NYPL's Best Books of 2025

The New York Public Library is proud to present our Best Books of 2025. Our annual recommendations of the best books for adults, kids, and teens—curated by our expert staff and librarians—encompass fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry, kids’ books in Spanish, and much more.

All of these books are in the Library’s catalog and many are available in multiple formats, including e-books, audiobooks, and accessible editions. Happy reading!

 

 

 

#50 best books for adults 

The Afterlife of Malcolm X by Mark Whitaker

The Appalachian Sea by Steve Scafidi

The Art Spy by Michelle Young

Audition by Katie Kitamura

The Beast in the Clouds by Nathalia Holt

Black Arms to Hold You Up: A History of Black Resistance by Ben Passmore

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna van Veen

The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

The Burial Tide by Neil Sharpson

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https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/adults?year=2025

 

 

 

#125 best books for kids

Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship by Shifa Saltagi Safadi; illus. by Aaliya Jaleel

The Black Mambas by Kelly Crull

Carousel Summer by Kathleen Gros

Faith Takes the Train by Kesi Augustine; illus. by Mokshini

The Interpreter by Olivia Abtahi; illus. by Monica Arnaldo

I Want You to Know by Mona Damluji; illus. by Ishtar Bäcklund Dakhil

Ratnip: Lost and Found in the City by Cam Higgins; illus. by Allison Steinfeld

Return to Sender by Vera Brosgol

Schoolbot 9000 by Sam Hepburn

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

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https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/kids?year=2025

 

The New York Public Library just released its list of top books in 2025

Check out the top titles in four categories: books for kids, books in Spanish for kids, books for teens and books for adults.

https://www.nypl.org/spotlight/best-books-2025