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# The Best Books of 2020, According to the New York Public Library
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/the-best-books-of-2020-according-to-the-new-york-public-library/
- Published: 2020-11-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:06:16.000Z
- Description: The library released its anticipated lists of the year’s best titles, including books for teens, kids, adults, and poetry.
- Author: Valentina Di Liscia
- Tags: Books, New York, New York Public Library, NYPL, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 09:08 (2019, 2020, part 3)

In what has been a relentlessly difficult year, books provided opportunities for escape from the comfort of our quarantine living rooms or during a challenging work commute. To celebrate and honor the titles that delighted us, entertained us, and kept us sane in 2020, the New York Public Library (NYPL) released its anticipated [Best Books lists](https://www.nypl.org/125/best-books-2020?ref=hyperallergic.com), highlighting titles for [kids](https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/kids?ref=hyperallergic.com), [teens](https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/teens?ref=hyperallergic.com), and [adults](https://www.nypl.org/books-more/recommendations/best-books/adults?ref=hyperallergic.com) as well as a top 10 list for poetry.

Curated by a committee of NYPL's expert librarians, the roundup covers nearly every genre, from fiction to nonfiction; graphic novels to biographies. For each age category, there is a narrowed-down list of 10 titles as well as a longer, more comprehensive list (top 50 for teens, top 100 for adults and children).

Among the best books for adults this year are *The City We Became: A Novel* by N.K. Jemisin, the first in her new series *Great Cities*. Roxane Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver's graphic novel adaptation of Gay's *New York Times* bestselling short story “We Are *the Sacrifice of Darkness*” also ranks in the top 10\. *Luster*, Raven Leilani's debut novel, made the list as well; critics have [praised](https://www.npr.org/2020/08/23/904901813/luster-shines-with-sharp-wit-and-dark-humor?ref=hyperallergic.com) its candid, dark, and humorous exploration of interracial and intergenerational relationships.

This year, the library has also provided a list of the [best children's titles in Spanish](https://www.nypl.org/blog/2020/11/24/mejores-libros-para-edades-0-12?ref=hyperallergic.com), such as *¡No chupes este libro!: Está lleno de gérmenes* (*Don't lick this book!: It's full of germs*) by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost. It follows the adventures of Mina, a charming bacteria who lives in a book, and is illustrated with fascinating microscope images of close-up everyday objects.

The top 10 lists of titles for each age group are reproduced below; the complete lists can be found online at[ nypl.org/bestbooks](https://www.nypl.org/bestbooks?ref=hyperallergic.com). Every book listed can be found in the library's [catalogue](https://catalog.nypl.org/?ref=hyperallergic.com), and many are available in a variety of formats, such as audiobooks, e-books, and accessible editions.

## NYPL's Best Books of 2020

### Top 10 Children’s Books 

- *Black Heroes of the Wild West* by James Otis Smith
- *Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away* by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez
- *Go with the Flow* by Lily Williams & Karen Schneeman
- *Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera* by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
- *Land of the Cranes* by Aida Salazar
- *Magnificent Homespun Brown: A Celebration* by Samara Doyon, illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
- *Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet* by Zanib Mian, illustrated by Nasaya Mafaridik
- *When Stars Are Scattered* by Victoria Jamieson & Omar Mohamed
- *When You Trap a Tiger* by Tae Keller
- *You Matter* by Christian Robinson

### Los 10 mejores libros para edades 0–12 / Top 10 Books for Ages 0–12 (in Spanish) 

- *¿Cómo lo ves?* by Vera Galindo
- *Amigas* by Lauren Ace, illustrated by Jenny Lovlie
- *La bañera* by Lisa Biggi, illustrated by Paloma Corral
- *La belleza del final* by Alfredo Colella, illustrated by Jorge González
- *Los carpinchos* by Alfredo Soderguit
- *Manos a la tierra: Crea tu propio jardín* by Kirsten Bradley, illustrated by Aitch
- *Mi abuelo* by Émilie Chazerand, illustrated by Nicolas Duffaut
- *Mi lazarilla, mi capitán* by Gonzalo Moure, illustrated by Maria Girón
- *Música en el jardín* by Mariana Ruiz Johnson
- *Los tomates de Mila* by Sanne Dufft

### Top 10 Teen Books 

- *All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto* by George M. Johnson
- *Displacement* by Kiku Hughes
- *Legendborn* by Tracy Deonn
- *The Magic Fish* by Trung Le Nguyen
- *Not So Pure and Simple* by Lamar Giles
- *Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation* by Candy J. Cooper with Marc Aronson
- *Punching the Air* by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
- *Raybearer* by Jordan Ifueko
- *We Are Not Free* by Traci Chee
- *We Are Not From Here* by Jenny Torres Sanchez

### Top 10 Adult Books

- *The City We Became: A Novel* by N.K. Jemisin
- *Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague* by Maggie O’Farrell
- *Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot* by Mikki Kendall
- *Interior Chinatown: A Novel* by Charles Yu
- *The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue* by V.E. Schwab
- *Luster* by Raven Leilani
- *The Midnight Library* by Matt Haig
- *The Sacrifice of Darkness* by Roxane Gay & Tracy Lynne Oliver
- *The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel* by Grady Hendrix
- *Temporary: A Novel* by Hilary Leichter

### Top 10 Poetry Books

- *Finna: Poems* by Nate Marshall
- *Galleons: Poems* by Rick Barot
- *Grimoire* by Cherene Sherrard
- *Gut Botany* by Petra Kuppers
- *Homie* by Danez Smith
- *Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry* by John Murillo
- *My Baby First Birthday: Poems* by Jenny Zhang
- *Nail the Evening Hangs On* by Monica Sok
- *Nancy Reagan Collection* by Maxe Crandall
- *Postcolonial Love Poem* by Natalie Diaz