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      2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Winners

      Browse the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year winners and nominees by category. Each category starts with the winner, followed by nominees and other recognized titles.

      Kirkus Best Books of the Year Awarded by Kirkus 40 categories shown

      This page collects the full 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year results in one place. Each category starts with the winner, followed by the nominees, so readers can scan the results quickly.

      Beginning Readers

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Beginning Readers category.

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      Book Club Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Book Club Fiction category.

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      Debut Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Debut Fiction category.

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      Dystopian Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Dystopian Fiction category.

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      Empowering Picture Books

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Empowering Picture Books category.

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      Broken

      Fang, X.

      Standalone · General Fiction

      Oct-2025 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year *

      Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Fiction category.

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      Fiction in Translation

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Fiction in Translation category.

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      Fictional Families

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Fictional Families category.

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      Fictional Voices

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Fictional Voices category.

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      Funniest Picture Books

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Funniest Picture Books category.

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      Historical Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction category.

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      Middle Grade Exploring Social Themes

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle Grade Exploring Social Themes category.

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      Middle-Grade Family Stories

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Family Stories category.

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      Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF category.

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      Middle-Grade Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Fiction category.

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      Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction category.

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      Oasis

      Guojing

      Standalone · General Fiction

      Feb-2025 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year *

      Middle-Grade Historical Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Historical Fiction category.

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      Middle-Grade Mystery & Thriller

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Mystery & Thriller category.

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      Middle-Grade Poetry & Verse Novels

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Middle-Grade Poetry & Verse Novels category.

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      Mysteries and Thrillers

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Mysteries and Thrillers category.

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      Picture Books

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books category.

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      Picture Books About Nature

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books About Nature category.

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      Picture Books Celebrating Community

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books Celebrating Community category.

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      Picture Books Celebrating Family

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books Celebrating Family category.

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      Picture Books for Animal Lovers

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books for Animal Lovers category.

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      Picture Books for Starting Conversations

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture Books for Starting Conversations category.

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      Picture-Book Biographies

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture-Book Biographies category.

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      Picture-Book Read-Alouds

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Picture-Book Read-Alouds category.

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      Romance

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Romance category.

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      Chaos

      Fay, Constance

      Uncharted Hearts Series · Book 3 · Contemporary Romance

      Mar-2025 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year *

      Science Fiction and Fantasy

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Science Fiction and Fantasy category.

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      Short Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Short Fiction category.

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      YA Fantasy and SF

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Fantasy and SF category.

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      YA Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Fiction category.

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      YA Graphic Novels

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Graphic Novels category.

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      YA Historical Fiction

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Historical Fiction category.

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      YA Horror

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Horror category.

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      YA Mystery and Thriller

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Mystery and Thriller category.

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      YA Reads About Family and Community

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Reads About Family and Community category.

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      YA Romance

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Romance category.

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      YA Verse Novels

      Winner and nominees for the 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year YA Verse Novels category.

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      (S)Kin

      Zoboi, Ibi

      Standalone · Science Fiction / Fantasy

      Feb-2025 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year *

      Browse Award Categories

      YA Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fiction Archive Debut Fiction Archive YA Fantasy and SF Archive Picture Books Celebrating Family Archive Book Club Fiction Archive Short Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF Archive Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction Archive Mysteries and Thrillers Archive Historical Fiction Archive Romance Archive

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