on the titles of the books to read my reviews and see any content notes. Enjoy!

This Week: Top Adult Fiction, Top YA & Adult Nonfiction, Top YA & Adult Graphic Novels, Top Picture Book Biographies, Top Leveled Readers, Top Christian Nonfiction
Dec 14: Guest Post: Ms Sarah Foit’s Top 10s of 2018
Dec 21: Top Biographies, Top LG/MG Nonfiction, Top LG/MG Graphic Novels, Top LG Fiction, Top Creators of Asian Descent
Dec 28: Top YA Fiction, Top MG Fiction, Top Fiction Picture Books, Top Asian Characters

Clarification of terms: Lower Grade (LG) refers to Kindergarten-2nd Grade interest level books typically but I'm including Preschool in this division too, Middle Grade (MG) refers to 3rd-8th grade interest level books, and Young Adult (YA) refers to teenage interest level books. Some books will appeal to multiple divisions. For those books I picked the age division I felt it most appealed to.


Top 2018 & 2017 Adult Fiction
(limited to books originally published in 2018 or 2017)


Where We Belong by Lynn Austin

Silent Days, Holy Night by Phyllis Clark Nichols

The Lost Plot (Invisible Library, #4) by Genevieve Cogman

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

The Ghost Ship (Space Drifters, #3) by Paul Regnier


The Lost Castle (Lost Castle, #1) by Kristy Cambron

Terminal Alliance (Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse) by Jim C. Hines

Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries, #2) by Martha Wells

An Unkindness of Magicians by Kat Howard

Snapshot by Brandon Sanderson


Top 2016 or Older Adult Fiction 
(limited to books originally published 2016 or before)


Soul Music (DEATH, #3, Discworld #16) by Terry Pratchett

Sirius by Jonathan Crown

Hogfather (DEATH, #4; Discworld, #20) by Terry Pratchett

The Emerald Enigma (Space Drifters, #1) by Paul Regnier

The Iron Gauntlet (Space Drifters, #2) by Paul Regnier


Prelude for a Lord by Camille Elliot

Weekend at Thrackley by Alan Melville

Shivering World by Kathy Tyers

Excellent Intentions by Richard Hull

Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac



Top YA/Adult Graphic Novels, Comics, & Manga 
(both fiction and nonfiction)



White Sand, Vol. 2 by Brandon Sanderson, adapted by Rik Hoskin, ill. by Julius Gopez & Julius Otha

Giant Spider & Me: a Post-Apocalyptic Tale, Vol. 1 by Kikori Morino

Giant Spider & Me: a Post-Apocalyptic Tale, Vol. 2 by Kikori Morino

Hermes: Tales of the Trickster (Olympians, #10) by George O’Connor

Gone Rogue (Wires and Nerve, #2) by Marissa Meyer, ill. by Stephen Gilpin & Douglas Holgate


A Sea of Love by Wilfrid Lupano, ill. by Grégory Panaccione

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

Trees: Kings of the Forest (Science Comics) by Andy Hirsch

The Inker’s Shadow by Allen Say

Cat vs Human Fairy Tails by Yasmine Surovec


Top YA & Adult Nonfiction


Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Ain’t Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson

In Other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, translated by Ann Goldstein

The Culture Code: the Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson


Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

Life on Surtsey: Iceland’s Upstart Island (Scientists in the Field) by Loree Griffin Burns

The Last Castle: the Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation’s Largest Home by Denise Kiernan

Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code (Scientists in the Field) by Amy Cherrix

Birds of the Photo Ark photographs by Joel Sartore, text by Noah Strycker


Top Leveled Readers


Louise Loves Bake Sales (Louise Readers; I Can Read! Level 1) by Kelly Light

Ride Otto Ride (The Adventures of Otto; Ready to Read Pre-Level One) by David Milgrim

Pizza Pig (Step into Reading, Step 2) by Diana Murray, ill. by Maria Karipidou

Hello, Penguin! (National Geographic Kids Readers, Pre-Reader) by Kathryn Williams

Chicken in Mittens (I Can Read! Level 1) by Adam Lehrhaupt, ill. by Shahar Kober


Living in…South Korea (Living in…; Ready to Read, Level Two) by Chloe Perkins, ill. by Tom Woolley

Beans Baker’s Best Shot (Step into Reading, Step 3) by Richard Torrey

We Need More Nuts (Penguin Young Readers, Level 2) by Jonathan Fenske

Animal Armor (National Geographic Kids Readers, Level 1) by Laura Marsh

Robot, Go Bot!: a Comic Reader (Step into Reading, Step 1) by Dana Meachen Rau, ill. by Wook Jin Jung


Top 2018 Picture Book Biographies, Autobiographies, Memoirs
(limited to books originally published in 2018)


Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen by Deborah Hopkinson, ill. by Qin Leng

How Sweet the Sound: the Story of Amazing Grace by Carole Boston Weatherford, ill. by Frank Morrison

Up in the Leaves: the True Story of the Central Park Treehouses by Shira Boss, ill. by Jamey Cristoph

The Boo-Boos That Changed the World: a True Story about an Accidental Invention (Really!) by Barry Wittenstein, ill. by Chris Hsu

Fairy Spell: How Two Girls Convinced the World That Fairies Are Real by Marc Tyler Nobleman, ill. by Eliza Wheeler


The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs: the Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Reef Foundation by Kate Messner, ill. by Matthew Forsythe

Just Being Jackie (Just Being) by Margaret Cardillo, ill. by Julia Denos

She Persisted around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History (She Persisted) by Chelsea Clinton, ill. by Alexandra Boiger

Lucy Maud Montgomery (Little People, Big Dreams) by Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara, ill. by Anuska Allepuz

Hidden Figures: the True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly and Winifred Conkling, ill. by Laura Freeman


Top 2017 or Older Picture Book Biographies, Autobiographies, or Memoirs
(limited to books originally published in 2017 or before)


Manjhi Moves a Mountain by Nancy Churnin, ill. by Danny Popovici

Dangerous Jane by Suzanne Slade, ill. by Alice Ratterree

Before She Was Harriet by Lisa Cline-Ransome, ill. by James E. Ransome

A Boy, a Mouse, and a Spider: the Story of E.B. White by Barbara Herkert, ill. by Lauren Castillo

Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask about Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw, photos by Matt Carr


Dumpling Dreams: How Joyce Chen Brought the Dumpling from Beijing to Cambridge by Carrie Clickard, ill. by Katy Wu

Manfish: a Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, ill. by Éric Puybaret

Balloons over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet

Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines: Designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Jeanne Walker Harvey, ill. by Dow Phumrik

Mrs Harkness and the Panda by Alicia Potter, ill. by Melissa Sweet


Top Christian Nonfiction


The Case for Miracles: a Journalist Investigates Evidence for the Supernatural by Lee Strobel

Love Does for Kids by Bob Goff & Lindsay Goff Vidicich, ill. by Michael Lauritano

In the Land of Blue Burqas by Kate McCord

Son of Hamas by Mosab Hassan Yousef with Ron Brackin

Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done by Katie M. Reid


An Extraordinary Teacher: a Bible Story about Priscilla by Rachel Spier Weaver and Anna Haggard, ill. by Eric Elwell

The Kid Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews, ill. by Philip Hurst

Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

Healing Our Broken Humanity by Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Graham Hill

A Kid’s Guide to the Power of Words (A Kid’s Guide To) by Tony Evans