Mrs. Fay's Top 10 Picks for Middle Readers Grades 3-5

Barbed Wire Baseball. Moss, Marissa. Illus. by Yuko Shimizu. Abrams 

Set in the internment camps of WWII, beautiful Japanese-style ink-and-calligraphy illustrations bring to life the story of Kenichi  Zenimura, the father of Japanese-American baseball.

Battling Boy. Pope, Paul. Illus. by the author. First Second 

In this explosive homage to superhero stories of yesteryear, the children of godlike beings are Acropolis's best hope for defeating supervillain Sinestro. The start of a trilogy.

The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible...on Schindler's List. Leyson, Leon. illus. Atheneum

Leon Leyson, the youngest person saved by Oskar Schindler, memorably describes the Krakow ghetto, the Nazi factory where he worked, and his life in the U.S. after the war.

Doll Bones. Black, Holly. Margaret K. McElderry 

In a distinctive coming-of-age tale, three friends set out on a life-altering quest driven by the presence of a sinister china doll that haunts their dreams and waking hours. (A 2014 Newbery Honor Book)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Grabenstein, Chris.  Random

After notorious gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello designs the town library, Kyle and 11 kids are locked inside overnight and won’t be free until they solve a series of puzzles based on famous books. Quirky and fun.

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures. DiCamillo, Kate. Illus. by K. G. Campbell. Candlewick 

In this homage to comic books, natural-born cynic Flora Belle Buckman and Ulysses, a flying, poetry-writing squirrel, join forces to overcome Ulysses’ arch-nemesis, encountering a cast of quirky characters. (The 2014 Newbery Medal Book)

The Great American Dust Bowl. Brown, Don. Illus. by the author. Houghton 

Employing graphic novel format, Don Brown paints a vivid and startling picture of the 10-year span of dust storms that devastated the Midwest, and explores the human causes of this environmental disaster.

Lincoln's Grave Robbers. Sheinkin, Steve.  Scholastic 

A thrilling account of a brazen plan by desperate counterfeiters to steal the body of Abraham Lincoln and use it as ransom for the  release of a fellow felon.

Look Up! Bird-Watching in Your Own Backyard. Cate, Annette LeBlanc. Illus. by the author. Candlewick

This spirited, accessible introduction to the art and science of birding features immersive, fact-filled cartoon art punctuated with tongue-in-beak bird commentary via word bubbles and humorous asides. (A 2014 Sibert Honor Book)

Soldier Dog. Angus, Sam.  Feiwel and Friends

During World War I, 14-year old Stanley becomes one of the first “keepers” of Britain’s Messenger Dog Service, training two beloved dogs with whom he endures the horrors of trench warfare.

Reference:  "2014 Notable Children's Books." Association for Library Service to Children. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 22 July 2014.