The Best Books of 2020 for Children
This event took place November 1, but the the recorded video presentation is available for viewing here. Scroll down to view the list of suggested books and purchase online.
Sunday, November 1, 4pm
Need help choosing great books for the children in your life? Inly School Librarian, author, and national book reviewer Shelley Sommer and Buttonwood book manager Kristine Jelstrom-Hamill will share their top picks for holiday giving. As a special bonus, mention the James Library when shopping at Buttonwood online or in-person November 1-7, and we'll donate 20% of our online and in-store book sales to the James Library and Center for the Arts!*
*Please note: This fundraiser cannot be combined with any other discounts.
The author and illustrator have made it possible to see a polar bear in the snow! Pretty cool and a wonderful wintry read.
A sun. A flower. And a lion. With three visual motifs, three colors, and fewer than 200 words, renowned Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times-bestseller Kevin Henkes cracks open the wide world and the youngest child’s endless imagination. This irresistible picture book is a must-have for every reader and every family.
A beloved teddy can bear it no longer and plots his escape from his owner’s suffocating affections in this laugh-out-loud picture book from New York Times best-selling creator of Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site and Steam Train Dream Train fame, Tom Lichtenheld.
Louis the bear has had enough.$17.99ISBN: 9780062934130Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Greenwillow Books - October 6th, 2020Turtle walk. Nice and slow. Here we go!
$17.99ISBN: 9780399546099Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - May 26th, 2020This book is perfect for our New England families. Makes a nor'easter seem almost welcomed.
$17.99ISBN: 9780525518778Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Nancy Paulsen Books - September 1st, 2020Wow. A gorgeous and powerful book. Read it.
$18.99ISBN: 9781452171913Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Chronicle Books - September 29th, 2020The Bear and the Moon is a picture book that follows what happens when the gift of a balloon floats into Bear's life.
The two companions embark on a journey—a magical tale that encompasses the joys of friendship and discovery.
$17.99ISBN: 9781536201574Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Candlewick - March 17th, 2020Take to the trails for a celebration of nature — and a day spent with dad.
$17.99ISBN: 9781534427228Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers - March 3rd, 2020An NPR Best Book of the Year!
New York Times bestselling author Julie Fogliano and Caldecott Honor winner Jillian Tamaki come together to tell a delightful story of first friendship.
she is my best friend i think
i never had a best friend so i’m not sure
but i think she is a really good best friend
because when we were drawing
she drew m$18.99ISBN: 9780735263260Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Tundra Books - September 1st, 2020Quirky "failed" pets escape from the lab to find a place in the wide world. Weird and wonderful.
$18.99ISBN: 9781250311832Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Roaring Brook Press - August 25th, 2020Adorable book that encourages young readers to embrace the potential.
$17.99ISBN: 9780358329602Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: HMH Books for Young Readers - September 29th, 2020A wonderful book that sends a much needed message of understanding. The ambiguity of the stranger allows it to speak to anyone. The bright beautiful illustrations set against a simple backdrop cast the story anywhere. And the hopeful ending with its honesty and forgiveness is a lesson for us all.
$17.99ISBN: 9780544987319Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Clarion Books - September 1st, 2020In this hilarious gem from triple Caldecott winner David Wiesner, it's big sister to the rescue when a new baby is delivered to a family of robots and the adults are flummoxed by technical difficulties.
A new baby's arrival is a big moment in any family, even a family of robots.$17.99ISBN: 9781984837356Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Viking Books for Young Readers - March 10th, 2020A great book that sheds light on a important piece of history. This is a story of two very different girls whose lives are uprooted after the nuclear accident at Chernobyl and how they find the resilience to survive. The subject matter isn’t easy - if your kids are anxious about environmental issues, abusive relationships or religious prejudice, you might want skip it. Worth reading WITH your kids though and using it to open some honest dialog. For fans of The War That Saved My Life and the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl”.
$17.99ISBN: 9780823444427Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Holiday House - January 7th, 2020A companion novel to Finding Langston, recipient of a Coretta Scott King Writing Honor and winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.
Behind every bad boy is a story worth hearing and at least one chance for redemption. It's 1946 and Lymon, uprooted from his life in the Deep South and moved up North, needs that chance.$16.99ISBN: 9780316539531Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - September 1st, 2020A wonderful, magical book that will please any middle grade reader who loves adventure and animals. Kate is gifted a steam train for her 11th birthday by an eccentric uncle - so she and her brother, Tom, set off on a trip that will take them around the world and introduce them to a myriad of animals. Grossman so cleverly wraps up all these animal facts in the honest-to-goodness thrill of their adventures that the pages fly by. This is a joy to read and important to read. If one child takes the book's message to heart, the world will be on it's way to becoming a better place.
$16.99ISBN: 9780316493802Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 3rd, 2020This starts off strong with Rhodes' poetic prose telling the story of a biracial prep school boy who is wrongly accused of delinquent behavior. Fast-paced and sparse, this is a good starting point for middle grade readers looking for discussions on a serious subject matter. I wish it were longer and slower. The characters, the details on the sport of fencing, as well as the legal and social commentary on racism, are worthy of many more pages.
$16.99ISBN: 9781536214918Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Walker Books US - September 8th, 2020This book is wonderful for any child who loves a good fairy tale. Not too creepy, and just the right mix of mystery and magic. Young Seren leaves the orphanage for what she hopes will be a lavish life at an estate in Wales. Turns out the family’s young son was abducted by Fae and it is not at all like she imagined. It’s up to her, and a helpful mysterious clockwork crow, to find the boy and save the day.
$16.99ISBN: 9781547602810Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Bloomsbury Children's Books - February 4th, 2020This took me by surprise. At the start, this is the story of a young girl, Mia, whose family is moving to Vermont to help her aging grandmother, who happens to run a cricket farm. The story touches upon environmental and gender issues, but seems at its heart to be about Mia dealing with the aftermath of a serious gymnastics injury. She meets new friends and begins to trust in her body again. Meanwhile, things are not well at the cricket farm. Her grandmother believes it is being sabotaged to force her into selling. As Mia and her new friends try to solve the mystery, the story evolves. It introduces relevant and timely themes such as the #metoo movement and glass ceilings, and the truth about Mia's gymnastics injury is revealed. This is somewhat intense subject matter for young readers but Messner handles it extremely well. Recommended for middle graders interested in realistic fiction. Girls, environmentally concerned kids, and gymnasts in particular.
$16.99ISBN: 9781328781505Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Clarion Books - March 3rd, 2020Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880.$16.99ISBN: 9781101938096Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Wendy Lamb Books - April 7th, 2020EIGHT STARRED REVIEWS! The reassuring book kids and families need right now.
"An absolute original . . . a story that kids will love." --R. J. Palacio, bestselling author of Wonder$18.95ISBN: 9781643750057Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Algonquin Young Readers - September 15th, 2020A People Best Book for Kids of 2020
A KirkusReviews Best Children’s Book of 2020
A Booklist Editor’s Choice Book of 2020
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2020
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2020
A Shelf Awareness for Readers Best Book of 2020
A New York Public$17.99ISBN: 9781250224552Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Feiwel & Friends - September 1st, 2020In Maryrose Wood's stunning middle-grade novel, Alice's Farm, a brave young rabbit must work with her natural predators to save her farmland home and secretly help the farm’s earnest but incompetent new owners.
$17.99ISBN: 9780399545436Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Nancy Paulsen Books - September 1st, 2020National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson's stirring novel-in-verse explores how a family moves forward when their glory days have passed and the cost of professional sports on Black bodies.
$12.99ISBN: 9780062915597Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: HarperAlley - January 21st, 2020“A shining story of a young girl who struggles to come of age and find her place in a world fraught with danger.” —Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor-winning author of Hitler Youth
$12.99ISBN: 9780062885500Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Quill Tree Books - October 6th, 2020New York Times bestselling author Jerry Craft returns with a companion book to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal, the Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Kirkus Prize.
$12.99ISBN: 9780593119273Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Random House Graphic - September 1st, 2020There's a new witch in town! Life in Brooklyn takes a strange turn when Effie discovers MAGIC runs in the family.
A middle-grade graphic novel adventure filled with magical hjinks for fans of Phoebe and Her Unicorn and Making Friends.
Could there really be witches in Brooklyn?!$12.99ISBN: 9780525553908Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Dial Books - April 14th, 2020A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl.
$12.99ISBN: 9780062990464Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: HarperAlley - September 1st, 2020New York Times bestselling author Kazu Kibuishi says of Lightfall: “Beautifully drawn. Tim Probert has created a world readers will want to visit.”
$9.99ISBN: 9781943145522Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Toon Graphics - September 15th, 2020NYPL'S TOP 10 BOOKS FOR KIDS
Exploring American history and finding diversity at its roots
$9.99ISBN: 9780062854315Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: HarperAlley - May 19th, 2020Hear ye, hear ye! Father-daughter duo Jeremy and Hermione Tankard are pleased to introduce the first book in a rib-tickling, heartfelt full-color graphic novel series perfect for fans of Bird & Squirrel!
$12.99ISBN: 9780735262515Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Tundra Books - September 8th, 2020A New York Times Bestseller!
Narwhal and Jelly spread some holiday cheer (and warm waffle pudding) in the festive fifth book of this blockbuster graphic novel series!$18.99ISBN: 9781629727790Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Shadow Mountain - September 29th, 2020Ming wishes for three things at Christmas. First, to sing in the school Christmas choir. Second, to have a Christmas tree like the one in the department store window. And third, to feel she belongs somewhere.
$17.99ISBN: 9780593174425Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Schwartz & Wade - September 29th, 2020Celebrate Christmas with Mistletoe, a mouse who makes the perfect gift for her best friend from #1 New York Times bestselling author-illustrator.
$16.95ISBN: 9781454940883Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Sterling Children's Books - September 15th, 2020A heartwarming picture book with a fresh twist on a Hanukkah celebration: celebrating a ninth night with new neighbors and friends
$9.99ISBN: 9781728215136Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Sourcebooks Wonderland - September 1st, 2020Make your holiday extra sweet this year with Grandma's Sugar Cookie
Celebrate the special bond between a Grandma and her grandchild with this sugary sweet rhyming story about a grandma's love This board book makes the perfect Christmas treat, and includes a bonus cookie recipe in the back
$17.99ISBN: 9781534442849Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books - September 8th, 2020“Every young child deserves to know Small Walt.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Small Walt meets a stray puppy in this irresistible companion to Small Walt, which Kirkus Reviews called “charming and endearing” in a starred review.$18.99ISBN: 9780062869463Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: HarperCollins - September 15th, 2020#1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long presents a fresh, modern take on the classic Christmas poem about a visit from Santa Claus in this gorgeous new edition. An Indie Bestseller!
$17.99ISBN: 9781838690618Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Lonely Planet - September 1st, 2020From monster-slewing heroes to ancient accounts of gods and goddesses from all around the world, such as Thor and Odin, the beautifully illustrated follow-up to Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts is a fun and fascinating journey through the realms of mythology, enthralling with tales of creation, legendary fables, gods and beasts.
Accompanied by engaging text by Marzia Accatino, Lau
$15.99ISBN: 9780763694838Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Candlewick - November 7th, 2017After magnifying the beauty of unseen organisms in Tiny Creatures, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton turn their talents to the vast variety of life on Earth.
$19.99ISBN: 9781465499332Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: DK Children - September 1st, 2020Journey from Earth to the outer reaches of the universe with this stunning book about space! You'll encounter bizarre planets, distant stars, and intricate galaxies.
$24.99ISBN: 9780711249523Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Frances Lincoln Children's Books - October 6th, 2020Discover the magical world of Carnival of the Animals in this musical reimagining of this celebrated suite for children – push the button in each breathtaking scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Camille Saint-Saëns' score.
One day, two brothers discover a magical animal kingdom behind their bookcase.$29.99ISBN: 9780525647416Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Crown Books for Young Readers - October 6th, 2020LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
This beautifully illustrated, oversized guide to the people and technology of the moon landing by award-winning author/illustrator John Rocco (illustrator of the Percy Jackson series) is a must-have for space fans, classrooms, and tech geeks.$30.00ISBN: 9780711254459Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Wide Eyed Editions - October 6th, 2020Be brave and set your spirit free on an exciting journey across the U.S. of A, taking in 50 incredible adventures!
From the award-winning author of National Parks of the USA, Kate Siber, this stunning book showcases an amazing adventure activity to try in every single state.$22.00ISBN: 9781536203103Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Big Picture Press - August 11th, 2020The world's most famous cities through the ages!
Walk around any famous city and layers of history start to emerge. In London, Roman walls are dwarfed by office blocks. In Rome, ancient treasures like the Colosseum stand shoulder to shoulder with buildings from the Renaissance. In New York, skyscrapers from the 1920s and 1930s predate enormous glass towers.$19.95ISBN: 9780500651995Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 DaysPublished: Thames & Hudson - May 5th, 2020The next installment in the popular Big Book series is a fascinating introduction to some of the most magnificent and surprising flowering plants from around the world.
$17.99ISBN: 9781338129335Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Scholastic Press - February 4th, 2020Winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Young People's Literature!
FOUR STARRED REVIEWS!
Winner of the 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry!
In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself.
Booklist
$18.99ISBN: 9781534449701Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books - June 30th, 2020A People Best Book of Summer 2020
A Parade Best Book of Summer 2020
“The YA thriller of the summer.” —Bustle
For fans of Sadie and Serial, this gripping thriller follows two teens whose lives become inextricably linked when one confesses to murder and the other becomes determined to uncover the real truth$17.99ISBN: 9780316487337Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 9th, 2020The Handmaid's Tale meets Wilder Girls in this genre-defying novel about a girl who escapes a terrifying cult only to discover that the world Outside has succumbed to a viral apocalypse.
Agnes loves her home of Red Creek -- its quiet, sunny mornings, its dusty roads, and its God.$18.99ISBN: 9780062869494Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Quill Tree Books - June 2nd, 2020On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron gas station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm…
$27.99ISBN: 9781338635171Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Scholastic Press - May 19th, 2020Ambition will fuel him.
Competition will drive him.
But power has its price.$18.99ISBN: 9781250254368Availability: On Our Shelves Now. Please call the store at (781) 383-2665 to confirm availability.Published: Wednesday Books - September 1st, 2020A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK
Filled with all of the action, emotion, and lyrical writing that brought readers to Sky in the Deep, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with Fable, the first book in this new captivating duology.
