(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Charlotte's peripatetic mother moves her, twin Freddy, and their younger half-sister Rose to modern-day Walnut Grove, Minnesota, so she can write a book. Charlotte continually rebuffs their new life on the prairie, especially when she has to volunteer at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. While Charlotte's pessimism wears thin, her underlying insecurities are believable. Wilder fans should appreciate all the Little House references.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Devout Catholic Mary has been doing a lot of helping in her Minnesota family since her father moved to North Dakota for work, and praying to patron saints helps Mary. This summer, as a junior bridesmaid, Mary will help her anxious cousin Eden with her wedding. Earnest, often funny narrator Mary satisfyingly learns to speak up for herself in this warm family drama.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 Ten-year-old Christa and eleven-year-old Alex lack nothing in imagination when it comes to outdoor summertime fun. When one of their inventive activities turns into a real-life treasure hunt for Al Capone's hidden loot, they also see a chance to stop the sale of Christa's family's beloved lake cabin. This appealing novel capably balances an engaging adventure plot with an emphasis on family and friendship.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 Savvy: Girls Rock! series. "Awesome women" of entertainment and the sciences are profiled in these girl-empowering installments. While the numerous photographs, timelines, energetic visuals, and sidebars are "super cool," the text is scattershot: attention devoted to individuals is inexplicably uneven and significant information is sometimes omitted. Nonetheless, the dynamic, browsing-friendly design and inclusion of lesser-known figures make sturdy launching points for further research. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Savvy: Girls Rock! titles: Girls Research and Girls Star!.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(4) 4-6 Almost-twelve-year-old Daisy and her trailer-park neighbor Graham's attempts to break Daisy's father out of prison spiral out of control with improbable but amusing results. The novel is filled with unsympathetic characters, including many dysfunctional adults and Daisy herself, who's simply--repeatedly--not very nice to Graham; Daisy's self-centered single-mindedness is believably rendered, though, and readers will cheer her awakening.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) 4-6 Savvy: Girls Rock! series. An eclectic and ethnically diverse mix of history-changing women from the nineteenth century to today--opera singer Maria Callas to rap group Salt-N-Pepa; Iranian activist Shirin Ebadi to astronaut Sally Ride--fill the pages in this girl-empowering series. Using a cluttered magazine format, the accessible texts are informative; sporadic first-person narratives lend a more intimate vibe. Reading list, timeline. Ind. Review covers these Savvy: Girls Rock titles: Girls Rebel! and Girls Rock!.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(3) 4-6 Captured History series. Photographs can often be more powerful than the written word in bringing social change. The work of Lewis Hine to improve child labor laws and Will Counts to show the vulnerability of those trying to integrate schools are prime examples. These well-written narratives are illustrated with numerous captioned photographs. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Captured History titles: Breaker Boys and Little Rock Girl 1957.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) 4-6 Terrorism series. Burgan's book discusses three Palestinian groups; one Israeli organization; al-Qaida; and terrorists in Spain, Northern Ireland, Colombia, Sri Lanka, and Japan. The other two volumes raise questions and provide more background history. The series (especially Tougas's book) generally avoids some of the oversimplifications marring other volumes on the topic, but there are some minor historical inaccuracies. Photographs illustrate the information. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Terrorism titles: Terrorist Groups, The History of Terrorism, and What Makes a Terrorist?

Reviewer: Jack Forman