Monthly Special
Heroes

Picture Books | Intermediate Fiction
Young Adult Fiction | Folklore | Nonfiction
 

The books recommended below were published within the last several years. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.

Picture Books
Suggested grade level listed for each entry

Traction Man Is Here! written and illustrated by Mini Grey (Knopf)
The title’s handsome, square-jawed action figure, uniformed in “dazzle-painted battle pants,” takes on many risky assignments — until Granny sidelines him with a knit outfit unbefitting his dignity. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

SuperHero ABC written and illustrated by Bob McLeod (HarperCollins)
Alliteratively described superheroes leap off each eye-popping page, alike only in their desire to do good in alphabetical order. Grade level: Preschool. 40 pages.

New York’s Bravest written by Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (Knopf)
Based on a mid-nineteenth-century local legend, Mose, a firefighter and tall-tale hero, lives on after his disappearance in this feel-good sermon on why heroes never die. Grade level: K–3. 32 pages.

Intermediate Fiction
Suggested grade level for each entry: 4–6

Miranda the Great written by Eleanor Estes, illustrated by Edward Ardizzone (Harcourt)
When barbarians sack Rome during the reign of Nero, Miranda, a cat, strives to get her daughter to safety and ends up leading all the homeless cats to the Colosseum. 89 pages.

Gregor the Overlander; Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane; Gregor and the Curse of the Warm-bloods; Gregor and the Marks of Secret; Gregor and the Code of Claw (Scholastic)
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
Eleven-year-old Gregor discovers that he is a warrior destined to save the Underland from giant rats and embarks on various quests to fulfill this prophecy.

Questors by Joan Lennon (McElderry)
Three plucky children from different worlds learn they’re siblings who were born for a purpose: to reestablish the balance of their worlds. 359 pages.

Young Adult Fiction
Suggested grade level for each entry: 7 and up

Hero by Perry Moore (Hyperion)
Thom, a gay teen gifted with healing powers, secretly joins a superhero society, where he bonds with his fellow trainees, learns about his family’s past, and finally saves the world in this larger than life coming-of-age tale. 428 pages.

Once upon a Time in the North written by Philip Pullman, illustrated by John Lawrence (Knopf)
In this prequel novella to the His Dark Materials trilogy, twenty-four-year-old Lee Scoresby finds an unexpected ursine ally when he goes up against a corrupt mining company. 104 pages.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (Knopf)
After halting a bungled bank robbery, Ed receives mysterious playing cards in the mail that point him toward three troubled people in need of saving. 359 pages.

Folklore
Suggested grade level listed for each entry

Gilgamesh the Hero written by Geraldine McCaughrean, illustrated by David Parkins (Eerdmans)
The mythic strongman, who is sometimes more tyrant than hero, joins Enkidu, a “wild man” who signifies the natural, uncivilized world, in heroic adventures. Grade level: 4–6. 96 pages.

Nonfiction
Suggested grade level listed for each entry

Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey written and illustrated by Maira Kalman (Putnam)
An honest and honorable retelling of the role the retired John J. Harvey fireboat played in responding to the events of September 11, 2001. Grade level: K–3. 48 pages.

Beowulf retold and illustrated by James Rumsford (Houghton)
A superb, emotional recounting of the ancient poem distinguished by vigorous prose and striking illustrations. Grade level: 4–6. 48 pages.

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