(2) 4-6 The magical shield around the fairies' kingdom is weakening. When siblings Wynn and Elric (The Silver Gate) venture beyond the protective boundary and into the Nightfell Wood, their bravery and openness to friendship help to resolve an impending crisis. An abundance of visual description and drama--conveyed in relatively simple language and sentence structure--makes Bailey's tale both satisfying and eminently accessible to young readers.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(2) 4-6 In Elric's superstitious feudal village, people think children born with disabilities--like Elric's younger sister, Wynn--are changelings. After their mother dies, Elric and Wynn journey through the forest in search of a peaceful place to live; Wynn insists that clues in their mother's song will lead them to fairyland. As much a thoughtful study of human care and relationships as it is a fairy tale.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(4) YA Secret Order series. After finally identifying her attempted killer in Rise of the Arcane Fire, Victorian heroine Meg leaves her steampunk schooling behind to locate her missing grandfather in Paris. While fans of the genre may delight over the myriad clockwork curiosities that Meg encounters on her journey, this action-jammed but rote series-ender mostly concentrates on wrapping up dangling story lines.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Secret Order series. After discovering her family's hidden legacy, Meg struggles to prove herself at a Victorian-era academy for new Amusementists. Meg's Hogwarts-esque school serves as an adequate catalyst for political intrigue, duplicitous professors, and dangerous rivalries. However, Bailey's attempts to cast Meg as a proto-feminist among her sexist male classmates falter when a love triangle takes center stage in this second steampunk installment.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Secret Order series. Orphaned and destitute, Meg becomes a live-in maid for a mysteriously absent master. After discovering a secret chamber, Meg sets out to infiltrate an enigmatic society of mechanists and avenge her parents' death. This adventure is fast-paced with notably gentle steampunk elements, but fragile Meg is too fixated on the brooding stable boy to stand out as a noteworthy heroine.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald