I’ve read just over 280 books so far this year; here are the standouts in each category (extra-extra standouts are in bold). Hat tip to the Carle Museum for their incredible exhibits; that’s where I learned about Claire Nivola, and got to see some of Micha Archer’s work from Snow Horses up close. Many of the books below also received ALA Youth Media Awards medals or honors; I always add a lot of those books to my to-read list after the YMA at the end of January.

Key: GN = graphic novel, NF = nonfiction

Picture books

• Telling Stories Wrong by Giovanni Rodari, illus. Beatrice Alemagna
• On This Airplane by Lourdes Heuer, illus. Sara Palacios
• Three Little Vikings by Bethan Woollvin
• Little Houses by Kevin Henkes
• Somewhere in the Bayou by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey
• Snow Horses by Micha Archer
• A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis (NF)
• Love, Violet by Charlotte Sullivan Wild, illus. Charlene Chua
• The Tower of Life by Chana Stiefel, illus. Susan Gal (NF)
• My Hands Tell A Story by Kelly Starling Lyons, illus. Tonya Engel
• Six Dots by Jen Bryant, illus. Boris Kulikov (NF)
• Listen by Shannon Stocker, illus. Devon Holzwarth (NF)
• The Little Ghost Who Was A Quilt by Riel Nason, illus. Byron Eggenschwiler
• Dim Sum, Here We Come! by Maple Lam
• Evergreen by Matthew Cordell
• That Flag by Tameka Brown Fryer, illus. Nikkolas Smith
• Locomotive by Brian Floca
• We Don’t Lose Our Class Goldfish by Ryan T. Higgins
• Nell Plants A Tree by Anne Wynter, illus. Daniel Miyares
• Dogku by Andrew Clements (poetry)
• The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton, illus. Tony Persiani (NF)
• The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker (wordless)
• Night in the City by Julie Downing
• Juneteenth by Van G. Garrett, illus. Reginald C. Adams and Samson Bimbo Adenugba
• My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom, illus. Steph Littlebird
• The Fire of Stars by Kirsten Larson, illus. Katherine Roy
• A Bed of Stars by Jessica Love
• How We Say I Love You by Nicole Chen, illus. Lenny Wen
• Elisabeth by Claire A. Nivola
• Where Is Bina Bear? by Mike Curato
• Whose Egg Is That? by Darrin Lunde, illus. Kelsey Oseid (NF)

Early readers

• Arlo & Pips by Elise Gravel (GN)
• Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey

Middle Grade

• The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
• Killer Underwear Invasion by Elise Gravel (GN, NF)
• Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (GN)
• Squire & Knight by Scott Chantler (GN)
• Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang (GN)
• Wildoak by C.C. Harrington
• Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson (Newbery Award Winner)
• Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp
• Three Thieves series by Scott Chantler (GN)
• The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
• Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
• A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat (GN)
• Tuesdays at the Castle series by Jessica Day George
• The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
• Earwig and the Witch by Diana Wynne Jones
• Finally Seen by Kelly Yang
• The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir (GN)
• Hazel Hill Is Gonna Win This One by Maggie Horne
• School Trip by Jerry Craft (GN)
• Odder by Katherine Applegate (novel in verse)
• Hoops by Matt Tavares (GN)
• Mihi Ever After by Tae Keller
• Elf Dog and Owl Head by M.T. Anderson
• Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker, illus. Matthew Cordell
• Bea and the New Deal Horse by L.M. Elliott
• The Doll People by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
• Alone by Megan E. Freeman (MCBA winner)
• Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow
• Hidden by Loic Dauvillier (GN)
• The Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman
• 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
• Code Red by Joy McCullough

YA

• Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (GN)
• For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome
• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir
• When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
• Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven
• We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
• Breathe and Count Back from Ten by Natalia Sylvester
• Hidden Powers by Jeannine Atkins
• Enter the Body by Joy McCullough
• The Davenports by Krystal Marquis
• Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
• One Last Shot by Kip Wilson
• The Roof Over Our Heads by Nicole Kronzer
• Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

Adult

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
• Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
• Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
• Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
• Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
• The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
• A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung (NF)
• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
• The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

And that’s it for the first half of 2023. Which books are your favorites so far this year?