Best Middle-Grade Realism of 2014

by Varian Johnson

The elaborate bait and switch of this fast-paced, funny caper novel will surprise its readers as much as the victims.... Full review >

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by Christopher Paul Curtis

Beautiful storytelling as only Curtis can do it. Full review >

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by Loïc Dauvillier ; illustrated by Marc Lizano ; Greg Salsedo

No book can sum up all of the Holocaust, but this graphic novel seems to contain every possible human emotion. Remarkably,... Full review >

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by Sarah Ellis

More than a thoughtful ode to found family, this slim, sweet novel challenges readers to look anew at the ones they have. Full review >

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by Jack Gantos

Dark, funny and pawzzz-i-tively brilliant. Full review >

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by Kwame Alexander

Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. Full review >

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by Kirby Larson

This emotionally satisfying and thought-provoking book will have readers pulling for Mitsi and Dash. Full review >

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by Benny Lindelauf ; illustrated by Dasha Tolstikova ; translated by John Nieuwenhuizen

A challenging and entirely unique Dutch import. Full review >

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by Elizabeth Mann

Exceptional. Full review >

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by Ann M. Martin

There is no fluff here, just sophisticated, emotionally honest storytelling. (Fiction. 8-12) Full review >

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by Andrea Davis Pinkney ; illustrated by Shane W. Evans

A soulful story that captures the magic of possibility, even in difficult times. (author’s note, illustrator’s note,... Full review >

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by Megan Jean Sovern

More than an issue novel, Sovern’s debut will be a boon to kids coping with a parent’s illness or the unpredictability of... Full review >

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by Joke van Leeuwen ; illustrated by Joke van Leeuwen ; translated by Bill Nagelkerke

A brilliant, eerily engrossing evocation of war as it brushes up against youth—a harsh slice of the world during a mean... Full review >

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by Beth Vrabel

Lucy’s perfectly feisty narration, the emotionally resonant situations and the importance of the topic all elevate this... Full review >

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by Deborah Wiles

Fifty years later, 1960s words and images still sound and resound in this triumphant middle volume of the author’s Sixties... Full review >

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by Brenda Woods

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