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The best books of 2023

This list is part of the best books of 2023.

We've asked 1,627 authors and super readers for their 3 favorite reads of the year.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

My favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Nevermoor

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

Morrigan believes she is cursed. Everything that goes wrong for her and those around her is her fault. The only person who likes her is her powerless grandmother.

Nevertheless, part of her curse is that she is doomed to die on her 11th birthday  Instead, A man from Nevermoor rescues her and takes her to a new country – with new problems. But here she finds people who don’t think she is cursed and who try to help her. I enjoyed how the author showed Morrigan exploring her new world, and felt as if I was exploring it with her.

The book has two sequels already and one more on the way. I’m looking forward to spending more time with Morrigan and finding out what her talent is – she is a Wundersmith. Now we get to learn what that is. This is not a nice-things-happen-to-nice-people book. It is a coming-of-age in a new place with new people and new problems adventure. I’m looking forward to living in this world for the books as they appear.

By Jessica Townsend,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Nevermoor as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

A breathtaking, enchanting new series by debut author Jessica Townsend, about a cursed girl who escapes death and finds herself in a magical world--but is then tested beyond her wildest imagination.

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks--and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday.

But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters…


My 2nd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Insects Do the Strangest Things

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

I’m a science junky, but I don’t like textbooks. I want excitement in my learning. The Hornblows had me with their table of contents.

Chapters have names like The Runaround, The Home-Wrecker, The Green Grabber, The Bug Boats. The text keeps up the enthusiasm with descriptions of Flea Circuses, how silk worms are really caterpillars that take three days to encase themselves in silk thread, and they include a chapter about one bug has the wonderful name of Whirligig because it whirls every which way.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn about bugs and science in general.

By Leonora Hornblow, Arthur Hornblow, Michael K. Frith (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Insects Do the Strangest Things as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Book by Leonora and Arthur Hornblow


My 3rd favorite read in 2023…

Book cover of Mooncake

Lois Wickstrom Why did I love this book?

This is the story of a persistent bear who is sure the moon is delicious and wants to taste it. But, hey, he’s a bear, and they hibernate in the winter.

What better way to spend that hibernation than in a rocketship to the moon? This is a sweet story that lets the child learn something that the bear does not. Both the bear and the child have a good time.

By Frank Asch,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mooncake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Blast to the moon and back with best friends Moonbear and Little Bird in this charming reissue of a beloved classic by award-winning author and illustrator Frank Asch.

One night while watching the moon, Moonbear turns to Little Bird and asks, “I wonder what the moon tastes like?” The ever-curious Moonbear begins a quest that ends up taking him all the way to the moon and back again.

This refreshed edition of a beloved classic features the original text and art with an updated cover.


Plus, check out my book…

Dream-Shifter

By Lois Wickstrom,

Book cover of Dream-Shifter

What is my book about?

In this whimsical and fast-paced adventure, Wickstrom (Huff…Puff…Grind! The Three Little Pigs Get Smart) introduces twelve-year-old Gwendolyn, who has a relatively normal life, until the night her house burns down–and, it turns out, is also a dream-shifter, someone who turns into the creature they’re dreaming about. When the smoke alarm goes off because of the fire, Gwendolyn is jolted awake–and gets stuck in the form of an elk. With an animal body, Gwendolyn must work with her family, friends old and new, and learn a bit of magic along as she strives to keep her life on its path–she’s trying to win a scholarship to a journalism camp–and faces new problems, like the onset of elk hunting season.