The New York Public Library announced today our Best Books of 2020 lists. The titles are featured in three lists—100 Best Books for Kids, 50 Best Books for Teens, 100 Best Books for Adults—
as well as a curated list of 33 titles for Los Mejores Libros Para Edades 0–12 (Top Books for Ages 0–12) and a top 10 list for poetry.
Committees of expert librarians from throughout the Library system selected more than 280 books sorted by genre, format, and age. The complete list of titles for each group is available online at www.nypl.org/bestbooks. The website features category filters that readers can use to find their next favorite book. Categories range from biographies for children and true stories for teens to graphic novels for adults, and more.
“2020 brought unexpected challenges around the world, which we have had to face together. Despite these obstacles, the Library and its staff remain committed to our patrons, offering resources, recommendations, and services in new and innovative ways. The Library’s Best Books lists reflect an inspiring mixture of the services our readers need from their library. Our Best Books Committees read hundreds of books, sought out titles both physically and digitally, determined to create a great list of books that readers can enjoy despite the difficulties of 2020,” said Lynn Lobash, associate director of the Library’s Readers Services team, which regularly offers book recommendations to the public via Twitter, Facebook, and podcast.
The Library’s top 10 titles from each list are (in alphabetical order) :
Top 10 Children’s Books
- Black Heroes of the Wild West by James Otis Smith
- Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez
- Go with the Flow by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann
- Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
- Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar
- Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration by Samara Cole Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
- Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik
- When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
- When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
- You Matter by Christian Robinson
Los 10 mejores libros para edades 0–12 / Top 10 Books for Ages 0–12 (in Spanish)
- ¿Cómo lo ves? by Vera Galindo
- Amigas by Lauren Ace, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie
- La bañera by Lisa Biggi, illustrated by Paloma Corral
- La belleza del final by Alfredo Colella, illustrated by Jorge González
- Los carpinchos by Alfredo Soderguit
- Manos a la tierra: Crea tu propio jardín by Kirsten Bradley, illustrated by Aitch
- Mi abuelo by Émilie Chazerand, illustrated by Nicolas Duffaut
- Mi lazarilla, mi capitán by Gonzalo Moure, illustrated by Maria Girón
- Música en el jardín by Mariana Ruiz Johnson
- Los tomates de Mila by Sanne Dufft
Top 10 Teen Books
- All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
- Displacement by Kiku Hughes
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
- Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
- Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation by Candy J. Cooper with Marc Aronson
- Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
- Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko
- We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
- We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Top 10 Adult Books
- The City We Became: A Novel by N.K. Jemisin
- Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Maggie O’Farrell
- Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall
- Interior Chinatown: A Novel by Charles Yu
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
- Luster by Raven Leilani
- The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
- The Sacrifice of Darkness by Roxane Gay & Tracy Lynne Oliver
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel by Grady Hendrix
- Temporary: A Novel by Hilary Leichter
Top 10 Poetry Books
- Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall
- Galleons: Poems by Rick Barot
- Grimoire by Cherene Sherrard
- Gut Botany by Petra Kuppers
- Homie by Danez Smith
- Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry by John Murillo
- My Baby First Birthday: Poems by Jenny Zhang
- Nail the Evening Hangs On by Monica Sok
- Nancy Reagan Collection by Maxe Crandall
- Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz
Photo by Razimantv at ml.wikipedia