Contrary to popular belief, SLJ reviews editors read non-children’s books. Every now and then, we’ll dip into some (gasp) adult books, though some of us can’t step out of the kid lit world for long. Here are our favorite books we read this year—and why. 

Jasmine Amiri, Graphic Novel and Nonfiction Reviews Editor

The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

This Gothic fantasy unfolds like a dream that’s tipping into a nightmare, pulling me into a fairy tale world of knights and prophecies, liars and truth-seekers, and a sentient gargoyle named Bartholomew, who forever changed the way I look at the stone figures. From the first chapter, I was spellbound by the visual prose, which balanced fate-challenging battles against unearthly creatures with a smoldering slow-burn romance. With this beautifully haunting novel, Gillig has cemented her place as an author I will follow wherever her imagination leads.

Shelley Diaz, Reviews Director

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

This return to “Hunger Games” is so gripping and engrossing. I read this via physical book, audiobook, and ebook because I wanted to have access to the story at all times. Suzanne Collins continues to create captivating characters and complex worldbuilding. It reminded me of when I first started in publishing, and I would devour books. Of course, I had to rewatch the films and reread the first book right after I was done.

Kimberly Olson Fakih, Executive Editor, Reviews

Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe.

I hate ghost stories. Real life is spooky enough. So, imagine my surprise when not one but three ghost stories made the cut. Why? Because a ghost is a great substitute when a subject—like the emotions of being an older sibling to a somewhat pesky child—is beyond explanation. Patience, curiosity, negotiation are the big topics under the guise of a never-spooky tale, and children will get the point, painlessly.

Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat

In the every-crab-for-itself spirit of our age of misinformation, Sharpson and Santat are the ringleaders for bringing kids up to speed. There is great advice in here, and I handed this book to a recent college graduate as well as a precocious 10-year-old, and the understatement regarding their reaction would be side-splitting. It could be this generation’s Who Moved My Cheese? I, for one, have shelved it with Sun Tzu and Aristotle, neither of whom ever addressed their trust issues with fish.

Florence Simmons, YA Reviews Editor

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid writes in such a way that makes the reading experience feel fully immersive, and her latest novel is no exception. It’s a great work of historical fiction that must have taken a lot of research, and it is done so well. The structure of the narrative makes readers think they know what’s going to happen, but I was still not prepared for the emotions to hit me as strongly as they did. This novel shows you the good and the bad in the characters and makes you want to root for them—for their love, for their missions, for them to realize their dreams. I read it in the middle of the year, and it still lives rent-free in my head.

Ashleigh Williams, Associate Reviews Editor, Middle Grade and Transitional Books

Sympathy for Wild Girls by Demree McGhee

McGhee’s debut short story collection had me riveted, moved, and uncomfortable all at once. These are stories of Black girls and women striving to be free, often crumbling into pieces or choking on dust in the process. McGhee’s prose is spare yet visceral; I read this much earlier in the year, and flashes of certain scenes still pop into my head months later. Surrealism soaks some of the entries so thoroughly that I had trouble following along; regardless, I was entranced by the unsettling journey within every single one. The raw desires of these characters are laid powerfully bare. Witnessing and recognizing the rough edges they scrape against as Black queer women who want, in a world that is rarely amenable, is endlessly compelling.