Reviews+

SLJ reviews editors share the 2021 Best Books covers that most left an imprint on our eyes (and hearts).

SLJ reviews editors don’t only read kids’ books. Here are some titles that won our hearts this year, whether as a nice (or super scary) break from children’s books or a bedtime read for our little ones.

In the infinite amount of words we’ve read this year, sometimes there are lines that stick out and linger, burrowing themselves in our memories. Here are some of these unforgettable quotations from this year’s Best Books.

Download the full list of SLJ’s 2021 Best Books as a nifty PDF that you can share with patrons, educators, and other readers.

Our 2021 best picture books list boasts 24 excellent works for children, including two bilingual books and several glowing tributes to mothers. 

Seven superb titles made SLJ's list of must-have chapter books, including a retelling of Don Quixote and charming take on the “new sibling” genre.

The 2021 list of best middle grade books counts with 26 novels, including unforgettable works by Joseph Bruchac, Jasmine Warga, and Kate DiCamillo.

Malinda Lo’s National Book Award-winning Last Night at the Telegraph Club, the blockbuster Blackout, and Angie Thomas’s latest are just some of the 25 YA titles that made our Best Books of 2021. 

A whopping 35 books were selected for this year’s Best Nonfiction list---our longest yet. From STEM works to eye-opening historical accounts, these titles will fill all of your curricular needs.