In fifth grade, I once got grounded for reading after midnight. If you have a young reader in your life who just can’t put their books down, we have some new 2024 titles to consider. NPR staffers and critics recommended these (and many, many more) for Books We Love, NPR’s year end book guide.

Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez

The highs and lows of one of the greatest baseball players of all time is told here with a special focus on how Roberto Clemente fought racism throughout his career. The author makes sure not to skimp on fun baseball details, but she also expertly addresses what Clemente had to go through as a professional ballplayer from Puerto Rico, with African roots, living through Jim Crow times. It’s a deft duality. Great writing, beautiful art and worthy of Clemente himself, who said, as captured in the book, “I represent the common people of America. So I am going to be treated like a human being.” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Dear Dad: Growing Up with a Parent in Prison – and How We Stayed Connected by Jay Jay Patton and Antoine Patton with Kiara Valdez, illustrated by Markia Jenai

Forging a relationship with a parent who is incarcerated is a daunting task, but 9-year-old Jay Jay Patton doesn’t have another choice. Jay Jay’s father is in prison and she’s only been able to visit him twice. Hampered by slow mail, expensive collect calls and extreme distance, Jay Jay and her father decide something has to be done. This graphic novel tells the moving story of one family’s determination to connect, no matter what. Dear Dad not only shines a light on an overlooked problem, but also serves as an inspiration to families everywhere. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Deer Run Home by Ann Clare LeZotte

I was unprepared for the power and grace of this remarkable novel in verse. Effie, who is deaf, has no one in her family who uses sign language. When her devastating secret threatens to destroy those closest to her, despair and hope ping-pong back and forth as she endeavors to be heard. This important book, based on a true story, is a testament to friendship, found family and courage. Ann Clare LeZotte’s Deer Run Home stayed with me long after I finished the final sentence. (For ages 10 to 14) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Faker by Gordon Korman

For Trey, working with his dad doesn’t mean changing the oil or raking leaves; it means running cons and scamming people out of money. Trey, his sister and his father have bounced around from scam to scam for as long as Trey can remember, but he’s tired of running. Finally, Trey is at a new school and feels like a part of things, but his new life comes with questions: Is what his dad is doing really OK? If it’s not, what does that make Trey? Gordon Korman offers another middle grade page-turner that will draw in even the most reluctant reader. (For ages 8 to 12) — Juanita Giles, director, Virginia Children’s Book Festival

Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Living in rural Ghana, Sena knows his future depends on his schooling and grades. But when a chance to make money for his family arises, he jumps at it – leading to a situation where he’s essentially enslaved and must escape and find a way back home. An adept adventure tale with nail-biting sequences, this book offers an eye-opening view of Ghana’s beauty and ills. By the time the story becomes a survival tale worthy of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, you’ll never be able to forget the book’s writing or the environmental message at its heart. (For ages 8 to 12) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

Chanel Miller is well known for her New York Times bestselling memoir, Know My Name, which recounts a life-altering sexual assault and its aftermath, including the trial of Brock Turner. Here, Miller finds joy in moving on to a different and far lighter realm of writing. In this debut children’s book, Magnolia Wu is determined to show her new friend, Iris, the great things about living in NYC, and she has the perfect way to do it: an investigation into finding the owners of every missing sock she has collected at her parents’ laundromat. Along the way, Magnolia herself gets an eye-opening peek into her parents’ lives outside their workplace. A thoroughly original take on seeing your immigrant parents anew through the lens of others. (For ages 7 to 11) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Reviewers and critics typically overuse the term “lyrical” when discussing great books, but there are few better appellatives to apply to this canny verse novel. With multilayered aplomb, the story focuses on Isaiah and his friends Drew and Darius. These three love biking, skating and trying to break all kinds of world records, but when an accident claims the life of Darius, Isaiah feels responsible and hopelessly lost. This deft narrative is capable of delving into serious topics, like what happens when grief is compounded by violence, without dragging the book down or ever feeling too heavy. A tale where your redemption is inextricable from forgiving yourself. (For ages 10 and up) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More by G. Neri, illustrated by Corban Wilkin

Take a trip to the coldest, windiest, highest and driest continent in the world. Here, young readers will find answers to every question they’ve ever had about Antarctica – not to mention ones they hadn’t even thought to ask. Who is there now? Why? What do you eat when you’re there? G. Neri’s easygoing narrative reads like a journal, full of cartoons, photos and the occasional mummified seal. Plus, he profiles the many different scientists at work at McMurdo Station with humor, candor and wonder. Just be ready for one inevitable question after reading this book: “Can we go?” (For ages 7 to 10) — Betsy Bird, collection development manager, Evanston Public Library

Olivetti by Allie Millington

I had a young visitor point to my old typewriter and ask, “What’s that?” In Olivetti, Ernest’s mother goes missing and – are you ready? – he and his mom’s beloved typewriter conspire to find her. So much is at stake in this unique and wholly captivating mystery. Memories are lost, then found, and new ones made along the way in this tender novel. The next time a kid asks me about my typewriter, I will offer them Allie Millington’s book and say, “Here, I’ll let the typewriter tell you all about what it is.” (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back by Ruth Chan

Thirteen-year-old Ruth Chan isn’t just moving — she’s “moving across the world.” This heartbreaking, funny and insightful memoir captures the angst and apprehension of forging a new life in a new country. With Ruth leaving her beloved Toronto behind and landing in Hong Kong, uncertainties and anxiety threaten to crush her. Uprooted’s expressive art perfectly captures her emotions and wit. This irrepressible graphic novel will have you rooting for Ruth as she eventually embraces her new life, while still cherishing her old one. (For ages 8 to 12) — Lisa Yee, author of The Misfits #1 – A Royal Conundrum

This is just a fraction of the 350+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 12 years.

When Billie Eilish first hit the music scene as a teenager, she captivated audiences with her soft, whispery voice. Her 2019 debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which was produced by her brother, Finneas O’Connell, won Grammys for best record, album, song and new artist.

Billie assumed that would be the voice she’d sing with for years to come: “I thought it was going to be soft, and my range wasn’t going to be very big, and I wasn’t ever going to be able to belt, and I wasn’t ever going to be able to have much of a chest mix in my voice,” she says.

Then, two years ago, Billie began working with a music teacher, which she hadn’t done since she was a kid in the choir.

“It has honestly changed my life,” she says of the lessons. “My voice has just gotten 10 times better in the last two years. … I didn’t really know before I started working with a teacher again that you can always get better and you can train.”

Billie and Finneas have been writing songs and recording together since she was 13, and he was 18. At the time, both were being homeschooled, and songwriting was part of the curriculum.

“Our mom had us go home and watch something on TV or read something and just write down any interesting words that we see, or an interesting sentence and then … try to make a song out of what [we] wrote,” Billie says.

For Finneas, making music with his younger sister meant he always had a “guinea pig” available: “I was an amateur producer trying my best to record anyone. Billie, as a 13 year old who’d basically never sung into a microphone at all, obliged. And it was kind of a good match,” he says.

Finneas produces his own music, and he also produced and co-wrote the songs on Billie’s latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which is up for six Grammys. Nearly a decade into their collaboration, with seven top-10 hits, several Grammys and two Oscars, Billie and Finneas are still partners, finding new ways of pushing and supporting each other.

Interview highlights

On writing music for his teen sister instead of for his band

Finneas: Billie and I’ve always gotten along great. I’m sure being homeschooled impacted that because we had a relationship that might have been more three dimensional than if we were in separate grades and saw each other a little bit on the weekend. … We spent a lot of time together having nuanced conversations. That’s part number one in terms of wanting to spend time with her.

Number two is she had a really beautiful voice. And so I think even in addition to liking her as a presence in my life, I saw her talent and respected her talent.

On finding comfort in her teenage fanbase because of how isolating fame was as a teen

Billie: When I became famous-ish at 14, it was not a good time in terms of keeping friendships. I think when you’re 14, that’s kind of an age where friendships are already kind of rocky. And also all my friends did go to school, so they were all going to high school and your relationships are kind of already rocky right then. And suddenly I had no way of relating to anyone. And I kind of lost all my friends. I maintained a couple, but those were really challenging to keep even still. And so for those few years of becoming this enormous superstar, I was kind of feeling like, “Wait, what the hell is the point? I don’t have any friends and I’m losing all the things that I love so deeply and all the people that I love.” And so, in a way, the fans kind of saved me, because they were my age and I felt like they were the only kind of friends I had for a while.

On having a teen audience as Billie’s older brother

Finneas: I’m four years older, so I would say that I didn’t have much of a kind of a feeling one way or the other about the age or gender of the predominant audience. I had a real sense of gratitude for their enthusiasm. And the audience that was coming to the shows that Billie was playing couldn’t have been more engaged and enthusiastic.

On modeling her stage presence more after male performers

Billie: I think a lot of women go through the feeling of just envying men in … one way or the other. And for me, I would watch videos of different male performers on stage and just feel this, like, deep sadness in my body that I’ll never be able to take my shirt off on stage and run around and like, not try very hard and just jump around on stage and that’s enough and have enough energy from just myself with no backup dancers and no huge stage production and the crowd will still love me. And only a man can do that.

And because of that, I think more than almost anything else in my career, I was very, very, very determined to kind of prove that thought wrong — and I really did. I really feel like I did. I didn’t like the kind of pop-girl leotard, backup dancers, hair done thing. I didn’t like that, for me. I liked it for other people, but that didn’t resonate with me. I never saw myself in those people. And honestly, I never saw myself in any women that I saw on stage, but I did see myself in the men that I saw on stage, and I thought that was unfair. And so I did everything that I could to kind of try to break that within myself and the industry. And I’m not saying I’m the only person that’s ever done that at all. But for me, that was really important.
 
On her baggy clothes being inspired by men in hip-hop

Billie: I would watch [hip-hop] videos and instead of being jealous of the women who get to be around the hot men, I would be jealous of the hot men. And I wanted to be them and I wanted to dress like them and I wanted to be able to act like them. And to be fair, I had all sorts of women that I looked up to and artists that are the reason that I am who I am. …

My favorite singers are all old jazz singers that I’ve always looked up to, and I’m always forcing people to watch videos of Ella Fitzgerald singing live and Julie London singing live. And Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson and all these people. We were watching these videos and every single one, of course, because of that period of time, they’re all wearing dresses, they’re all wearing tight, corseted, maybe, dresses with their hair done. But … that’s part of how things were then. And so thank God that those women came before me because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to do anything.

Finneas and Billie Eilish won the Best Original Song Oscar in 2024 for “What Was I Made For?,” from the film Barbie.

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

On having family support

Finneas: I was making music with Billie in my bedroom and trying my best. And [Billie] was kind about it. She was like, “I like that.” She liked the songs I was writing. She liked “Ocean Eyes,” I think that I got so much positive reinforcement when I really needed it, you know?

When I find out people have had careers in the arts, when they were actively discouraged, and when you hear somebody say, “Man, my mom hated my voice,” or something like that, I’m always kind of blown away because to me, I had enough self-doubt and enough imposter syndrome that that if anyone had said, “You’re not very good,” I would have been like, “Correct. I agree.” Let me stop doing this now. And it really took people like Billie and people like my friend Frank to be like, “No, no, no, you’re better than you think you are,” to kind of give me the confidence that I needed.

On studying songwriting as a part of their homeschooling

Billie: Something that I think has always helped in songwriting, is giving yourself permission to write a bad song, because the more you do it, the better you get. … I think that sometimes you have this high expectation for yourself and you’re like, “No, no, no, it has to be really good.” But you can’t just sit down and make something perfect immediately every time you have to try and fail. And that was something that was really hard for me. I’m not good at patience and I’m not good at not being good at something until I am. I want to be really good immediately. Something that helped me a lot is just allowing myself to not be amazing and just make something to make it and not worry if it’s good.

On the validation that fans relate to her lyrics

Billie: My favorite is when we put a song out people are like, “How did she know I was feeling this? Where is she hiding in my room … to write this song that’s exactly my life?” I think that’s like one of the most magical parts about music. And I’ve had that as a fan, too. And Finneas has too. You hear a song and you’re like, “Oh my God, this is exactly my situation. How could that be?” But it’s just that it can be because we’re just all suffering together — and it’s nice to know that you’re not alone in that.

Thea Chaloner and Susan Nyakundi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Jacob Ganz adapted it for the web.