(3) 4-6 Verbena recently learned that she was adopted--and that her birth father is a criminal. She has also lost her best friend, and is feeling moody and unsettled. Things start to change when a boy named Pooch moves into the neighborhood--and he thinks Verbena's a ghost. Weeks's characters are well rounded and her story line is engaging.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Jane Manning. Perky feline Macaroni asks his "grumpy grump" friend Cheese why he won't "pounce or bounce or jump." Cheese explains that he'd rather they sit quietly together, doing nothing. This enjoyable tale of friendship and differences, winningly illustrated, boasts a rhyming text reminiscent in both tone and content of classic I Can Read Book titles.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mary GrandPré. Take one part love story, add fantasy elements, and mix with a parable about making time for happiness. Schmuel has been pushed to "hurry up" throughout his life. He becomes a skilled tailor but never has a moment for himself--until the clock goes "Tickety-tock tick!" stopping time for the harried man. Rhyming text and textured illustrations capture the story's magic.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Wendell Minor. Nanuq, an adult polar bear, visits an Arctic village. Young Tigluk hears her call to follow, so he and his grandmother travel to rescue Nanuq's cub from a shrinking ice floe. George, rather manipulatively, pulls out all the stops here, making it impossible not to feel an emotional response to devastating effects of global warming. Minor's illustrations portray an irresistibly adorable cub doomed by the effects of climate change.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(2) 4-6 After her brother Jared dies from a rare heart condition, Annie copes by reading about illnesses; though prepared, she's not healing. That comes slowly, aided by understanding friends and a close-knit community of complex, concerned (but never cloying) characters. Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Felicia Bond. The infamous demanding mouse's delightfully frenzied activity begins with movie popcorn, which gets strung into chains, which makes him want a Christmas tree, etc. Festive details, such as the candy canes on the mouse's boxer shorts, add charm to Bond's homey ink and watercolor illustrations. This "Special Christmas Edition" includes recipes, music, games, Numeroff and Bond's holiday reminiscences, and a CD.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(4) 4-6 Sixth grader Lorelei begins a journal addressed to her dead cat, Mud. Her entries focus on her parents' fights as well as her own friendship troubles, anxieties about the school play, and crush on a classmate. The chronicle of her parents' divorce is poignant but manages to sound, by turns, older and younger than Lorelei's "11 1/4 years."

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) PS "All right, Noah, dear. It's time to leave," a mom tells her toddler, who responds with "No"--in many fonts, employing many synonyms, and in many different foreign (and other, like robot) languages. The book, featuring cartoony art and a funny resolution, calls to mind Mo Willems's Pigeon series, from its single-minded protagonist to the punch lines found in facial expressions.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Holly Berry. A dog falls head-over-heels for a cat, but the message is lost in translation; cats don't understand "woof." Once the dog expresses his feelings through the universal language of music, the cat is instantly smitten. Playful verse and bright, cleverly composed illustrations capture the emotional ups and downs of this unlikely couple and their quirky yet endearing love story.

Reviewer: Sethany Rancier Alongi

(3) YA Six well-known authors respond to the question "What keeps you up all night?" Their thought-provoking stories vary widely in subject, tone, and genre. Peter Abraham's supernaturally tinged "Phase 2" deals with a military family's loss; Sarah Weeks's story-within-a-story, "Superman Is Dead," provides a double view of domestic discord; Gene Luen Yang's comics-format "Motherless One" is a surreal identity quest.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Echo Falls series. Ingrid's grandfather is the prime suspect in a murder, but the curmudgeonly WWII hero refuses to provide an alibi. In between rehearsals for Hansel and Gretel, thirteen-year-old Ingrid does some investigating of her own. Abrahams expands on subplots introduced in earlier books (e.g., Ingrid's friendship/relationship with Joey; her dad's extramarital affair), but this book's mystery isn't nearly as engaging.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 4-6 After his parents' divorce, Evan is forced to move from Manhattan to the small town of Appleton, Indiana. As he tries to fit in with his mostly-Christian classmates--right before his bar mitzvah--he discovers who his true friends are. Though the themes (friendship, self-awareness, manhood) are run-of-the-mill, the appealing cast of quirky characters will keep readers interested.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) 4-6 In this vivid, action-packed story, Miu Miu and her betrothed make a valiant but unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the wicked emperor who killed her father. After they escape, thanks in part to their martial arts training and her father's magical sword, Miu Miu decides--satisfyingly--to reject her desire for revenge and look to the future instead.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) K-3 I Can Read Book series. In three linked stories, mice Mildred and Sam send their babies off to school. The babies dream of great adventures and always return safely home. The stories aren't that exciting, but new readers will appreciate the slow and gentle pacing, the clean page design, and the cheerful illustrations.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Colleen Doran. Josh finds comfort pretending to be Mascot, the sidekick to his favorite comic-book hero, Captain Major. When he discovers Mascot is slated to die in the next issue, Josh is convinced his own life is at risk and takes desperate action to save Mascot. A humorous sendup of comic fans and their loyalty, and of the healing power of imagination.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Greg Call. After his father is "dadnapped," it's up to Jimmy and his friends to save Earth from the apparent culprits: woodchucks from outer space. The book features likable odd characters and a gentle environmental message. While not as all-out campy and clever as M. T. Anderson's Whales on Stilts, this zany, fast-paced adventure will attract a similar readership.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Priscilla Lamont. A boy finds an egg, and the goose that hatches thinks the boy is its mother. Then the goose finds a duck who thinks the goose is its mother. The three do everything together until nature takes its course and the birds return to their flocks ("That's how it is with birds"). Warm illustrations echo the story's affection.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) 4-6 To raise money for school, Bernetta works with new friend Gabe on small-scale con jobs. Opening each chapter with a definition from a magician's playbook, Graff successfully diverts readers' attentions in order to spring several surprises along the way. She never really punishes Bernetta for her misdeeds, instead bringing her to a new understanding of what is important in life.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher. Walking in the woods one night, a boy spies a lively bunch of hip insects gettin' down in a hollow tree trunk. With a jazzy rhythm, a refrain that encourages group participation, and some buggy sound effects, the rhyming text is abuzz with toe-tapping beats. The mixed-media illustrations show swarms of dancing, music-playing bugs having an all-night party.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 Dane wants to be acknowledged as a warrior by his father, the lovely Astrid, and all the Norsemen. When Astrid is kidnapped by Thidrek the Terrifying, Dane and the other "Norseboys" will do whatever it takes--even cooperating!--to rescue her and save their village. Though the story is overly packed with fart jokes, its well-paced battles will keep pages turning.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin