Best Books of the Year: 2025

Last updated: December 11, 2025

As we close the chapter on this year, it's time to celebrate the best books of 2025. Our Senior Editor of Book Reviews Mandie Caroll has put together a list with something for everyone. Featured are inspiring tales of historical role models, new takes on old fairy tales, middle-grade magical realism, and gripping YA mystery novels. Let this list inspire your next read, and be sure to browse the rest of our 2025 favorites, linked below.

Best of 2025 Collection: Movies | U.K./International Films | TV Shows

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Every Monday Mabel book cover: A brown-skinned girl with a puffy ponytail drags a chair in front of a window with a garbage truck in the background

BOOK

Every Monday Mabel

age 2+

Joyful story of routine, neighbors, and garbage trucks.

Jashar Awan Picture Book (2025)

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Your Forest book cover: A brown house, green tree, yellow sun, grey rock, and blue water drawn in a block style

BOOK

Your Places Series

age 2+

Series promotes comfort & imagination in safe spaces.

Jon Klassen Board (2025)

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All Around a Year book cover: Mice siblings in four different seasonal scenes in circle around title on an aqua background

BOOK

All Around a Year

age 3+

Superb art in charming tale of a year in a mouse family.

Mariana Ruiz Johnson Picture Book (2025)

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Broken book cover: An orange cat hides behind a girl’s legs and a tea cup sits on the floor, broken into three pieces, amid the title in white letters

BOOK

Broken

age 3+

Truth sets a guilt-ridden girl free in reassuring tale.

X. Fang Picture Book (2025)

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Anything book cover: A multicolor title and squiggly lines surround a girl on a box, one leg dangling, the other bent up

BOOK

Anything

age 4+

Touching tale about a girl, her daddy, and an unwanted move.

Rebecca Stead Picture Book (2025)

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One Day in June book cover: Colorful Marsha P. Johnson with flowers in her hair and people cheering

BOOK

One Day in June

age 4+

Dazzling story of the life and legacy of Marsha P. Johnson.

Tourmaline Picture Book (2025)

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Book cover: Two young boys stand on a rock above a blue lake with a bright sun shining

BOOK

Our Lake

age 4+

Beautifully illustrated story gently navigates loss.

Angie Kang Picture Book (2025)

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The History of We book cover: An elegant painted portrait of a young Black child surrounded by vibrant green foliage and a purple flower

BOOK

The History of We

age 4+

Beautiful exploration of humankind's original family tree.

Nikkolas Smith Picture Book (2025)

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Stalactite & Stalagmite book cover: A dark cave where two cave rock formations reach toward each other

BOOK

Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave

age 5+

Big tale from a little cave is rock solid.

Drew Beckmeyer Picture Book (2025)

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The Witch in the Tower book cover: Two red-headed witches, one young, one adult, face each other with a cauldron between them

BOOK

The Witch in the Tower: The Three Sisters, Book 2

age 5+

Magical tale of lonely girl, witch is an absolute stunner.

Julia Sarda Picture Book (2025)

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Hansel and Gretel book cover: A blond little boy and girl in old fashioned clothes approach a dark, scary forest

BOOK

Hansel and Gretel

age 6+

Kids outsmart those who would harm them in fresh update.

Stephen King Picture Book (2025)

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Dark-haired girl rides behinda rider in a hooded cape of dark green feathers on a large green horse across a night sky with crows to the left

BOOK

The Invisible Parade

age 6+

Girl meets three ghosts and Death in artful grief tale.

Leigh Bardugo Picture Book (2025)

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A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation book cover: Bemused brown-skinned boy with grandfather in glasses, worried-looking mom, vintage convertible

BOOK

A Hero's Guide to Summer Vacation

age 8+

Grief, loss, healing on epic summer road trip.

Pablo Cartaya Emotions (2025)

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Go Tell It book cover: A Black boy with a big smile, red sweater, and pencil in his hand is pictured in front of brownstone houses

BOOK

Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer

age 8+

A lyrical Harlem boy's journey to literary greatness.

Quartez Harris Picture Book (2025)

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The How to Say Goodbye in Cuban book cover: Boy silhouetted in black on a moonlit night and he’s looking across the ocean toward an island

BOOK

How to Say Goodbye in Cuban

age 8+

Captivating coming-of-age memoir during Cuban Revolution.

Daniel Miyares Graphic Novel (2025)

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The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli book cover: Illustrations of a boy with two camels and a dog and a girl and her dog walking in a city street

BOOK

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli

age 8+

Mystery connects tweens across centuries in stunning novel.

Karina Yan Glaser Historical Fiction (2025)

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Oasis book cover: Two smiling children standing with a robot with stars and light surrounding them

BOOK

Oasis

age 9+

Robot befriends children in hopeful story of survival.

Guojing Graphic Novel (2025)

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The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze book cover: Black boy in sleeveless sweatshirt standing in the middle of screaming White crowd on a football field

BOOK

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

age 9+

Poignant, violent tale of Black boyhood, race, belonging.

Derrick Barnes Sports (2025)

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The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest book cover: Clare the undead fox, in red cape and monocle, tends to his mushroom garden in Deadwood Forest

BOOK

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

age 9+

Undead fox tale way more sweet and thoughtful than morbid.

Aubrey Hartman Fantasy (2025)

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A World Worth Saving book cover: Boy in a white smily face t-shirt runs through wind storm with intensity

BOOK

A World Worth Saving

age 10+

Fierce and fantastical trans tale of triumph over hate.

Kyle Lukoff Adventure (2025)

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