(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ben Hatke. If Ellis can train a woolly worm to finish first in the town's Worm Festival Race, the prize money would enable his dad to get surgery he needs, and Ellis would swap his reputation as class clown for a more serious one. In this light novel, Ellis's character rings true, and Hicks unobtrusively includes classroom-friendly features, such as information about metamorphosis.

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

(3) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Simon Gane. Henry and Rocky are tennis doubles partners. Trouble is, Henry's a tennis natural while Rocky, though he tries hard and practices a lot, isn't as strong a player. Henry tries for a winning-isn't-everything attitude, but during one match he snaps and hurts Rocky's feelings. Hicks continues to show sensitivity and insight in this sports-themed series for younger readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Adam McCauley. Rocky was the best catcher in the league until he broke his arm making a tag. Now healed, Rocky keeps yanking his arm out of harm's way whenever a runner comes in, costing his team many games. Ready to quit, he gets inspiration from his supportive friends and skateboarding dog. The series continues to feature amiable characters overcoming relatable sports-themed challenges.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Simon Gane. Jazz's father is her biggest fan. But when he gets too invested in her performance on the track team (e.g., contradicting the coach, challenging the ref) Jazz looks for ways to get him to cool his temper. The tale's backstory--widowed African American father must raise his daughter alone--is compelling. Droll black-and-white illustrations support the story.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Adam McCauley. Fourth-grader Henry and his buddies love sports. In Basketball, they accept a challenge from kids who take winning too seriously. Goof-Off is for any soccer player who thinks being a goalie is easy. Pencil sketches--some funny, some dramatic--decorate each spread. Readers new to chapter books will cheer for these likable kids and will look forward to reading more about them. Review covers these Gym Shorts titles: Basketball Bats and Goof-Off Goalie.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(2) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Adam McCauley. Rita is excited to be a Dolphin; her enthusiasm falters after realizing her faster-swimming friends are Sharks. Should she quit swimming or conquer the flip turn? Humorous black-and-white illustrations provide ample visual cues. This reliable series is full of sports details as well as social details of the kids who play them.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) 1-3 Gym Shorts series. Illustrated by Adam McCauley. Fourth-grader Henry and his buddies love sports. In Basketball, they accept a challenge from kids who take winning too seriously. Goof-Off is for any soccer player who thinks being a goalie is easy. Pencil sketches--some funny, some dramatic--decorate each spread. Readers new to chapter books will cheer for these likable kids and will look forward to reading more about them. Review covers these Gym Shorts titles: Basketball Bats and Goof-Off Goalie.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(4) 4-6 Compulsively neat Destiny thinks she can't possibly be related to her scientist mother, poet father, or slobby little brother. But Dez's best friend, Jil, really is adopted, and when Jil begins a relationship with her birth mother, Dez is afraid people will get hurt. Although sprinklings of pop culture references interrupt the narrative flow, Hicks effectively communicates Dez's hopes and frustrations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Stuart's been grounded and forced to quit the soccer team. Hoping to get his strict mom off his case, Stuart decides to find her a boyfriend. This domestic comedy plays like a sitcom, but the characters are convincing and the relationship between the protagonist and his best friend, a more physically and emotionally mature girl named Mack, is rendered with credible preadolescent angst.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Comfortably adjusted to living with her father, his new wife, and three stepbrothers, Iz begins to feel pangs of guilt when her mother suggests that Iz come live with her. Though the main plot--Iz and her stepbrothers try to convince their parents to let them have a dog--is rather timeworn, the dynamics of living in a stepfamily are believably portrayed in this mildly humorous novel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 At school, Nick worries about whether he'll succeed on the basketball team. At home, he must adjust to his new blended family, contending with problems both minor (his stepmother buys clove-scented shampoo) and major (his stepbrother Dwayne is a dork.) This mildly humorous story about sixth-grade angst features a narrator who gradually learns to look beyond his own self-absorption.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta