Who doesn’t love to go back over what they have read as the year comes to a close. With the 2023 Newbery and Caldecott awards looming, what better time to try to tackle the task of picking the best. For me that means children’s books. I’ve narrowed down my choices for the best books of 2022 to my top 5 books in picture books, reader, middle grade, and Young Adult fiction.  This was a difficult task, and one many would deem highly subjective at best. 

What makes you label a book one of the best books of the year? Ideas float in and out of my head. Is it the characters, the book’s lesson, or the message or theme, and how about writing style? But then it hit me, which books take all of these story elements into account and put them in one neat package?  For me the answer is simple: a book that has staying power. For a  book to be put into the category of “best” it should call you back and make you want to mull it over,talk about it, and share it with others. This staying power is what each one of the books in my list possesses.   

Even as I review my choices, I can’t help thinking about all the books published in 2022 that I did not include, not to mention the need to get started on those books coming out in 2023! 

Here are my picks for the best books of 2022. Come into the library and check them out. Which books have “staying power” for you?  Share your top picks for 2022 with us.

Debra Orado