Misfits, including "freaks," a wild boy, the children of super villains and fairies, and a pair of witch-hunting orphans give middle grade readers plenty of entertaining fodder.

"Wild Boy: The Real Life of the Savage of Aveyron" by Mary Losure; illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering; Candlewick Press; 170 pages; $16.99.

Lately the level of imagination in children's books seems astonishing. Even more impressive is when the astonishment is true. "Wild Boy" is the factual tale of a boy who grew up in the mountains of southern France in the late 1700s. Glimpsed naked and alone by woodsman who captured him a year later, the boy became known as the Savage of Aveyron. Thought to be about age 12 at the time of his capture, the wild boy devours potatoes with his hands and abhors any type of clothing. Though he was thought of as an idiot or even as deaf, the plight of the boy was given to a doctor who "set down the true and the only seeds of positive education," influencing even Maria Montessori.

A smart mesh of chapter book and picture book, "Wild Boy" reads like a novel for kids ages 7 to 11, and is from the acclaimed author of "The Fairy Ring." Children will be astonished at the view of adults just a few hundred years ago, and they'll be inspired by now Victor's self-determination.

"Freaks" by Kieran Larwood; Chicken House/Scholastic; 256 pages; $16.99.

Ten- to 14-year-olds will have a hard time putting down this action adventure story, perfect for anyone who's ever felt like an outsider. Starring a group of strange, misfit children known as Monkeyboy, Wolfgirl and Sister Moon, "Freaks" is penned by a debut author coming off a major fiction competition. The freaks are similar to "The Incredibles" in that each has his or her own super power, from sniffing a threat miles away to clambering up bridges in the blink of an eye to dropping stink bombs.

"Freaks" is more than just a super power show, though. These misfits solve 19th century Victorian London's most ominous crimes, saving innocent street urchins from harm. Written with excitement and a pro-preteen stance, Larwood's debut also includes plenty of background about the perils of real Victorian living and the sad plights of street urchins and freak show stars. Readers will be more than happy to live now!

"The Witch's Curse" by Keith McGowan; illustrations by Yoko Tanaka; Henry Holt; 296 pages; $16.99.

"Real" witch speak is interspersed with Lemony Snicket-like storytelling in this smart, darkish, comedic tale, about a curse put on two children by the last witch they encountered, (in "The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children.") Here, Sol and Connie Blink, ages 11 and 9 respectively, run away to a distant aunt's house to get away from the witch-filled danger in their native Grand Creek. On the way, the pair is running out of food and water, encounter unfavorable animals and wonder who can save them. The All Creatures manager? A heroic wood thrush? The camper lady? The know-it-all cube?

It's not an easy trek for the oft-disagreeing siblings, as they try to avoid a shadowy witch and a cursed hunter. Fans of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" will devour this tale greedily.

"Joshua Dread" by Lee Bacon; Delacorte Press/Random House; 258 pages; $16.99.

Joshua Dread tries hard to keep a low profile in sixth grade, but finds it impossible with super villains for parents. He can't blend in when pencils explode in his hand, and he leaves scorched butt marks on the carpet. It turns out Joshua has a superpower, but until his parents give him a book to explain things, he doesn't think he has to use it to battle evil.

Things get more dramatic when smoke creatures start kidnapping bad guys, and Joshua fears his family is next. Bacon's writing style is easy, funny and exciting, and his debut, (for ages 9 to 13), reads like an Austin Powers for the middle grade set. A cool segue from Spiderman to young adult novels, "Joshua Dread" combines appropriate action and humor with adventure, super powers and wit.

"Magicalamity" by Kate Saunders; Delacorte Press/Random House; 305 pages; $16.99.

Fans of "Joshua Dread" will also fall in love with Saunders' tale about an 11-year-old boy who wakes up one morning to find, instead of his other cooking breakfast, a plump older fairy searching through the refrigerator. Tom finally figures out the fairy's presence is to help him save his mother, (hidden in a jar of tomatoes), and father (who didn't tell Tom he too was a fairy) from a family of angry fairies.

Tom has to then enter the fairy realm to prove his father's innocence and save his family. With plenty of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm and middle school-worthy humor, "Magicalamity" is unique — a fairy book for boys and girls alike. Plenty of ugly fairies, non-mortal adventure and yucky situations shouldn't scare boy readers away from this otherworldly tale.

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.