Favorite books of 2025: All of them

Honestly, I don't know what happened last year. I don't feel like I read... anything? But I did. I just don't remember much. It's been a challenging year, for many of us, I think. Our brains are good at helping us to mitigate stress by making sure we don't remember it well, but that also affects remembering the good things (like great books).

So I'm combining all the categories for my list this year because the list will most definitely be shorter. Here's are some 2025 books I loved:

PICTURE BOOKS

ALL THE HULK FEELS by Dan Santat

Told in a comic book style with lots of print to point out, this story imagines what might happen if the Incredible Hulk decides he wants to feel something other than rage.

CRANKY CRABBY CROW SAVES THE WORLD by Corey R. Tabor

Crow seems like a cranky, crabby sort. Every time one of the other telephone-wire-living animals asks him to do something, he simply replies "KAW," shooing them away. But does he want to be alone, or does he have more important business to attend to - like saving the world? Corey R. Tabor always writes and illustrates books that surprise, and this is one of the best.

DON'T TRUST FISH by Neil Sharpson and Dan Santat

After reading this hilarious book you'll 1000% not trust fish. The are clearly... fishy. Sharpson lays out all the reasons why we shouldn't trust fish. For example: some of them are bus-sized, we can't keep an eye on them, and OBVIOUSLY they're plotting something. If you need a new read-aloud for early elementary kids, this is it.

EVERY MONDAY MABEL by Jashar Awan

There's a reason this won a Caldecott honor! Jashar Awan writes the preschooler experience so well. Mabel has a routine that she keeps every Monday. Her father and mother think it's cute, her sibling thinks it's weird. But Mabel is single-minded. After breakfast she takes her chair and sets it out on the driveway ready for the best show on earth - the garbage truck!

FIREWORKS by Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien

There's a reason this book won the Caldecott Medal. The illustrations are absolutely glorious - not only the fireworks but the way the author illustrates the heat coming off the New York City summer street and the fabulous use of perspective. But Burgess's text reads like poetry - IS poetry - with alliteration and imagery that begs to be read aloud. This is picture book creation at its finest.

I HATE EVERYTHING by Sophy Henn

Ghost tells his little ghost friend that he hates everything. But does he, really? He doesn't hate little ghost, does he? Of course not.

THE INTERPRETER by Olivia Abtahi and Monica Arnaldo

Cecilia, a school age kid, has two jobs: be a kid and, frequently, be an interpreter for her parents at school, the doctor, the DMV. It's hard to juggle two jobs (Cecilia is shown as a frazzled office worker in suit and tie) and, eventually, Cecilia admits that she needs help. The rest of the family to the rescue! This will be familiar to many immigrant families and shine a light on their experience for the rest of us.

LET'S BE BEES by Shawn Harris

An adult and child pretend to be all kinds of things. That's it. It's simple and sweet and fun, and will encourage the readers to join in. This is a celebration of pretend play with soft illustrations that you will want to read again and again.

LET'S RUMBLE! A ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE BOOK OF PLAY by Rachel G. Payne and Jose Pimienta

This fun story celebrates active play while modeling how to set boundaries. The illustrations feature a pair of siblings, one with a cochlear implant and the other who presents as non-binary, which is wonderful! A 2026 CLEL BELL shortlist title, too!

LITTLE FREDDIE TWO PANTS by Drew Daywalt and Lucy Ruth Cummins

When I read this to the kids in my library program, there were laughs all around - from both the kids AND their grownups. That's the sign of a great book! This book is just plain silly. There's no problem resolution. But there is underwear, extra pants, and a monkey. At the end of the book, Freddie is still wearing his two pants. And, honestly, that's just fine. Sometimes we just need to laugh, and LITTLE FREDDIE TWO PANTS will make you do just that.

M IS FOR MANGO by Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank

I adore this series that began with B IS FOR BABY (on my best books for toddlers list!). In this outing, baby Mo really wants to enjoy some fresh mangos. But he'll have to compete with a tree full of monkeys to get them! The illustrations are joyful and the words pop off the page reinforcing the repeat of words that start with "m."

POP GOES THE NURSERY RHYME by Betsy Bird and Andrea Tsurumi

This is another book that was a big hit with my storytime families. The repeated appearance of the weasel in rhymes they didn't belong in elicited peals of laughter and the chaotic illustrations provided the perfect visual. This is a great silly book that not only reinforces traditional English nursery rhymes but also twists them to hilarious effect! POP GOES THE WEASEL!

SHORT DOG, LONG DOG by Anna Hrachovec

This delightful book of opposites is illustrated with photos of the most adorable knitted dogs

and contains both well known pairs (short, long) and less familiar vocabulary (clever, foolish). I smiled the whole time I read it - and then immediately went to share it with colleagues! The book is smaller in size so might not work for a large group read, but is perfect for small groups or one-on-one. Also, fair warning, it contains the word "hiney." I'm giggling already.

TULIP'S MESS by Anden Wilder

Tulip's Mess, an anthropomorphized dust bunny with a face, follows her everywhere, but Tulip doesn't mind. That is, until the mess swallows up her beloved toy bunny, forcing her to confront the mess.

MIDDLE GRADE

BUBBLEGUM SHOES: THE CASE OF THE CONTRABAND CLOSET by Goldy Moldavsky

Maya fancies herself a private detective. She pays attention, and knows EVERYTHING that happens in Marlowe Middle School. So when the "contraband closet," the place where everything a teacher has confiscated from a student, is robbed, she's on the case. This is a fast-paced, fun, yet thoughtful middle grade story that will appeal to mystery and school story fans alike.

CHRONICLES OF WHETHERWHY: THE AGE OF ENCHANTMENT by Anna James

Fans of magical stories with mystery and adventure woven throughout will love this first in the Chronicles of Whetherwhy series. I know I loved it! Juniper learns that she is a rare "Enchanter" - one who can wield the magic of all four seasons. She is therefore whisked away to Thistledown Academy where she will learn to control her magic. But her brother Rafferty, with whom she has always been close, secretly follows and gets a job in town at a bookbinder's shop. There they both encounter secrets and monsters that will soon intertwine their stories. I can't wait to read the sequel!

DON'T CAUSE TROUBLE by Arree Chung

Ming starts middle school with the same haircut as always and his Dad's mantra "get good grades! Don't cause trouble!" in his head - despite wishing for a fresh start. He's put into an ESL class despite English being his first (and only) language. Can things get any worse? But Ming is determined to make a change. This is a funny and fresh graphic novel that will resonate with anyone who's tried to reinvent themselves (and, honestly, who HASN'T tried to do that in middle school?)

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN CUBAN by Daniel Miyares

This is a powerful graphic novel recounting the author's father's experiences in Cuba as Castro's government came into power. When Carlos' family wins the lottery, they move from their country home into the city where his father starts a furniture building company. But as communism takes hold, his family loses the business and, later, Papi, who has gone to America and will soon bring his family to join him.

THE LAST RESORT by Erin Entrada Kelly

I will generally read anything Erin Entrada Kelly writes. She is an absolute genius. This is her first foray into horror, and hoo boy, this book is SCARY! An old house. Terrifying visions. Bloodthirsty ghosts. When Lila goes with her family to her grandfather's old Inn after he passes away she must figure out how to return escaped ghosts to the other side before the worst happens. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

THE MANY MISFORTUNES OF EUGENIA WANG by Stan Yan

Eugenia Wang has never celebrated her birthday ON her actual birthday of April 4 - because the number 4 is considered unlucky in Chinese culture. Her mother believes this, but Eugenia is skeptical and, in act of authentic tween rebellion, plans a party with her friends on her big day. Eugenia loves to draw, and also decides to apply for an art camp - despite the fact that her mother thinks art is a waste of time. But when she begins to have frightening visions of terrible events while drawing, she wonders if maybe, just maybe, her mom is right. Yikes! The cartoon-y illustrations are in a limited palette, adding to a heightened sense of danger. Horror and graphic novel fans alike will enjoy meeting Eugenia!

MIDWATCH INSTITUTE FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Judith Rossel

Maggie Fishbone is expecting that the Midwatch Institute for Orphaned, Runaway, and Wayward Girls is going to be like all of the other schools she's been kicked out of - but worse. And on the surface, it seems it might be. Until she discovers that the school is secretly a training ground - training "wayward girls" to be crime solvers, city protectors, and bad-guy-fighters. They're called into action when a woman in the city goes missing, and Maggie gets to put her new skills to the test. I LOVE stories where plucky orphan girls are trained as spies or crime-fighters, and this is one of the best in recent years.

QUEEN BEES OF TYBEE COUNTY by Kyle Casey Chu

At home, Derrick Chan is a basketball star. But when he's sent to spend the summer with his dad's estranged mother, Claudia, he discovers an affinity for fashion. Determined to put his new skills to the test and enter the local beauty pagent (even though it's only open to girls) he discovers unlikely allies in new friends and his grandmother. But he's worried that his father, and his best friend (and secret crush), JJ, won't be so proud of his new interests. This is a sweet, heartfelt novel of finding yourself in unexpected places and becoming who you truly are.

TEAR THIS DOWN by Barbara Dee

Freya has always loved the small town she lives in - Wellstone. But when a school project starts her learning about the man the town was named after she discovers some aspects of his personality that are not to be proud of. Specifically, his views on women and their right to vote. So she and her friends start a campaign to replace the statue of Benjamin Wellstone in the town square with that of a newly-discovered local hero, suffragette Octavia Padgett. Needless to say, she encounters some opposition, and from unexpected places. Can Freya stick to her guns and prove to the town that they need a new hero? Barbara Dee's books always ask important questions and this story is no different.

YOUNG ADULT

DAN IN GREEN GABLES by Rey Terciero and Claudia Aguirre

As an ANNE OF GREEN GABLES superfan since my youth, I will read most, if not all, retellings of the story. See, for example: ANNE OF WEST PHILLY by Ivy Noelle Weir and Myisha Haynes. In this outing, Anne has become Dan, a queer boy who's spent his whole life living on the road with his less-than-reliable mom. But when she leaves him at his grandparents' house in Tennesee, he must decide if he remain true to himself or try to fit into the conservative Southern-Baptist community. Despite the challenging subject matter, Dan remains joyful and watching his relationship grow with his grandmother and fiercely straight-laced and unmoving grandfather makes for an engaging read. Aguirre's detailed illustrations add so much warmth and depth to the story. A wonderful follow-up to Terciero's LITTLE WOMEN retelling, MEG, JO, BETH AND AMY. (Young Adult Graphic Novel)

D J ROSENBLUM BECOMES THE G.O.A.T by Abby White

[CW: suicide; grief] DJ idolizes her older cousin, Rachel. But when Rachel dies, DJ and her mother move to her mother's hometown to live with Rachel's parents who are suffering under crushing grief. Upon starting middle school, DJ meets Char, the editor of the school newspaper, and under the guise of writing an article, she begins investigating Rachel's death. Because DJ is sure. SURE. That Rachel did not take her own life, as the police determined. Enlisting the help of her new friends, DJ takes on this seemingly impossible task while also preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. Seemingly a murder mystery book, this powerful and heartbreaking story deals with issues surrounding grief, family conflict, and faith with a gentle but truthful hand. I was absolutely bowled over by this book.