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
The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of...
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.
The book that did not want to be read
Sundin, David
Paper Book
The bestselling Swedish children's book of 2020, translated by B. J. Woodstein, with graphic design by Alexis Holmqvist WARNING! Stop what you're doing! Don't you know that this book does NOT want to be read? Not now and not ever. Because...
The book thief
Zusak, Markus.
Paper Book
The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier...
Margret & H.A. Rey's Curious George and the hot air balloon
Rey, Margret.
Paper Book
While visiting Mt. Rushmore, George and the man with the yellow hat decide to stop at a hot air balloon race. Before long, the rope tethering one of the balloons proves too tempting to George. He decides to climb it and finds himself on an unplanned high-flying adventure! Now...
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!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
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!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.
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
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
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
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
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
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,...
Endlessly ever after : pick your path to countless fairy tale endings! : a story of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack, Hansel, Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, a wolf, a witch, a goose, a grandmother, some pigs, and endless variations
Snyder, Laurel
Paper Book
This funny, original, choose-your-path picture book of fractured fairy tales will charm any young fan of the genre, putting the power of storytelling right in the reader's hands! Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes. Turn the page...
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
Dark times have come to Hogwarts. After the Dementors' attack on his cousin Dudley, Harry Potter knows that Voldemort will stop at nothing to find him. There are many who deny the Dark Lord's return, but Harry is not alone: a secret order gathers at Grimmauld Place to fight against the Dark...
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...
The house in the night /
Swanson, Susan Marie.
Paper Book
This Caldecott Medal-winning picture book gets children ready for bed with rhythmic text and glowing illustrations that explore the warmth and light that makes us feel at home. "Here is the key to the house." Inside the house are nighttime things both...
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 goodnight?
Yolen, Jane
Ebook
The hundred dresses
Estes, Eleanor
Paper Book
This Newbery Honor classic, illustrated by a Caldecott Medalist, is a beautifully written tribute to the power of kindness, acceptance, and standing up for what's right. Wanda Petronski is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. She claims she has one...
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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...
Komi can't communicate. Volume 3
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
Komi can't communicate. Volume 4
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
Komi can't communicate. Volume 5
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. Luckily she meets Tadano, a timid wallflower who...
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....
The Mona Lisa vanishes : a legendary painter, a shocking heist, and the birth of a global celebrity
Day, Nick
Paper Book
A "witty thriller" (The New York Times) for middle-grade readers about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world--and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all. ...
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 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 Polar Express /
Van Allsburg, Chris
Paper Book
This beautiful hardcover edition of The Polar Express is the perfect gift for all those--of any age--who believe, come Christmas Eve, that they too will hear the sweet sound of a reindeer's silver bell. This edition includes a keepsake ornament. A young boy, lying awake one Christmas Eve,...
The red pyramid
Riordan, Rick
Paper Book
Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a...
Room on the broom
Donaldson, Julia.
Paper Book
Join the witch and her cat for a broomstick adventure!The witch and her cat fly happily over forests, rivers and mountains on their broomstick until a stormy wind blows away the witch's hat, bow and wand. They are retrieved by a dog, a bird and a frog, and each animal asks for a ride on the broom....
Strange the dreamer /
Taylor, Laini.
Paper Book
From National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes an epic fantasy about a mythic lost city and its dark past. The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around--and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared his dream chose poorly....
I survived the Black Death, 1348
Tarshis, Lauren
Ebook
Taxi ghost /
Escabasse, Sophie,
Paper Book
In this hilarious and heartwarming graphic novel, a young girl's first period brings an unexpected gift: the ability to see ghosts! As she meets these spectral visitors, she uncovers her family's secret lineage of mediums, while learning about the power of compassion and community.
The Tea Dragon Festival
O'Neill, Katie
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...
The Tea Dragon Society /
O'Neill, Kay
Paper Book
The Tea Dragon Society is the two-time Eisner Award-winning gentle fantasy that follows the story of a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons. Winner of the 2018 Eisner Award for...
That's not my name /
Lally, Megan,
Paper Book
An instant bestseller! She thought she had her life back. She was wrong. A gripping debut thriller perfect for fans of Natalie D. Richards and Vincent Ralph. It was a mistake to trust him. Shivering and bruised, a teen wakes up on the side of a dirt road with no memory of how...
They all saw a cat /
Wenzel, Brendan,
Paper Book
The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears and paws . . . and the child saw A CAT, and the dog saw A CAT, and the fox saw A CAT. Yes, they all saw the cat.' In simple, rhythmic prose and ingeniously stylized pictures, Brendan Wenzel takes young readers on a walk alongside a cat....
Tokyo night parade /
Takahashi, J. P.,
Paper Book
Spirited Away meets Where the Wild Things Are by way of yokai mythology in this enchanting picture book by debut author J. P. Takahashi and illustrator Minako Tomigahara. The night parade is about to begin . . . The ground thunders in Tokyo. A gust of wind blows. The...
Under this red rock /
McGinnis, Mindy
Paper Book
From award-winning author Mindy McGinnis comes a mesmerizing YA psychological mystery following a teen girl who is grappling with the death of her brother as she starts a new job in the caverns of Ohio--only to become the number one suspect in her coworker's murder. Perfect for fans...
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 available on Prime Video! 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...
A wrinkle in time
L'Engle, Madeleine
Paper Book
When Charles Wallace Murry goes searching through a 'wrinkle in time' for his lost father, he finds himself on an evil planet where all life is enslaved by a huge pulsating brain known as 'It'. How Charles, his sister Meg and friend Calvin find and free his father makes this a very special and...

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