2024 Top SCLS Youth Services Recommended Children, Tween and Teen Books.

The books on this list are recommended by the Sussex County Youth Services Team as their favorite reads in 2024. Many were used in our storytimes, book clubs and other programs throughout the 2024 year.

Updated December 17, 2024
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Anne of Green Gables
Montgomery, L. M.
Paper Book
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Anne Shirley is unforgettable, and this beautifully packaged edition of L.M. Montgomery's classic novel is as memorable as its heroine. When Anne Shirley arrives at Green Gables, she surprises everyone: first of...
The Bad Guys in one last thing
Blabey, Aaron
Paper Book
Now a major motion picture! "I wish I'd had these books as a kid. Hilarious!" -- Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man They may look like Bad Guys, but these wannabe heroes are doing good deeds... whether you like it or not in this New York Times<...
Oso no para de roncar
Wilson, Karma
CD
Big /
Harrison, Vashti,
Paper Book
Winner of the Caldecott Medal! A Coretta Scott King Award Author and Illustrator Honor book, a National Book Award finalist, and a New York Times bestseller! This deeply moving story shares valuable lessons about fitting in, standing out, and the beauty of joyful acceptance,...
The Bletchley Riddle
Sepetys, Ruta/ Sheinkin, Steve
Paper Book
A stunning collaboration between award-winning and bestselling authors Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin, this middle grade historical adventure follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother's disappearance.
Delicious in dungeon
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Laios nears the bottom of the dungeon and his inevitable confrontation with Sissel, the lunatic lord of its labyrinthine halls. In a succubus-induced slumber, Laios comes face-to-face with the winged lion, the source of Sissel's power. Laios knows only that the lion...
Delicious in dungeon
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Locked in battle with the Lunatic Magician, Laios is the last man standing against an array of the dungeon's deadliest dragons. Using his extensive monster knowledge to his advantage, Laios manages to defy the odds of almost certain death--at least until Sissel...
Delicious in dungeon
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Led to Sissel's threshold by the winged lion imprisoned within it, Laios and friends steel themselves for...some heavy-duty cleaning?! Sissel's seemingly innocuous cottage is piled with clutter, hindering both their search for the lion and their meal prep! Once...
Delicious in dungeon
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
In her first hours as lord of the dungeon, Marcille has completely transformed the dungeon's layout, sending hordes of monsters from the deepest floors--as well as several of her own making--hurtling dangerously close to the surface. Though the demon's influence is strong, Laios has a surefire way...
Delicious in dungeon /
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Massive changes in the dungeon have drawn out new monsters for Laios and his party to take on--and taste! But the shift has attracted the attention of the western elves, whose intervention could spell further trouble not only for Laios, but also for everyone on the...
Delicious in Dungeon 13
Kui, Ryoko/ Engel, Taylor (TRN)/ Blackman, Abigail
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Though the party succeeded in breaking Marcille free from the dungeon's influence, the winged lion remains at large. Should the demon escape to the surface, its all-powerful manifestation will surely grow to feast upon the world--and the desires of all who live in it...
Delicious in Dungeon 14
Kui, Ryoko/ Engel, Taylor (TRN)/ Blackman, Abigail (CON)
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!Laios's plan to overcome the demon seems to have worked--but at great physical cost to his monstrous form. As the dungeon crumbles around them, his friends are forced to leave him behind in a race to escape. Even with the demon out of the picture, the people of the...
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're...
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
The time has come! Showdown with the Red Dragon!!!After finally reaching the fifth floor, it's time for the adventurers to face their greatest challenge yet. They're putting their lives on to the line in a fight with a monster with crimson hide that turns away even the toughest steel and a fiery...
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
With the possibility of starvation as a constant companion, Laios's party continues advancing deeper into the dungeon. The adventurers have made it to the third floor, but only rotting zombies, ghastly spirits, living paintings, and golems await them--all of which are absolutely inedible. The party...
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
New dangers and new recipes await the party in the third installment of the utterly unique and endearing Delicious in Dungeon!
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
Old companions reunited in the dungeon...Will ex-comrads be able to work together in the rescue of Falin from the Lunatic Magician? Will a shared meal manage to right past wrongs?
Delicious in dungeon.
Kui, Ryoko,
Paper Book
It's eat or be eaten...literally!In the dungeon, one false step can be the difference between life and death...or elf and dwarf?! The changeling mushrooms have done their work, leaving Laios and company radically altered, transformed from one race to another! The journey into the heart of the...
Delicious in dungeon. 5
Kui, Ryoko
Paper Book
The party has defeated the Red Dragon and rescued Farin! But their quest won't be finished until they make it back out of the dungeon unscathed. The adventure's not complete until everyone returns alive...and full!
Don't let the pigeon drive the bus
Willems, Mo
Paper Book
Mo Willems, #1 New York Times best-selling creator and three-time Caldecott Honoree, presents the book that started it all: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Finally, a book you can say "no" to!   When the Bus Driver takes a break from his route,...
The field guide /
DiTerlizzi, Tony.
Paper Book
The Grace children discover the faerie world is closer than you think in this repackage of the first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles. After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they've just moved...
The girl who drank the moon /
Barnhill, Kelly Regan.
Paper Book
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal The New York Times Bestseller An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016 A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016 A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016
Goodnight moon
Brown, Margaret Wise
Paper Book
In this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day. In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight...
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Rowling, J. K.
Paper Book
The most eagerly anticipated book in history becomes the biggest paperback release of 2004!The book that took the world by storm....In his fifth year at Hogwart's, Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named and the unreliability of the government of...
Hot mess /
Kinney, Jeff
Paper Book
In Hot Mess, book 19 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, Greg Heffley is in for a particularly awkward summer with his whole family. The pressure is building for Greg Heffley, who discovers that when you...
House of roots and ruin /
Craig, Erin A.
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER .A modern masterpiece, this is a classic Gothic thriller-fantasy frombestselling author Erin A. Craig, about doomed love, menacing ambition, and the ghosts that haunt us forever. In a manor by the sea, one sister is still cursed. ...
How do dinosaurs say good night?
Yolen, Jane
CD
Internationally acclaimed author Jane Yolen composes a playful bedtime book about young dinosaurs.Format: Paperback book and CDIn a few simple lines of verse on each spread, fathers and mothers are ready to put their youngsters to bed. But in this book, the youngsters are a wide variety of dinosaurs...
The hundred dresses
Estes, Eleanor
CD
Wanda Petronski is different from all the other girls in Room 13. Every day she wears the same faded blue dress to school, and every day she tells about her hundred dresses at home. Her classmates joke about her imaginary clothes - until they learn the wonderful secret of the dresses.
Komi can't communicate.
Oda, Tomohito,
Paper Book
The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation. Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi's greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve! With the whole student body keeping their...
Last night at the Telegraph Club /
Lo, Malinda.
Paper Book
Winner of the National Book Award A New York Times Bestseller "The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch....
Narwhal :
Fleming, Candace/ So'oteh, Deena (ILT)
Paper Book
Venture to the Arctic Ocean and discover real life underwater unicorns--narwhals--in this stunningly illustrated nonfiction picture book. A HORN BOOK AND BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR You are a narwhal. Shy... Swift... Small...
Next stop
Fong, Debbie
Paper Book
Get ready for a graphic novel road trip with more than just a few bumps in the road! Middle schooler Pia is dealing with grief as she finds herself on the biggest adventure of her life--a bus tour stopping at weird and wacky roadside attractions. Inspired by a real life road trip and...
The night market /
Wedlick, Seina,
Paper Book
Journey with a young girl as she explores the mesmerizing wonders of a Nigerian night market, where each stall is an adventure waiting to be discovered! Filled with vibrant illustrations, this captivating picture book invites young readers into a world of magic, mystery, and the joy of finding...
The okay witch
Steinkellner, Emma
Paper Book
A School Library Journal Best Graphic Novel of 2019 A YALSA 2020 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers A YALSA 2020 Great Graphic Novel for Teens Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind...
The red pyramid
Riordan, Rick.
Paper Book
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. Sadie lived with her grandparents in London while her brother traveled the world with their father, Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment " at the British...
The secret of fall /
Coy, John,
Paper Book
Each season has its own qualities that set it apart. Winter, with its stark-white crust of snow, turns even a mundane scene into a sparkling fairyland. Spring, along with her many shades of green, brings a promise of new beginnings. Summer gifts us with long, lazy days of endless blue skies and...
A spoonful of frogs /
Lyall, Casey,
Paper Book
Frogs are the most important ingredient in a witch's favorite treat--but they are also the hardest to get into the cauldron! From acclaimed author Casey Lyall and Caldecott Honor artist Vera Brosgol, A Spoonful of Frogs is a humorous and wholly original picture book--and a...
I survived the Black Death, 1348 /
Tarshis, Lauren.
Paper Book
The Black Death was a pandemic of unimaginable propotions, taking the lives of 75 - 200 million people worldwide. Lauren Tarshis's story of one girl surviving the plague pulses with terror, action, and hope. The deadliest disease in the history of the world... Elsie dreams of...
Taxi ghost /
Escabasse, Sophie,
Paper Book
Ade`le just wants to spend her winter break at the library, but she learns she comes from a long line of mediums and that not only can she interact with ghosts, but apparently they have been using her sister's car to get around the city for years.
The tea dragon festival
O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
"A lovely, gentle fantasy." -- KIRKUS Revisit the enchanting world of Tea Dragons with an all-new companion story to the two-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society! Rinn has grown up with the Tea Dragons that inhabit their village, but...
They all saw a cat /
Wenzel, Brendan,
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller and Caldecott Medal winner They All Saw a Cat is a visual delight and a charming read-aloud that invites kids and parents to explore the concept of perception. The cat walked through the world, with its...
The unteachables /
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
A hilarious new middle grade novel from beloved and bestselling author Gordon Korman about what happens when the worst class of kids in school is paired with the worst teacher--perfect for fans of Ms. Bixby's Last Day. A good choice for summer reading or anytime! The...
I want my hat back /
Klassen, Jon
Paper Book
A New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of 2011! A picture-book delight by a rising talent tells a cumulative tale with a mischievous twist. The bear's hat is gone, and he wants it back. Patiently and politely, he asks the animals he comes...
We don't eat our classmates! /
Higgins, Ryan T.
Paper Book
It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all...
The wild robot /
Brown, Peter,
Paper Book
Now a DreamWorks movie! This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive--and live--in the wilderness....
A wrinkle in time /
L'Engle, Madeleine
Paper Book
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER * TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME * NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM DISNEY Read the ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic that has delighted children for over 60 years! "A Wrinkle in Time<...

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