(4) 4-6 Based on a True Story series. Illustrated by Clint Hansen. These historical fiction stories introduce middle-grade readers to the experiences of real children. Written under one pseudonym by different authors, the novels, accompanied by black-and-white drawings and archival images and photos, are accessible if not riveting entrées into their subjects' lives. (Jemison's use of savage, true to the times, would have benefited from some contextualizing.) Each entry includes an author's note separating fact from fiction. Clem and Jemison contain glossaries. Review covers these Based on a True Story titles: John Lincoln Clem, Mary Jemison, Nettie & Nellie Crook, and Sybil Ludington.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Lanora redefines herself when she starts middle school, pushing away best friend Val and making bad choices. With the help of a stray cat, a peculiar boy, and the mysterious bookshop where he lives, Val fights to save Lanora from the person she's become. Magic and mystery are seamlessly woven throughout this coming-of-age story in which each character is distinguished by memorable quirks.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 A brief encounter between Zeno, a recently homeless talking African grey parrot, and Alya, an eleven-year-old girl battling leukemia, sparks an unlikely bond that is compromised by fate. Alya and Zeno's struggle for survival is peppered with challenges, but hope and courage carry them through the dark times. Kelley's characters are distinct and she blends two third-person perspectives successfully.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) 4-6 Twins Anna and Hannah Zimmer move into a creepy, long-uninhabited house. Their normal closeness is disrupted by the book's narrator, who, it gradually becomes clear, is tethered to the house by an old tragedy. Kelley carries out the supernatural elements well, and the narrative is almost simultaneously mordant and funny. A page-turning plot and astute characterization lift this mystery above the ordinary.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2011

(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Megan (self-proclaimed city slicker) storms off from her family's Vermont summer home and gets lost on the Appalachian Trail with her fluffball dog. Tired of being a quitter, she decides to hike to Massachusetts to visit her best friend. Initially, Megan's bratty attitude is off-putting, but her woodland journey transforms her into a likable character and a true "Nature Girl."

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith