31 Stellar Titles to Finish Up the Year | Starred Reviews, December 2024

2024 came to a close with these outstanding selections, which include several from our new Fiction Series Made Simple supplement. 

 
Smiling Eyes (Park) ©2025 by Lenny Wen

 

Holidays

Fajardo, Sara Andrea. Crack Goes the Cascarón: An Eggcellent Not-Just-for-Easter Shellebration! illus. by Rocío Arreola Mendoza. Knopf. 

Horn, Dara. One Little Goat: A Passover Catastrophe. illus. by Theo Ellsworth. Norton. 

Montgomery, Ross. Ant Party. illus. by Sarah Warburton. Candlewick/Walker.

Rubinstein, Elana. The Secret of the Scent Map. illus. by Jennifer Naalchigar. Apples & Honey. 

Waldman, Jenna. A Purr-fect Passover. illus. by Erica J. Chen. Apples & Honey. 

 

Spanish

Moser, Erwin. El abeto. Editorial Flamboyant. 

Navarro Gezan, Andrea & Pablo Ruiz T. El gran libro del cambio climático. Beascoa. 

Seales, Stephanie. Mi papá es un cowboy. illus. by C.G. Esperanza. Vintage Español. 

 

Picture Books

Park, Linda Sue. Smiling Eyes. illus. by Lenny Wen. Harper/Allida. 

Wan, Joyce. Be My Yummy ABC. Astra/Hippo Park. 

Yahu, Yaram. My Afro Is a Rising Sun. illus. by DeAnn Wiley. Running Pr. 

 

Middle Grade

Blankman, Anne. The Enemy’s Daughter. Viking. 

Lukoff, Kyle. A World Worth Saving. Dial. 

Marianayagam, Maria. No Purchase Necessary. HarperCollins. 

 

YA

Trevaldwyn, Harry. The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King. Wednesday Bks. 

 

Graphic Novels

Galligan, Gale. Fresh Start. Scholastic/Graphix. 

Lambelet, Anne. I’m a Dumbo Octopus!: A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods. Lerner/Graphic Universe. 

 

Nonfiction

Hurley, Kamalani. Kaho’olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People. illus. by Harinani Orme. Lerner/Millbrook. 

Shumaker, Debra Kempf. Wind Is a Dance. illus. by Josée Bisaillon. Kids Can. 

 

Video

Inspire Me. Good Docs. 

The Lincoln School Story. Bullfrog Films. 

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