About The Top Book List
The Top Book List helps readers and parents find books worth their time. We start from literary awards, because a prize jury has already read widely and argued hard, and then we add what awards alone leave out: how old a reader should be, which school grade a book suits, and what a parent might want to know first.
Who it is for
- Readers who want the winners, honor books and finalists of major prizes in one place, year by year.
- Parents, teachers and librarians who need books for a particular child, from Kindergarten through 12th grade, with subject lists for each grade.
The pages about children's and middle-grade books are written for the adults choosing them, not for children themselves.
How books get here
A book appears on this site because it was recognized by an award we track, or because an editor chose it for a list. Either way a person, not a feed, adds it and decides its age and grade range. Our editorial standards explain those decisions, and how we verify awards explains how we check every award claim against the organization that gave it.
How the site makes money
The Top Book List is free to read. It earns money in two ways:
- Bookseller links. When you buy a book through a link on this site, we may earn a commission from the bookseller. It costs you nothing extra.
- Advertising. Some pages carry ads, clearly labelled.
Neither one decides what we recommend. A book cannot pay to be listed, and we do not rank books by what they earn us. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Get in touch
Corrections, suggestions and questions are welcome on the contact page.