SCBWI

Society of
Children's Book Writers
and Illustrators

2018 Best Books for Young Readers and Young Adults

Art from Duck, Duck, Moose by Joy Heyer (joyheyer.com)

 

Congratulations to the 31 Mid-Atlantic SCBWI members whose 51 different titles were included in 50 separate lists naming the Best Children’s and Teens Books of 2018—for a total of well over 100 individual end-of-the-year mentions!

 

ALA Notable Books

Flying Lessons & Other Stories with Meg Medina and Kwame Alexander

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World photographed by Karin Anderson

Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryn Erskine

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets with Kwame Alexander

 

Amazon Review

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Apple: Best Family Audio Books

Rebound written by Kwame Alexander and read by Ron Butler

 

Bank Street College

Flying Lessons & Other Stories with Kwame Alexander and Meg Medina

Garcia & Colette Go Exploring by Hannah Barnaby

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World photographed by Karin Anderson

One Shadow on the Wall by Leah Henderson

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets with Kwame Alexander

Solo cowritten by Kwame Alexander

This is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang

 

Booklist: Editors’ Choice Youth Audio Books

Rebound written by Kwame Alexander and read by Ron Butler

 

BookPage

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

 

BookRiot: YA, Poetry, & Audio

The Poet X written and read by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Boston Globe

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Bustle Magazine

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Capitol Choices

Flying Lessons & Other Stories with Kwame Alexander and Meg Medina

Center for the Study of Multicultural Children

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound written by Kwame Alexander

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Chicago Public Library

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Children’s Book Council (*finalist)

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets* with Kwame Alexander

This Is Just a Test* by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang

 

Children’s Book Review

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

 

Common Sense Media

Charlie & Frog by Karen Kane

Galapagos Girl/Galapagueña illustrated by Angela Dominguez

How Are You? ¿Comó estás? written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Vampirina in the Snow by Anne Marie Pace

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

 

Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Flying Lessons & Other Stories with Kwame Alexander and Meg Medina

Fort-Building Time by Megan Wagner Lloyd

Hello Goodbye Dog by Maria Gianferrari

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World photographed by Karin Anderson

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets with Kwame Alexander

Sing, Don’t Cry written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez

This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang

 

Cybils Nominees (*finalist)

Bone’s Gift by Angie Smibert

Everywhere You Want to Be by Christina June

Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII by Patricia O. Pearson

Freddie Ramos Hears It All (Zapato Power) by Jacqueline Jules

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari

Leaf Litter Critters illustrated by Robert Meganck

Mary Had a Little Lab by Sue Fliess

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Oliver’s Otter Phase by Lisa Connors

Operation Rescue Dog by Maria Gianferrari

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez

Terrific Tongues! by Maria Gianferrari

The Book Tree illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth

The Un-Friendship Bracelet (Craftily Ever After) by Erica S. Perl writing as Martha Maker

This Is Not a Normal Animal Book by Julie Segal-Walters

The Poet X* by Elizabeth Acevedo

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

 

Epic Reads

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

First Book

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

 

Fuse 8 Production

All Three Stooges by Erica S. Perl

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin Kheiriyeh

The Book Tree illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

 

Goodreads: Choice Award Poetry Finalist

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Horn Book Fanfare

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Huffington Post

Stella Díaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez

Thread of Love illustrated by Zara Gonzalez Hoang

 

Indie Bound: Next Lists

Black Enough with Leah Henderson

How She Died, How I Lived by Mary Crockett

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Disasters by M. K. England

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

International Literacy Association & the Children’s Book Council Children’s Choices

Kobee Manatee: Shipwreck Sea Friends illustrated by Lauren Gallegos

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets with Kwame Alexander

This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang

 

Kirkus (*finalist)

Merci Suárez Changes Gears* by Meg Medina

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

The Poet X* by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Mighty Girl

Elizabeth Warren: Nevertheless, She Persisted by Susan (VanHecke) Wood

Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd

Fly Girls: The Daring American Women Pilots Who Helped Win WWII by Patricia O. Pearson

Mary Had a Little Lab by Sue Fliess

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Mile High Reading

Terrific Tongues! by Maria Gianferrari

 

Multnomah County Library

Charlie & Frog by Karen Kane

Daddy, Me, and the Magic Hour by Laura Krauss Melmed

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

NPR Young Adult Books

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Nerdy Book Club

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

New York Public Library

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Stella Diaz Has Something to Say by Angela Dominguez

 

New York Times Notables

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

News & Observer

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Saffron Ice Cream by Rashin Kheiryeh

 

Nonfiction Detectives

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari

Terrific Tongues! by Maria Gianferrari

 

Notable Social Studies Trade Books

Mama Africa! How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryn Erskine

The Skydiving Beavers: A True Tale by Susan (VanHecke) Wood

 

One More Page Books Staff Favorites

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Parent’s Choice

Hawk Rising by Maria Gianferrari

 

Paste Magazine

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Penn Graduate School of Education

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Publisher’s Weekly

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices with Kwame Alexander

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Remezcla’s Best Latino-Latin-American Books

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

School Library Journal

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

Saffron Ice Cream written and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

School Library Journal: Top 10 Audiobooks

Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist by Susan (VanHecke) Wood, read by Brian Amador

Out of Wonder: Poets Celebrating Poets with Kwame Alexander, read by Ron Butler & others

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo read by the author

 

Science Magazine: Best Books for Budding Scientists

Impact! Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World photographed by Karin Anderson

 

Shelf Awareness

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Tablet Magazine: Best Jewish Books

All Three Stooges by Erica S. Perl

The Edelweiss Pirates by Jennifer Elvgren  

 

Tayshas Texas Top 10

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Time Magazine’s  Top 10 YA Books

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

YALSA: Best of the Best Audio Books

Flying Lessons & Other Stories with “Seventy-Six Dollars and Forty-Nine Cents” written and read by Kwame Alexander and “Sol Painting, Inc.” written and read by Meg Medina

 

For omissions, corrections, or updates, please contact Ellen at midatlantic-ra@scbwi.org or Dionna at midatlantichighlighter@gmail.com