(4) K-3 Illustrated by Leticia Ruifernández. A community of rabbits gathers for the traditional singing of "Winter Moon Song," homage to the rabbit that sacrificed himself to save their creator, Great Mother Rabbit. The author's clouded message of being true to the meaning of spirituality may be lost on readers both young and old. The story's language and watercolor and ink illustrations, however, are often lovely.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(1) YA In the early 1940s, Marie-Claire's uncle, then her siblings, and finally Marie-Claire herself contract TB. Over the course of two and a half years Marie-Claire grows up in ways that are both particular to her sanatorium environment and universal to adolescence. Much like a play in its discrete, focused scenes, this novel is that rarest of birds, a happily ending, nonsappy YA romance.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(1) YA In this Manitoba-set story, secrets stalk three generations of women: teenage Odella, her mother Sally, and Odella's great-aunt, Gloria. Brooks separates her novel into three parts: bleak "Winter," thawing "Spring," and smoldering "Summer." The book expands its exceedingly well-told tale of teenage romance with equally absorbing stories of adults who've played the tricky game of love.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(1) YA Seventeen-year-old Noreen, whose tough childhood has left her unloved and unloving, is pregnant and feuding with her boyfriend. Brooks also explores the lives of two other women--seventy-six-year-old Dolores and thirty-six-year-old Lynda--and situations involving birth and mothers and daughters. This sophisticated novel may provide a transition for readers intrigued by, but not quite ready for, the adult shelves.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2003

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Laker, a Tennessee Williams fan, comes to know firsthand the kindness of strangers. Kicked out by his mother, Laker lives on the street until an elderly man takes him in and gives him work. The novel's theme is evident throughout: life is a mystery, "often bittersweet, but a constant marvel." Brooks is a master at conveying the complexity of relationships and how these are affected by forces beyond our comprehension.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2000