(4) 4-6 After his parents' drowning, Eckhart moves to eastern Washington to live (for a trial period) on his reticent uncle's orchard. Lonely and grieving, he develops a close friendship with Eva (from companion novel Eva on the Farm). Stream-of-consciousness verse captures Eckhart's confusion and survivor's guilt, though at times Calhoun seems to favor developing the narrative at the expense of the poetry.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) 4-6 When life on the family farm as twelve-year-old Eva knows it is threatened by a recession, fire blight, and sudden medical expenses, she turns to her great passion--poetry--for comfort, self-expression, and a possible means of making money. Eva's beautifully constructed, imagistic poems within this novel shine, allaying the minor lyrical inconsistencies of the main verse narration.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Lisa Falkenstern. Although he's been told he's special, Treewing, an unsold Christmas tree, doesn't believe it. On Christmas Eve some homeless people decorate him, and his destiny shines through. As a result, a boy becomes more compassionate and gives his prized baseball to the grouchy tree-lot owner whose son died. Soft black-and-white chapter openers decorate this sentimental holiday tale.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) YA After a magical attack on her country, Avielle is the sole survivor of the royal family. Hated and feared for her resemblance to an evil (and racially "other") forebear, Avielle must come to terms with her appearance and magical powers in order to save her subjects. Avielle is sometimes naive, but her character arc is well developed, illuminating a new and interesting world.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) YA Working as a servant for Mr. Brae, Rose is coerced into marrying his grandson--a creature locked in the attic and known as "the Thing"--in order to win her freedom and provide the old man with an heir. As war looms, Rose unravels the Brae family's secrets in a challenging and rather adult novel written in lush prose and containing a thread of fantasy.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) YA When commoner Cerinthe gains admittance to the School of the Royal Dancers, she thinks that her dream has come true. But a rivalry with another dancer causes tension, which is amplified by Cerinthe's deep-rooted fear of using her gift for healing. Cerinthe is a likable character, and the setting is well defined in this fantasy novel about making choices and seeking one's destiny.

Reviewer: Anne St. John