Staff Faves 2025: Kids Chapter Books, Graphic Novels & Nonfiction
Every year we ask our staff across the library system for their favorite books published in a given year. Enjoy this list of some of our favorite chapter books, graphic novels and nonfiction books for kids! Annotations are by staff, or as noted. (Created November 2025)
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A Cheesy Brie-ginning
GRAPHIC NOVEL. Pillow the bear dreams of earning the Dragon Slaying Badge. When he hears of a dragon who’s stolen all the town’s cheese, he sees his chance. Cheese, puns, and heroic quests await! [publisher description]
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Some of Us
PICTURE BOOK NONFICTION. LaRocca lovingly traces the path to U.S. citizenship. A moving and captivating civics lesson. [Kirkus]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Beetle & the Chimera Carnival
GRAPHIC NOVEL. "I generally don't like to recommend sequels to others, but this is definitely an exception. The first book in the series was so delightful and heartfelt, I had waited eagerly for the sequel. The wait was well worth it. Just as a heartfelt as the first, Layne really captures how scary and monstrous it feels to be a tween girl. And not just in the fact that Beetle is a literal goblin." [Eliza E]
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: All copies in use
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The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon
CHAPTER BOOK. A Stone Lion cub travels from the spirit realm into ours in order to save his world from a sinister force. Captivating, thrilling, and emotionally satisfying. [Kirkus]
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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Hikaru in the Light!
GRAPHIC NOVEL. A Japanese teen auditions for a highly competitive musical group. Potential pop stars sparkle in this intense manga series starter. [Kirkus]
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Family Week
CHAPTER BOOK. Four best friends spend Family Week together at an annual gathering of LGBTQ+ families in Provincetown, MA...in this coming-of-age story that celebrates identity, acceptance, and found family. [Kirkus]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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A Song for You & I
GRAPHIC NOVEL. Two young people travel their own paths to personal authenticity. A sweet and thoughtful rumination on the joy of being one’s true self. [Kirkus]
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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Safe Crossing
PICTURE BOOK NONFICTION. In spring...amphibians such as spring peepers and salamanders begin their journey from woods to the vernal pools where they’ll spawn. That perilous journey involves crossing roads as vehicles whoosh past. Enter the Amphibian Migration Team—volunteers who stand at these crossings at night to monitor traffic and help... [Kirkus]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Keeper of Stories
PICTURE BOOK NONFICTION. A fire at New York's Jewish Theological Seminary library in 1966 destroyed thousands of books, but a neighborhood came together to save the stories within, in an uplifting true story of community and the essential role libraries and books play. [NoveList Plus]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Faerie Isle
FOLKLORE. A collection of Irish myths and legends, some encouraging, most cautionary. [Kirkus]
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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