CCBC Choices 2024 -- Teens (ages 12 and up)

The Cooperative Children's Book Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison compiles a yearly list of excellent books for youth readers.

Showing 1 - 20 of 20  There are a total of 91 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "Chinese menu"
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Contemporary People, Places, and Issues;8-up
Description:
"From fried dumplings to fortune cookies, here are the tales behind your favorite foods . . . Separated into courses like a Chinese menu, these tales -- based in real history and folklore -- are filled with squabbling dragons, magical fruits, and hungry monks. This book will bring you to far-off times and marvelous places, all while making your mouth water. And, along the way, you might just discover a deeper understanding of the resilience and triumph...
Book cover for "The cricket war"
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Fiction for Children;9-12
Description:
Escaping from Communist Vietnam by boat in 1980, eleven-year-old Tho Phạm tries to be brave as he sets out into the unknown without his family, in this gripping survival story drawn from real-life experiences.
Book cover for "Cross my heart and never lie"
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Fiction for Children;9-13
Description:
★ WINNER of the 2024 Stonewall Book Award, American Library Association
Perfect for fans of The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag, HeartStopper by Alice Oseman, and Jen Wang's The Dressmaker and the Prince.

In this fresh, sensitive, diary-style graphic novel, 12-year-old Tuva's questions about becoming a teenager are confusing—so when her first crush turns out to be on another
...
Book cover for "Dear Mothman"
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Fiction for Children;9-12
Description:
After the death of his best friend and the only other trans boy at school, Noah starts writing letters expressing his feelings to the humanoid creature Mothman and risks everything when he treks into the woods to prove Mothman's existence.
Book cover for "Desert queen"
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The Arts;10-up
Description:
"This picture book biography in verse follows the life of beloved Rajasthani drag performer Queen Harish, known as the Whirling Desert Queen of Rajasthan. Lit by an inner fire and propelled by a family tragedy, Harish defied the gender conventions of middle class Indian life, battled discrimination and intimidation, and eventually grew up to dance with Bollywood movie stars and on stages across the world. Jyoti Gopal's rhythmic phrases evoke the particular...
Book cover for "The fire of stars"
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Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;8-12
Description:
Astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne was the first person to discover what burns at the heart of stars. But she didn't start out as the groundbreaking scientist she would eventually become. She started out as a girl full of curiosity, hoping one day to unlock the mysteries of the universe. With lyrical, evocative text by Kirsten W. Larson and extraordinary illustrations by award-winning illustrator Katherine Roy, this moving biography powerfully...
Book cover for "A first time for everything"
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Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;10-14
Description:
In this feel-good coming-of-age memoir, the best-selling author and Caldecott Medalist shares his life-changing middle school trip to Europe during which he experiences a series of firsts, including first love.--
Book cover for "Holding her own"
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The Arts;8-12
Description:
"When Jackie Ormes sees an opportunity, she takes it. She's a journalist, cartoonist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist -- and she wants to use her artistry to bring joy and hope to Black people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Black people are still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie has a dilemma: How can her art remain true to her signature Jackie joy, while also staying honest about the inequalities Black people have...
Book cover for "The in-between"
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Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;11-up
Description:
"In the early 2000s, thirteen-year-old Katie Van Heidrich has moved more times that she can count, for as long as she can remember. There were the slow moves where you see the whole thing coming. There were the fast ones where you grab what you can in seconds. When Katie and her family come back from an out-of-town funeral, they discover their landlord has unceremoniously evicted them, forcing them to pack lightly and move quickly. They make their...
Book cover for "Just Jerry"
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The Arts;8-12
Description:
"Jerry Pinkney, Caldecott Medal winner and illustrator of over one hundred books, tells the story of his childhood and how he developed his artistic talent." --
Book cover for "Mexikid"
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Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;8-13
Description:
"Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity." --
Book cover for "The Mona Lisa vanishes"
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Historical People, Places, and Events;10-up
Description:
"On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago, a desperate guard burst into the office of the director of the Louvre and shouted, 'La Joconde, c’est partie! The Mona Lisa, she’s gone!' No one knew who was behind the heist. Was it an international gang of thieves? Was it an art-hungry American millionaire? Was it the young Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who was about to remake the very art of painting? Travel back to an extraordinary period...
Book cover for "More than a dream"
Notes:
Historical People, Places, and Events;12-up
Description:
"Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom--a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest. But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW--not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its...
Book cover for "Muzoon"
Notes:
Biography, Autobiography, and Memoir;10-14
Description:
"This eye-opening memoir tells the story of a young girl's life in Syria, her family's wrenching decision to leave their home, and the upheaval of life in a refugee camp. Though her life had utterly changed, one thing remained the same. She knew that education was the key to a better future--for herself, and so that she could help her country. She went from tent to tent in the camp, trying to convince other kids, especially girls, to come to school....
Book cover for "Mysterious glowing mammals"
Notes:
Science, Technology, and the Natural World;8-13
Description:
You’re probably familiar with some kinds of glowing animals. Fireflies light up summer nights. Bioluminescent jellyfish and other sea creatures fill our oceans. But some animals glow only under ultraviolet light. This is called biofluorescence The author recorded theh first ever sighting of a biofluorescent mammal. Follow along with Martin and his colleagues as they delve into the mystery of the flying squirrels and discover that they aren’t...
Book cover for "Race against death"
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Historical People, Places, and Events;12-up
Description:
"Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, America entered World War II, and a new theater of battle opened up in the Pacific. But US troops, along with thousands of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside them, were overtaken in the Philippines by a fiercely determined Japanese navy, and many Americans and Filipino fighters were killed or captured.These American and Filipino prisoners of war were forced to endure the most horrific conditions on the deadly...
Book cover for "Something like home"
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Fiction for Children;9-12
Description:
"Laura Rodríguez Colón has a plan: no matter what the grown-ups say, she will live with her parents again. Can you blame her? It’s tough to make friends as the new kid at school. And while staying at her aunt’s house is okay, it just isn’t the same as being in her own space. So when Laura finds a puppy, it seems like fate. If she can train the puppy to become a therapy dog, then maybe she’ll be allowed to visit her parents. Maybe the dog...
Book cover for "Stand up and speak out against racism"
Notes:
Contemporary People, Places, and Issues;8-12
Description:
"A vital and vibrant book answering real children's questions about racism, giving them the confidence and the tools to work towards a fairer society for all. Using questions canvassed from children around the UK as her framework, writer, engineer and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied gives clear context to the racism that persists today and shows how to recognize, resist, and disrupt racist conversations and attitudes. Yassmin creates a safe space...
Book cover for "Total garbage"
Notes:
Contemporary People, Places, and Issues;9-14
Description:
Trash has been part of human societies since the beginning. It seems like the inevitable end to the process of making and using things―but why? In this fascinating account of the waste we make, we'll wade into the muck of history and explore present-day STEM innovations to answer these important questions: What is garbage? Where does our garbage come from? Why do we make so much garbage? Where does our garbage go? What can we learn from our garbage?...
Book cover for "You are here"
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Fiction for Children;9-13
Description:
"Twelve young Asians Americans cross paths, meeting challenges and victories, in a busy airport"--