Thursday, December 24, 2020

Brainstorm 229: Top 10s of 2020 Part 4

It’s the last batch of Top 10s of 2020! It’s impossible to read every book the year it comes out, and there are some fantastic reads that I don’t get around to reading until a year or two or ten later, so today it’s time for those fantastic first time reads for me in 2020 of books that came out in the past. 2020 was insane and not fun in many ways, but I do have to say I got a lot of books read that have been sitting in my TBR pile for years. At least it was good for something. 😁 Click on the title to see my full review. This middle grade list was the hardest list for me to narrow down of all the lists. I had way more than ten 5 star reads in this category this year! The Brainstorm will take a few weeks off for Christmas break and then be back mid-January. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!


Here’s the Top 10s of 2020s Schedule for this year:

Dec 4: Most recent fiction (Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, YA, Adult, & Graphic Novels mostly published in 2019-2020)

Dec 11: Elementary librarian, Sarah Foit’s Top 10s

Dec 18: Nonfiction (Lower Grade, Middle Grade & YA, Adult, Christian, Graphic Novels) & Asian Lit

Dec 24: Older fiction (More Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, & YA mostly published 2018/2019 and older)


Top 10 Young Adult Fiction Books 

(limited to those published in 2018 or before)

Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles, #1) by Jodi Meadows

Sanctuary (Sanctuary, #1) by Caryn Lix

Brightly Burning by Alexa Donne

The Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse

The Traitor Prince (Ravenspire, #3) by C.J. Redwine

My Real Name Is Hanna by Tara Lynn Maish

The Keeper of the Mist by Rachel Neumeier

Timeless: Diego and the Rangers of the Vastlantic (Timeless, #1) by Armand Baltazar

Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Edghill

The Transatlantic Conspiracy by G.D. Falksen, ill. by Nat Iwata


Top 10 Middle Grade Fiction Books 

(limited to those published in 2019 or before)

Shine by J.J. & Chris Grabenstein

The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst

Float by Laura Martin

Disaster Days by Rebecca Behrens

Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt

Changeling (The Oddmire, #1) by William Ritter 

Freedom Fire (Dactyl Hill Squad, #2) by Daniel José Older

Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Anya and the Dragon (Anya, #1) by Sofiya Pasternack

Sweep: the Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier


Top 10 Lower Grade Fiction Books 

(limited to those published in 2018 or before)

Drake Makes a Splash! (Galaxy Zack, #8) by Ray O’Ryan, ill. by Colin Jack

The Frandidate (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, #7) by Jim Benton

Super Frozen Magic Forest (Super Happy Magic Forest, #3) by Matty Long

Stairway to Doom (Miss Mallard Mystery) by Robert Quackenbush

Mr. Putter & Tabby Hit the Slope (Mr. Putter & Tabby, #25) by Cynthia Rylant, ill. by Arthur Howard

Poppy the Police Horse by Gavin Puckett, ill. by Tor Freeman

To the Moon (Sydney & Simon) by Paul A. & Peter Reynolds

How to Track a Pterodactyl (Dino Riders, #5) by Will Dare

Attack of the Snack (Rabbit & Bear, #3) by Jullian Gough, ill. by Jim Field

Grilled Cheese and Dragons (Princess Pulverizer, #1) by Nancy Krulik


Top 10 Fiction Picture Books 

(limited to those published in 2019 or before)

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, ill. by Vashti Harrison

The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry, ill. by the Fan Brothers

Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion by Alex T. Smith

Sometimes You Fly by Katherine Applegate, ill. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

The Cool Bean (The Bad Seed, #3) by Jory John, ill. by Pete Oswald

Abner & Ian Get Right-Side Up by Dave Eggers, ill. by Laura Park

Angel in Beijing by Belle Yang

The Hard Hat for Kids by Jon Gordon and Lauren Gallagher, ill. by Korey Scott

Stormy by Guojing

Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, ill. by LeUyen Pham


Thursday, December 17, 2020

Brainstorm 228: Top 10s of 2020 Part 3

In this week of Top 10s of 2020 we look at my top 10s of nonfiction books and Asian books. Working at an international school in Thailand, I’m always on a hunt for great books by creators of Asian descent, featuring Asian characters, and set in Asia so these lists feature books I’ve been thrilled to add to our library and share with our students. There are also more great Asian titles in most of the Top 10s. 

To find out more about a book, click on the title to see my full review, interest level, etc. In general my favorite books appear first in the lists, but just making the list means these titles beat out many, many others (see my 2020 Reading Challenge widget on the right side bar to get an idea of how many). 

I know I said I wasn't separating the Biographies and Christian books into their own sections but I'm making an exception for Picture Book Biographies and Christian nonfiction today. Apart from those Top 10s, if you are interested in those genres look for 1 asterisk to indicate a biography and 2 asterisks to indicate a Christian title. 


Here’s the Top 10s of 2020s Schedule for this year:

Dec 4: Most recent fiction (Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, YA, Adult, & Graphic Novels mostly published in 2019-2020)

Dec 11: Elementary librarian, Sarah Foit’s Top 10s

Dec 18: Nonfiction (Lower Grade, Middle Grade & YA, Adult, Christian, Graphic Novels) & Asian Lit

Dec 24 (may appear a few days early): Older fiction (More Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, & YA mostly published 2018/2019 and older)


Top 10 Lower Grade Nonfiction Books 

(excluding picture book biographies, limited to those published in 2019-2020)

Fungus Is Among Us! by Joy Keller, ill. by Eric Salcedo

Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You by Sonia Sotomayor, ill. by Rafael López

On the Internet: Our First Talk about Online Safety (The World around Us) by Dr. Jillian Roberts, ill. by Jane Heinrichs

Underground: Subway Systems around the World by Uijung Kim

Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh, ill. by Scott Campbell

Dr. Seuss’s Horse Museum by Dr. Seuss, ill. by Andrew Joyner

Honeybee: the Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, ill. by Eric Rohmann

So Cool! Leopards (So Cool!) by Chris Boyner

G Is for Golazo: the Ultimate Soccer Alphabet by James Littlejohn, ill. by Matthew Shipley

Walk This Underground World by Kate Baker, ill. by Sam Brewster


Top 10 Picture Book Biographies 

(limited to those published in 2019-2020)

The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler, ill. by Pamela Zagarenski*

Ice Breaker: How Mabel Fairbanks Changed Figure Skating by Rose Viña, ill. by Claire Almon*

The Boy Who Grew a Forest: the True Story of Jadav Payeng by Sophia Gholz, ill. by Kayla Harren*

How to Solve a Problem: the Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion by Ashima Shiraishi, ill. by Yao Xiao*

It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way by Kyo Maclear, ill. by Julie Morstad*

The Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom by Teresa Robeson, ill. by Rebecca Huang*

Through the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo*

Saving the Countryside: the Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit by Linda Marshall, ill. by Ilaria Urbinati*

Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln by Margarita Engle, ill. by Rafael López

Cubs in the Tub: the True Story of the Bronx Zoo’s First Woman Zookeeper by Candace Fleming, ill. by Julie Downing*


Top 10 Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Nonfiction Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga 

(limited to 1 per series)

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed*

The Boy who Became a Dragon: a Bruce Lee Story by Jim Di Bartolo*

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha*

The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery (History Comics) by Chris Schweizer

The Mars Challenge by Alison Wilgus, ill. by Wyeth Yates

Sad Animal Babies by Brooke Barker

Dragon Hoops by Gene Yuen Lang*

Machines That Think (Big Ideas That Changed the World, #2) by Don Brown

Ocean Anatomy: the Curious Parts and Pieces of the World under the Sea (Anatomy) by Julia Rothman with John Niekrasz

Irena: Children of the Ghetto (Irena, #2) by by Jean-David Morvan and Séverine Tréfouël ; illustrated by David Evrard ; colored by Walter ; translation by Dan Christensen*


Top 10 Middle Grade & Young Adult Nonfiction Books 

(limited to 1 per series)

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

Eels (Superpower Field Guide) by Rachel Poliquin, ill. by Nicholas John Frith

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, ill. by Kadir Nelson

Even More Lesser Spotted Animals (Lesser Spotted Animals, #2) by Martin Brown

History’s Mysteries: Curious Clues, Cold cases, and Puzzles from the Past by Kitson Jazynka

On the Horizon by Lois Lowry, ill. by Kenard Pak*

Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island by Jennifer Thermes

Pencils, Pens & Brushes: a Girls’ Guide to Disney Animation by Mindy Johnson, ill. by Lorelay Bove*

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming*

Big Cats by Nic Bishop


Top 10 Adult Nonfiction Books

(Christian nonfiction in separate list)

The Last Boat out of Shanghai: the Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution by Helen Zia

Every Tool’s a Hammer: Life Is What You Make It by Adam Savage*

Whiter: Asian American Women on Skin Color and Colorism edited by Nikki Khanna

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden*

The Great Penguin Rescue: 40,000 Penguins, a Devastating Oil Spill, and the Inspiring Story of the World's Largest Animal Rescue by Dyan deNapoli*

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard

Rebooting AI: Building Artificial Intelligence We Can Trust by Gary F. Marcus & Ernest Davis

No Beast So Fierce: The Terrifying True Story of the Champawat Tiger, the Deadliest Man-Eater in History by Dane Huckelbridge*

Dutch Girl: Aubrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen*

Truffle Underground: a Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and Manipulation in the Shadowy Market of the World’s Most Expensive Fungus by Ryan Jacobs


Top 10 Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Christian Nonfiction Books

Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen**

Uncommon Ground: Living Faithfully in a Broken World edited by Timothy Keller & John Inazu**

Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson**

Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by E. Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O’Brien**

What Are You Going to Do with Your Life? by J.D. Greear**

That Grand Easter Day! by Jill Roman Lord, ill. by Alessia Trunfio**

Jesus and the Very Big Surprise: a True Story about Jesus, His Return, and How to Be Ready (Tales That Tell the Truth) by Randall Goodgame, ill. by Catalina Echeverri**

Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not about You by Sharon Hodde Miller**

God’s Great Love for You by Rick Warren, ill. by Chris Saunders

Where Is God in All the Suffering? by Amy Orr-Ewing


Top 10 Books Illustrated by Artists of Asian Descent

No Fuzzball! by Isabella Kung

Stormy by Guojing

Gurple and Preen: a Broken Crayon Cosmic Adventure by Linda Sue Park, ill. by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Lift by Minh Lê, ill. by Dan Santat

The Paper Boat: a Refugee Story by Thao Lam

A Big Bed for Little Snow by Grace Lin

Chirri & Chirra Under the Sea (Chirri & Chirra) by Kaya Doi, translated by David Boyd

Natsumi’s Song of Summer by Robert Paul Weston, ill. by Misa Saburi

Almost American Girl by Robin Ha*

Dragon Hoops by Gene Yuen Lang*


Top 10 Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Asian Fiction Books 

(limited to books by creators of Asian descent featuring characters of Asian descent, limited to those published in English in 2019-2020)

Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

Silver Spoon Vol. 14 by Hiromu Arakawa, translated by Amanda Haley

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat

The Missing Dragon (Student Ambassador, #1) by Ryan Estrada, ill. by Axur Eneas

Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed, ill. by Anoosha Syed

Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Wonton Terror (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #4) by Vivien Chien

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade (Mindy Kim, #2) by Lyla Lee, ill. by Dung Ho

Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (Pandava Quartet, #3) by Roshani Chokshi


Top 10 Asian Settings in Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Books

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat    :     Reimagined Thailand

Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai    :    Manchuria (Modern Day China/ Past Japan)

The Frangipani Tree Mystery (Crown Colony, #1) by Ovidia Yu    :    Singapore

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra (Baby Ganesh Agency Investigation, #1) by Vaseem Khan    :    India

The Missing Dragon (Student Ambassador, #1) by Ryan Estrada, ill. by Axur Eneas    :    South Korea


The Last Boat out of Shanghai: the Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution by Helen Zia    :    China/Hong Kong/Taiwan

Bronze and Sunflower by Cao Wenxuan, translated by Helen Wang    :    China

Natsumi’s Song of Summer by Robert Paul Weston, ill. by Misa Saburi    :    Japan

Raptors of Paradise (Supersaurs, #1) by Jay Jay Burridge    :    Reimagined Indonesia

Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly    :    Reimagined Philippines


*Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir

**Christian title


Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Brainstorm 227: Top 10s of 2020 Part 2 : Guest Top 10s

Time for more Top 10s of 2020! This week we have a guest, Ms Sarah Foit, the amazing Elementary librarian I get to work with, sharing her top reads of the year. She says her top 10s are in no special order. I like including Sarah’s Top 10s because several books that I loved and just missed making it into my Top 10s made it into hers so they still get a moment to shine. Click on the titles to see her full reviews. You might notice that sometimes Sarah and I have the same book in different target audience lists. That’s because some books are borderline between audiences or appeal to multiple audiences. Some of Sarah’s lists include YA or Adult titles that we have on the shelves for middle graders in our Elementary library.


Here’s the Top 10s of 2020s Schedule for this year:

Dec 4: Most recent fiction (Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, YA, Adult, & Graphic Novels mostly published in 2019-2020)

Dec 11: Elementary librarian, Sarah Foit’s Top 10s

Dec 18: Nonfiction (Lower Grade, Middle Grade & YA, Adult, Christian, Graphic Novels)

Dec 24: Older fiction (More Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, & YA mostly published 2018/2019 and older) & Asian Lit


Top 10 Fiction Picture Books

Don’t Forget to Remember by Ellie Holcomb, ill. by Kayla Harren**

I Dream of a Journey by Akiko Miyakoshi

Along the Tapajós by Fernando Vilela, trans. by Daniel Hahn

The Farmer and the Monkey (The Farmer Books, #2) by Marla Frazee

The Wildest Cowboy by Garth Jennings, ill. by Sara Olgivie

No Fuzzball! by Isabella Kung

The Scarecrow by Beth Ferry, ill. by the Fan Brothers

Sometimes You Fly by Katherine Applegate, ill. by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, ill. by Vashti Harrison

In a Jar by Deborah Marcero

 

Top 10 Nonfiction Picture Books

Jesus and the Very Big Surprise: a True Story about Jesus, His Return, and How to Be Ready (Tales That Tell the Truth) by Randall Goodgame, ill. by Catalina Echeverri**

How to Solve a Problem: the Rise (and Falls) of a Rock-Climbing Champion by Ashima Shiraishi, ill. by Yao Xiao*

An Unexpected Hero: a Bible story about Rahab (Called and Courageous Girls) by Rachel Spier Weaver & Anna Haggard, ill. by Eric Elwell** *

On the Internet: Our First Talk about Online Safety (The World around Us) by Dr. Jillian Roberts, ill. by Jane Heinrichs

Joey: a Baby Koala and His Mother by Nic Bishop

She Leads: the Elephant Matriarch by June Smalls, ill. by Yumi Shimokawara

Fungus Is Among Us! by Joy Keller, ill. by Eric Salcedo

Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh, ill. by Scott Campbell

Dr. Seuss's Horse Museum by Dr. Seuss, ill. by Andrew Joyner

Cubs in the Tub: the True Story of the Bronx Zoo’s First Woman Zookeeper by Candace Fleming, ill. by Julie Downing*


Top 10 Lower Grade Fiction Books

The Ember Stone (The Last Firehawk, #1) by Katrina Charman, ill. by Jeremy Norton

Express Train to Trouble (Miss Mallard Mysteries) by Robert Quackenbush

Frost Friends Forever (Diary of an Ice Princess, #2) by Christina Soontornvat, ill. by Barbara Szepesi Szucs

Big Mouth Elizabeth (Elizabeth Case, #2) by Rachel Vail, ill. by Paige Keiser

Boris Gets a Lizard (Boris, #2) by Andrew Joyner


Jasper & Scruff (Jasper & Scruff, #1) by Nicola Colton

Hendrix the Rocking Horse by Gavin Puckett, ill. by Tor Freeman

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats (King & Kayla, #1) by Dori Hillestad Butler, ill. by Nancy Meyers

Ghosts and Goblins and Ninja, Oh my! (Rider Woofson, #4) by Walker Styles, ill. by Ben Whitehouse

Mystery on the Ostrich Express (Fabio, the World’s Greatest Flamingo Detective, #2) by Laura James, ill. by Emily Fox


Top 10 Lower Grade Nonfiction Books

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood: the Poetry of Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers, ill. by Luke Flowers

The Fabled Life of Aesop by Ian Lendler, ill. by Pamela Zagarenski*

Underground: Subway Systems around the World by Uijung Kim

The Great New York Subway Map by Emiliano Ponzi

Little Kids First Big Book of Where (National Geographic Kids Little Kids First Big Book) by Jill Esbaum

Through the Wardrobe: How C.S. Lewis Created Narnia by Lina Maslo*

The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy, ill. by Stacy Innerst*

Finding Narnia: the Story of C.S. Lewis and His Brother by Caroline McAlister, ill. by Jessica Lanan*

Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey by Lori Mortensen, ill. by Chloe Bristol*

Fred's Big Feelings: the Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers by Laura Renauld, ill. by Brigette Barrager*


Top 10 Lower Grade Graphic Novels/Comics

Happy Narwhalidays (Narwhal & Jelly, #5) by Ben Clanton

¡Vamos! Let's Go Eat! (Little Lobo, #2) by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay

I am Hermes!: Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods by Mordicai Gerstein

Super Frozen Magic Forest (Super Happy Magic Forest, #3) by Matty Long

The Invention Hunters Discover How Machines Work (Invention Hunters) by Korwin Briggs


Let's Have a Sleepover! (Hello, Hedgehog, #2) by Norm Feuti

The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories (Fox & Chick, #2) by Sergio Ruzzier

Bad Kitty Joins the Team (Bad Kitty, #13) by Nick Bruel

Little Tails in the Savannah (Little Tails, #3) by Fredéric Brrémaud ; illustrated by Federico Bertolucci ; translation by Mike Kennedy

Poppy and Sam and the Mole Mystery (Poppy & Sam, #2) by Cathon, trans. by Susan Ouriou


Top 10 Middle Grade Fiction Books


Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly, ill. by Lian Cho

Everlasting Nora by Marie Miranda Cruz

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christina McKay Heidicker, ill. by Junyi Wu

Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley, ill. by Jaime Zollars

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (Sal & Gabi, #1) by Carlos Hernandez

The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Emily out of Focus by Miriam Spitzer Franklin

Stanley Will Probably Be Fine by Sally J. Pla, ill. by Steve Wolfhard


Top 10 Middle Grade Nonfiction Books

Martin Luther: a Man Who Changed the World by Paul L. Meier, ill. by Greg Copeland** *

Beavers (The Superpower Field Guide) by Rachel Poliquin, ill. by Nicholas John Frith

All in a Drop: How Antony von Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World by Lori Alexander, ill. by Vivien Mildenberger*

The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Greece: a Time Travelers Guide (The Thrifty Guides to History) by Jonathan W. Stokes

Ocean Anatomy: the Curious Parts and Pieces of the World under the Sea (Anatomy) by Julia Rothman

The Egg by Britta Teckentrup

Big Cats by Nic Bishop

The Incredible Yet True Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt by Volker Menhert, ill. by Claudia Lieb, trans. by Becky L. Cook*

Shadow Warrior by Tanya Lloyd Kyi, ill. by Celia Krampien

Titan and the Wild Boars: the True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team by Susan Hood & Patthana Sornhiran, ill. by Dow Phumiruk


Top 10 Middle Grade Graphic Novels/Comics

Diana: Princess of the Amazons by Shannon & Dean Hale, ill. by Victoria Ying

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed*

The Missing Dragon (Student Ambassador, #1) by Ryan Estrada, ill. by Axur Eneas

The Roanoke Colony: America's First Mystery (History Comics) by Chris Schweizer

Wallace the Brave (Wallace the Brave, #1) by Will Henry

Hilda and the Mountain King (Hilda, #6) by Luke Pearson

InvestiGators (InvestiGators, #1) by John Patrick Green

Logan Likes Mary Anne! (Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novels, #8) based on the novel by Ann M. Martin, adapted by Gale Galligan

The Big Break by Mark Tatulli

Nico Bravo and the Cellar Dwellers (Nico Bravo, #2) by Mike Cavallaro


*Indicates Biography, Autobiography, or Memoir
**Indicates a Christian book

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Brainstorm 226: Top 10s of 2020 Part 1: Newer Fiction

It’s time for this year’s Top 10s of 2020! 

For the next 4 weeks I will be sharing with you my favorite reads of the year (with one guest post from my amazing fellow school librarian, Sarah Foit). If you are looking for a good read for yourself or someone you love, these are some of my top recommendations! 

In general, I’ve put my favorite book(s) on top and then in descending order, but considering many of these books beat out 100s of others in the same category, that’s a minor thing at this point. They are all amazing in my opinion if they’ve made these lists. I’ve set limiters for certain lists to help myself narrow things down, and all of these are books I've read in the past 12 months. I've also limited it to books that are already in our libraries at ICS, or books that are in our next book order.

You can click on the titles to read my full review of each book.

Here’s the Top 10s of 2020s Schedule for this year:

Dec 4: Most recent fiction (Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, YA, Adult, & Graphic Novels mostly published in 2019-2020)

Dec 11: Elementary librarian, Sarah Foit’s Top 10s

Dec 18: Nonfiction (Lower Grade, Middle Grade & YA, Adult, Christian, Graphic Novels)

Dec 24: Older fiction (More Picture Books, Lower Grade, Middle Grade, & YA mostly published 2018/2019 and older) & Asian Lit

In past years I have separated the Biographies and Christian fiction into separate lists, but this year I decided to just incorporate them in the other lists (except for picture book biographies). For those who are still interested in those specific genres, I’m marking these books with asterisks. (One for Biography, two for Christian fiction.)

Some notes on terms:
Lower Grade books are aimed at Pre-K-3 grade readers
Middle Grade books are aimed at 3rd-8th grade readers
Young Adult books are aimed at teen readers

Fiction Picture Books of 2020 

(limited to those published in 2020)

No Fuzzball! by Isabella Kung

The Barnabus Project by The Fan Brothers

The Farmer and the Monkey (The Farmer Books, #2) by Marla Frazee

We Will Rock Our Classmates (Penelope, #2) by Ryan T. Higgins

Natsumi’s Song of Summer by Robert Paul Weston, ill. by Misa Saburi

Don’t Forget to Remember by Ellie Holcomb, ill. by Kayla Harren**

What about Worms!? (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading, #7) by Ryan T. Higgins & Mo Willems

No More Naps! by Chris Grabenstein, ill. by Leo Espinosa

Take a Hike (Moby Shinobi and Toby Too, #2) by Luke Flowers

Chirri & Chirra Under the Sea (Chirri & Chirra) by Kaya Doi, translated by David Boyd


Lower Grade Fiction 2019-2020 

(limited to those published in 2019-2020, and only 1 per series)

Mr. Penguin and the Catastrophic Cruise (Mr. Penguin, #3) by Alex T. Smith

Tabby’s First Quest (Kitten Kingdom, #1) by Mia Bell

King & Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor (King & Kayla, #6) by Dori Hillestad Butler, ill. by Nancy Meyers

The Snoring Princess (Once upon a Fairy Tale, #4) by Anna Staniszewski, ill. by Macky Pamintuan

Mindy Kim and the Lunar New Year Parade (Mindy Kim, #2) by Lyla Lee, ill. by Dung Ho

Recipe for Disaster (Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist, #9) by Jim Benton

The Princess in Black and the Bathtime Battle (Princess in Black, #7) by Shannon & Dean Hale, ill. by LeUyen Pham

Jasper & Scruff (Jasper & Scruff, #1) by Nicola Colton

The Secret of Shadow Lake (Creature Campers, #1) by Joe McGee, ill. by Bea Tormo

Frost Friends Forever (Diary of an Ice Princess, #2) by Christina Soontornvat, ill. by Barbara Szepesi Szucs


Middle Grade Fiction 2020 

(limited to those published in 2020)

The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Glitch by Laura Martin

Hollowpox: the Hunt for Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #3) by Jessica Townsend

The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found (Vanderbeekers, #4) by Karina Yan Glaser

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks (FunJungle, #6) by Stuart Gibbs

The Secret of White Stone Gate (Black Hollow Lane, #2) by Julia Nobel

In the Red by Christopher Swiedler

City Spies (City Spies, #1) by James Ponti

Really Truly (Pumpkin Falls, #3) by Heather Vogel Frederick

A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat


Young Adult Fiction 2019-2020 

(limited to those published in 2019-2020)

In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery, #1) by Diana Peterfreund

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

Cry of the Raven (The Ravenwood Saga, #3) by Morgan L. Busse**

The Heartwood Crown (The Sunlit Lands, #2) by Matt Mikalatos**

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games, #0) by Suzanne Collins

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee

Allies by Allan Gratz

Undaunted (Fetch, #2) by Kat Falls

Shatter City (Impostors, #2) by Scott Westerfeld

Supernova (Renegades, #3) by Marissa Meyer


Adult Fiction 

(limited to 1 per author, and 1 per series)

Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive, #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Set the Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes**

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart

A Gilded Lady (Hope and Glory, #2) by Elizabeth Camden**

Storing Up Trouble (American Heiresses, #3) by Jen Turano**

Through Chaos (The Chronicles of Sarco, #3) by Joshua A. Johnston**

A Name Unknown (Shadows over England, #1) by Roseanna M. White**

Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson**

Cove by Cynan Jones

Wonton Terror (A Noodle Shop Mystery, #4) by Vivien Chien


Lower Grade Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga

Happy Narwhalidays (Narwhal & Jelly, #5) by Ben Clanton

Adventures of the Super Zeroes (Bots, #7) by Russ Bolts, ill. by Jay Cooper

Bo and the Dragon Pup (Unicorn Diaries, #2) by Rebecca Elliott

Bad Kitty Joins the Team (Bad Kitty, #13) by Nick Bruel

A Good Team (Unicorn and Yeti, 2) by Heather Ayris Burnell, ill. by Hazel Quintanilla

Fancy Friends (BunBun & BonBon, #1) by Jess Keating

Noodleheads Lucky Day (Noodleheads, #5) by Todd Arnold, Martha Hamilton, and Mitch Weiss, ill. by Todd Arnold

Cubs in the Tub: the True Story of the Bronx Zoo’s First Woman Zookeeper by Candace Fleming, ill. by Julie Downing*

Who Needs a Checkup? (Hello, Hedgehog, #3) by Norm Feuti

Let’s Play, Crabby (A Crabby Book, #2) by Jonathan Fenske


Middle Grade Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga 

(limited to fiction)

Nico Bravo and the Cellar Dwellers (Nico Bravo, #2) by Mike Cavallaro

Bird & Squirrel All or Nothing (Bird & Squirrel, #6) by James Burks

Bodie Troll by Jay Fosgitt

Field Trip (Sanity & Tallulah, #2) by Molly Brooks

Kodi by Jared Cullum

The Big Break by Mark Tatulli

Queen of the Nile (Cleopatra in Space, #6) by Mike Maihack

Virtual Unicorn Experience (Phoebe and Her Unicorn, #12) by Dana Simpson

The Missing Dragon (Student Ambassador, #1) by Ryan Estrada, ill. by Axur Eneas

Orientation (Marvel: Avengers Assembly, #1) by Preeti Chhibber, ill. by James Lancett


YA & Adult Graphic Novels, Comics, Manga 

(limited to fiction)

Beyond the Clouds, Vol. 1 by Nicke

Strange Planet (Strange Planet, #1) by Nathan W. Pyle

Cat’s Café by Matt Tarpley

Invader Zim Vol. 8 by Sam Logan, Eric Trueheart, Kate Sherron, et al

Silver Spoon Vol. 3 by Hiromu Arakawa, translated by Amanda Haley

The Promised Neverland Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai, ill. by Posuka Demizu

Space Boy 7 by Stephen McCranie

Cells at Work Vol. 3 by Akane Shimizu

Heroes of the Round Table (Marvel Rising) by Nilah Magruder, ill. by Roberto di Salvo

Animal Farm based on the novel by George Orwell, adapted/ill. by Odyr


*Biography
**Christian fiction