Our 2016 Facts and Figures compilation of children’s bestsellers encompasses a wide range of titles, dominated by series (both new and old), movie tie-ins, and read-aloud favorites. Our lists are based on print unit sales at outlets that report to NPD Bookscan, which tracks roughly 85% of the print market. Here we compile the books that sold more than 100,000 copies in four categories: Hardcover Frontlist, Paperback Frontlist, Hardcover Backlist, and Paperback Backlist.
Hardcover frontlist shows J.K. Rowling’s fantasy franchise taking on new life across multiple formats, with the theatrical script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child coming in at #1 for the year, followed closely by the screenplay for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the newly illustrated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New series entries from Rick Riordan, Cassandra Clare, and Melissa de la Cruz rank high on the list; Sara Pennypacker’s standalone middle grade novel Pax also made a strong showing.
In paperback frontlist, Raina Telgemeier’s latest graphic novel, Ghosts, took the top slot, and Victoria Aveyard’s series opener, Red Queen, continues to draw a significant number of readers. Also in the top 10 are movie tie-ins for Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The BFG.
Hardcover backlist finds several newer picture book titles, including The Book with No Pictures, The Day the Crayons Quit, and Dragons Love Tacos, becoming perennial sellers, while familiar favorites from Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein are also very much in evidence. Two motivational picture books, The Wonderful Things You Will Be and I Wish You More, showed steady sales as well.
The paperback backlist category contains several strong-selling tie-in editions for recent film adaptations, with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The 5th Wave, and The BFG all landing in the top 10. Graphic novels, including original titles from Raina Telgemeier and her adaptations of the Baby-Sitters Club, also have a strong showing, and in fiction, The One and Only Ivan and Out of My Mind are noteworthy standalones.
Hardcover Frontlist
200,000+
1. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (4,453,382)
2. Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (1,135,249)
3. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay. J.K. Rowling et al. Scholastic (659,172)
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (313,620)
5. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (298,381)
6. Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy (Dork Diaries #11). Rachel Renée Russell. Simon & Schuster/Aladdin (292,327)
7. The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (213,143)
8. The Last Star (The 5th Wave #3). Rick Yancey. Putnam (202,123)
100,000+
9. Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1). Cassandra Clare. Simon & Schuster/McElderry (180,920)
10. Gravity Falls: Journal 3. Alex Hirsch. Disney Press (179,534)
11. Take Heart, My Child: A Mother’s Dream. Ainsley Earhardt, illus. by Jaime Kim. Simon & Schuster/Aladdin (179,435)
12. Give Please a Chance. Bill O’Reilly and James Patterson. Little, Brown/Patterson (169,393)
13. Pete the Cat Storybook Collection. James Dean. HarperCollins (149,652)
14. Pax. Sara Pennypacker. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray (142,068)
15. Rush Revere and the Presidency. Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh. Simon & Schuster/Threshold (141,429)
16. Return to the Isle of the Lost (The Descendants #2). Melissa de la Cruz. Disney-Hyperion (141,263)
17. Glass Sword (Red Queen #2). Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen (133,098)
18. The Fever Code (The Maze Runner #5). James Dashner. Delacorte (127,516)
19. The Misadventures of Max Crumbly (Locker Hero #1). Rachel Renée Russell. Simon & Schuster/Aladdin (126,825)
20. The Thank You Book (Elephant and Piggie). Mo Willems. Disney-Hyperion (124,853)
21. Ada Twist, Scientist. Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts. Abrams (123,139)
22. The Crown (The Selection #5). Kiera Cass. HarperTeen (121,785)
23. Stampy’s Lovely Book. Stampy (Joseph Garrett). Random House (119,358)
24. Demigods & Magicians: Percy and Annabeth Meet the Kanes. Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (118,401)
25. Dog Man. Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (117,653)
26. Disney Bedtime Favorites. Disney (113,977)
27. Finding Dory. Random House/Little Golden Books (108,677)
28. What Do You Do with a Problem? Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom. Compendium (108,170)
29. Jacky Ha-Ha. James Patterson. Little, Brown/Patterson (107,668)
30. An Author’s Odyssey (The Land of Stories #5). Chris Colfer. Little, Brown (103,354)
31. Disney Pixar Storybook Collection. Disney (103,049)
Paperback Frontlist
200,000+
1. Ghosts. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (213,235)
150,000+
2. Joyous Blooms to Color. Eleri Fowler. HarperCollins (195,866)
3. Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat. James Dean. HarperCollins (190,928)
100,000+
4. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (movie tie-in). Ransom Riggs. Quirk (187,221)
5. Pete the Cat: Snow Daze. James Dean. HarperCollins (139,233)
6. Ocean of Color (Disney/Pixar Finding Dory). Bill Scollon. Random House (133,220)
7. Red Queen. Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen (126,352)
8. The BFG (movie tie-in). Roald Dahl. Penguin/Puffin (118,425)
9. Chase’s Space Case (Paw Patrol). Kristen Depken. Random House (117,822)
10. Super Animals! (Disney Zootopia). Rico Green. Random House (100,832)
Hardcover Backlist
400,000+
1. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss. Random House (585,284)
2. Old School (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10). Kinney Jeff. Abrams/Amulet (486,544)
300,000+
3. Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss. Random House (364,977)
4. Wonder. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (359,660)
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (339,755)
6. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Dr. Seuss. Random House (313,777)
200,000+
7. 5-Minute Star Wars Stories. Lucasfilm Press. (271,786)
8. The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss. Random House (253,993)
9. The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Emily Winfield Martin. Random House (236,242)
10. Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children #3). Ransom Riggs. Quirk (235,042)
11. The Book with No Pictures. B.J. Novak. Dial (225,141)
12. The Day the Crayons Quit. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel (214,868)
13. The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (211,683)
14. Tales from a Not-So-Perfect Pet Sitter (Dork Diaries #10). Rachel Renée Russell. Simon & Schuster/Aladdin (208,033)
15. Dragons Love Tacos. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial (202,096)
100,000+
16. The Long Haul (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #9). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (185,546)
17. The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book. Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (185,364)
18. I Wish You More. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (185,264)
19. Puppy Birthday to You! (Paw Patrol). Scott Albert. Random House/Golden Books (181,119)
20. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (170,829)
21. Dr. Seuss’s ABC. Dr. Seuss. Random House (163,587)
22. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Laura Joffe Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond. HarperCollins (157,687)
23. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss. Random House (156,554)
24. 5-Minute Princess Stories. Disney Press (156,260)
25. What Do You Do with an Idea? Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom. Compendium (156,118)
26. The Tales of Beedle the Bard. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (155,384)
27. The Day the Crayons Came Home. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel (154,256)
28. Mal’s Spell Book (The Descendants). Tina McLeef. Disney Press (152,678)29. 5-Minute Snuggle Stories. Disney Press (150,929)
29. 5-Minute Snuggle Stories. Disney Press (150,929)
30. Polar Express (30th anniversary edition). Chris Van Allsburg. HMH (147,780)
31. The Jesus Storybook Bible. Sally Lloyd-Jones, illus. by Jago. ZonderKidz (143,497)
32. Seuss-isms! Dr. Seuss. Random House (143,212)
33. Fox in Socks. Dr. Seuss. Random House (142,371)
34. Are You My Mother? P.D. Eastman. Random House (141,615)
35. The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (138,854)
36. Where the Sidewalk Ends. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (138,040)
37. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander. Scholastic/Levine (136,825)
38. Hard Luck (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #8). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (135,925)
39. Press Here. Hervé Tullet. Chronicle (129,514)
40. Hop on Pop. Dr. Seuss. Random House (129,054)
41. Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (128,338)
42. The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (125,484)
43. Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (125,043)
44. The Isle of the Lost (The Descendants #1). Melissa de la Cruz. Disney-Hyperion (124,321)
45. There’s No Place Like Space. Tish Rabe, illus. by Aristedes Ruiz. Random House (123,697)
46. Go, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman. Random House (120,090)
47. Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (118,496)
48. Rosie Revere, Engineer. Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts. Abrams (116,157)
49. Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book #4). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (115,524)
50. Minecraft: Construction Handbook. Matthew Needler. Scholastic (114,631)
51. The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (111,710)
52. The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #7). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (110,554)
53. Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear. Lindsay Mattick, illus. by Sophie Blackall. Little, Brown (110,456)
54. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site. Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (109,958)
55. 5-Minute Marvel Stories. Disney/Marvel Press (108,391)
56. Minecraft: Combat Handbook. Scholastic (108,369)
57. What Pet Should I Get? Dr. Seuss. Random House (107,471)
58. Quidditch Through the Ages. Kennilworthy Whisp. Scholastic/Levine (105,250)
59. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Dinah Bucholz. Adams Media (105,095)
60. Charlotte’s Web. E.B. White, illus. by Garth Williams. HarperCollins (103,291)
61. Elf on the Shelf. Carol Aebersold. CCA&B (102,398)
62. How to Babysit a Grandma. Jean Reagan, illus. by Lee Wildish. Knopf (102,383)
Paperback Backlist
200,000+
1. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs. Quirk (663,040)
2. Pokemon Deluxe Essential Handbook. Scholastic (407,422)
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (396,948)
4. Love You Forever. Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (358,029)
5. Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children #2). Ransom Riggs. Quirk (336,372)
6. Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids. Rob Elliot. Baker (283,511)
7. The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. Putnam (257,713)
8. The BFG. Roald Dahl, illus. by Quentin Blake. Penguin/Puffin (249,210)
9. The Giver. Lois Lowry. HMH (238,739)
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (222,717)
11. The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2). Rick Yancey. Putnam (216,134)
12. Drama. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (212,852)
13. The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton. Penguin/Speak (201,020)
100,000+
14. The Lightning Thief. Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (192,155)
15. The Book Thief. Markus Zusak. Knopf (190,187)
16. Smile. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (188,861)
17. The One and Only Ivan. Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins (181,457)
18. The 5th Wave. Rick Yancey. Putnam (179,117)
19. The Care and Keeping of You. Valorie Schaefer. American Girl (175,977)
20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (172,412)
21. Sisters. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (166,124)
22. Kristy’s Great Idea (Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (162,118)
23. Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1). Mary Pope Osborne, illus. by Sal Murdocca. Random House (160,731)
24. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (160,533)
25. Hatchet. Gary Paulsen. Simon & Schuster (154,389)
26. A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. HMH (151,917)
27. Looking for Alaska. John Green. Penguin/Speak (147,916)
28. Knock-Knock Jokes for Kids. Rob Elliott. Baker (147,580)
29. A Wrinkle in Time. Madeleine L’Engle. Macmillan/Square Fish (145,944)
30. Pete the Cat’s Train Trip. James Dean. HarperCollins (143,558)
31. Claudia and Mean Janine (Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #4). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (142,805)
32. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (138,551)
33. The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1). Chris Colfer. Little, Brown (137,736)
34. Out of My Mind. Sharon M. Draper. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum (131,923)
35. Thirteen Reasons Why. Jay Asher. Penguin/Razorbill (130,473)
36. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Chris Grabenstein. Random House (130,100)
37. Number the Stars. Lois Lowry. HMH (127,344)
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (125,615)
39. Pat the Bunny. Dorothy Kunhardt. Random House/Golden Books (122,292)
40. Rubble to the Rescue! (Paw Patrol). Kristen Depken. Random House (120,737)
41. Room on the Broom. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Scheffler. Penguin/Puffin (119,277)
42. Cinder. Marissa Meyer. Macmillan/Square Fish (118,440)
43. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Sherman Alexie. Little, Brown (118,202)
44. The Truth About Stacey (Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #2). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (116,560)
45. The Maze Runner. James Dashner. Delacorte (115,704)
46. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (111,241)
47. Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. Jennifer Li Shotz. HarperCollins (110,925)
48. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (109,192)
49. The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book. Tom Robinson. Simon & Schuster (106,770)
50. Mary Anne Saves the Day (Baby-Sitters Club #3). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (105,510)
51. Shopkins Seek and Find. Little Bee (103,526)
52. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Sean Covey. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (103,067)
53. How to Draw Pokémon. Tracey West. Scholastic (102,870)
54. The Cellar. Natasha Preston. Sourcebooks (102,582)
55. The Care and Keeping of You 2. Cara Natterson. American Girl (101,376)
