You may not realize this, but NoveList book experts are real people, and they’re really into books. And once a year, they get together to decide which are the best books of the year. Their choices for 2025 come from a variety of genres and are for all ages.
As you can imagine, the lists are pretty long, so I’ve chosen to feature three titles from each category. See the full results under Curated Lists in NoveList. (Not sure if your library has NoveList? Find out here.)
Let’s dive in and see how much longer we can make our TBRs!
Best Adult Fiction of 2025
The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
A mysterious visitor lands on young Koreno's remote island. Her people are desperate and on the brink of starvation, and the stranger offers them an impossible choice: They can remain in the only home they’ve ever known and await the uncertainty to come, or Korero can join him with his assurance of a bountiful future in the Kingdom of Tonga. What Korero and her people don’t know is that Tonga is an empire at war and on the verge of collapse.
The Correspondent by Virginia Adams
At 73, retired lawyer and devoted letter writer Sybil Van Antwerp navigates her daily life and reflects on her past, but when unexpected letters open old wounds, she must confront a painful chapter that reshapes her understanding of herself and her world.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong
In the struggling town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai is saved from despair by Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia, forging an unexpected bond that reshapes their lives and reveals dynamics of love, memory, and resilience on the margins of society.
Best Adult Nonfiction of 2025
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
An award-winning novelist and immigrant to the West, after reporting on the War on Terror, Black Lives Matter protests, and the slaughter in Gaza, concludes that much of what the West promises is a lie — that there will always be groups outside the boundaries of privilege who won't be considered fully human.
Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools by Mary Annette Pember
Through searing interviews and assiduous historical reporting on Native American boarding schools from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, the author traces the evolution and continued rebirth of a culture whose country has been seemingly intent upon destroying it.
Best Teen Fiction of 2025
Audre and Bash Are Just Friends by Tia Williams
In need of inspiration for her self-help book, sixteen-year-old straightlaced Audre hires seventeen-year-old easygoing Bash to be her fun consultant for a summer full of daring experiences and undeniable romance.
His Face Is the Sun by Michelle Jabes Corpora
Four strangers connected by a forgotten oracle must work together to save their divided kingdom from destruction amidst the brewing conflict and struggle for the pharaoh's throne.
Coldwire by Chloe Gong
Most of society lives “upcountry” in virtual reality to escape rising seas and epidemics, while those who can’t afford the subscription remain in crumbling “downcountry,” and two young soldiers must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.
Best Teen Nonfiction of 2025
Malcolm Lives!: The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers by Ibram X. Kendi
Compiling the definitive speeches, sermons, and correspondence, as well as some never-before-seen original material, this comprehensive narrative biography of American icon Malcolm X will be the definitive reference volume for young readers.
Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability from Squirmy & Grubs and Other Interabled Couples by Shane Burcaw
With their signature wit and hilarious voice, authors, bloggers, and entrepreneurs Shane and Hannah Burcaw have put together a true story collection of sweet and unforgettable love stories about interabled couples.
The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, A Legacy of Sisterhood, And Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby
A full accounting of five incredibly talented Black ballerinas from the Dance Theater of Harlem illuminates their hard-fought, historic, and overlooked contributions to the world of classical dance at a time when racism shut out Black dancers from major companies.
Best Older Kids Fiction of 2025
The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner has crafted a deeply moving novel-in-verse about a boy, a dog, and the healing power of nature.
The Pecan Sheller by Lupe Ruiz-Flores
In 1930s San Antonio, thirteen-year-old Petra dreams of going to college and becoming a writer. But with her beloved father dead, two younger siblings to care for, and a stepmother struggling to make ends meet, Petra has to drop out of school to shell pecans at a factory. After the unhealthy environment leads to tragedy and workers' already low wages are cut, Petra and her coworkers go on strike for higher wages and safer conditions, risking everything they have for the hope of a better future.
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
An undead fox serving as the Usher of souls has his life upended when a mysterious badger soul appears.
Best Older Kids Nonfiction of 2025
Owning It: Our Disabled Childhoods...In Our Own Words edited by Jen Campbell and James and Lucy Catchpole
From birthday parties to navigating the sports field, to being given random free stuff, to juggling hospital visits alongside social lives... these twenty-two true stories capture the highs and lows, the tears and laughter, the friendships and fallouts of growing up with a disability. This book is a window into the young lives of these disabled writers: Their stories, in their own words.
At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, And Fought for Freedom by Erin Entrada Kelly
A biography of the legendary and inspiring Josefina "Joey" Guerrero: World War II spy, Filipina guerrilla fighter, war hero, Medal of Freedom recipient, leprosy survivor, teacher, and peacemaker.
Sole Survivor by Norman Ollestad
A riveting survival adventure, this astounding true story chronicles how a California sixth grader survived a deadly mountainside plane crash during a snowstorm.
Best Younger Kids Fiction of 2025
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
A supposed nature guide humorously warns readers why they should never trust fish, exploring their mysterious and villainous nature.
Lena the Chicken (But Really a Dinosaur!) by Linda Bailey
A picture book about a chicken, who knows deep down she's really a dinosaur. Her fellow chickens are confused, but Lena stays true to herself. When a weasel tries to break into the coop, Lena's bravery makes a big impression.
Moon Song by Michaela Goade
On an island at the edge of a silvery sea, when the moon rises and night falls, a girl spins a story for her worried cousin to help him find comfort in the wintry dark.
Best Younger Kids Nonfiction of 2025
In The World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito
A free diver witnesses the birth of a sperm whale and experiences a moment of connection with the pod.
Across The Ice: How We Saved the Ojibwe Horse by Darcy Whitecrow
Learn about the endangered Ojibwe horse and the Lac La Croix First Nation, which moved the wild ponies from Ontario to Minnesota when the government threatened to shoot them, in a celebration of community, tradition, and hope.
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka Con La Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Andrea Fajardo
Follow Peruvian agronomist Alberto Salas as he hunts for wild potatoes high up in the Andes mountains, gathering each and every last potato so he can save them before they go extinct, with the world depending on his work.
Leigh Gaddy is a Library Marketing Content and Services Specialist for NoveList. She is currently reading A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic by J. Penner.
