Intermediate Books

2023 Intermediate Nominees

The Artifact Hunters by Janet S. Fox, 2020
During World War II, a Czechoslovakian Jewish boy is sent to northern Scotland to live in a castle that houses gifted children who are learning to harness their magical powers to support the Allies' cause.

Book Trailers
Author Reads from the opening

Read-alikes:
13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
Hettie and the London Blitz by Jenni L. Walsh
Shadow Weaver by MarcyKate Connolly
The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett
The Memory Thief by Jodi Lynn Anderson
The Shadow Hunt by Katherine Langrish
Haunters by Thomas Taylor
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

Dragons vs. Unicorns by Dr. Kate Biberdorf with Hillary Homzie, 2020
When her best friend is cast as a lead in their school musical, 10-year-old assistant director and community problem solver Kate the Chemist uses STEM-based science to identify a mystery saboteur.

Book Trailer
Chapters 1 and 2 Read by the Author

Read-alikes:
Absolute Hero by Valerie Tripp
The Friendship Code by Stacia Deutsch
Ada Lace, on the Case by Emily Calandrelli
Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of Room 11 by N. Griffin
Lark Holds the Key by Natasha Deen
The Candy Caper by Tom Watson
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing
The Read McCoys by Matthew Swanson
Moving Day by Meg Cabot

Guts by Raina Telgemeier, 2019
Developing a chronic upset stomach that she initially dismisses as a bug, young Raina discovers that her symptoms are related to her anxieties about school, food and changing friendships, in a story based on the Eisner Award-winning author's childhood.

Book Trailer
Official Book Trailer

Read-alikes:
Small Things by Mel Tregonning
Stanley Will Probably Be Fine by Sally J. Pla
Best Friends by Shannon Hale
Doodleville by Chad Sell
Chunky by Yehudi Mercado
Button Pusher by Tyler Page
Your Turn, Adrian by Helena Oberg
Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
El Deafo by Cece Bell

InvestiGators by John Patrick Green, 2020
With their Very Exciting Spy Technology and their tried-and-true, toilet-based travel techniques, the InvestiGators are undercover and on the case! And on their first mission together, they have not one but two mysteries to solve! Can Mango and Brash uncover the clues, crack their cases, and corral the crooks—or will the criminals wriggle out of their grasp?

Book Trailer
Series Trailer

Read-alikes:
Agent Moose by Mo O'Hara
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Pup Detectives by Felix Gumpaw
Max Meow by John Gallagher
Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society by James Kochalka
Mothering Heights by Dav Pilkey
Cosmic Pizza Party by Nick Murphy
Catwad by Jim Benton
Snazzy Cat Capers by Deanna Kent-McDonald

Operation Frog Effect by Sarah Scheerger, 2019
"Ms. Graham's fifth-grade class wants to promote change in the world; but when eight of them take an assignment too far, they must take responsibility for their actions and unite for a cause they all believe in"--.

Book Trailer
Read Aloud Chapters 1 and 2

Read-alikes:
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
Paper Things by Jennifer Jacobson
The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks
Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig
Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park, 2020
In Dakota Territory in the 1880s, half-Chinese Hanna and her white father face racism and resistance to change as they try to make a home for themselves.

Book Trailer
Chapter 1 Read Aloud

Read-alikes:
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor
The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Letters From Cuba by Ruth Behar
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose
View From Pagoda Hill by Michaela MacColl
The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez
Journey to a Promised Land by Allison Lassieur

Someplace to Call Home by Sandra Dallas, 2019
In 1933, when twelve-year-old Hallie Turner and her brothers, Tom and Benny, take to the road seeking whatever work they can get, they find kindness in small-town Kansas.

Book Trailer
Read Aloud

Read-alikes:
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk
The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Wind Called My Name by Mary Louise Sanchez
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
The Wonder of Charlie Ann by Kimberly Newton Fusco
Every Day After by Laura Golden
Empty Places by Kathy Cannon Wiechman
R My Name is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff
The Truth About Sparrows by Marian Hale

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, 2020
Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp, and when an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother in this intimate and touching portrayal of family and daily life in a refugee camp.

Book Trailer
Official Book Trailer

Read-alikes:
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Being Clem by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Child Soldier by Jessica Dee Humphreys
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf
Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu
The Banana-Leaf Ball by Katie Smith Milway

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, 2019
"A young wolf cub, separated from his pack, journeys 1000 miles across the Pacific Northwest, dealing with forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before finding a new home. Based on the true story of a wolf called OR-7".

Book Trailer
Read Aloud

Read-alikes:
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Every Burnford
Child of the Wolves by Elizabeth Hall
Blue Mountain by Martine Leavitt
Lost Shadow by Claire Gilchrist
Guardians of the Taiga by Stacy Hinojosa
A Bear Named Trouble by Marion Dane Bauer
The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
A Search for Safe Passage by Frances Figart

Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2019
In 1893 twelve-year-old Audra lives on a farm in Lithuania, and tries to avoid the Cossack soldiers who enforce the Russian decrees that ban Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language; but when the soldiers invade the farm Audra is the only one who escapes and, unsure of what has happened to her parents, she embarks on a dangerous journey, carrying the smuggled Lithuanian books that fuel the growing resistance movement, unsure of who to trust, but risking her life and freedom for her country.

Book Trailer
Official Book Trailer

Read-alikes:
Mañanaland by Pam Munoz Ryan
The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Brother's Keeper by Julie Lee
Under the Broken Sky by Mariko Nagai
Our Castle by the Sea by Lucy Strange
A Faraway Island by Annika Thor
We Are Wolves by Katrina Nannestad
The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartnett

2023 Intermediate Nominees

The Artifact Hunters by Janet S. Fox, 2020During World War II, a Czechoslovakian Jewish boy is sent to northern Scotland to live in a castle that houses gifted children who are learning to harness their magical powers to support the Allies' cause.

Dragons vs. Unicorns by Dr. Kate Biberdorf with Hillary Homzie, 2020​When her best friend is cast as a lead in their school musical, 10-year-old assistant director and community problem solver Kate the Chemist uses STEM-based science to identify a mystery saboteur.​​

Guts by Raina Telgemeier, 2019Developing a chronic upset stomach that she initially dismisses as a bug, young Raina discovers that her symptoms are related to her anxieties about school, food and changing friendships, in a story based on the Eisner Award-winning author's childhood.​​

Operation Frog Effect by Sarah Scheerger, 2019​"Ms. Graham's fifth-grade class wants to promote change in the world; but when eight of them take an assignment too far, they must take responsibility for their actions and unite for a cause they all believe in"--.

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park, 2020In Dakota Territory in the 1880s, half-Chinese Hanna and her white father face racism and resistance to change as they try to make a home for themselves.​

Someplace to Call Home by Sandra Dallas, 2019In 1933, when twelve-year-old Hallie Turner and her brothers, Tom and Benny, take to the road seeking whatever work they can get, they find kindness in small-town Kansas.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, 2019"A young wolf cub, separated from his pack, journeys 1000 miles across the Pacific Northwest, dealing with forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before finding a new home. Based on the true story of a wolf called OR-7".