(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. Introduction by Rebecca Stead. This fiftieth-anniversary edition includes a new introduction and features an elegant black, silver, and purple cover. Otherwise, the book is the same as the 1999 edition, which was enhanced by a spacious book design and welcome pronunciation guide.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1965

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. A new introduction by author Shannon Hale, recounting her early experiences with the book and Alexander's work, is included in this fiftieth-anniversary edition.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1964

(1) 4-6 Carlo's adventures begin when he's given a version of The Arabian Nights and finds a treasure map tucked inside. He launches a quest across the desert, accompanied by "malingering faker" Baksheesh, wise Salamon, and brave horse-thief Shira. There's plenty of adventure, plus moments of high comedy and horror; but at its heart this is a graceful study of human nature.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(2) 4-6 Victorian adventurer Miss Vesper Holly is back, this time near the site of ancient Troy as located by Professor Dionescu. But Vesper and friends, including disapproving guardian Brinnie, narrator of the tale, meet with violence when they learn Dionescu is working for a megalomaniac archvillain. Alexander's writing holds many pleasures: his ironic, articulate voice, a lovably imperceptive narrator, and a knowledge of Homer.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(3) 4-6 Jason's cat doesn't have nine lives but does have the ability to visit nine different lives through time travel. Together, the boy and cat visit a pharaoh in ancient Egypt, are imprisoned for witchcraft in seventeenth-century Germany, and help a peddler in colonial America. This episodic fantasy, Alexander's first book for children (published in 1963), provides early evidence of his impressive talents. This edition includes a new author's note.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(2) 4-6 On tour in preindustrial Campania, Lidi, a gifted young magician, gathers a trio of companions: loyal Jericho, her "canvasmaster"; orphan Daniella, a seven-year-old seer; and Julian, bent on avenging the injustices of a merciless landlord. Serious issues add weight to a story in which colorful, broadly drawn characters engage in witty dialogue while deftly pursuing their goals and assimilating life's subtler lessons.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(2) 4-6 After David recovers from "new monia," his parents decide that he should be tutored by the formidable Aunt Annie, whom he has secretly dubbed the Gawgon [Gorgon]. Much to his surprise, the arrangement is a felicitous one, filled with armchair adventures. The unusual novel has a subtle charm and a cast of memorable eccentrics, and the relationship between David and the Gawgon is tender without being maudlin.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2001

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Judith Byron Schachner. In this amusing pourquoi tale, Mother Holly instructs Cat to clean the cottage while she's out. The lazy Cat longs to nap, but his plans are thwarted by one magical mishap after another. The colorful artwork shows the bemused feline dealing with a rainstorm, a swift wind, peals of thunder, and a blizzard--all inside the house. Readers will be delighted by Cat's exploits, which explain how he gets his purr.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1965

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1964

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1967

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1966

(2) 4-6 Chronicles of Prydain series. These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: April, 1968

(2) 4-6 These editions of the series (plus The Foundling) feature elegant jackets in black and silver, spacious book designs, and welcome pronunciation guides (a boon when faced with such challenges as Arianllyn, Lluagor, and Oeth-Anoeth!).

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: June, 1974

(2) 4-6 A comic opera of a tale, set in a traditional storybook village where most folks are well meaning, where the one real villain is the overweening Chief Councilor Sharpnack, and where the local outcast--the girl Rizka--is a trickster hero, whose mischief benefits the meek and needy even more than herself. Scenes of broad slapstick effervesce with mind-tickling repartee in this book that is vintage Alexander: lively, satirical, and with a core of pure gold.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999