Our must-have booklist for classroom libraries

As we wrap up 2021, Booksource’s literacy experts have chosen their favorite titles that debuted this year. This list includes buzzworthy new authors and award-winners. From lighthearted romances to riveting retellings of historical events to serious novels tackling contemporary issues, students will fall in love with reading when they discover the life-changing story they’ve been searching for.

Here are the 31 best titles from 2021 to add to your classroom library.

1. Watercress
by Andrea Wang

Interest level: P-3
As a young girl’s family drives through Ohio, they excitedly stop by the side of the road to pick watercress growing wild in a ditch. The child is embarrassed, but her mother explains the family’s experience in China and how it informs their lives today. Readers will get lost in the beautiful illustrations inspired by Chinese painting techniques and gain a new understanding of the Chinese immigrant experience.

2. Wishes
by Muon Thi Van

Interest level: P-3
This title is a perfect supplement to lessons about immigration both in history and today. A Vietnamese family searches for a new home on the other side of the world. Through the eyes of the youngest family member, Wishes tells the story of a family carrying their belongings onto a crowded boat and leaving the life they know in exchange for an uncertain future.

3. Eyes That Kiss In The Corners
by Joanna Ho

Interest level: P-3
A young Asian girl realizes her eyes look different than her friends. While some kids have round eyes, hers kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea. As she compares her features to members of her family, the child embraces what makes her uniquely beautiful. Children will love the warm and inviting illustration style of this book.

4. It Fell From The Sky
by Terry and Eric Fan

Interest level: P-3
A strange object tumbled from the sky on Thursday. Some of the insects think it is an egg or a gumdrop, but Spider claims it for himself and puts it on display for a fee. What will Spider do if everyone stops coming to see the mysterious thing? This whimsical book teaches helpful lessons about art and community.

5. Change Sings
by Amanda Gorman

Interest level: P-3
Change Sings is the lyrical picture book debut from inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long. This uplifting story teaches students that anything is possible when we join our voices together.

6. The 1619 Project: Born On The Water
by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

Interest level: K-5
When a student receives a family tree assignment for school, she is puzzled when she can only trace back three generations. Her grandmother explains that 400 years ago, their ancestors were stolen and enslaved, which is how the family came to be in America. Before being enslaved, they had a home, a land and a language. Still, they persevered. Born on the Water helps readers of all ages to reflect on the origins of American identity.

7. Zonia’s Rain Forest
by Juana Martinez-Neal

Interest level: P-2
What will Zonia do when the rain forest calls to her in a troubled voice? Zonia’s Rain Forest includes educational back matter such as a translation of the story in Asháninka, information on the Asháninka community and resources on the Amazon rain forest. Nature-loving students will be captivated by illustrations of the Amazon rain forest, so full of blooming plants and amazing wildlife.

8. Vamos! Let’s Cross The Bridge
by Raúl The Third

Interest level: P-3
Little Lobo and his dog Bernabé are using their new truck to transport party supplies over the bridge between the U.S. and Mexico. However, traffic is backed up and everyone on the bridge is stuck! The community throws an epic party to pass the time, sharing Spanish and English words that promote bilingualism in a fun and pressure-free way.

9. Milo Imagines The World
by Matt de la Pena

Interest level: P-3
While taking a long subway ride with his sister, Milo looks at the other travelers and imagines the fantastical details of their lives. As he sees the passengers exit, Milo comes to find out you can’t really know someone just by looking at them. This book teaches kids a helpful lesson about not making assumptions about others.

10. Sisters Of The Neversea
by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Interest level: 3-7
Peter Pan gets a timely update, shifting the focus from the boy who won’t grow up to Native American Lily and English Wendy. In this retelling, the girls are stepsisters and best friends facing obstacles to get back to their family. Little do they know a mysterious boy has been watching them, planning to take them far away from home forever!

11. Keeping The City Going
by Brian Floca

Interest level: P-3
In this tenderly illustrated book, Caldecott Award winner Brian Floca thanks the essential workers who kept cities running during the COVID-19 quarantine. While many people stayed home, watching the world go by their windows, the city outside didn’t completely stop, though it functioned a little differently than before. This is an age-appropriate way to open communication with young students about their experiences during the pandemic.

12. Kaleidoscope
by Brian Selznick

Interest level: 4-12
Two people are bound to each other through time and space, memory and dreams. Award-winning creator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick shares a collection of interwoven short stories and riveting illustrations that explore the experience of grief. Even reluctant readers will get lost in the mystery about the nature of loss and love.

13. The Insiders
by Mark Oshiro

Interest level: 3-7
The Insiders is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about three kids who don’t belong, a room that shouldn’t exist and a year that will change all of their lives. On a particularly overwhelming day, Héctor disappears into the janitor’s closet and finds himself in a room with two friends from different parts of the country. Together they experience magic, adventure and deep friendship.

14. Fast Pitch
by Nic Stone

Interest level: 3-7
Shenice Lockwood is the captain of the Fulton Firebirds, and she is laser-focused on the win. Shenice’s focus gets disrupted when family secrets come to light. Shenice needs to get back on her game, and fast, before secrets take the Firebirds out of the game forever. This story is perfect for sports lovers who just haven’t found the right book yet.

15. The Mysterious Disappearance Of Aidan S. (As Told To His Brother)
by David Levithan

Interest level: 3-7
Aidan is gone for six whole days. Six days of searches, police questions and constant vigils. As quickly as he disappeared, Aidan is back. But where has he been? As Aidan becomes a social outcast for his seemingly ridiculous story, Lucas is led on an incredible journey to the truth.

16. The Cardboard Kingdom 2: Roar Of The Beast
by Chad Sell

Interest level: 3-7
The Monster Mashers solve a mystery involving a new neighborhood monster. It’s gross, it’s fast and it’s scary-looking. Whether it has tentacles, claws or wings is still up for debate. How will the kids protect the Kingdom and solve the mystery of what the monster is and who created it?

17. Da Vinci’s Cat
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Interest level: 3-7
Federico in sixteenth-century Rome and Bee in present-day New Jersey form an unlikely friendship all thanks to a cat. It all starts with Leonardo Da Vinci’s wardrobe and sketch that looks exactly like Bee. This delightful time-travel tale is perfect for history and art lovers alike.

18. Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Interest level: 3-6
Celebrated author Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrator Floyd Cooper provide adept insights into the Tulsa Race Massacre. Educators can use this book as an aid when discussing African American history, especially when exploring how racism leads to suppressing information and continued injustice.

19. Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood
edited by Kwame Mbalia

Interest level: 4-7
Seventeen acclaimed Black authors share a collection of stories, comics and poems about the power of joy and Black boyhood. Discover 17 amazing examples of Black Boy Joy that your students can see themselves in.

20. Legacy: Women Poets Of The Harlem Renaissance
by Nikki Grimes

Interest level: 5-9
The women of the Harlem Renaissance have gone unrecognized for too long. This new poetry collection inspired by poets from the past comes to life with full-color art from today’s most talented female African-American illustrators. This book pairs well with your poetry curriculum, as well as your women’s and African-American history lessons.

21. Playing The Cards You’re Dealt
by Varian Johnson

Interest level: 3-7
Ten-year-old Anthony has made it to double digits, so he’s old enough to play in a spades tournament that every man in his family has won before him. Meanwhile, Ant’s father is keeping some secrets that could permanently fracture their family. Playing The Cards You’re Dealt is an engaging read for card lovers anywhere.

22. Run: Book 1
by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

Interest level: 7-12
Congressman John Lewis shares his incredible life experiences in the form of a graphic novel. Lewis depicts how he and his colleagues participated in the movement after the Selma voting rights campaign. This book covers the era in Civil Rights history following Bloody Sunday and is the ideal supplement to your Civil Rights and African American History lessons.

23. We Light Up The Sky
by Lilliam Rivera

Interest level: 9-12
Three Latinx teens Pedro, Luna and Rafa go to the same Los Angeles High School, but they couldn’t be more different. Pedro finds solace in a local drag bar and is often criticized for being “too much.” Luna grieves the passing of her cousin while trying to fit in with the popular clique. Rafa is quiet, struggling to hide his family’s homelessness. But when alien visitors pose a threat, will those around the teens heed their warning?

24. From A Whisper To A Rallying Cry: The Killing Of Vincent Chin And The Trial That Galvanized The Asian American Movement
by Paula Yoo

Interest level: 7-12
People in 1980s Detroit are blaming the rise of Japanese car companies for the loss of American autoworker jobs. As tensions rise, Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man, is murdered by two white auto workers. This brutal killing jump-started protests by the Asian community against deep-seated racism in the Rust Belt. This title is the first book written about Vincent Chin and one of only a few books written about Asian American civil rights.

25. Blackout
by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon

Interest level: 8-12
Six critically acclaimed, bestselling and award-winning authors share this interlinked novel about African American teen love. A New York City summer heatwave leaves everyone in darkness and confusion. With the lights out, a different kind of electricity sparks, and truths come to light. This contemporary and relatable book is perfect for reluctant teen readers.

26. Call Us What We Carry
by Amanda Gorman

Interest level: 9-12
The debut poetry collection by inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman explores themes of grief, identity, memory and hope. This collection includes “The Hill We Climb,” the emotional poem read at the 46^th presidential inauguration. Try incorporating this book into your poetry lessons by contextualizing famous poems in their respective historical periods.

27. Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Interest level: 9-12
Two boys in a border town fall in love, but how will they manage to stay in love when the world seems to be against them? When Aristotle falls for Dante, he can’t go back to the way he was. As they work to carve out their own place in the world, Ari grapples with a shocking loss.

28. Road Allowance Era (book 4 in the A Girl Called Echo series)
by Katherena Vermette

Interest level: 8-12
Métis teen Echo’s time traveling adventures pick up as she visits 1885. It is there that she witnesses the Métis tribe struggling with the unfulfilled promises of the Manitoba Act. In the last book in the series, Echo remembers the strength and resilience of her people, while facing her triumphant future.

29. The Cost Of Knowing
by Brittney Morris

Interest level: 7-12
Sixteen-year-old Alex Rufus has psychic abilities, and it makes life pretty stressful. Every time he touches an object or person, Alex can see the future. This leaves him feeling cursed and distracted. When he touches a photo and sees his brother’s death, Alex begins a race against time. This book plays with themes of past, present and future and explores what it means to be a young African American man.

30. A Sitting In St. James
by Rita Williams-Garcia

Interest level: 9-12
This book is a must-read for teenagers struggling with America’s history of racism. A Sitting In St. James depicts the interwoven lives of a white family and the enslaved people bound to their plantation in antebellum America. Readers will be enthralled by the stories that span generations at the plantation, including secrets buried deep as the family fortune.

31. Six Crimson Cranes
by Elizabeth Lim

Interest level: 7-12
Fantasy lovers will be gripping this page of this quick-paced story that has it all: an exiled princess, an unspeakable curse, shapeshifting dragons and yes, enchanted cranes. The only princess of Kiata struggles with a dark secret; she possesses a forbidden magic fighting to come out. When she is discovered, cursed and then banished by her sorceress stepmother, Shiori is left unable to utter a word or risk her brothers’ lives. Can Shiori set the kingdom right and find her brothers by embracing the magic she had to hide?

Which of these titles did your students fall in love with this year? What books are you most excited to introduce in 2022?