(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old CJ lives with her aunt Nic, a YouTube medium trying to break into reality TV. After discovering that a Hollywood producer seeks to unmask her aunt as a charlatan, CJ uncovers a major family secret (about her mother), which convinces her that Aunt Nic is a fraud. Graff's ruminations on life and death; faith and belief; truth, fiction, and lies appear throughout this page-turning story about one family's specific dysfunctions.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) 4-6 Fifth grader Winnie Malladi-Maraj, exhausted by her competitive custody-sharing parents, moves into her treehouse. Nine classmates with their own family gripes join her, and the "Treehouse Ten" have an extremely good romp before communal kid-life eventually breaks down. The highly textured narrative--incorporating Post-it notes, texts, doodles, maps, and more--is a good-natured satire of helicopter parenting and a celebration of child ingenuity.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2017

(2) 4-6 Graff returns to the magical world introduced in A Tangle of Knots, where citizens are either Talented (possessing extraordinary abilities) or Fair. Children with Singular Talents attend Camp Atropos. Remarkable they are, but perfect they're not, with campers showing off and using their gifts to substitute for real interaction. Each character struggles with truth, familial love, and acceptance as Talents are lost and found in this affecting novel.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(2) PS Illustrated by Lauren Castillo. A parent vs. preschooler bedtime duel told from a gender and ethnicity–neutral child narrator's perspective. The watercolor and ink pictures include warm yellow backgrounds and firm dark outlines, reinforcing the feeling of security. Throughout this cumulative tale, the child repeats, "It is not time for sleeping," but textual cues and the gradually darkening palette will persuade listening children that bedtime is getting closer.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Trent Zimmerman mistakenly shot a hockey puck into Jared Richards's chest; Jared, who had a heart defect, died. Now Trent is filled with rage, convinced everyone hates him. After befriending Fallon Little, the "girl with the scar," Trent sees how his actions affect everyone around him. Trent's powerful first-person narrative may resonate with young people who often feel lost in situations beyond their control.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(2) 4-6 Ten-year-old New Yorker Albie is a middle-of-the-road (at best) student. He's buoyed by small successes in math club and on spelling tests, and by his new babysitter's low-key approach to confidence-boosting. Albie is a sweet, vulnerable kid who just needs a little extra help and to whom readers may well relate. Short chapters add to the story's accessibility and keep the pace moving.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(2) 4-6 Down-on-his-luck Mason Burgess rents rooms to seemingly disparate characters. They live in a world much like our own, but one populated by those who have Talents (and those who don't). Cady, a young cake baker (nine recipes included), gives the novel its heart. Her search for family uncovers a multilayered backstory, with events from each character's life connecting to her own.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(3) 4-6 Francine and Kansas (who's new to Auden Elementary School) are competing to be the next Media Club news anchor: whoever performs the most dares will win. They eventually realize they have something in common: their parents' upsetting divorces. Graff combines mild gross-out humor with real-life problems of fourth graders. The story has an enjoyable arc with a satisfying ending.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jason Beene. Third-grader Sophie's parents react to their genius daughter's love of knowledge with fear and embarrassment; in fact, all the parents of her acquaintances are terribly mismatched to their offspring. In her efforts to acquire a graphing calculator, Sophie also ends up sorting out the other kids' issues. This spoof tickles the funny bone with witty observations and ridiculous situations.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(2) 4-6 After her brother Jared dies from a rare heart condition, Annie copes by reading about illnesses; though prepared, she's not healing. That comes slowly, aided by understanding friends and a close-knit community of complex, concerned (but never cloying) characters. Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(2) 4-6 To raise money for school, Bernetta works with new friend Gabe on small-scale con jobs. Opening each chapter with a definition from a magician's playbook, Graff successfully diverts readers' attentions in order to spring several surprises along the way. She never really punishes Bernetta for her misdeeds, instead bringing her to a new understanding of what is important in life.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(2) 4-6 The novel introduces its main character by having readers touch their left ears with their right hands, something Georgie cannot do because he is a dwarf. What could have been heavy-handed becomes a way for readers to empathize with Georgie as he faces sibling rivalry and a falling-out with a friend. Graff has created a likable, realistic fourth grader.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2007