Our 2024 Facts and Figures compilation of children’s and YA bestsellers includes a wide variety of titles, dominated by middle grade graphic novel series, YA thrillers and romance, and evergreen picture book favorites. 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.
The dynamic duo of Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney ruled the roost in the Frontlist Hardcover category, with new releases of their mega-selling series grabbing the top three spots. Pilkey’s The Scarlet Shedder (Dog Man #12) sold just under 1.3 million copies, the biggest number for a children’s book last year. Elsewhere in middle grade, a new Percy Jackson adventure put Rick Riordan back on the charts, with 258,000 copies sold, and Katherine Rundell won awards for her fantasy trilogy’s first book, Impossible Creatures, which sold almost 210,000 copies. On the YA front, Lauren Roberts may have written a trilogy called Powerless, but it made a powerful showing in 2024, with the first two books selling more than 500,000 copies combined. Other YA powerhouses included Holly Jackson’s The Reappearance of Rachel Price; Skyshade, the third book in Alex Aster’s Lightlark Saga; Nothing Like the Movies, the sequel to Lynn Painter’s bestselling Better Than the Movies; and The Grandest Game, which kicked off a spinoff series to Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s Inheritance Games books.
High-profile sequels to teen bestsellers were the standouts in Paperback Frontlist, with If Only I Had Told Her by Laura Nowlin, sequel to If He Had Been with Me, topping the list with nearly 700,000 copies sold; The Ballad of Never After, the follow-up to Stephanie Garber’s Once Upon a Broken Heart, also charted, as did Five Survive by teen thriller queen Holly Jackson. And the animated film of Peter Brown’s The Wild Robot, with its trio of Oscar nominations, catapulted a tie-in edition of his 2016 novel onto the list.
Tried and true favorites, as in previous years, dominated the Hardcover Backlist category, such as Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Swifties proved their enduring love for the pop icon by buying more than half a million copies of 2023’s Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography.
And YA favorites were at the top of the Paperback Backlist chart, led by Laura Nowlin’s If He Had Been with Me (along with its frontlist sequel, the two books sold a combined 1.4 million); A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson; and Lightlark, which launched Alex Aster’s series. Other mainstays include The Night Before Kindergarten, Holes, Love You Forever, Charlotte’s Web, The Lightning Thief, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and One of Us Is Lying. —Diane Roback
Hardcover Frontlist
500,000+
1. The Scarlet Shedder (Dog Man #12). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (1,273,926)
2. Hot Mess (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #19). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (765,287)
3. Big Jim Begins (Dog Man #13). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (664,819)
200,000+
4. Reckless (The Powerless Trilogy #2). Lauren Roberts. Simon & Schuster (313,245)
5. Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #7). Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion (258,570)
6. Christmas at Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling, illus. by Ziyi Gao. Scholastic. (251,823)
7. Impossible Creatures. Katherine Rundell, illus. by Ashley Mackenzie. Knopf (209,297)
8. Powerful: A Powerless Story. Lauren Roberts. Simon & Schuster (204,001)
100,000+
9. Ms. Rachel and the Special Surprise. Ms. Rachel, illus. by Monique Dong. Random House (185,736)
10. Little Blue Truck Feeling Happy (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (154,857)
11. The Reappearance of Rachel Price. Holly Jackson. Delacorte (146,091)
12. The One and Only Family. Katherine Applegate. HarperCollins (134,007)
13. Bluey and Bingo. Grace Baranowski. Studio Fun International (128,590)
14. Skyshade (The Lightlark Saga #3). Alex Aster. Abrams/Amulet (125,136)
15. Bluey: Grannies and Other Stories. Penguin Young Readers (113,567)
16. Nothing Like the Movies. Lynn Painter. Simon & Schuster (113,276)
17. Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (board book). Grace Baranowski. Studio Fun International (111,943)
18. Bluey: Hooray, It’s Easter! (board book). Penguin Young Readers (108,595)
19. Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho. William Boniface, illus. by Julien Chung. Beach Lane (106,721)
20. The Grandest Game. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown (101,832)
Paperback Frontlist
100,000+
1. If Only I Had Told Her. Laura Nowlin. Sourcebooks Fire (692,840)
2. Who Is Taylor Swift? Kirsten Anderson, illus. by Gregory Copeland. Penguin Workshop (260,409)
3. Super Duper Extra Deluxe Essential Handbook (Pokémon). Scholastic. (163,294)
4. The Wild Robot (media tie-in). Peter Brown. Little, Brown (140,606)
5. Bluey and Bingo. Grace Baranowski. Studio Fun International (128,590)
6. Waverider (Amulet #9). Kazu Kibuishi. Scholastic/Graphix (126,460)
7. Kristy and the Walking Disaster (The Baby-Sitters Club #16). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Ellen T. Crenshaw. Scholastic/Graphix (125,856)
8. The Ballad of Never After. Stephanie Garber. Flatiron (112,682)
9. Five Survive. Holly Jackson. Random House/Ember (111,551)
10. Escaping Peril (Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #8). Tui T. Sutherland, illus. by Mike Holmes. Scholastic/Graphix (110,477)
11. Karen’s Sleepover (Baby-Sitters Little Sister #8). Ann M. Martin, illus. by Katy Farina. Scholastic/Graphix (110,052)
12. Bluey: Butterflies. Penguin Young Readers (102,162)
Hardcover Backlist
400,000+
1. Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Dr. Seuss. Random House (606,491)
2, Taylor Swift: A Little Golden Book Biography. Wendy Loggia, illus. by Elisa Chavarri. Golden Books (582,037)
3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (board book). Bill Martin, illus. by Eric Carle. Holt (548,168)
4. Powerless. Lauren Roberts. Simon & Schuster (536,147)
5. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (board book). Eric Carle. Philomel (520,167)
6. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (board book). Bill Martin and John Archambault, illus. by Lois Ehlert. Little Simon (464,053)
7. I Love You to the Moon and Back (board book). Amelia Hepworth, illus. by Tim Warnes. Tiger Tales (441,113)
300,000+
8. I Love You Like No Otter (board book). Rose Rossner, illus. by Sydney Hanson. Sourcebooks Wonderland (378,473)
9. You’re My Little Cuddle Bug (board book). Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (369,160)
10. Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss. Random House (359,511)
11. No Brainer (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #18). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (341,795)
12. Bluey 5-Minute Stories. Penguin Young Readers (333,538)
13. Guess How Much I Love You (board book). Sam McBratney, illus. by Anita Jeram. Candlewick (317,654)
14. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Dr. Seuss. Random House (316,371)
15. The Rainbow Fish (board book). Marcus Pfister. NorthSouth (309,988)
200,000+
16. Where’s Spot? (board book). Eric Hill. Warne (289,714)
17. World of Eric Carle: Around the Farm Sound Book. PI Kids (282,967)
18. Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (Dog Man #11). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (272,251)
19. Influencers (Cat Kid Comic Club #5). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (264,818)
20. You’re My Little Baby (board book). Eric Carle. Little Simon (259,833)
21. Llama Llama Red Pajama (board book). Anna Dewdney. Viking (245,181)
22. Love You Forever (board book). Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (231,969)
23. The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Emily Winfield Martin. Random House (228,511)
24. Bluey: Sleepytime. Joe Brumm. Penguin Young Readers (227,721)
25. First 100 Words (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (226,722)
26. Welcome Little One (board book). Sandra Magsamen. Sourcebooks Wonderland (219,430)
27. Dragons Love Tacos. Adam Rubin, illus. by Daniel Salmieri. Dial (217,321)
28. The Giving Tree. Shel Silverstein. HarperCollins (217,071)
29. Grumpy Monkey (board book). Suzanne Lang, illus. by Max Lang. Random House Studio (216,789)
30. Divine Rivals. Rebecca Ross. Wednesday (214,992)
31. Gravity Falls: Journal 3. Alex Hirsch. Disney Press (211,933)
32. It’s Not Easy Being a Bunny. Marilyn Sadler, illus. by Roger Bollen. Random House (208,803)
33. Moo, Baa, La La La! (1982 board book). Sandra Boynton. Simon & Schuster/Boynton Bookworks (207,750)
34. A Is for Apple (board book). Illus. by Georgie Birkett. Tiger Tales (207,712)
35. See, Touch, Feel (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (206,816)
36. The Chalice of the Gods (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #6). Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion (205,140)
37. Happy Birthday to You! Dr. Seuss. Random House (203,243)
38. You’re My Little Sunshine (board book). Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (201,938)
100,000+
39. All About Bluey (board book). Penguin Young Readers (197,432)
40. The Going to Bed Book (board book). Sandra Boynton. Simon & Schuster/Boynton Bookworks (196,292)
41. The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss. Random House (195,838)
42. Corduroy (board book). Don Freeman. Viking (194,516)
43. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (191,321)
44. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (board book). Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle (185,638)
45. Noisy Farm (board book). Tiger Tales (185,185)
46. Baby Race (Bluey). Golden Books. (181,732)
47. The Wild Robot Protects (The Wild Robot #3). Peter Brown. Little, Brown (175,393)
48. The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs. America’s Test Kitchen Kids. Sourcebooks Explore (174,841)
49. Baby Touch and Feel: Animals (board book). DK. (173,271)
50. Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Say Good Night (board book). Tiger Tales, illus. by Sanja Rescek. Tiger Tales (170,533)
51. Oh, Baby, the Places You’ll Go! Tish Rabe. Random House (170,320)
52. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Laura Joffe Numeroff, illus. by Felicia Bond. HarperCollins (168,875)
53. Babies Love Colors (board book). Michelle Rhodes-Conway, illus. by Fhiona Galloway. Cottage Door (167,708)
54. Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2). Rebecca Ross. Wednesday (166,580)
55. Noisy Baby Animals (board book). Patricia Hegarty. Tiger Tales (165,677)
56. You’re My Little Christmas Cookie (board book). Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (164,291)
57. 8 Little Planets (board book). Chris Ferrie, illus. by Lizzy Doyle. Sourcebooks Explore (164,060)
58. Little Blue Truck (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (163,972)
59. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (159,209)
60. Dear Zoo (board book). Rod Campbell. Little Simon (157,154)
61. Why a Daughter Needs a Dad. Gregory E. Lang and Susanna Leonard Hill, illus. by Sydney Hanson. Sourcebooks Wonderland (156,043)
62. The Pout-Pout Fish (board book). Deborah Diesen, illus. by Dan Hanna. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (155,537)
63. The Day the Crayons Quit. Drew Daywalt, illus. by Oliver Jeffers. Philomel (151,765)
64. How to Catch a Dinosaur. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (150,628)
65. The Polar Express. Chris Van Allsburg. Clarion (149,887)
66. Mothering Heights (Dog Man #10). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (149,067)
67. Giraffes Can’t Dance (board book). Giles Andreae, illus. by Guy Parker-Rees. Scholastic/Cartwheel (147,228)
68. Barnyard Dance! (board book). Sandra Boynton. Simon & Schuster/Boynton Bookworks (145,434)
69. Are You My Mother? (board book). P.D. Eastman. Random House (144,366)
70. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss. Random House (143,950)
71. Hello, Baby Animals (board book). Duopress Labs. Sourcebooks/Duopress (143,460)
72. Fox in Socks. Dr. Seuss. Random House (143,097)
73. Go, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman. Random House (141,467)
74. For Whom the Ball Rolls (Dog Man #7). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (140,878)
75. Little Blue Truck’s Springtime (board book). Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (139,740)
76. Snuggle Puppy! (board book). Sandra Boynton. Simon & Schuster/Boynton Bookworks (139,332)
77. Dr. Seuss’s ABC. Dr. Seuss. Random House (139,170)
78. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins (138,124)
79. Diper Överlöde (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #17). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (137,985)
80. Itsy Bitsy Spider (board book). Emily Bannister. Silver Dolphin (137,495)
81. Dog Man. Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (136,582)
82. Never Touch a Dinosaur! (board book). Rosie Greening. Make Believe Ideas (135,665)
83. Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! Dr. Seuss. Random House (135,326)
84. You’re My Little Baby Boo (board book). Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (135,127)
85. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rick Bunsen. Golden Books (134,755)
86. Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (133,864)
87. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh! Mo Willems. Union Square (133,311)
88. Wonder. R.J. Palacio. Knopf (133,149)
89. How to Catch Santa Claus. Alice Walstead, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (131,367)
90. How to Catch an Elf. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (131,305)
91. Little Blue Truck’s Valentine. Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (129,715)
92. Moo, Baa, Fa La La La La! (2022 board book). Sandra Boynton. Simon & Schuster/Boynton Bookworks (129,271)
93. Meet Bluey’s Friends (board book). Meredith Rusu. Penguin Young Readers (127,321)
94. P Is for Potty! (board book). Naomi Kleinberg, illus. by Christopher Moroney. Random House (125,681)
95. Elf on the Shelf (blue-eyed girl). Carol V. Aebersold et al. CCA&B (124,817)
96. How to Catch a Unicorn. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (123,335)
97. Dog Man Unleashed (Dog Man #2). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (122,402)
98. Sesame Street: Potty Time with Elmo (board book). Kelli Kaufmann. PI Kids (122,002)
99. Peek-a Who? (board book). Nina Laden. Chronicle (121,774)
100. A Tale of Two Kitties (Dog Man #3). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (121,506)
101. Are You My Mother? P.D. Eastman. Random House (121,498)
102. My First I See You (board book). Eric Carle. Little Simon (119,563)
103. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? (board book). Jane Yolen, illus. by Mark Teague. Scholastic/Blue Sky (119,230)
104. You’re My Little Honey Bunny (board book). Nicola Edwards, illus. by Natalie Marshall. Silver Dolphin (115,578)
105. Everything Is MAMA (board book). Jimmy Fallon, illus. by Miguel Ordóñez. Feiwel and Friends (115,308)
106. In My Heart: A Book of Feelings. Jo Witek, illus. by Christine Roussey. Abrams (114,099)
107. There’s No Place Like Space! All About Our Solar System. Tish Rabe, illus. by Aristides Ruiz. Random House (113,715)
108. The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised ed.). Jeff Kinney. Abrams/Amulet (111,760)
109. Bluey: All About Bingo (board book). Penguin Young Readers (111,716)
110. Fetch-22 (Dog Man #8). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (110,896)
111. Nightbane (The Lightlark Saga #2). Alex Aster. Abrams/Amulet (110,856)
112. It’s Better Being a Bunny. Marilyn Sadler, illus. by Tim Bowers. Random House (110,545)
113. If Animals Kissed Good Night (board book). Ann Whitford Paul, illus. by David Walker. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (110,350)
114. Lord of the Fleas (Dog Man #5). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (108,312)
115. World of Eric Carle: Hear Bear Roar Sound Book. PI Kids (108,220)
116. The Book with No Pictures. B.J. Novak. Rocky Pond (107,862)
117. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney). Lauren Clauss. Random House/Disney (107,206)
118. Noisy Dinosaurs (board book). Jonathan Litton. Tiger Tales (106,603)
119. How to Catch a Monster. Adam Wallace, illus. by Andy Elkerton. Sourcebooks Wonderland (105,671)
120. The Leaf Thief. Alice Hemming, illus. by Nicola Slater. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (105,426)
121. Construction Site: Merry and Bright. Sherri Duskey Rinker, illus. by AG Ford. Chronicle (105,147)
122. Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man #4). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (104,993)
123. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling, illus. by Jim Kay. Scholastic (104,744)
124. The Big Cheese. Jory John, illus. by Pete Oswald. HarperCollins (104,368)
125. Little Red Sleigh. Erin Guendelsberger, illus. by Elizaveta Tretyakova. Sourcebooks Wonderland (104,051)
126. Hop on Pop. Dr. Seuss. Random House (104,018)
127. Collaborations (Cat Kid Comic Club #4). Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix (103,342)
128. Puppy Birthday to You! (Paw Patrol). Tex Huntley, illus. by Fabrizio Petrossi. Golden Books (102,791)
129. Night Night Farm (board book). Roger Priddy. Priddy (101,941)
130. Boo! Bluey’s Halloween (board book). Penguin Young Readers (101,904)
131. The Christmas Story. Jane Werner Watson. Golden Books (101,703)
132. The Night Before Christmas. Clement C. Moore, illus. by Corinne Malvern. Golden Books (101,664)
133. See You Later, Alligator. Sally Hopgood, illus. by Emma Levey. Skyhorse/Sky Pony (101,464)
134. Diggersaurs (board book). Michael Whaite. Random House (100,972)
135. What Should Danny Do? Adir Levy and Ganit Levy, illus. by Mat Sadler. Elon (100,367)
136. Good Night, Little Blue Truck. Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (100,249)
137. Super Mario Little Golden Book. Golden (100,236)
Paperback Backlist
200,000+
1. If He Had Been with Me. Laura Nowlin. Sourcebooks Fire (706,562)
2. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Holly Jackson. Random House/Ember (439,981)
3. Lightlark. Alex Aster. Abrams/Amulet (249,812)
4. Where’s Bluey? Penguin Young Readers (239,698)
5. The Night Before Kindergarten. Natasha Wing, illus. by Julie Durrell. Grosset & Dunlap (236,475)
6. Holes. Louis Sachar. Random House/Yearling (225,435)
7. Love You Forever. Robert Munsch, illus. by Sheila McGraw. Firefly (220,904)
8. The Wild Robot Escapes (The Wild Robot #2). Peter Brown. Little, Brown (212,664)
9. Charlotte’s Web. E.B. White. HarperCollins (207,700)
10. The Inheritance Games. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown (205,777)
11. A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole (Sourcebooks/Bloom) 205,110
12. Once Upon a Broken Heart. Stephanie Garber. Flatiron (204,138)
100,000+
13. 96 Facts About Taylor Swift. Arie Kaplan, illus. by Risa Rodil. Grosset & Dunlap (196,523)
14. What Do You Say, Little Blue Truck? Alice Schertle, illus. by Jill McElmurry. Clarion (193,135)
15. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1). Rick Riordan. Disney Hyperion (178,542)
16. Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh (Sourcebooks/Bloom) 178,155
17. Caraval. Stephanie Garber. Flatiron (178,112)
18. Shatter Me. Tahereh Mafi. HarperCollins (152,010)
19. The Summer I Turned Pretty. Jenny Han. Simon & Schuster (145,504)
20. One of Us Is Lying. Karen M. McManus. Delacorte (139,858)
21. Bluey: Grannies. Penguin Young Readers (138,737)
22. Bluey: Camping. Penguin Young Readers (136,811)
23. The Summer of Broken Rules. K.L. Walther. Sourcebooks Fire (131,974)
24. Kindergarten, Here I Come! D.J. Steinberg, illus. by Mark Chambers. Grosset & Dunlap (127,505)
25. Because of Winn-Dixie. Kate DiCamillo. Candlewick (126,547)
26. Indestructibles: Hello, Farm! Amy Pixton. Workman (121,176)
27. The Naturals. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown (120,388)
28. The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire Graphic Novel #1). Tui T. Sutherland, illus. by Mike Holmes. Scholastic/Graphix (114,865)
29. Fazbear Frights Graphic Novel Collection Vol. 4 (Five Nights at Freddy’s Graphic Novel #7). Scott Cawthon. Scholastic/Graphix (112,603)
30.The Wonky Donkey. Craig Smith, illus. by Katz Cowley. Scholastic (111,233)
31. Esperanza Rising. Pam Muñoz Ryan. Scholastic Press (109,942)
32. Where the Red Fern Grows. Wilson Rawls. Random House/Yearling (108,629)
33. Keeping 13. Chloe Walsh. Sourcebooks/Bloom (107,142)
34. The Haunting. Natasha Preston. Delacorte (106,138)
35. Where’s Waldo? Martin Handford. Candlewick (103,786)
36. Out of My Mind. Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum (102,358)
37. Smile. Raina Telgemeier. Scholastic/Graphix (101,253)
