It’s hard to craft a superhero epic specifically for middle-grade readers that also honors an old-fashioned adventure mentality, but Gratz locks in reader interest by allotting generous story focus to Bucky, Cap’s young teenage partner. Behind enemy lines during WWII, Cap values Bucky’s competence, and we see just how the future Winter Soldier fills in important gaps in the Captain’s own skill set. What’s more, the two team up with Sofia, a young Romani resistance fighter who’s every bit Bucky’s equal, as the three contend with enemy magic that brings forth the ghosts of fallen soldiers. Magic may be at work, but Gratz importantly grounds the story in real historical events and issues that will invite young readers to explore more deeply: they address Japanese internment camps head-on, for instance, and we meet the actual American Ghost Army, a true-life tactical deception unit of the era. Schoonover’s art has old-fashioned charm as well, like an adventure movie with solid, practical effects rather than numbingly sleek digital ones, lending a visual assist to the story’s more human scope. This is not to suggest, of course, that either art or story skimps on the raucous action, nor that there aren't plenty of Marvel Easter eggs placed throughout the battlefield for eager aficionados to pick out. — Jesse Karp

Alan Gratz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including Ground Zero, Allies, Grenade,Refugee, Projekt 1065, Prisoner B-3087, and Code of Honor. Alan lives in North Carolina with his wife and daughter. Look for him online at alangratz.com.