(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-olds Isaac (a bushy-tailed "clepsit") and Wren (a human girl) were swapped at birth for the human/clepsit ambassador program. The tenuous truce between species is threatened when the spiky underground-dwelling voracans kidnap Isaac, starting a war. Fast-paced chapters alternate focus between Isaac and Wren. Too much good luck and a tidy ending keep this story about love, inclusion, and acceptance from feeling fully satisfying.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Since he mysteriously became undead, Crow has been homeschooled, stuck inside and friendless. He secretly befriends new neighbor Melody, whose curiosity leads the pair to investigate Crow's reanimation, then confront the chimera-like creature that brought him back. This novel is Goosebumps-esque; gross but not gory horror-lite balanced by some humor and a series of puzzles the characters must use their complementary skills to solve.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher