Reading Across America: Young Readers' Edition

Who's ready for a virtual road trip?

Our NYPL book experts assembled 51 books—one for each state, plus the District of Columbia—for young readers, starting with bright picture books for the littlest kids and ending with evocative novels for young adults.  

With some old favorites and some newly published titles, this list should ring a few familiar bells and introduce you to a couple Newbery, Printz, and other major award-winning books that you may not already know. 

Have more suggestions? Let us know in the comments. And if you want to read across America via books for adults, check out our list for grown-up readers, too.

Alabama: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul CurtisAlaska: The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue HitchcockArizona: Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David TeagueArkansas: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

California: Jasmine Toguchi: Mochi Queen by Debbie Michiko FlorenceColorado: Katerina's Wish by Jeannie MobleyConnecticut: Testing the Ice: A True Story about Jackie Robinson by Sharon RobinsonDelaware: Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware by M.T. Anderson

District of Columbia: Brick by Brick by Charles R. Smith Jr.Florida: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamilloGeorgia: Kira-Kira by Cynthia KadohataHawaii: Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel

Idaho: Walk Two Moons by Sharon CreechIllinois: The House on Mango Street by Sandra CisnerosIndiana: Turtles All the Way Down by John GreenIowa: Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story by Vicki Myron

Kansas: The Storm in the Barn by Matt PhelanKentucky: Tadpole by Ruth WhiteLouisiana: Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker RhodesMaine: Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Maryland: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine PatersonMassachusetts: Little Women by Louisa May AlcottMichigan: The Birchbark House by Louise ErdrichMinnesota: A Different Pond by Bao Phi

Mississippi: Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. TaylorMissouri: Steamboat School by Deborah HopkinsonMontana: Hattie Big Sky by Kirby LarsonNebraska: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Nevada: The Inn Between by Marina CohenNew Hampshire: A Separate Peace by John KnowlesNew Jersey: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy BlumeNew Mexico: Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes

New York: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack KeatsNorth Carolina: Miss Dorothy and Her Bookmobile by Gloria HoustonNorth Dakota: Dinomummy by Phillip Lars ManningOhio: Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Waterson

Oklahoma: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson RawlsOregon: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly ClearyPennsylvania: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse AndersonRhode Island: Angel of the Battlefield by Ann Hood

South Carolina: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline WoodsonSouth Dakota: By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder (part of the Little House on the Prarie series)Tennessee: The Quickest Kid in Clarksville by Pat Zietlow MillerTexas: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Utah: Vivian and the Legend of the Hoodoos by Terry Catasús JenningsVermont: Return to Sender by Julia AlvarezVirginia: Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite HenryWashington: A Day at the Market by Sara Anderson

West Virginia: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorWisconsin: Rascal by Sterling NorthWyoming: Wild Hearts by Jessica Burkhart

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you'd recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!