Keep track of what you want to read, what you've read, and what Youth Services librarians recommend for kids of all ages with this assortment of booklists. We've even arranged some of our favorites into the CoolKids Collection where you can browse for books by title, author, illustrator, genre, reading level, and material type.
If you like to browse the shelves, take a look at Find It Fast!, a handy Youth Services guide to the Dewey Decimal System and shelf locations for popular nonfiction topics and subjects.
If you need help finding a good book, or if you'd like to know more about the Youth Services collection, contact Linda Zeilstra-Sawyer at 847.324.3144 or by email.
Please note: The Youth Services staff makes every effort to select websites that are suitable for children; however, the Library has no control over individual website content, sponsors, or advertisements. We encourage parents to explore and enjoy these websites with their children.
Web resource 
Available with Skokie Public Library card 
Available in Library only
Librarians' Kid Picks
Are you looking for a good laugh? Do you want to learn more about United States history? The following booklists will help you find what you’re looking for. The titles on these lists have been selected especially for kids (and grown-ups who care about kids) by librarians at Skokie Public Library. Visit the Librarians' Kid Picks Archive for even MORE booklists for kids and families!
Staff Favorites
CoolKids Collection from Skokie Public Library
Find out what books (and more!) the Youth Services staff is recommending for kids of all ages! We've arranged our favorites so that you can browse by title, author, illustrator, genre, awards, reading level, and material type.
UNDER the COVER: Book Reviews by Teens from Skokie Public Library and Old Orchard Junior High School
Check out these book reviews written by teens at Old Orchard Junior High School. These students were chosen by their teachers to read and write about new books that are hot off the press.
Voice of Youth Award (VOYA) Master List
This cumulative alphabetical list includes all of the VOYA nominated titles from 2001 through the current school year.
Beginning to Read
Mysteries for Beginning Readers
If you like a good mystery and you're just starting to read, check out these easy fiction mystery books selected especially for you!
A Place to Start: "First
Reads" for Beginning Readers
These easy reader series titles and books with pictures were selected to help beginning readers learn letter sounds and develop pre-reading skills.
Best and Greatest
Great Reads
... 1st grade
... 2nd grade
... 3rd grade
... 4th grade
These books have been selected to help meet children’s needs as they develop their reading skills.
Notable Jewish Books
These picture, fiction, and nonfiction books are rich with stories about Jewish people and their experiences.
Favorite Genres
Adventure
... 3rd and 4th grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th and 8th grade
There's action and excitement in these adventure stories featuring young characters from around the world and throughout history.
Fantasy
... 3rd and 4th grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th and 8th grade
Take a trip into make-believe adventures about mice, dragons, castles, exotic creatures, and kids like you!
Historical Fiction: United States
... 3rd and 4th
grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th
and 8th grade
Learn about America's past from the stories on these United States Historical Fiction booklists.
Horror
These spine-tingling "Stories to Make You Cringe" have been selected especially for junior high readers.
Humor
... 3rd
and 4th
grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th and 8th grade
This selection of humor books is guaranteed to make kids in 3rd through 8th grade laugh out loud.
Mystery
... 3rd
and 4th
grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th and 8th grade
Try one of these mysteries if you like suspense-filled stories, page-turners, and surprise endings!
Science Fiction
... 3rd
and 4th
grade
... 5th and 6th
grade
... 7th and 8th grade
It's all about aliens, monsters, spaceships, and the unreal in these fantastical science fiction stories.
Sports
... Picture Books
... Easy
Readers
These picture books and easy readers feature all kinds of sports: football, soccer, gymnastics, running, basketball, hockey, skateboarding, cycling, karate, and much more.
Stranger Than Fiction
Find all kinds of fun facts and interesting information in this collection of "nonfiction you won't believe."
Favorite Subjects
After Harry Potter...
Hold on to the magic with these series books which may be of interest to Harry Potter fans.
Architecture for Kids
... Nonfiction Books,
Videos and CD-ROMs
... Picture Books
Inspired by the Build It! Architecture for Kids traveling exhibit, Youth Services staff has put together these lists of books, videos, and CD-ROMS that tell amazing stories about the art, science, and design of structures close to home and around the world
Books About Elections
Make your choice of great fiction and nonfiction books during the election season... or any time at all!
Books Made Into Movies
... Birth through 2nd grade
... 2nd through 6th
grade
... 6th through 8th
grade
Check out a good book... a good movie... or both! These links will connect you with all kinds of books that have been made into movies. There's something for everyone: kids, teens, families... even teachers!
Election-Related
Books for Children
This collection of election-related books for children in kindergarten through junior high is adapted from from the 2004 Children's Book Council list, "Election-Related Books for Young People."
The Immigration Experience
Learn about different cultures through these stories about kids and families who have moved to America from faraway places.
... India
... Latin America
Peace, Tolerance, and Non-Violence
This list of fiction and non-fiction books about peace is selected in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and includes biographies of people who worked for peace.
Royal Stories
There's a story for every little girl and boy in this collection of books about kings, queens, princes, knights, and princesses.
The Three Little Pigs Fractured Tales
This booklist includes a selection of alternative versions of the classic Three Little Pigs tale.
When Harry Potter Has Vanished
Youth Services librarian Louise Barnett recommends these books that Harry Potter fans may enjoy.
For Families
Books About Bullying
This booklist features picture books, easy readers, fiction, and nonfiction books about bullying, teasing, and conflict resolution. The list is also available in a tri-fold print format.
Books for Adults Who Care About Kids
This annotated booklist features books that address issues facing children and adolescents growing up in today's world.
Early
Literacy Books for Children
... Birth to 23 months
... 2 to 3
years
... 4 to 5
years
The books on these lists have been selected by Youth Services librarians to help parents and caregivers prepare children for reading. A print version of each list is also available, which includes important information about reading and sharing books with young children.
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
... Children
... Parents
This pair of booklists will help parents and children get ready for kindergarten. The children's booklist includes picture books to read together; the parent's booklist features non-fiction and parent/teacher titles about education, learning, and the school experience.
Jewish-Arab
Relations: Books for Kids and Families
These books focus on the relationships between Jews and Arabs all over the world.
Let's Potty!
This selection of toilet training resources for kids and parents includes fiction and nonfiction books, videos, DVDs, and a selection of books about toilet training for children with special needs. The list is also available in a tri-fold print format.
My New Baby
Find fiction, easy fiction, and nonfiction books about welcoming a new baby to the family. The list is also available in a tri-fold print format.
Reading Aloud With Your Family
Check out this list of read-aloud books for groups of all kinds: families, classrooms, and community groups.
Just for Junior High
Chick Lit ...for Junior High Girls
The girls in these stories have have ups, downs, adventures, and misadventures just like you.
Dear Diary...
These books written in diary format have been selected especially for junior high students.
Great Reads ...for Junior High Guys
Kick back with a few books featuring action, adventure, activities, world records, and other guy stuff.
UNDER the COVER: Book Reviews by Teens from Skokie Public Library and Old Orchard Junior High School
Check out these book reviews written by students at Old Orchard Junior High School.
Notable Book Lists
The following lists will help you find even MORE great books for kids of all ages. If you find something that you’d like to read, check the Library Catalog to see if it’s available.
New and Coming Soon
Hot Off the
Press from Children's Book Council
A "sneak peek" list of recently and/or soon-to-be released books from Children's Book Council publisher members. This list is updated on the 15th of each month.
New in Kids from Skokie Public Library
Subscribe to the Library's New in Kids RSS feed to find out about new books added to the Youth Services collection. To learn more about RSS feeds and how to subscribe, visit New Releases: RSS Feeds on the Skokie Public Library Website.
Of Special Interest
GuysRead: A Few of My Favorite Books for Guys
Children’s author Jon Scieszka recommends his favorite books for young boys, early readers, and older boys.
Mitali's Fire Escape
If you are interested in stories about immigration, you will enjoy Fire Escape. Author Mitali Perkins calls her website "a safe place to think, chat, and read about life between cultures." Check out her lists of books about kids in America whose parents were born in other countries.
We
the People Bookshelf
The We the People Bookshelf features short lists of classic books for young readers on topics such as "Courage," "Freedom," "Becoming American," the "Pursuit of Happiness," and "Created Equal."
Recommended Reading
ALSC 2008 Notable Children's Books
Browse this booklist from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) to find exceptional books of fiction, information, poetry, and pictures for children through age 14. ALSC also provides lists of notable children's recordings, videos, and interactive software.
Between the Lions:
Recommended Books
Use these booklists to follow along with episodes from Between the Lions, the award-winning PBS television series that helps kids of all ages improve their reading skills and develop a love for reading. Each booklist corresponds to a Between the Lions episode and includes five titles of a similar theme.
BookHive
Find out what Zinger the Bee is recommending for readers of all ages, including his Top 20 Reading Lists for children in preschool through 6th grade.
NoveList K-8
NoveList K-8 is a guide to fiction especially for children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Find favorite authors, book titles, or series, or find something new by searching for similar authors, subjects, or award-winning titles.
Reading Rainbow Booklists
Browse by title, author, or illustrator to find top-notch titles recommended by Reading Rainbow, the Emmy award-winning Public Broadcasting System literacy program for children.
Summertime Favorites
Summertime Favorites is a list of recommended classic literature for young people from kindergarten through high school. The list is divided into reading lists by age group: kindergarten through 3rd grade, 4th through 6th grade, 7th and 8th grade, and 9th through 12th grade.
Special Collections for Kids
The Youth Services Department is home to many books in a variety of languages. We also have a large selection of Braille books available for checkout. Follow the links to browse the Skokie Public Library catalog for materials available in these special collections!
Arabic books
A list of Arabic books for young people.
Braille books
A list of Braille books for young people.
Chinese books
A list of Chinese books for young people.
French books
A list of French books for young people.
German books
A list of German books for young people.
Greek books
A list of Greek books for young people.
Gujarati books
A list of Gujarati books for young people.
Hebrew books
A list of Hebrew books for young people.
Italian books
A list of Italian books for young people.
Japanese books
A list of Japanese books for young people.
Korean books
A list of Korean books for young people.
Large type books
A list of Large Type books for young people.
Malayalam books
A list of Malayalam books for young people.
Playaway portable audio NEW!
A list of audiobooks available in a portable digital MP3 player.
Polish books
A list of Polish books for young people.
Russian books
A list of Russian books for young people.
Spanish books
A list of Spanish books for young people.
Special needs books
A list of high-interest/easy reading level, abridged classics, graphic novel classics, and adapted picture books for young people.
Urdu books
A list of Urdu books for young people.
Video games NEW!
A list of PlayStation2, Wii, and xBox games for young people and families..
Vietnamese books
A list of Vietnamese books for young people.
Yiddish books
A list of Yiddish books for young people.
Voice of Youth Award Booklists
The following links will connect you with more information about Skokie Public Library’s Voice of Youth Award (VOYA), including the titles and descriptions of books selected by our librarians for the VOYA program.
VOYA Booklists
Browse these printable booklists for titles and descriptions of books selected for the Voice of Youth Award by Skokie Public Library librarians. Booklists are organized by school year and grade.
| 2008-2009 | 2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | |||
| 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
|||
| 2005-2006 | 2004-2005 | 2003-2004 | |||
| 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
|||
| 2002-2003 | 2001-2002 | ||||
| 3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
3rd and 4th grade 5th and 6th grade 7th and 8th grade |
VOYA Catalog Browse
With just a click of the mouse, find out which Voice of Youth Award titles are available for checkout.
| 2008-2009 school year 2007-2008 school year 2006-2007 school year 2005-2006 school year |
2004-2005 school year 2003-2004 school year 2002-2003 school year 2001-2002 school year |
VOYA Master List
This cumulative alphabetical Master List includes all of the VOYA nominated titles from 2001 through the current school year.