(3) K-3 Illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman. Young Claudine decides to be naughty in order to keep Santa Claus from entering her house on Christmas Eve. Why? Santa's reputation for watching which children are naughty or nice strikes her as "snooping," and he's "rude" to creep inside. Festive digital illustrations convey the spunky heroine's comical solutions and her older sister's and parents' attempts to change the young skeptic's mind.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin. Hissy Fitz the cat really wants to nap, but too many things are keeping him from his sweet slumber: his home is too loud; the kids won't leave him alone; and he can't deny his instincts to eat, prowl, and play nighttime soccer with feline friends. Readers will enjoy accompanying the humorously grumpy cat on his adventures; Austin's black-and-white illustrations capture Hissy's 'tude.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(2) 4-6 Ten-year-old Woodrow Schewette tells of the arrival of Toulouse Hulot, an unusual new student in his class. Extremely short with huge eyes and a pointy nose, Toulouse wears a suit, gloves, and bowler hat and carries a briefcase. He also has a secret (that's spelled out in the book's title). There's genuine humor and heart here, with pacing well suited to middle-grade readers.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2014

(4) 4-6 In this third adventure featuring Rufus and his guinea-pig-who-acts-like-a-dog, Fido, Rufus's mom, going "beyond normal, everyday parental cluelessness," invites the families of Rufus's two archenemies on his family's annual camping trip. Rufus's funny voice and the likable characters' relatable predicaments will keep readers engaged in the thin story. This is an undemanding, diverting read.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Zaritza, a self-described drama queen, enjoys neither the "hideous" class ferret nor her "stupid" math homework, but agrees to take care of them for much needed extra credit. When the feisty protagonist loses control of both, her participation in the school play is in jeopardy. The fast-paced, amusing plot turns self-serving Zaritza around in time for opening night.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 After his broken foot heals, it's time for Rufus (Guinea Dog) to return to school, and he's the center of attention thanks to stories about his guinea-pig-who-acts-like-a-dog, Fido. Of course, that attention and the friendship of weird-girl Lurena are the last things Rufus wants. Rufus's funny voice and his relatable struggle with self-confidence may win over readers in this thin sequel.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(3) 4-6 Logan suspects that the neighborhood's disappearing dogs are being kidnapped by aliens, but no one will take him seriously. He convinces his closest friends to help, and they form the Intergalactic Canine Rescue Unit. Suited to mystery and science-fiction fans alike, this accessible adventure features a protagonist whom middle graders will find easy to relate to.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Best friends and musical duo Bat and Rat are enjoying ice cream when Bat's wobbly ice cream cone of all his favorite flavors tumbles to the ground. Rat finds inspiration in Bat's remaining single scoop to write their new song: "Favorite Favorite." Nocturnal creatures from owls to insects populate the pencil and watercolor illustrations in this simple, silly friendship tale.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Lorenzo Harpold spends the summer traveling with his father, checking out new products for a sporting goods company. Enzo returns to school fitter and more popular; he's sure it's because of his new "lucky cap." Though Enzo's transformation is too quick and the writing's cutesy at times, the story's fast pace, sports themes, and take-away life lessons will attract readers.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider

(4) 4-6 Rufus wants a dog, but his work-at-home dad doesn't want to deal with dirt, noise, and fleas. As consolation, Rufus's mom buys him a guinea pig; surprisingly, Fido (the guinea pig) acts more canine than rodent, and little by little Dad accepts the new family member. The story is too thin, but Rufus is a likable character.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(2) 4-6 Through wry narration, readers hear gopher snake Crusher's view of "lower life form" Gunnar (the kid who catches her) and his puzzling world. Crusher's adventures and her gradual development of compassion for mouse Breakfast (and even for Gunnar) work with Jennings's satire on American life to give this story terrific child appeal but also a lot of room for discussion.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2009

(3) YA When Barb is enlisted to dump her friend’s boyfriend, Jeff, over the phone, Barb and Jeff embark on their own phone friendship...or could it be more? Barb is a compulsive liar, while Jeff is a bit of a chauvinist pig; their relationship, conveyed entirely through phone conversations, is an entertaining, occasionally mystifying mismatch. The 1970s setting adds a retro flavor.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(2) YA Bits and pieces of the Cinderella story weave themselves through this startlingly original tale set in a Depression-era logging camp. Fifteen-year-old Edith and other orphans have been adopted to do the unceasing work at the camp. When mysterious seeds grow into wonderful horses formed of vegetation, the orphans escape, in an ending that is both surprising and eminently satisfying.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(3) 4-6 Ty Cutter (named for baseball star Ty Cobb) is a klutzy right fielder on the Pee Wee league team in Babylon, Arizona; his demanding father (who played semipro ball) is the coach and his older sister is a better athlete. How Ty deals with this situation is the focus of this entertaining first-person narrative, told in Ty's distinctive voice.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Anna Alter & Anna Alter. Mem is not happy when her big brother, Ike, following the bad-boy lead of a friend, squishes a firefly to make a "lightning ring." Plagued like Lady Macbeth with the stain of the squish, Ike doesn't feel too good about himself. Ike and Mem remain so much themselves in this telling that new fans and those already familiar with their previous outings won't feel preached at and will applaud Ike's hard won--and imaginative--penance and absolution.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) YA In pastoral late-sixteenth-century France, a shepherd boy tending his flock sees a wolf and calls for his mother. But expectations are overturned as, far from attempting to drive off the wolf, the mother changes into one herself. Jennings contrasts the wolves' civilized society with the barbarism of the Inquisition (the shepherd family is a particular target of an evil village priest) to craft an original and unusual werewolf story.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Anna Alter & Anna Alter. Ike is angry about all the chores he and his sister, Mem, have to do when they visit their grandparents' farm, but announcing his anger in the cornfield only results in feelings of guilt and imagined whisperings. The series is generally appealing in its eccentricities, but this entry seems a little dark and tonally confused: the grandparents are hard on the poor kids, so why do Ike and Mem feel guilty?

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(1) 1-3 Illustrated by Anna Alter. Threat of a tornado provides structure and suspense to this finely tuned chapter book about big brother Ike and younger sister Mem (The Bird Shadow). For two nights, Ike keeps himself awake watching TV, just in case a tornado comes and he has to wake the family. By the time the tornado hits, on the third night, Ike is fast asleep. Illustrated with black-and-white drawings, the writing is all the more telling in its spareness.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Anna Alter. This finely tuned chapter book about big brother Ike and younger sister Mem is more vignette than story, but its picture of how best friends fight over nothing (Buzzy and Ike are trying to rebuild their treehouse after the tornado documented in The Tornado Watches hits) is perceptive, and it's fun to watch Mem, who gets left out of the rehab effort, patiently get a bit of her own back. The text is illustrated with black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Anna Alter. This measured story tells of Ike and his little sister Mem, who return to a supposedly haunted house after a friend breaks a shed window. They're confronted by Mr. Hawkins, the owner, whose pigeons live in the shed. One of the birds follows Ike home; mild trouble ensues until Ike tells his parents and the whole family meets Mr. Hawkins. Static black-and-white illustrations accompany the quiet text.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian