As we head into 2025, we look back on the Notable Children’s Books of 2024 from the American Library Association. Visit ala.org for the complete list and more information.
Elementary School Book Picks
Have You Seen My Invisible Dinosaur?
By Helen Yoon
A young child with an invisible dinosaur laments the struggle of finding something lost.
Beneath
By Cori Doerrfeld
While grieving a loss, a child and their grandfather go for a walk in nature and observe examples of things under the surface that cannot be seen.
Nat the Cat Takes a Nap
By Jarrett Lerner
All Nat the Cat wants is to take a nap, but is hilariously interrupted by the narrator of the story.
The Book of Turtles
By Sy Montgomery and illustrated by Matt Patterson
This fact-filled, gorgeously illustrated book celebrates the wonderful details about turtles around the world.
Middle School & Teens Book Picks
Lasagna Means I Love You
By Kate O’Shaughnessy
When her nan dies, Mo goes into foster care and discovers the power of food and found family through cooking and sharing recipes.
Things in the Basement
By Ben Hatke
In this imaginative graphic novel, a lost sock prompts an amazing journey through a dream-like world in the basement.
Good Different
By Meg Eden Kuyatt
In this novel-in-verse, Selah struggles to follow her self-made rules of being “normal” and learns it is okay to be different and advocate for her needs.
Shipwrecked!: Diving for Hidden Time Capsules on the Ocean Floor
By Martin W. Sandler
The excitement and mystique of sunken treasure and underwater archaeology are expertly captured in this exploration of shipwrecks and their excavations across the globe.