Best Books of 2022

Tweens (Grades 4-7) 

Historical Fiction 
Loyalty, by Avi
Louisa June and the Nazis in the Waves, by L.M. Elliott
Yonder, by Ali Standish

Mystery/Suspense 
The Ghoul of Windydown Vale, by Jake Burt
Birdie’s Billions, by Edith Cohn
The Midnighters, by Hana Tooke

Adventure 
Wild Ride, by Keith Calabrese
Two Degrees, by Alan Gratz
Wayward Creatures , by Dayna Lorentz
The Sheep, the Rooster and the Duck, by Matt Phelan

Graphic Novels 
Isla to Island, by Alexis Castellanos
Swim Team, by Johnnie Christmas
Freestyle, by Gale Galligan
Tidesong, by Wendy Xu

Nonfiction 
Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association, by Fred Bowen
Pride, by Stella Caldwell
I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau, by Julie Dunlap

Realistic Fiction 
The Swag is in the Socks, by Kelly J. Baptist
Caprice, by Coe Booth
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor
Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, by Tae Keller
Honestly Elliott, by Gillian McDunn
Omar Rising, by Aisha Saeed
Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence, by Sonja Thomas
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, by Lisa Yee

Fantasy 
Riley’s Ghost, by John David Anderson
The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill
The Marvellers, by Dhonielle Clayton
Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee
Unseen Magic , by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Solimar, by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat
Hunters of the Lost City, by Kali Wallace
Honest June, by Tina Wells

Science Fiction 
Brand New Boy, by David Almond
Operation Do-Over, by Gordon Korman
A Rover’s Story, by Jasmine Warga

Teens(Grades 8-12)

Realistic Fiction 
The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen, by Isaac Blum
The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, by Jen Ferguson
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow, by Zoulfa Katouh
All My Rage, by Sabaa Tahir
Ain’t Burned All the Bright, by Jason Reynolds

Horror 
Man Made Monsters, by Andrea Rogers

Fantasy 
Our Crooked Hearts, by Melissa Albert
Scout’s Honor, by Lily Anderson
A Thousand Steps into Night, by Traci Chee
Bitter, by Akwaeke Emezi
A Snake Falls to Earth, by Darcie Little Badger
This Woven Kingdom, by Tahereh Mafi
An Arrow to the Moon, by Emily X. R. Pan
The Bone Spindle, by Leslie Vedder

Mystery/Suspense 
Hollow Fires, by Samira Ahmed
The Summer We Forgot, by Caroline George
They’ll Never Catch Us, by Jessica Goodman
Family of Liars, by E. Lockhart
Nothing More to Tell, by Karen McManus

Romance 
Here’s to Us, by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
If This Gets Out, by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Dietrich
When You Get the Chance, by Emma Lord
I Kissed Shara Wheeler, by Casey McQuiston
And They Lived . . . , by Steven Salvatore
See You Yesterday, by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Science Fiction 
Waking Romeo, by Kathryn Barker
The First to Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Historical Fiction 
The Door of No Return, by Kwame Alexander
African Town, by Irene Latham & Charles Waters
Self-Made Boys, by Anna-Marie McLemore
Anatomy: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz
I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys

Graphic Novels 
Crushing, by Sophie Burrows
Messy Roots, by Laura Gao
Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice, by Tommie Smith & Derrick Barnes

Non-Fiction 
Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann
And We Rise, by Erica Martin
Star Child, by Ibi Zoboi