(3) 4-6 Enchanted Emporium series. Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. After the latest events of the series, thirteen-year-old Scottish boy Finley vowed to never return to the Enchanted Emporium. But when Aiby sends a distress call, Finley finds himself on a quest to save her and the seven shopkeeper families from the evil Semueld Askell. This clever fourth book is bolstered by descriptive language and meticulously drawn illustrations of the magical objects.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Translated by Brenda Porster. Illustrated by Simona Mulazzani. In a dreamlike fantasy--told in two separate stories starting at opposite sides of the book--a drop from an artist's ink bottle and a snowflake falling from the sky are serendipitously united in the air (at the book's middle). The Italian import is carried by Mulazzani's gorgeous art, which incorporates delicate, intricate laser cutouts of lacy-snowflake and irregular-inkblot designs.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) 4-6 Enchanted Emporium series. Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. In book two, fourteen-year-old Finley McPhee, defender of the Enchanted Emporium (a shop that sells magical objects), looks to the Lily family for help in uncovering the identity of the mystical man behind strange goings-on in Finley's Scottish village. Short chapters and quirky characters somewhat redeem the story's truncated ending. Black-and-white illustrations of magical objects with descriptions are placed before chapters.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Century Quartet series. Translated by Leah D. Janeczko. Sheng, Mistral, Elettra, and Harvey return, gathering this time in Shanghai armed only with a cache of seemingly useless items and Sheng’s prophetic dreams. While the narrative is unevenly paced, fans will still enjoy this conclusion to the series, as the kids search for a legendary stone. Included is an insert with clues to help readers solve the mystery.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Century Quartet series. Translated by Leah D. Janeczko. When information about the Star of Stone emerges, Mistral, Elettra, Harvey, and Sheng meet in Paris. Providing additional backstory, this book moves more slowly than the previous two (Ring of Fire, Star of Stone). Series fans will pore over the sixteen-page color insert full of clues that allow them to help solve the mystery.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Century Quartet series. Translated by Leah D. Janeczko. Harvey, Elettra, Sheng, and Mistral, the leap-year-born friends from Rome-set Star of Stone, head to New York. With the villains from the last adventure presumed dead, the kids race to save their second city and piece together their destinies. The primary characters demonstrate distinctive, if one-note, personalities, but the story line is difficult to follow.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Century Quartet series. Translated by Leah D. Janeczko. Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. As a new century approaches, circumstance brings a mysterious briefcase into the possession of Harvey, Mistral, Sheng, and Elettra. After its owner is murdered, the four learn they are this century's guardians of the map inside. Though there's not a lot of depth or character development and the present-tense narration is clunky, the story's layers of secrets and cliffhangers create a page-turner.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax