What Should I Read? The New York Public Library Selects Best Books of 2019 for Kids, Teens and Adults

The full list of titles for each group is available online at www.nypl.org/bestbooks. The website features categories that readers can search to find their next favorite book. Categories range from “short stories” to “animal books for children” to “NYC Stories for teens” and more.

The librarians also selected top 10 books for kids, teens, adults, poetry, and Spanish language books for kids; titles include: The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford, a picture book that traces the history and heroes of rap and hip hop; Pet, the fantasy novel for teens by Akwaeke Emezi; the soon-to-be adapted for television Normal People by Sally Rooney (currently a fellow at the Library’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers); Library of Small Catastrophes, a book of poetry that chronicles the complexities of life by Alison C. Robbins; and a sweet, illustrated picture book about a father-daughter motorcycle ride Mi Papi Tiene Una Moto by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña. 

“There’s no question that librarians love to read, but selecting the Library’s best books takes that love of reading to the next level,” said Lynn Lobash, associate director of the Library’s Readers Services team, which regularly offers book recommendations to the public via Twitter, Facebook, and podcast. “It can be a daunting project, staff are inundated with books and yet they read them all, sometimes pulling all-nighters to finish one book and start the next. Throughout the process, their knowledge and insight of specific genres grows deeper and stronger and the results are a thoughtfully curated selection of books that will guide readers and help them find a book that’s right for them — which is the ultimate achievement for a librarian!” 

The Library’s top 10 titles from each list (in alphabetical order) are:

Top 10 children’s books 

• Carter Reads the Newspaper by Deborah Hopkinson

• Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage

• Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

• Mr. Penguin and the Lost Treasure by Alex T. Smith

• My Papi Has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero

• The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford

• New Kid by Jerry Craft

• Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe

• This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce

• This Was Our Pact by Ryan Andrews

Los Mejores Libros para Pequeños / Top 10 Spanish language books for children 

• ¿De Dónde Eres? por Yamile Saied Méndez, ilustrado por Jaime Kim 

• Empieza Por A por Félix Jiménez Moreno

• La Joven Maestra y la Gran Serpiente por Irene Vasco, ilustrado por Juan Palomino

• Luisa Siempre Va Con Prisa por Timothy Knapman y Gemma Merino

• Mario y el Agujero en el Cielo: Cómo un Químico Salvó Nuestro Planeta por Elizabeth Rusch, ilustrado por Teresa Martínez

• La Princesa Inca por Ana Alonso

• Mi Papi Tiene Una Moto por Isabel Quintero, ilustrado por Zeke Peña

• Señorita Mariposa por Ben Gundersheimer

• Todos Iguales: Un Corrido de Lemon Grove por Chrisy Hale

• ¡Los Zombis No Comen Verduras! por Jorge Lacera y Megan Lacera