Our 2017 Facts and Figures compilation of children’s bestsellers includes a wide range of titles, dominated by series (both classic and contemporary), graphic novels, movie and television tie-ins, and beloved picture books. Our lists are based on print unit sales at outlets that report to NPD Bookscan, which tracks approximately 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.
Last year’s overall top-selling book was R.J. Palacio’s 2012 novel Wonder, with more than one million hardcover copies sold; the book was adapted into a major motion picture in 2017. Across all formats, graphic novels and blockbuster franchises, including J.K. Rowling’s still-expanding Harry Potter series, were strong sellers.
Hardcover frontlist shows Jeff Kinney’s The Getaway, book 12 in his perennially popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, at number one. Other high-ranking illustrated novels for young readers include the latest entries in Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man and Rachel Renée Russell’s Dork Diaries series.
Taking the lead in paperback frontlist was Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, which was recently adapted to the big screen, followed by the tie-in edition of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, which was adapted for Netflix. Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic, released in honor of the British Library exhibit, holds third place. Popular theatrical tie-ins also include Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2, the official script for the stage production by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne.
The hardcover backlist category reveals Wonder by R.J. Palacio in first place. And, as in previous years, Dr. Seuss dominates this list with read-aloud favorites such as Green Eggs and Ham, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat, among others.
Paperback backlist contains a mix of modern classics, books reaching milestones, and more recent titles. At number one is the Canadian picture book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, followed by series starters Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle, the movie version of which hits theaters on March 9. Other titles with strong showings include The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, which turned 50 in 2016, and several books for middle graders by graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier.
Hardcover Frontlist
200,000+
1. The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (992,416)
2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (350,844)
3. Turtles All the Way Down. John Green. Dutton (343,629)
4. Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (Dog Man #3). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (339,703)
5. Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe (Dork Diaries #12). Rachel Renée Russell. Aladdin (280,072)
6. The Hate U Give. Angie Thomas. Balzer + Bray (264,565)
7. 5-Minute Pete the Cat Stories. James Dean. HarperFestival (262,166)
8. The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (252,191)
9. She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World. Chelsea Clinton, illus. by Alexandra Boiger. Philomel (250,229)
10. The Ship of the Dead (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #3). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (224,784)
100,000+
11. Turtles All The Way Down (signed edition). John Green. Dutton (178,221)
12. Dragons Love Tacos 2. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial (153,037)
13. We’re All Wonders. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (126,992)
14. Worlds Collide (The Land of Stories #6). Chris Colfer. Little, Brown (126,039)
15. Rise of the Isle of the Lost (Descendants #3). Melissa de la Cruz. Disney-Hyperion (124,319)
16. Mighty, Mighty Construction Site. Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (122,932)
17. Carve the Mark. Veronica Roth. Tegen (116,805)
18. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (board book). Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (113,520)
19. One of Us Is Lying. Karen M. McManus. Delacorte (113,428)
20. King’s Cage (Red Queen #3). Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen (110,499)
21. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2). Cassandra Clare. McElderry (109,948)
22. La Belle Sauvage (The Book of Dust #1). Philip Pullman. Knopf (102,502)
23. A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3). Sarah J. Maas. Bloomsbury (102,131)
Paperback Frontlist
200,000+
1. Everything, Everything. Nicola Yoon. Ember (486,164)
2. 13 Reasons Why (TV tie-in edition). Jay Asher. Razorbill (224,587)
3. Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic. The British Library. Scholastic/Levine (218,890)
150,000+
4. Everything, Everything (movie tie-in edition). Nicola Yoon. Ember (159,612)
100,000+
5. Before I Fall (movie tie-in edition). Lauren Oliver. HarperCollins (148,888)
6. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2. Story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, play by Jack Thorne. Scholastic/Levine (140,472)
7. Pete the Cat and the Surprise Teacher (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins (128,829)
8. Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete. James Dean. HarperFestival (115,472)
9. Pete the Cat and the Tip-Top Tree House. James Dean. HarperCollins (112,128)
10. Beauty and the Beast Novelization. Elizabeth Rudnick. Disney Press (108,650)
11. Fish in a Tree. Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Puffin (107,337)
12. Magical Mermaids! (Shimmer and Shine). Random House (105,864)
Hardcover Backlist
400,000+
1. Wonder. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (1,118,925)
2. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss. Random House (608,985)
3. Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #11). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (538,109)
4. Giraffes Can’t Dance. Giles Andreae, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. Scholastic/Cartwheel (462,191)
5. First 100 Words. Priddy (440,047)
6. Dog Man Unleashed (Dog Man #2). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (419,318)
7. Goodnight Moon (board book). Margaret Wise Brown. HarperFestival (418,521)
300,000+
8. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin Jr., illus. by Eric Carle. Holt (386,561)
9. Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss. Random House (374,814)
10. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle. Philomel (364,247)
11. Thirteen Reasons Why (10th anniversary deluxe edition). Jay Asher. Razorbill (357,794)
12. Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! (board book). Dr. Seuss. Random House (313,626)
13. Dog Man (Dog Man #1). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (311,275)
14. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Dr. Seuss. Random House (308,235)
15. Little Blue Truck (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (305,219)
200,000+
16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2. Story by J.K. Rowling, play by Jack Thorne. Scholastic/Levine (268,354)
17. The Going-to-Bed Book (board book). Sandra Boynton. Little Simon (264,713)
18. Dear Zoo (board book). Rod Campbell. Little Simon (254,484)
19. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (board book). Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Elhert. Little Simon (249,851)
20. The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Emily Winfield Martin. Random House (243,026)
21. The Pout-Pout Fish (board book). Deborah Diesen. FSG (242,152)
22. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You?: Dr. Seuss’s Book of Wonderful Noises (board book). Dr. Seuss. Random House (241,636)
23. The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss. Random House (241,188)
24. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (239,818)
25. On the Night You Were Born (board book). Nancy Tillman. Feiwel and Friends (235,885)
26. Tales from a Not-So-Friendly Frenemy (Dork Diaries #11). Rachel Renée Russell. Aladdin (235,607)
27. Wonder (movie tie-in edition). R.J. Palacio. Knopf (233,212)
28. Are You My Mother? P.D. Eastman. Random House (232,006)
29. Five-Minute Peppa Stories. Eone. Scholastic (228,005)
30. Auggie & Me: Three Wonder Stories. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (224,839)
31. Baby Touch and Feel: Animals (board book). DK (219,930)
32. What Do You Do with a Problem? Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom. Compendium (218,075)
33. Dragons Love Tacos. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial (217,131)
34. Puppy Birthday to You! (Paw Patrol). Golden (211,861)
35. The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (210,370)
36. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay. J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (206,601)
37. Old School (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #10). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (205,124)
38. The Long Haul (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #9). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (201,996)
39. Guess How Much I Love You (board book). Sam McBratney, illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick Press (201,741)
100,000+
40. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2). J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic/Levine (196,884)
41. Moana. Laura Hitchcock. Golden/Disney (194,218)
42. A Loud Winter’s Nap. Katy Hudson. Capstone (193,599)
43. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (185,061)
44. If Animals Kissed Good Night (board book). Ann Whitford Paul. FSG (182,628)
45. The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book. Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (181,676)
46. Noisy Farm (board book). Tiger Tales. (176,893)
47. The Rainbow Fish. Marcus Pfister. NorthSouth (175,850)
48. The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Kelly Barnhill. Algonquin (174,973)
49. The Day the Crayons Quit. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel (172,833)
50. The Adventures of Captain Underpants (color edition). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (168,431)
51. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (166,788)
52. Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? (board book). Karen Katz. Little Simon (166,555)
53. Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book. Jennifer Donnelly. Disney Press (165,708)
54. Dr. Seuss’s ABC. Dr. Seuss. Random House (165,485)
55. More Wicked Magic (Descendants 2: Mal’s Spell Book #2). Disney Press (162,075)
56. Gravity Fall (Journal #3). Alex Hirsch. Disney Press (161,592)
57. Your Baby’s First Word Will Be DADA (board book). Jimmy Fallon, illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Feiwel and Friends (160,332)
58. First 100 Animals. Priddy (159,311)
59. The Book with No Pictures. B.J. Novak. Dial (158,613)
60. 5-Minute Princess Stories. Disney Press (154,303)
61. Moo, Baa, La La La! (board book). Sandra Boynton. Little Simon (152,737)
62. Where’s Spot? Eric Hill. Warne (150,031)
63. There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System. Tish Rabe, illus. by Aristedes Ruiz. Random House (149,845)
64. What Do You Do with an Idea? Kobi Yamada, illus. by Mae Besom. Compendium (149,587)
65. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Newt Scamander. Scholastic/Levine (145,953)
66. Rosie Revere, Engineer. Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts. Abrams (145,702)
67. I Love You to the Moon and Back (board book). Amelia Hepworth, illus. by Tim Warnes. Tiger Tales (144,929)
68. I Love You Through and Through. Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak, illus. by Caroline Jayne Church. Scholastic/Cartwheel (143,179)
69. Roderick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (142,404)
70. I Wish You More. Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (140,804)
71. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (board book). Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (140,265)
72. Trolls. Golden (139,145)
73. Baby Touch and Feel: Baby Animals (board book). DK (138,908)
74. Ada Twist, Scientist. Andrea Beaty, illus. by David Roberts. Abrams (138,609)
75. The Island (Minecraft #1). Max Brooks. Del Rey (137,635)
76. Fox in Socks. Dr. Seuss. Random House (136,662)
77. Peek-a-Who? Nina Laden. Chronicle (134,848)
78. Where the Sidewalk Ends (40th anniversary edition). Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (134,328)
79. Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #6). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (133,316)
80. Barnyard Dance! Sandra Boynton. Workman (132,833)
81. 5-Minute Star Wars Stories. Disney/Lucasfilm (132,756)
82. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed. Eileen Christelow. HMH (132,282)
83. Numbers Colors Shapes (board book). Priddy (130,885)
84. The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (130,718)
85. Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night? (board book). Brianna Caplan Sayres, illus. by Christian Slade. Random House (130,500)
86. How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Dr. Seuss. Random House (130,076)
87. Polar Express (30th-anniversary edition). Chris Van Allsburg. HMH (129,205)
88. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. Rachel Ignotofsky. Ten Speed Press (128,351)
89. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (board book). Al Perkins, illus. by Eric Gurney (128,007)
90. Hard Luck (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #8). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (127,670)
91. A Is for Apple. Georgie Birkett. Tiger Tales (125,748)
92. 5-Minute Snuggle Stories. Disney Press (124,952)
93. Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (124,247)
94. Llama Llama Red Pajama (board book). Anna Dewdney. Viking (124,074)
95. Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You (board book). Nancy Tillman. Feiwel and Friends (122,701)
96. Snuggle Puppy: A Little Love Song. Sandra Boynton. Workman (120,497)
97. Letters A B C board book). Priddy (119,845)
98. 5-Minute Little Critter Stories. Mercer Mayer. HarperFestival (116,247)
99. I Am a Big Sister. Caroline Jayne Church. Scholastic/Cartwheel (114,841)
100. Grandma Wishes. Julia Lobo, illus. by Helen Rowe. Cottage Door (114,630)
101. Press Here. Hervé Tullet. Chronicle (113,819)
102. P Is for Potty! (board book). Random House (112,754)
103. This Is Where It Ends. Marieke Nijkamp. Sourcebooks Fire (111,899)
104. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween. Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (111,650)
105. The Sun Is Also a Star. Nicola Yoon. Delacorte (109,279)
106. Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. HMH (108,767)
107. Seuss-isms! A Guide to Life for Those Just Starting Out...and Those Already on Their Way. Dr. Seuss. Random House (108,508)
108. 5-Minute Princess Stories. Disney Press (108,002)
109. 5-Minute Snuggle Stories. Disney Press (107,807)
110. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (106,883)
111. Bedtime Favorites. Disney Press (104,956)
112. Guess How Much I Love You (board book). Sam McBratney, illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick Press (104,097)
113. Waiting Is Not Easy! (An Elephant and Piggie Book). Mo Willems. Disney-Hyperion (104,008)
114. 5-Minute Disney*Pixar Stories. Disney Press (102,036)
115. Charlotte’s Web. E.B. White. HarperCollins (101,729)
116. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (101,252)
117. Mal’s Spell Book (Descendants). Disney Press (101,218)
Paperback Backlist
200,000+
1. Love You Forever. Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (340,410)
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1). J.K Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (306,893)
3. A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet #1). Madeleine L’Engle. Square Fish (288,115)
4. Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook. Scholastic (260,525)
5. The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton. Speak (234,832)
6. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1). Rick Riordan. Disney-Hyperion (221,752)
7. The Giver (Giver Quartet). Lois Lowry. HMH (217,025)
8. A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. HMH (211,751)
100,000+
9. Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes for Kids. Rob Elliott. Revell (189,993)
10. Ghosts. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic//Graphix (179,859)
11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (178,643)
12. Drama. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (177,989)
13. The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls (revised edition). Valorie Schaefer, illus. by Josee Masse. American Girl (172,482)
14. The Book Thief. Markus Zusak. Knopf (168,658)
15. Hatchet. Gary Paulsen. Simon & Schuster (165,660)
16. The One and Only Ivan. Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins (164,837)
17. The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1). Chris Colfer. Little, Brown (163,234)
18. Smile. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (159,860)
19. Pete The Cat: Snow Daze (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins (149,695)
20. Sisters. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (147,889)
21. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (145,971)
22. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (142,449)
23. The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Captain Underpants #1). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (134,259)
24. Rainbow Party! (DreamWorks Trolls). Golden (134,084)
25. Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1). Mary Pope Osborne. Random House (132,810)
26. Room on the Broom. Julia Donaldson, illus. by Axel Sheffler. Puffin (131,982)
27. Bedtime for Peppa (Peppa Pig). Scholastic (130,650)
28. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Sherman Alexie. Little, Brown (126,541)
29. 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Precepts. R.J Palacio. Knopf (125,062)
30. Number the Stars. Lois Lowry. HMH (123,236)
31. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic (121,276)
32. Hollow City (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children #2). Ransom Riggs. Quirk (116,200)
33. Holes. Louis Sachar. Yearling (116,161)
34. Poppy’s Party (DreamWorks Trolls). Frank Berrios. Random House (116,019)
35. Kristy’s Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (115,735)
36. Hidden Figures (young readers’ edition). Margot Lee Shetterly. HarperCollins (115,144)
37. Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (Captain Underpants #2). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (114,717)
38. The Night Before Kindergarten. Natasha Wing, illus. by Julie Durrell. Grosset & Dunlap (114,575)
39. Out of My Mind. Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum (114,297)
40. Time to Be a Hero (PJ Masks). Daphne Pendergrass. Simon Spotlight (112,505)
41. All Paws on Deck! (Paw Patrol). Golden (111,787)
42. Pete the Cat: Scuba-Cat (My First I Can Read!). James Dean. HarperCollins (111,656)
43. The Silver Eyes (Five Nights at Freddy’s #1). Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley. (111,633)
44. National Geographic Kids Almanac 2018. National Geographic Kids (109,189)
45. Where the Red Fern Grows. Wilson Rawls. Yearling (108,355)
46. Red Queen (Red Queen #1). Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen (107,989)
47. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5). J.K. Rowling. Scholastic/Levine (107,640)
48. Puptacular Rescues! (Paw Patrol). Golden (106,980)
49. Pat the Bunny. Dorothy Kunhardt. Golden (104,288)
50. Because of Winn-Dixie. Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick (103,680)
51. Peppa Pig Smiles and Giggles. Parragon (103,237)
52. How to Draw Pokémon. Tracey West. Scholastic (101,666)
53. The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls. Cara Familian Natterson, illus. by Josée Masse. American Girl (101,428)
54. Mad Libs Mania. Mad Libs. Price Stern Sloan (100,235)
