The best books of 2024

This list is part of the best books of 2024.

Join 1,517 readers and share your 3 favorite reads of the year.

My favorite read in 2024

Book cover of Hopefully the Scarecrow

Katie Munday Williams ❤️ loved this book because...

This picture book literally made me cry, it's so packed with emotion. In just a few hundred words, the author manages to convey true friendship, loneliness, hope, and love. It has a very subtle didactic message that kids will take away with them, without feeling like it's being forced. I love the simplicity of the plot, it's one that kids can relate to easily.

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Emotions 🥈 Thoughts
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By Michelle Houts, Sara Palacios (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hopefully the Scarecrow 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?

"A beautifully crafted friendship tale that's just right for storytime." --Kirkus

The perfect Fall book for kids! A poignant picture book about a scarecrow who befriends the young girl who reads to him day after day until one day he's left wondering where she is.

A scarecrow stood in the garden. Tall, proud, and smiling. Every day a girl brought her favorite books to the garden and she read to him. He heard tales of courage and of hope. And when she said, "The End," the scarecrow always felt a little bit taller and braver. Year after year, she came…


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My 2nd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of The Covenant of Water

Katie Munday Williams ❤️ loved this book because...

Abraham Verghese does not disappoint with this multi-generational tale of an Indian family battling a long-standing curse. While water brings them their livelihood, it also claims their lives, at least one person in each generation. Woven into the story are other characters whose lives we become deeply enmeshed in, from the doctor helping a colony of lepers while hiding from his own pain, to the granddaughter of the story's matriarch, who is determined to break her family's curse. Set in Kerala India, Verghese's writing flows as beautifully as the water he writes about, taking us on a journey that includes love, anguish, hope, and triumph. Highly recommend!

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Immersion 🥈 Writing
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐇 I couldn't put it down

By Abraham Verghese,

Why should I read it?

39 authors picked The Covenant of Water as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY

From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala, South India, following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret

“One of the best books I’ve read in my entire life. It’s epic. It’s transportive . . . It was unputdownable!”—Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com

The Covenant of Water is the long-awaited new novel by Abraham Verghese, the author of…


My 3rd favorite read in 2024

Book cover of We Are Definitely Human

Katie Munday Williams ❤️ loved this book because...

I love humorous picture books, and this one delivers in a very sweet way. Themes of kindness and friendship stand out in this comical book about 3 visitors who are "definitely human". Kids will laugh over the funny sayings used by the 'visitors' and the message of acceptance and helpfulness, while subtle, are very clear. Great holiday gift for any child!

  • Loved Most

    🥇 Character(s) 🥈 Story/Plot
  • Writing style

    ❤️ Loved it
  • Pace

    🐕 Good, steady pace

By X. Fang,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked We Are Definitely Human 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?

A hilarious alien invasion story with a feel-good message about what it means to be human. Perfect for earthlings of all ages.

When three mysterious visitors from "Europe" crash-land in Mr. Li's field, he does what any good host would: he invites them back to his farmhouse and offers to help fix up their "car". No, there's nothing strange about these guests at all. Just like other humans, they "make business", "play sportsball" and "wear hat". As the townsfolk also come to the aid of the visitors and the gathering turns into a little party, interplanetary relations reach an all-time…


Don‘t forget about my book 😀

Book cover of Poet, Pilgrim, Rebel: The Story of Anne Bradstreet, America's First Published Poet

What is my book about?

The inspiring story of a Puritan woman whose passion for writing poetry broke barriers.

Late at night, with her children tucked into bed and her husband away on business, Anne Dudley Bradstreet composed poems by candlelight. She let her thoughts from the day tumble out, memorizing each poem line by line before daring to shape the words onto scraps of scarce parchment. Puritan women in the 1600s weren't allowed to be writers. But when the world learned about Anne's poetry, even she was astonished by what happened next.

This charmingly illustrated picture book tells the inspiring story of how a Puritan woman overcame the obstacles facing women of her era to become one of the most famous poets in history. A gifted writer of deep faith, Anne Bradstreet blazed a trail for the rights of women to study, write, and achieve.

My book recommendation list

Book cover of Hopefully the Scarecrow
Book cover of The Covenant of Water
Book cover of We Are Definitely Human

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