The Best Kids’ & YA Books from Our Top 250

ThriftBooks published the list of Our Top 250 Books on June 11, 2026, and a list this large is so fun to explore. Curious how we determined the list? Check out the methodology here. Simply curious what’s on it? Read on for every Kids’ & YA book on Our Top 250 Books in ranked order.

#2 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Originally published: 1997

Winner of 30 from 30 Special Award in the British Book Awards, and a gold medal in the 9- to 11-year-olds category of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize

Ranked just behind Man’s Search for Meaning is a boy’s search for a home. Orphaned as a baby and sent to live with his cruel aunt, uncle, and cousin, at eleven-years-old Harry discovers he is part of a hidden world of magic as a wizard in the first book of this seven-book series that spawned plays, amusement parks, eight films, and an upcoming television adaptation in less than thirty years.

#6 The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Originally published: 1967

Written when Hinton was only a teenager herself, this coming-of-age novel about Ponyboy Curtis and the conflict between the Greasers and the Socs has become one of the most widely taught books in American schools. Its exploration of class, belonging, and identity continues to resonate with new generations of readers.

#8 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Originally published: 2005

With millions of copies and over 10 years spent on the New York Times bestseller list, Percy has also become a movie, a Broadway musical, and now a Disney+ series. He continues to find fans in classrooms and libraries across the world.

#12 If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

Originally published: 1985

See how one simple cookie leads to a request for milk, then a straw, then a napkin, then a haircut, and more in a silly, memorable chain of events.

#13 Holes by Louis Sachar

Originally published: 1998

Winner of the Newbery Medal and National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile detention camp where the boys spend their days digging holes in the Texas desert. Equal parts mystery, adventure, and family story, Holes became one of the most celebrated children's novels of its era.

#19 The Giver by Lois Lowry

Originally published: 1993

Winner of the Newbery Medal

This dystopian story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in an ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his ‘life assignment’ does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Many who read it young or in school are surprised to learn about its three companion novels.

#35 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Originally published: 2008

"May the odds be ever in your favor," says the Capitol that sends children to their deaths in this YA dystopian trope-making series. The Hunger Games has enthralled millions of readers in its examination of the price of war, human nature, and the powerful force of both love and resistance.

#36 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Originally published: 2005

Narrated by Death itself, this historical novel follows a young girl living in Nazi Germany who discovers the power of words and stories during one of history's darkest periods. It has become a favorite of both teen and adult readers for its unusual voice and emotional impact.

#37 The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Originally published: 1964

Selfless or selfish? Readers might be surprised to learn there is debate about the book's message decades after publication. The simple story of a boy and a tree has inspired generations of readers to discuss generosity, sacrifice, love, and gratitude.

#38 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Originally published: 1969

Follow along as one of nature's loveliest marvels eats his way through an amazing variety of foods as he prepares to grow into a beautiful butterfly. A special magic is imbued in the pages, with the caterpillar’s bites coming to life through small holes that appear as you read.

#42 Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Originally published: 1989

Winner of the Newbery Medal and National Jewish Book Award—Children’s Literature

This historical fiction for kids reminds us that there was pride and human decency in the world even during a time of terror and war. As the German troops begin their campaign to "relocate" all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen's family takes in Annemarie's best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.

#47 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Originally published: 1960

One of The Atlantic's 65 Essential Children's Books is Seuss’s highest-ranked on Our Top 250. This book teaches kids to try things outside of their comfort zone and teaches reading and rhyming along the way.

#49 Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Originally published: 1990

A perennial graduation gift in the US is this picture book about the wonders of life’s possibilities and your power to choose the way.

#52 The Mitten by Jan Brett

Originally published: 1989

In this bestselling modern classic, a young boy's lost mitten becomes the unlikely home to animals in a snowy wood. In her distinctive style, Jan Brett brings the animals to life with warmth and humor, and her illustrations are full of visual delights and details faithful to the Ukrainian tradition from which the story comes.

#53 Matilda by Roald Dahl

Originally published: 1988

Partly written due to his pure love of books and a fear they were being forgotten, Matilda is about a sweet, exceptional, book-loving young girl whose parents think she's just a nuisance, and when she finally goes to school she finds, instead of an embrace, Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating headmistress. Matilda’s tale of empowerment is an inspiration to children everywhere.

#59 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Originally published: 2000

Winner of a Newbery Honor

A homesickness for Florida while living in Minnesota is part of what inspired this story of a girl, India, and the scruffy dog she adopts. Through her pup she names after the supermarket chain, India finds community and companionship.

#60 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Originally published: 1987

Many young readers, especially boys, grow up to remember this as one of the first books that made them excited to read. It’s the exciting story of a thirteen-year-old who ends up surviving on his own in the wilderness after a plane crash, and was adapted to a film in 1990, A Cry in the Wild.

#64 One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Originally published: 1960

Learn to count with Seuss and you’ll never forget it. This counting and rhyming primer has such memorable rhythm and illustrations that readers can still recite the lines even decades later.

#66 The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Originally published: 2012

Winner of the Newbery Medal

Based on a true, heart-wrenching story of a gorilla named Ivan kept in a small enclosure in a shopping mall as an attraction, and told in the tradition of timeless stories like Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create an unforgettable story of friendship, art, and hope with her story of Ivan’s unlikely friendship with a baby elephant.

#67 Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Originally published: 1974

Not the first or the last Silverstein on the list, Where the Sidewalk Ends was probably a lot of readers’ first foray into poetry. These playful poems do not talk down to kids, they meet them and challenge them to expand their imagination.

#72 My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Originally published: 1959

12-year-old Sam Gribley survives for a year in the Catskill mountains after running away from an unhappy life in New York City with only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel.

#75 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Originally published: 1961

Dahl’s second entry on the list is a fantastical tale only his mind could create, about an orphaned boy, a miserable life, and a wonderful escape with bugs on a gigantic peach across the ocean.

#87 The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Originally published: 2007

This illustrated children's Bible has become a beloved family read-aloud. Lloyd-Jones focuses on the larger story running through Scripture, helping young readers discover connections between stories.

#93 Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Originally published: 1993

Indies Choice Book Award—Picture Book Hall of Fame

The author grew up in Minnesota and grew to appreciate bats due to them being misunderstood out of fear. That love grew into her picture book about a young fruit bat who gets separated from her mother and finds a home with a nest of birds.

#100 The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Originally published: 1998

While the adult version was first, only this volume made the list of our Top 250. This self-help, how-to guide has been updated over time to deal with new issues facing teens, like cyberbullying, growing with the times and lasting because of it.

#107 Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

Originally published: 2015

Winner of the Newbery Medal; a Caldecott Honor Book; and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book

A young boy named CJ learns to appreciate the simple, everyday things on a bus ride with his grandmother. People fell in love with the book for being an inclusive ode to kindness, empathy, gratitude, and finding joy.

#108 Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

Originally published: 2016

This graphic novel, the first in a series, has the distinction of being a spinoff, rare for the Top 250 list. Its predecessor was the equally popular Captain Underpants, and it has its own spinoff in Cat Kid. The dog-headed, man-bodied hero captured kids’ imaginations enough to take the spot in the list.

#112 Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Originally published: 2003

A Caldecott Honor Book where the reader gets to interact with the main character. When a bus driver has to leave, Pigeon asks in increasingly outlandish ways if he can drive, while the reader keeps telling him no.

#118 Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Originally published: 1963

Winner of the Caldecott Medal

Maurice Sendak's Caldecott Medal-winning picture book has become one of the most highly acclaimed and best-loved children's books of all time. The story is of a boy who is sent to bed for running wild, then enters a realm of wild things that name him king.

#125 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Originally published: 1978

Many are surprised to learn this book was published decades ago because it still seems to speak the language of kids in every generation. By the same author as #13, Holes, this is a different side of his writing reaching uncanny, weird corners of imagination.

#126 Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

Originally published: 1982

Winner of the National Book Award for Children’s Books

The story of the independent protagonist is ultimately a lesson in that we all must determine what we want to do in life. The New Jersey Center for the Book has an award named after the title character, which honors librarians.

#129 The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka

Originally published: 1992

Postmodern kids’ books are rare to find even today, and most have this to thank for paving the way with its tongue-in-cheek take on fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters, like Little Red Running Shorts and Chicken Licken.

#135 The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Originally published: 1965
The first in a three-book series about Ralph S. Mouse, who meets a boy with a toy motorcycle one day and is never the same. It’s a favorite of third, fourth, and fifth graders like Cleary is known for.

#136 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Originally published: 1999

“We accept the love we think we deserve” has been a life-changing maxim to a generation of readers and the work has shown its impact lasting into the next. This complex novel deals with some of the most serious issues teens can face with grace, compassion, and even beauty.

#146 Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Originally published: 1960

Winner of the Newbery Medal

Based on the true story of "The Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island," this historical fiction focuses on a young woman named Karana who ends up isolated in the nineteenth century. The book’s vivid portrayal of the beauty and power of nature is one quality that sets it apart and creates such a memorable work.

#147 The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood and Audrey Wood

Originally published: 1984

Never has a strawberry looked so good as when illustrated by Don Wood in this picture book about a mouse protecting his food from a bear.

#152 Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Originally published: 1941

Winner of the Caldecott Medal

Author/illustrator McCloskey used to feed ducks at the Public Garden during his time at art school, which inspired this story of a mother duck, eight ducklings, community, and the power of love in hard times.

#154 A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Originally published: 1981

This collection of over 160 poems and illustrations was written for children, yet is so loved the publisher began marketing it to adults, too. Come on up to the attic of Shel Silverstein and let the light bring you home.

#155 Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Originally published: 2000

Winner of the Pura Belpré Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, WILLA Literary Award for Children's/Young Adult Fiction

After her father is murdered, young Esperanza and the rest of her family flee to California during the Great Depression in this historical middle grade novel. The author was inspired by the story of her grandmother, the main character’s namesake.

#157 Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Originally published: 1955

Armed only with an oversize purple crayon, young Harold draws himself a landscape full of wonder and excitement. Full of funny twists and surprises, this charming story shows just how far your imagination can take you.

#158 Divergent by Veronica Roth

Originally published: 2011

Winner of the Goodreads Readers Choice Award for Favorite Book

In this dystopian YA favorite with a movie adaptation, Tris Prior's society is divided into five factions, and she must choose between staying with her family, or transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. A new book in the series will look at that choice and ask, ‘what if…’ later this year.

#161 The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Originally published: 1962

Winner of the Caldecott Medal

Keats did both the writing and illustrations for this work. The illustrations were done with collaged paper, fabric, and cloth which is what gives it the distinct look. His words are few and carefully chosen, combining with the art to create a magical reading feeling.

#164 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Originally published: 2006

Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful middle grade historical fiction.

#181 The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Originally published: 1957

Picture it: schools full of Dick, Jane, and Spot. ‘See them run. See, see!’ is all children know. Then one day, the Cat in the Hat appeared with a trick, a whirl, and rhyme for every boy and girl, and learning to read was never the same. Seuss introduced the fun of Golden Age Batman to children’s primers with this mainstay of school and personal libraries.

#182 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Originally published: 2006

Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and a Parents' Choice Award

The author’s second book on the list stars a china rabbit given to a ten-year-old girl. Along the way as we learn about his journey, we are shown a true miracle—that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

#186 The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Originally published: 2016

Made even more popular recently with its Lupita Nyong'o and Pedro Pascal-helmed adaptation, The Wild Robot’s story about Roz, who wakes up on a beach and must adapt her programming to the wild, explores themes of otherness and growing up that resonate with both adults and children.

#191 Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Originally published: 2012

Nearly every book on the Top 250 can claim to be a best seller. Few have the 546 weeks and counting straight on the New York Times best seller list to prove it the way this mainstay of middle grade reading does! Read to meet Auggie, a fifth grader with a facial deformity who would like to be treated like everyone else, and you’ll understand why this story can’t stay out of readers’ hands.

#193 The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare

Originally published: 1983

Winner of the Josette Frank Award, the Christopher Award, the Booklist Editors' Choice, Horn Book Fanfare, Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and was a Newbery Honor Book

Historical fiction has a way of staying with kids so long they pass it on to their own children. This book about a thirteen-year-old boy struggling to survive on his own in the wilderness of eighteenth-century Maine is one of those multigenerational tales.

#194 James Herriot's Treasury for Children by James Herriot

Originally published: 1992

Herriot is synonymous with heartwarming to those familiar with his work. While his other popular series, All Creatures Great and Small, saw a Masterpiece adaptation, we saw a more consistent love over time for this volume which collects all of the children’s tales into one.

#210 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Originally published: 1977

Winner of the Newbery Medal

Two friends invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, one friend goes to Terabithia without the other and a tragedy occurs. This tearjerking story of childhood friendship and loss breaks hearts so well that generations keep coming back to feel it and heal from it again.

#211 Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Originally published: 2010

In this contemporary, realistic novel for preteens, we follow Melody who is living with cerebral palsy. While she can’t walk, talk, or write, she knows she is the smartest person in school and wants everyone to know it, too. The work explores disability and the social assumptions that come with it.

#212 Mr. Popper's Penguins by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater

Originally published: 1938

Winner of 1940 Young Reader’s Choice Award and named a Newbery Honor Book

This is the oldest children’s book to make the ThriftBooks list of Top 250 Books. A humble house painter is sent a male penguin by the great Admiral Drake and, thanks to the arrival of a female penguin, soon has twelve penguins living in his house.

#217 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Originally published: 1964

Dahl was inspired to write his beloved children’s classic about a reclusive chocolatier and the five lucky children who find golden tickets to see his mysterious factory by a real-life chocolate rivalry going on, with recipe spies and all. The book would be adapted to a Gene Wilder-helmed musical less than ten years after its publication.

#224 Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw

Originally published: 1986

Selected as a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

This rollicking, rhyming storybook is considered a milestone in early childhood literacy. Spun from a simple word game the author played to entertain her children on a boring car trip, the book's rhythmic text was crafted to help beginning readers grasp phonics.

#231 The Beginner's Bible

Originally published: 1989

This collection of illustrated Bible stories is often credited as being one of the first children's storybook Bibles. The book’s continuous publication has cemented its place as a multi-generational title, one that parents remember and repurchase for their own children.

#235 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Originally published: 1958

Winner of the Newbery Medal

In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, a girl faces prejudice and accusations of witchcraft in seventeenth-century Connecticut. A classic of historical fiction that continues to resonate across the generations.

#237 Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Originally published: 2002

Originally self-published, the author wrote most of the first in his Inheritance Trilogy about a farm boy who finds a dragon egg when he was only fifteen years old, polishing it up over the next few years. It would be republished traditionally only a year later after its huge indie success.

#238 The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Originally published: 2014

The fun of this book comes from its premise: there are no pictures, so you must read every word. Even if those words are nonsense like blorf. Through this playful narrative device Novak turns every reader into a comedian, which has kept parents coming to this book for story time.

#243 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

Originally published: 1939

What do Beverly Cleary, Jerry Spinelli, and Stephen King have in common? They all reference this picture book about a man, his steam shovel, and a race against modernity in their works. In Ramona the Pest the book is read to her class, in Maniac Magee it becomes the favorite of an adult learning to read, and in The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands its wholesome image juxtaposes a more chilling one.

#247 Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

Originally published: 1965

No stranger to silly sounds, Dr. Seuss created one of his trickiest read-aloud books with Fox in Socks. Written as a tongue-twister, the book often challenges readers to ‘read aloud to find out just how smart your tongue is.’

Read more by Amanda Cleveland