(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Serena Malyon. Jake, eleven, and Simon, six, are uprooted from Canada when their mother moves them to London to live with her sister's family. En route, they receive a carpet, a camera, and a stopwatch from a magician's stall. With their cousin Hannah, the boys discover the objects' powers and embark on rollicking exploits in an attempt to aid their family's financial problems. A fun-filled, zany adventure.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Ibby is reluctant to stay with her rambunctious cousins, Alex and Francis. The three discover their long-lost magician uncle's book, Magic for Beginners, which allows them (not always intentionally) to shrink, levitate, and become invisible. Inevitably, the fun leads to trouble and also a surprising discovery. Crosshatched black-and-white line drawings display the humorous misadventures.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 1-3 Black-and-white illustrations accompany this story about an orphan boy named Toby who discovers a merfolk family living in a dank cave. Toby invites them to stay--in disguise--in the hotel where he lives. Plenty of humor and strong characterizations are almost enough to overcome the nagging question: don't mermaids belong in the sea?

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mireille Levert. When Tina smuggles a penguin out of the zoo after a school visit, she tries to keep it in her bedroom, with predictably disastrous results. The story itself is anything but predictable, however: there's much humor and zip in the lengthy but lively text and in the illustrations, richly rendered in watercolor and gouache. The surprise ending is both funny and satisfying.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano