(2) 4-6 Sixth grade gets off to a shaky start for Nigel Binty. Not only have his parents separated, but his longtime best friend has also deserted him in search of popularity. The anxiety he carries around is evident in everything he does as he tries to stick to the first step of his middle-school survival plan: “Don’t Do Anything Weird.” Meanwhile, Glory Bea Medford finds herself uprooted from her former life in Tennessee to Nigel’s Maryland town. She lives with her aunt now that her father, a reverend, has landed in prison for stealing money from his church. Told in alternating perspectives, the story carries these two strikingly different characters on mostly parallel journeys, each struggling at home and at school, until antics on an overnight field trip force them together in an unfortunate collision of kindness, cruelty, and betrayal. Their personal stories are equally compelling, and the plot speeds along as they both try to sort out and accept who they are as people in spite of everyone around them. The characters, including secondary ones, are complex and believable. Sprinkled with funny moments as well as homages to books, authors, and the power of writing, this sincere book concludes with hope.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

(2) 4-6 Three eleven-year-olds each cope with loss. Tildy's mama has suddenly returned after being gone for a long time. Still hurt and confused, Tildy worries she might do something to make her leave again. Leon -- with David Attenborough, his charismatic pet Madagascar hissing cockroach, always in his pocket or on his shoulder -- tries to communicate with his dead grandfather via séance. He believes this will help his grieving grandmother (and guardian) move forward. Nell and her mom have landed in this Maryland community after losing their house in a Florida hurricane. Her mom wants to keep traveling, but Nell misses their home, with its memories of her other mother. The story rotates among the perspectives of the three main characters, and peppered throughout are the backstories of the objects that hold meaning for them. Tildy has lost the amber necklace her mom gave her. Leon has found a battered candlestick perfect for contacting the spirit world. Nell carries her deceased mother's bugle around her neck. The characters will never know the stories of these objects or how they came to pass through their lives; only readers get to see the big picture, glimpsing the objects and their impacts in a new light. Well-developed throughout, the characters, even supporting ones, are complex and interesting. This intricate web of objects and people skillfully knits together into a touching, thought-provoking, and ultimately comforting story.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2024

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Fourth grader Penelope Crumb juggles the complexities of co-ed gym-class square dancing and cruel social dynamics in this book. Partnered with sweaty Hugo Gordon (a fifth grader!) and dubbed "Wartgirl" after a failed attempt to get out of gym, Penelope's take on her troubles makes enjoyable reading. Though a number of side plots are left dangling, this is a satisfying fourth installment.

Reviewer: Julie Roach

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Never without her deceased father's old toolbox, Penelope knows all about trying to hold on to those you've lost, but when her best friend buys a "friends forever" necklace with another girl, she discovers that even living people are hard to hold on to. Penelope comes more into her own in this breezy chapter book sequel to Penelope Crumb.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2013

(3) 4-6 Not-So-Ordinary Girl series. Illustrated by Angela Martini. Previously published as Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina!! and Fiona Finkelstein Meets Her Match!!, these two retitled reissues remain otherwise unchanged. Fiona is an entertaining protagonist, and Martini's black-and-white illustrations play up the humor of these amiable stories about navigating the challenges of school, family, and friendships. Review covers these Not-So-Ordinary Girl titles: Ballerina Weather Girl and Miss Matched.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) 4-6 Not-So-Ordinary Girl series. Illustrated by Angela Martini. Previously published as Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina!! and Fiona Finkelstein Meets Her Match!!, these two retitled reissues remain otherwise unchanged. Fiona is an entertaining protagonist, and Martini's black-and-white illustrations play up the humor of these amiable stories about navigating the challenges of school, family, and friendships. Review covers these Not-So-Ordinary Girl titles: Ballerina Weather Girl and Miss Matched.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Not-So-Ordinary Girl series. Illustrated by Victoria Ying. In her third adventure, nine-year-old Fiona Finkelstein desperately wants to grow up so she can fly alone to visit her actress mother in California. She gets a dog-walking job to earn money for her ticket, and, along with befriending a boy and his chicken, she learns about responsibility and patience. Black-and-white illustrations depict scenes from the pleasant, if tensionless, story.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. In this third installment, fourth grader Penelope Crumb worries about "the Bad Luck." Desperately wanting to drive the Bad Luck away, she gets into trouble assisting a retired Coney Island fortuneteller. The first-person narrative magnifies the wacky humor of Penelope's unique observations and phrasings, and readers can compare her (not-always-reliable) perspective with that shown in the occasional spot art.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Valeria Docampo. Fourth-grader Penelope Crumb joins the growing party of precocious, idiosyncratic girls starring in early chapter books. Penelope wants to be an artist, believes aliens abducted her older brother, struggles to fit into the classroom environment, and has just embraced the reality of her very large nose. Occasional spot art offers visual perspective as first-person narrator Penelope seems prone to exaggeration.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Martini. This sequel to Fiona Finkelstein, Big-Time Ballerina!! pits the title character against Milo, a new boy in school. When a series of events reveal that Fiona and Milo have more in common than the two have differences, they come to an understanding. Stout continues to develop her protagonist in this entertaining installment.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Martini. Fiona's stage fright has led her to boycott recitals. Now a chance to appear in a production of The Nutcracker in a beautiful costume motivates her to find a way to overcome her fears. As the story progresses, readers learn more about Fiona, her fractured family, and her best friend. Spirited black-and-white illustrations play up the story's humor.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman