(2) YA Sarah doesn't outwardly object to her boyfriend's kegger at poet Rufus Baylor's summer cottage, a historical site in town. After being busted, the miscreants are sentenced to Baylor's poetry-appreciation class. He inspires even the most poetry-averse delinquents, but especially Sarah, who becomes his protégé and friend. Readers will find much to savor in this ode to the transformative power of verse.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(3) YA Illustrated by Rebecca Guay. Hawes presents fairy tales gone rotten at the core; the innocent heroes of the originals are shown to be perverse, pathetic, or simply unpleasant. Self-absorbed Cinderella is obsessed with glamour; Hansel turns against Gretel; one of the dwarfs lusts after comatose Snow White. Hawes's prose is sharp and memorable. Guay's digitally enhanced graphite and paint illustrations pick up on the tales' darkness.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker

(4) YA Even though she's a girl, fourteen-year-old Vini yearns to become an apprentice in her father's sixteenth-century Bologna art studio. Little is known about the adolescence of Renaissance painter Lavinia Fontana, so this novel of her teenage years is pure conjecture. Character and plot are not always believable, but overall the novel is well rendered. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(2) YA When fourteen-year-old Feena witnesses an abusive mother abandoning her toddler, Feena reacts impulsively and runs off with the boy. This is a different take on the teenage-parent story, but one that similarly explores the complex realities of being responsible for a child. In this poignant story of loss and longing, the tension is palpable, Feena's character is well developed, and the narrative voice is engaging.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(4) 4-6 Artist Biographies series. The large typeface (and publisher's age recommendation) indicates this series is intended for primary-grade readers, but the forthright language and sophisticated ideas make the books more appropriate for middle graders. Reproductions and photos accompany the comprehensive, though short, texts. These volumes provide a strong picture of each artist's career. Timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Artist Biographies titles: Andy Warhol, Willem de Kooning, John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell, Edward Hopper, and Georgia O'Keeffe.]

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA After seventeen-year-old Franklin's girlfriend dies in a car crash she comes back from the dead in spirit form to help him grieve and move on. Though it starts off like Ghost meets Dawson's Creek, the story is eventually carried beyond its trite premise through skillful characterization and thoughtful dialogue. No facile tearjerking here; readers will be slowly, satisfyingly moved to tears.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander