(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gordy Wright. Forster describes shark and shark-like species in a tour through geologic time, from almost four hundred million years ago to the present day, highlighting ancient and modern creatures. The book mainly focuses on species with notable features: odd appendages such as a flattop dorsal fin, bony spikes, or a hammer-shaped head; the ability to survive in fresh water; and extremes in size. The shark profiles are accompanied by information about environmental conditions on land and water, contemporaneous marine species, fossil remains, and thoughtful explanations of the mass extinctions and extremes in climate that marked the end of each geologic period. Throughout the timeline are "Toolbox" asides, which creatively ­signal the behaviors, anatomical features, and adaptations that contributed to a group's survival. Wright's illustrations of sharks swimming through their watery habitats provide lots of details to observe; the creatures' rounded, cartoonlike eyes imbue them with personality.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(4) YA This standalone prequel to City of a Thousand Dolls introduces readers to exiled were-tiger Mara, seeking forgiveness for a mysterious past. Pledging protection to a noble girl places Mara at the center of convoluted court intrigue. Thoughtful world-building borrows elements from several Asian empires to explore caste tensions, and while the obligatory romance is too sudden and overplayed, other relationships exhibit compelling depth.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Nisha, resident of an orphanage that trains abandoned girls for useful social positions (healers, assassins, mistresses, etc.), investigates a series of suspicious deaths among the girls while trying to secure her own future. Nisha's plight is well-imagined and the vaguely Asian fantasy setting holds interest, but the overly formal style slows the pace and creates distance from the characters.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross