2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year (Awarded by Kirkus)

Awards List

Chapter Books

All the Dear Little Animals
(*)
Ulf Nilsson

Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business
(*)
Lyla Lee

Our Friend Hedgehog
(*)
Lauren Castillo

Ways to Make Sunshine
(*)
Renee Watson

Hockey Night in Kenya
(*)
Eric Walters

Saucy
(*)
Cynthia Kadohata

Debut Fiction

Such a Fun Age
(*)
Kiley Reid

The Vanished Birds
(*)
Simon Jimenez

Black Sunday
(*)
Tola Rotimi Abraham

Shuggie Bain
(*)
Douglas Stuart

Fiebre Tropical
(*)
Juliana Delgado Lopera

New Waves
(*)
Kevin Nguyen

Precious You
(*)
Helen Monks Takhar

Sharks in the Time of Saviors
(*)
Kawai Strong Washburn

These Ghosts Are Family
(*)
Maisy Card

Days of Distraction
(*)
Alexandra Chang

How Much of These Hills Is Gold
(*)
C. Pam Zhang

Take Me Apart
(*)
Sara Sligar

Something to Talk About
(*)
Meryl Wilsner

Thin Girls
(*)
Diana Clarke

The Discomfort of Evening
(*)
Marieke Lucas Rijneveld

Luster
(*)
Raven Leilani

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
(*)
Deesha Philyaw

Bestiary
(*)
K-Ming Chang

Fiction for Quarantine Reading

The Last Taxi Driver
(*)
Lee Durkee

Rest and Be Thankful
(*)
Emma Glass

The Prettiest Star
(*)
Carter Sickels

The Pull of the Stars
(*)
Emma Donoghue

What Are You Going Through
(*)
Sigrid Nunez

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
(*)
V.E. Schwab

Leave the World Behind
(*)
Rumaan Alam

One Night Two Souls Went Walking
(*)
Ellen Cooney

Fiction in Translation

Beowulf
(*)
Maria Dahvana Headley

The King of Warsaw
(*)
Szczepan Twardoch

Lake Like a Mirror
(*)
Ho Sok Fong

I Don't Expect Anyone To Believe Me
(*)
Juan Pablo Villalobos

The Fallen
(*)
Carlos Manuel Alvarez

The Lehman Trilogy
(*)
Stefano Massini

The Golden Cage
(*)
Camilla Lackberg

The Discomfort of Evening
(*)
Marieke Lucas Rijneveld

The Lying Life of Adults
(*)
Elena Ferrante

That Time of Year
(*)
Marie Ndiaye

The Kingdom
(*)
Jo Nesbo

Fiction To Get Your Book Club Talking

Amnesty
(*)
Aravind Adiga

Deacon King Kong
(*)
James McBride

Writers & Lovers
(*)
Lily King

Afterlife
(*)
Julia Alvarez

Man of My Time
(*)
Dalia Sofer

The Book of V.
(*)
Anna Solomon

The Index of Self-Destructive Acts
(*)
Christopher R. Beha

28 Summers
(*)
Elin Hilderbrand

The Vanishing Half
(*)
Brit Bennett

The Lives of Edie Pritchard
(*)
Larry Watson

Want
(*)
Lynn Steger Strong

Homeland Elegies
(*)
Ayad Akhtar

Transcendent Kingdom
(*)
Yaa Gyasi

Jack
(*)
Marilynne Robinson

Missionaries
(*)
Phil Klay

Fiction Writers to Discover

Cleanness
(*)
Garth Greenwell

Interior Chinatown
(*)
Charles Yu

Run Me to Earth
(*)
Paul Yoon

We Ride Upon Sticks
(*)
Quan Barry

The Knockout Queen
(*)
Rufi Thorpe

What Happens at Night
(*)
Peter Cameron

Dear Ann
(*)
Bobbie Ann Mason

Summer
(*)
Ali Smith

Memorial
(*)
Bryan Washington

Graphic YA Books

Long Way Down
(*)
Jason Reynolds

Superman Smashes the Klan
(*)
Gene Luen Yang

Flamer
(*)
Mike Curato

The Magic Fish
(*)
Trung Le Nguyen

Children
(*)
Abby Howard

Historical Fiction

The Mirror & the Light
(*)
Hilary Mantel

The Night Watchman
(*)
Louise Erdrich

How Much of These Hills Is Gold
(*)
C. Pam Zhang

The King of Warsaw
(*)
Szczepan Twardoch

Man of My Time
(*)
Dalia Sofer

The Lehman Trilogy
(*)
Stefano Massini

Hamnet
(*)
Maggie O'Farrell

The Pull of the Stars
(*)
Emma Donoghue

Utopia Avenue
(*)
David Mitchell

Black Bottom Saints
(*)
Alice Randall

The Exiles
(*)
Christina Baker Kline

The Cold Millions
(*)
Jess Walter

Middle-Grade Books About Friendship

The Only Black Girls in Town
(*)
Brandy Colbert

What Lane?
(*)
Torrey Maldonado

Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe
(*)
Carlos Hernandez

The Ship We Built
(*)
Lexie Bean

Fly on the Wall
(*)
Remy Lai

Skunk and Badger
(*)
Amy Timberlake

Serena Says
(*)
Tanita S. Davis

Middle-Grade Books About Immigration and Refugees

Mananaland
(*)
Pam Munoz Ryan

When Stars Are Scattered
(*)
Victoria Jamieson; Omar Mohamed

Santiago's Road Home
(*)
Alexandra Diaz

Brother's Keeper
(*)
Julie Lee

Everything Sad Is Untrue
(*)
Daniel Nayeri

Land of the Cranes
(*)
Aida Salazar

Flying Over Water
(*)
N.H. Senzai

Yara's Spring
(*)
Sharon McKay

Middle-Grade Books Starring Young Changemakers

From the Desk of Zoe Washington
(*)
Janae Marks

Small Mercies
(*)
Bridget Krone

Efren Divided
(*)
Ernesto Cisneros

Rick
(*)
Alex Gino

Music for Tigers
(*)
Michelle Kadarusman

Something to Say
(*)
Lisa Moore Ramee

The Maps of Memory: Return to Butterfly Hill
(*)
Marjorie Agosin

Middle-Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction

Race to the Sun
(*)
Rebecca Roanhorse

The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street
(*)
Lauren Oliver

The Water Bears
(*)
Kim Baker

Curse of the Night Witch
(*)
Alex Aster

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch
(*)
Julie Abe

The Girl and the Ghost
(*)
Hanna Alkaf

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
(*)
Tehlor Kay Mejia

The Barren Grounds
(*)
David A. Robertson

Maya and the Rising Dark
(*)
Rena Barron

Spindlefish and Stars
(*)
Christiane M. Andrews

The Secret Life of Sam
(*)
Kim Ventrella

The Sisters of Straygarden Place
(*)
Hayley Chewins

Girl Giant and the Monkey King
(*)
Van Hoang

Middle-Grade Graphic Novels

The Deep & Dark Blue
(*)
Niki Smith

Go With the Flow
(*)
Karen Schneemann

When Stars Are Scattered
(*)
Victoria Jamieson; Omar Mohamed

Yorick and Bones
(*)
Jeremy Tankard

All Together Now
(*)
Hope Larson

Beetle & the Hollowbones
(*)
Aliza Layne

The Girl & the Galdurian
(*)
Tim Probert

The Great Bunk Bed Battle
(*)
Tina Kugler

Stuck Together
(*)
Brian Smitty Smith

Class Act
(*)
Jerry Craft

Twins
(*)
Varian Johnson

Rise of the Halfling King
(*)
David Bowles

Middle-Grade Historical Fiction

Village of Scoundrels
(*)
Margi Preus

The Blackbird Girls
(*)
Anne Blankman

Prairie Lotus
(*)
Linda Sue Park

Show Me a Sign
(*)
Ann Clare LeZotte

Echo Mountain
(*)
Lauren Wolk

Lizard's Tale
(*)
Weng Wai Chan

Letters from Cuba
(*)
Ruth Behar

Loretta Little Looks Back
(*)
Andrea Davis Pinkney / Andrea Pinkney

Modern-Day Middle Grade

Martin McLean, Middle School Queen
(*)
Alyssa Zaczek

Accidental Trouble Magnet
(*)
Zanib Mian

When You Trap a Tiger
(*)
Tae Keller

Stand Up, Yumi Chung!
(*)
Jessica Kim

In the Role of Brie Hutchens...
(*)
Nicole Melleby

Fighting Words
(*)
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Before the Ever After
(*)
Jacqueline Woodson

Boy Meets Hamster
(*)
Birdie Milano

The Canyon's Edge
(*)
Dusti Bowling

Mysteries and Thrillers

Eight Perfect Murders
(*)
Peter Swanson

Precious You
(*)
Helen Monks Takhar

Dead Land
(*)
Sara Paretsky

A Shadow Intelligence
(*)
Oliver Harris

Take Me Apart
(*)
Sara Sligar

Fair Warning
(*)
Michael Connelly

The Golden Cage
(*)
Camilla Lackberg

The Bourne Evolution
(*)
Brian Freeman

All the Devils Are Here
(*)
Louise Penny

One by One
(*)
Ruth Ware

The Kingdom
(*)
Jo Nesbo

Picture Books About Friendship

In a Jar
(*)
Deborah Marcero

Letters from Bear
(*)
Gauthier David

The Word for Friend
(*)
Aidan Cassie

Our Favorite Day of the Year
(*)
A.E. Ali

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away
(*)
Meg Medina

Picture Books About Refugees and Immigration

Story Boat
(*)
Kyo Maclear

Salma the Syrian Chef
(*)
Danny Ramadan

Desert Girl, Monsoon Boy
(*)
Tara Dairman

The Paper Boat
(*)
Thao Lam

Migrants
(*)
Issa Watanabe

Sugar in Milk
(*)
Thrity Umrigar

The Suitcase
(*)
Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

Mexique
(*)
Maria Jose Ferrada

Picture Books About Small People in a Big World

Hike
(*)
Pete Oswald

A Way with Wild Things
(*)
Larissa Theule

The Ocean Calls
(*)
Tina Cho

Where Are You, Agnes?
(*)
Tessa McWatt

I Am Every Good Thing
(*)
Derrick Barnes

All Because You Matter
(*)
Tami Charles

Picture Books for Animal Lovers

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures
(*)
Nikki Grimes

The Barnabus Project
(*)
Terry Fan; Eric Fan

Little Fox
(*)
Edward Van De Vendel

The Bear and the Moon
(*)
Matthew Burgess

Looking for Smile
(*)
Ellen Tarlow

A Story for Small Bear
(*)
Alice B. McGinty

The Most Amazing Bird
(*)
Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak

A Stranger Comes to Town
(*)
Maria Kristjansdottir

Picture Books for Sheer Fun

The Ghoul
(*)
Taghreed Najjar

The Bear in My Family
(*)
Maya Tatsukawa

Nerp!
(*)
Sarah Lynne Reul

The House of Madame M
(*)
Clotilde Perrin

The Hips on the Drag Queen Go Swish, Swish, Swish
(*)
Lil Miss Hot Mess

Memoirs of a Tortoise
(*)
Devin Scillian

Two Dogs on a Trike
(*)
Gabi Snyder

Picture Books for the Sense of Wonder Shelf

Birrarung Wilam
(*)
Aunty Joy Murphy

Every Color of Light
(*)
Hiroshi Osada

Picture Books That Celebrate Family

Uncle Bobby's Wedding
(*)
Sarah S. Brannen

The Old Truck
(*)
Jarrett Pumphrey; Jerome Pumphrey

Ohana Means Family
(*)
Ilima Loomis

The Paper Kingdom
(*)
Helena Ku Rhee

A Stopwatch from Grampa
(*)
Loretta Garbutt

Nana Akua Goes to School
(*)
Patricia Elam Walker

The Blue House
(*)
Phoebe Wahl

Saturdays Are For Stella
(*)
Candy Wellins

Weekend Dad
(*)
Naseem Hrab

I Talk Like a River
(*)
Jordan Scott

My Day with Gong Gong
(*)
Sennah Yee

The Most Beautiful Thing
(*)
Kao Kalia Yang

Ritu Weds Chandni
(*)
Ameya Narvankar

Picture Books To Get Kids Thinking

Dandelion's Dream
(*)
Yoko Tanaka

Old Rock (is not boring)
(*)
Deb Pilutti

Window
(*)
Marion Arbona

Lift
(*)
Minh Le

Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns
(*)
Duncan Tonatiuh

The Blue Table
(*)
Chris Raschka

There Must Be More Than That!
(*)
Shinsuke Yoshitake

Starcrossed
(*)
Julia Denos

Picture-Book Biography

Dark Was the Night: Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars
(*)
Gary Golio

Romance Novels

Love Lettering
(*)
Kate Clayborn

A Heart of Blood and Ashes
(*)
Milla Vane

Something to Talk About
(*)
Meryl Wilsner

Take a Hint, Dani Brown
(*)
Talia Hibbert

Daring and the Duke
(*)
Sarah MacLean

The Devil of Downtown
(*)
Joanna Shupe

Like Lovers Do
(*)
Tracey Livesay

You Had Me at Hola
(*)
Alexis Daria

The Roommate
(*)
Rosie Danan

Season of the Wolf
(*)
Maria Vale

Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Vanished Birds
(*)
Simon Jimenez

The City We Became
(*)
N.K. Jemisin

The Poet King
(*)
Ilana C. Myer

Goldilocks
(*)
Laura Lam

Trouble the Saints
(*)
Alaya Dawn Johnson

Driftwood
(*)
Marie Brennan

Master of Poisons
(*)
Andrea Hairston

Piranesi
(*)
Susanna Clarke

The Seventh Perfection
(*)
Daniel Polansky

Black Sun
(*)
Rebecca Roanhorse

Short Fiction

Collected Stories
(*)
Lorrie Moore

Collected Stories
(*)
Shirley Hazzard

Lake Like a Mirror
(*)
Ho Sok Fong

Sansei and Sensibility
(*)
Karen Tei Yamashita

If I Had Two Wings
(*)
Randall Kenan

The Awkward Black Man: Stories
(*)
Walter Mosley

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
(*)
Deesha Philyaw

Truthtelling
(*)
Lynne Sharon Schwartz

The Office of Historical Corrections
(*)
Danielle Evans

YA Books About Chasing Dreams

Tigers, Not Daughters
(*)
Samantha Mabry

I'll Be the One
(*)
Lyla Lee

Where We Go From Here
(*)
Lucas Rocha

Each of Us a Desert
(*)
Mark Oshiro

Every Body Looking
(*)
Candice Iloh

Furia
(*)
Yamile Saied Mendez

Smash It!
(*)
Francina Simone

The End
(*)
Mats Strandberg

Sanctuary
(*)
Paola Mendoza

YA Books About Crossing Boundaries

How to Build a Heart
(*)
Maria Padian

Wicked As You Wish
(*)
Rin Chupeco

The Black Flamingo
(*)
Dean Atta

Clap When You Land
(*)
Elizabeth Acevedo

We Are Not From Here
(*)
Jenny Torres Sanchez

Being Toffee
(*)
Sarah Crossan

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything
(*)
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Early Departures
(*)
Justin A. Reynolds

My Heart Underwater
(*)
Laurel Flores Fantauzzo

The Way Back
(*)
Gavriel Savit

YA Books About Finding Inner Strength

Not So Pure and Simple
(*)
Lamar Giles

What I Carry
(*)
Jennifer Longo

When You Were Everything
(*)
Ashley Woodfolk

Everything's Not Fine
(*)
Sarah Carlson

Accidental
(*)
Alex Richards

Bearmouth
(*)
Liz Hyder

Blood Moon
(*)
Lucy Cuthew

Watch Over Me
(*)
Nina LaCour

YA Books for Understanding the U.S. Today

The Voting Booth
(*)
Brandy Colbert

This Is My America
(*)
Kim Johnson

Punching the Air
(*)
Ibi Zoboi

Dear Justyce
(*)
Nic Stone

YA Books That Discuss Mental Health

Jane Anonymous
(*)
Laurie Faria Stolarz

The Edge of Anything
(*)
Nora Shalaway Carpenter

The Lucky Ones
(*)
Liz Lawson

A Breath Too Late
(*)
Rocky Callen

Darius the Great Deserves Better
(*)
Adib Khorram

The Stepping Off Place
(*)
Cameron Kelly Rosenblum

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling
(*)
Wai Chim

YA Fantasy and Science Fiction

The Iron Will of Genie Lo
(*)
F.C. Yee

Deeplight
(*)
Frances Hardinge

Dark Skies
(*)
Danielle L. Jensen

A Song of Wraiths and Ruin
(*)
Roseanne A. Brown

A Peculiar Peril
(*)
Jeff VanderMeer

The Faithless Hawk
(*)
Margaret Owen

Raybearer
(*)
Jordan Ifueko

Where Dreams Descend
(*)
Janella Angeles

YA Historical Fiction

All the Days Past, All the Days to Come
(*)
Mildred D. Taylor

Dark and Deepest Red
(*)
Anna-Marie McLemore

Kent State
(*)
Deborah Wiles

Burn
(*)
Patrick Ness

We Are Not Free
(*)
Traci Chee

Daughters of Jubilation
(*)
Kara Lee Corthron

The Enigma Game
(*)
Elizabeth Wein

These Violent Delights
(*)
Chloe Gong

YA Mystery and Thrillers

The Hand on the Wall
(*)
Maureen Johnson

The Loop
(*)
Ben Oliver

Agnes at the End of the World
(*)
Kelly McWilliams

Girl, Unframed
(*)
Deb Caletti

Elatsoe
(*)
Darcie Little Badger

The Inheritance Games
(*)
Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Surrender Your Sons
(*)
Adam Sass

Throwaway Girls
(*)
Andrea Contos

Me & Mr. Cigar
(*)
Gibby Haynes

YA Romance

Heartstopper Volume One
(*)
Alice Oseman

The Henna Wars
(*)
Adiba Jaigirdar

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
(*)
Maggie Tokuda-Hall

All the Things We Never Knew
(*)
Liara Tamani

The Circus Rose
(*)
Betsy Cornwell

You Should See Me in a Crown
(*)
Leah Johnson

Today Tonight Tomorrow
(*)
Rachel Lynn Solomon

Super Fake Love Song
(*)
David Yoon

Award Categories

Affirming Picture Books

Bedtime Books

Beginning Readers

Board Books

Book Club Fiction

Books for Beginning Readers

Debut Fiction

Empowering Picture Books

Environmental Fiction

Fiction

Fiction in Translation

Fictional Families

Fictional Voices

Funniest Picture Books

Historical Fiction

Informational Picture Books

Joyous Picture Books

Middle-Grade About Speaking Up

Middle-Grade Activist

Middle-Grade Adventures

Middle-Grade Family Stories

Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

Middle-Grade Fiction

Middle-Grade Friendship Stories

Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019