Find annotations, interview, and more, here. 

Picture Books

Suggested grade level for all entries: PS–2

Wind Watchers by Micha Archer (Paulsen/Penguin)

A Sleepless Night by Micaela Chirif; illus. by Joaquín Camp; trans. from Spanish by Jordan Landsman (Transit)

Duckie & Snaps: We Cannot Be Friends by Ame Dyckman; illus. by Tim Miller (Orchard/Scholastic)

Worm Makes a Sandwich by Brianne Farley (Putnam)

Big Bike, Little Bike by Kellie DuBay Gillis; illus. by Jacob Souva (Harper/HarperCollins)

A Forest Song by Kirsten Hall; illus. by Evan Turk (Random House Studio/Random)

Your Farm | Your Forest | Your Island all by Jon Klassen (Candlewick)

Downpour: Splish! Splash! Ker-splash! by Yuko Ohnari and Koshiro Hata; trans. from Japanese by Emily Balistrieri (Red Comet)

All at Once upon a Time by Mara Rockliff; illus. by Gladys Jose (Abrams)

Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers; illus. by Rebecca Lee Kunz (Levine/Levine Querido)

Cookie Time by Jessie Sima (Simon)

When I Move by Carole Boston Weatherford; illus. by Alea Marley (Union Square)

Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel (Little, Brown)

Beginning Readers and Primary Grades

Suggested grade level for all entries: 1–3

How Sweet the Sound by Kwame Alexander; illus. by Charly Palmer (Little, Brown)

The Littlest Drop by Sascha Alper; illus. by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney (Schwartz/Random)

Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke; illus. by Emily Hughes (Candlewick)

Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows; illus. by Sophie Blackall (Chronicle)

Introducing Sandwina: The Strongest Woman in the World by Vicki Conrad; illus. by Jeremy Holmes (Calkins/Astra)

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers by Angela Dominguez (Roaring Brook)

Night Light [I Like to Read: Comics] by Michael Emberley (Holiday)

How Elegant the Elephant: Poems About Animals and Insects by Mary Ann Hoberman; illus. by Marla Frazee (Tingley/Little, Brown)

The Gift of the Great Buffalo by Carole Lindstrom; illus. by Aly McKnight (Bloomsbury)

Are We There Yet?: The First Road Trip Across the USA by Stacy McAnulty; illus. by Elizabeth Baddeley (McElderry)

The Bad Idea and Other Stories [Earl & Worm] by Greg Pizzoli (Knopf)

Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp (Annick)

The Luna Sisters: Battle for the Moon Blossom [I Like to Read: Comics] by Dan Yaccarino (Holiday)

Intermediate

Suggested grade level for all entries: 4–6

Sea Legs by Jules Bakes; illus. by Niki Smith (Graphix/Scholastic)

When Sally O’Malley Discovered the Sea by Karen Cushman (Knopf)

The Flicker by H. E. Edgmon (Feiwel)

Is It Real?: The Loch Ness Monster by Candace Fleming (Focus/Scholastic)

Oasis by Guojing (Godwin/Holt)

All the Best Dogs by Emily Jenkins; illus. by Manuel Preitano (Delacorte)

Beware the Dragon and the Nozzlewock: A Graphic Novel Poetry Collection Full of Surprising Characters! by Vikram Madan (Wordsong/Astra)

Jax Freeman and the Phantom Shriek [Jax Freeman] by Kwame Mbalia (Freedom Fire/Disney-Hyperion)

The Long Way Around by Anne Nesbet (Candlewick)

On the Block: Stories of Home edited by Ellen Oh (Crown)

The Snips: A Bad Buzz Day by Raúl the Third; color by Elaine Bay; coloring by Eleonora Bruni; lettering by Rob Leigh (LB Ink/Little, Brown)

The Tontine Caper by Dianne K. Salerni; illus. by Matt Schu (Holiday)

Lola by Karla Arenas Valenti; illus. by Islenia Mil (Knopf)

Middle School

Suggested grade level for all entries: 6–8

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Dlouhy/Atheneum)

The Hero Twins and the Magic of Song [Tales of the Feathered Serpent] by David Bowles; illus. by Charlene Bowles (Cinco Puntos/Lee & Low)

Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares (Simon)

The No-Brainer’s Guide to Decomposition by Adrianna Cuevas (Harper/HarperCollins)

The Mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet Fox (Simon)

Black Girl Power: 15 Stories Celebrating Black Girlhood edited by Leah Johnson (Freedom Fire/Disney)

Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen (Clarion/HarperCollins)

Who Owns the Moon?: And Other Conundrums of Exploring and Using Space by Cynthia Levinson and Jennifer Swanson (Quinlin/Peachtree)

The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen (Quill Tree/HarperCollins)

The Last Dragon on Mars [Dragonships] by Scott Reintgen (Aladdin/Simon)

Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Putnam)

On a Wing and a Tear by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Heartdrum/HarperCollins)

Candle Island by Lauren Wolk (Dutton)

High School

Suggested grade level for all entries: 9 and up

Sọmadịna by Akwaeke Emezi (Knopf)

A Constellation of Minor Bears by Jen Ferguson (Heartdrum/HarperCollins)

On Again, Awkward Again by Erin Entrada Kelly and Kwame Mbalia (Amulet/Abrams)

Breath of the Dragon [Breathmarked] by Shannon Lee and Fonda Lee (Wednesday/St. Martin’s)

Thief of the Heights by Son M.; illus. by Robin Yao (HarperAlley/HarperCollins)

Thunder City [Mortal Engines] by Philip Reeve (Scholastic)

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid (Harper/HarperCollins)

American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad That Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock (Calkins/Astra)

Run Away with Me by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)

Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma (Little, Brown)

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout (First Second)

Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar (Dial)

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi (Versify/HarperCollins)

From the April 2025 issue of Notes from the Horn Book: Summer Reading. For past years’ summer reading lists from The Horn Book, click on the tag summer reading.