Favorite Books of 2024
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Children: Board Books | Picture Books | Early Readers | Chapter Books
Teens: Middle School | High School
Adults: Fiction | Non-Fiction
As the year comes to a close, we love to look back at all the new books that were published and highlight our favorites. These books made us laugh, cry, think, question, learn, and feel all the feels. The Happy Valley Library staff have made their list and checked it twice to share their favorite reads of 2024. With everything from picture books about thingamajigs and whozeewhatsits to an award-winning reimagined classic, there are amazing picks for every reader.
Want to check any of these out? Place a hold on a title at lincc.org or give us a call (503-783-3455). For even more ideas, just ask your librarian!
Also, take a peek at our favorites from 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Board Books
Sturdy books for ages 0 – 5
Beautiful Butterflies by Margarida Esteves
Follow the life cycle of a butterfly with beautiful illustrations and rhyming text on chunky shaped pages.
Meet the Mushrooms! by Sonali Fry
Join adorable mushroom characters as they spend a busy day in the forest dancing, playing and exploring.
Leo at Lunch by Anna McQuinn
Leo goes out to lunch with Daddy, Nana, and Mr. Seahorse; he learns table manners, sits in a special chair, and eats a yummy Italian meal.
When Water Flows by Aida Salazar
As it rains, a young child learns how their Mexican ancestors appreciated water and its essential role in sustaining all life.
A Flock of Gulls, A Chorus of Frogs by Roy Henry Vickers
Learn names for animal groups of the Pacific Northwest Coast with engaging tactile embossed illustrations and rhyming text.
Boo Can’t Poo by Xiao Jing Wang
Written by a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, this playful, poop-filled journey will help little ones get their bowels moving and instill healthy habits.
Picture Books
Books to read aloud to young children, but playful readers of all ages will find delight here too.
The Thingamajig by Rilla Alexander
Elephant can’t find their thingamajig and bird has lost their whozeewhatsit, so young elephant sets off to find these and more mystery objects their neighbors have lost in this wonderfully playful story.
The Dictionary Story by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston
When Dictionary wishes she could tell a story like other books and decides to bring her words to life, comical chaos ensues
Time to Make Art by Jeff Mack
Does art have to be perfect? Where do you begin? This inspiring picture book about making art doubles as an introduction to the global history of art empowering readers to get creative.
Trucky Roads by Lulu Miller and Hui Skipp
This imaginative, bright, playful book for vehicle lovers is so much fun!
If You Run out of Words by Felicita Sala
At bedtime a child asks more and more elaborate what-ifs, her father’s reassurances paint a picture of infinite care, showing her there is no limit to the love he has for her.
Hekla and Laki by Marine Schneider
A comforting, poetic picture book about the beauty and brutality of life and death, inspired by two Icelandic volcanoes.
Being Home by Traci Sorrell and Michaela Goade
A Native American family finds joy in moving back to their ancestral land.
Early Readers
Books for beginning readers
The Good Game by David Arihhonni
A game of lacrosse is about to begin—with the four-legged animals facing off against the winged animals. Mouse and Squirrel want to join!
Words are Magic by Zaila Avant-garde and Felicia Whaley
Scripps National Spelling champ Zaila Avant-garde takes new readers on a joyful celebration of letters, sounds, and reading.
Ali the Great and the Market Mishap by Saadia Faruqi; illustrated by Debby Rahmalia
Second-grader Ali, his grandfather, and little brother Fateh head to the South Asian market to buy some snacks, but Ali loses Fateh and has to figure out quickly how to find him among the market’s many aisles.
The Fix-Its: Power Up with Power Drill by Sarah Lynne Reul
When the toolbox gets its first power tool, a drill eager to get to work, everybody else kicks back and relaxes . . . until Power Drill’s battery runs out! Can the rest of the tools help their new friend recharge?
Fox Versus Fox by Corey Tabor
When a newcomer arrives, Fox demonstrates all his foxy skills, but when the other creature can do all the same things, he wonders if it really is another fox — and possibly a new friend!
Chapter Books
Just right for grade schoolers
Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mother does not come home after a week, he and his toddler sister, Boo, seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact in this heartbreaking, yet hopeful story.
Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz
To find his way back home to his family in Germany during WWII, Max Bretzfeld, with a kobold named Berg on one shoulder and a dybbuk named Stein on the other, sets out to do the impossible–become a British spy.
This is my Brain!: A Book on Neurodiversity by Elise Gravel
Gavel employs her quirky artwork and sense of humor to explain how brains work and to show readers that understanding how different brains feel and learn can help us connect with others . . . and keep our own brains happy!
Felix Powell, Boy Dog by Erin Entrada Kelly
Felix Powell is magically transformed from a boy into a dog in this funny, heartwarming book just right for readers new to chapter books.
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon
Travel through time with Dally who receives a letter from her grandpa that leads her to a library of secrets where each book is a portal to a moment in time – she must find the courage to write her own life story as she “checks out” adventure after adventure
Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All by Chanel Miller
A self-proclaimed sock detective inside her parents’ New York City laundromat, 10-year-old Magnolia Wu and Iris, a new friend from California, set off across the city to solve the mystery of each missing sock in this funny, poignant illustrated novel.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Christopher and Mal embark on an epic adventure to save the mythological creatures that have been hidden away in the Archipelago in this thrilling fantasy that feels both timeless and of the moment.
Middle School
Just right for 6th-8th graders
The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Set in 1942 France, Miri escapes from a roundup of Jews in Paris and finds herself hidden in a Catholic boarding school in the town of Chenonceaux where she must choose between her safety and her heritage and convictions at every turn.
Plain Jane and the Mermaids by Vera Brogsol
Jane, who is incredibly plain according to everyone around her, ventures underwater to rescue her maybe-fiancâe, summoning her courage, confidence and inner beauty to crusade for the only thing that matters–her independence in this fun graphic novel.
First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
When a teenage boy appears out of nowhere with a book outlining the events of the next 20 years and claiming he’s the world’s first time-traveler, Michael wants to get his hands on the book and must decide how far he’s willing to go to do so.
Onyx & Beyond by Amber McBride
Set against the turbulence of the Civil Rights Movement, twelve-year-old Onyx dreams of becoming an astronaut as he navigates family hardship in this beautifully told novel in verse.
Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied
When she gets her first period while wearing white shorts during the State Cup semifinal, which unexpectedly eliminates her team, 13-year-old Valeria is relegated to a girls’ team for the first time, and with the next tournament fast approaching, she must learn to play like a girl.
Lunar Boy by Cin and Jess Wibowo
Indu, a boy from the moon, feels like he doesn’t belong in this poetic, queer Indonesian reimaging of The Little Prince.
High School
Young adult books for teens
Icarus by K. Ancrum
Icarus Gallagher is a thief – he steals priceless art and replaces it with forgeries, but he is torn between family loyalty, revenge, escape, and a boy he’s come to love.
Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
In a world where witches face persecution, Rune leads a double life, masquerading as a socialite during the day and transforming into the vigilante known as the Crimson Moth by night, and forms a complicated alliance with the witch hunter Gideon Sharpe, blurring the lines between love and danger.
When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson
Years ago, the Fall kids’ father mysteriously disappeared, cracking the family into pieces, now an enigmatic rainbow-haired girl has shown up, and family secrets begin to unravel in this magical, passionate multi-generational epic.
Twenty-four Seconds from Now by Jason Reynolds
Award winning author, Reynolds, portrays the lead up to a first-time sexual experience from the guy’s perspective in this unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream of consciousness story about teen boy Neon, who is about to experience a huge first with his girlfriend, Aria.
When Haru was Here by Dustin Thao
Eric, a lonely nineteen-year-old grappling with the loss of his best friend, retreats into his imagination and finds solace in a memory of a day spent with a boy named Haru, but Eric’s imagination and reality blur together when he walks into a coffee shop and sees Haru.
Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang
The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin, and before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for an escape from the misery of their daily life.
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeYuen Pham
Val is ready to give up on love, and she’s pretty sure she’s cursed–no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Could this be her chance to break the family curse?
Adult Fiction
Catalina by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
Brash and daring, part campus novel, part hagiography, part pop song, Catalina is unlike any coming-of-age novel you’ve ever read—and Catalina, bright and tragic, circled by a nimbus of chaotic energy, driven by a wild heart, is a character you will never forget.
The Wren in the Holly Library by K. A. Linde
Trapped in the library of an old Brownstone with a monster filled with terrible power and darkness, street thief Kierse, when, instead of killing her, the monster offers her a job—gets a glimpse into who she really is, which could be something far worse than a monster.
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
A young, queer couple who flip houses, Charlie and Eve, while restoring an old house, answer the door to a man claiming to have lived there years before, which sets in motion a chain of uncanny and inexplicable events leading to Charlie’s disappearance and Eve’s descent into insanity.
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Delving into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal, the legendary storyteller and expert in short fiction presents this exhilarating collection of 12 tales, many never-before-published, about fate, mortality, luck and the folds in reality where anything can happen.
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
With every person they date finding their soulmate the second they break up, Justin and Emma decide to date each other and break up to cancel each other’s curse out, but their quick fling turns into something more when their families get involved and they catch real feelings for each other.
Okinawa by Susumu Higa
This heartbreaking manga, by an award-winning cartoonist, examines the history of Okinawa and its military occupation. An essential manga classic presented in English for the first time.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
In 1965, nursing student Frankie McGrath, after hearing the words “Women can be heroes, too,” impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam where she is overwhelmed by the destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.
James by Percival Everett
This novel describes the events of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of the enslaved Jim, who decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island after learning he is to be sold to a man in New Orleans. Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light in this retelling.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
In 1975, when a camp counselor discovers the 13-year-old daughter of the summer camp’s owners has disappeared just like her brother 14 years earlier, a panicked search begins as the secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow are revealed.
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In 1950s Hollywood, when an unknown Mexican ingenue is cast as Salome, a star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary heroine, she becomes the object of envy of Nancy Hartley, a bit player who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.
Worry by Alexandra Tanner
It’s March of 2019, and twenty-eight-year-old Jules Gold—anxious, artistically frustrated, and internet-obsessed—has been living alone in the apartment she once shared with the man she thought she’d marry when her younger sister Poppy comes to crash. Indefinitely.
Adult Non-Fiction
Did Everyone Have an Imaginary Friend or Just Me?: Adventures in Boyhood by Jay Ellis
The award-winning star of HBO’s Insecure recounts how his imaginary best friend helped him navigate his childhood as an only child and military brat who was always the new kid in school.
Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley
Disarmingly witty and poignant, Sloane Crosley’s memoir explores multiple kinds of loss following the death of her closest friend. Her search for truth is frank, darkly funny, and gilded with resounding empathy. Upending the “grief memoir,” this is a category-defying story of the struggle to hold on to the past without being consumed by it.
Sociopath by Patric Gagne, Ph.d.
With emotions like fear, guilt and empathy eluding her, the author, trying to replace the nothingness with something, realizes, after connecting with an old flame, that she’s capable of love. That must mean she isn’t a monster and sets out to prove the millions of Americans who share her diagnosis aren’t all monsters either.
Hip-Hop Is History by Questlove
The renowned drummer from The Roots and best-selling author chronicles fifty years of hip-hop and how it has affected every aspect of our culture, from fashion and film to TV.
The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy Stewart
Profiling 50 extraordinary people whose lives have been transformed by their obsessive passion for trees, this lively compendium, along with side trips to investigate more about trees, reveals what drives one to collect something as enormous, majestic and deeply rooted as a tree.
What I Ate in One Year: And Related Thoughts by Stanley Tucci
What I Ate in One Year is a funny, poignant, heartfelt, and deeply satisfying serving of memories and meals and an irresistible celebration of the profound role that food plays in all our lives.
