Reading children’s books has to be a priority for writers in this genre. We need to know what children want to read or why a book is selling. Some of the best books I read this year did not make some of the lists. But here are a few that did.
The NY Times top-selling children books had only one book I have read this year: “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” by Kelly Barnhill. 
I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads and you can read my review of it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2357366254?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
You can also see the full list of books that made the top of NY Times Bestsellers:
From Goodreads Best Middle Grade & Children’s for 2018 the top of the list was “The Burning Maze” by Rick Riordan. A lot of my favorite authors made it on this list. You can see the full list here:
https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-childrens-books-2018
Commonsense media is anotherplace where you can find the top children’s books for the year. One book I have added to my read list (maybe because I really like this author and met him once in person) is by Matt de la Pena called “Carmella Full of Wishes”. His writing is full of emotion, which makes it is hard not to get swept up into the characters lives. See the full list here:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/best-kids-books-of-2018
What books were your favorite from this year? Comment below what books did not make the list.
And read some great books this coming new year!
writersobsession
Writing Tips for Beginners 