(3) YA In this companion book to Thorn, Willow navigates a stark, cold landscape with only the company of her dog. The threat of a controlled life back home pushing her on, she comes to discover her own strength as well as answers about her people's origins. Levin's portrait of one young woman's determination, along with her tantalizingly vague nonindustrial setting, is captivating.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) 4-6 When Duncan's eccentric elderly neighbor, Astrid, has a stroke, his parents volunteer him to care for her dog. He soon becomes entangled in a dangerous mystery involving valuable artifacts. The secondary characters lack depth, but Astrid and Duncan are both well drawn, and the straightforward mystery is intriguing.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) 4-6 In the third novel about the intrepid Border collie, Moss gradually accepts a new handler, twelve-year-old Diane. Amidst the chaos precipitated by an outbreak of rabies in the neighborhood, the pair rescue a little boy. Levin does a fine job conveying Moss's personality and the details of rural life defined by sheep, dogs, and farm work.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Set in late-nineteenth-century northern Maine, this story develops unhurriedly, but suspense builds as events come into focus. When Jonathan accompanies his grandfather on a summer photography circuit, he gets caught up in solving a crime that threatens Grandpa's livelihood. Details about photographic techniques are unobtrusively included, and a subplot involving Grandpa and a citified lady adds some depth to the characters.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2000

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Ben finds an unusual lizardlike animal that he is pretty certain is some sort of exotic primeval creature and talks his friends Kate and Foster into helping him find out what it is. The plot is low-key but believable, and the main characters are more fully fleshed out than they were in this book's predecessor, Starshine and Sunglow. The novel's brevity and its enticing title and jacket art are all elements that should help it reach its target audience.

Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999

(2) 4-6 In an adventure story filled with an atmospheric sense of place, Siri finds herself involved in her uncle's daring plan to free their people, banished years ago to a frozen settlement. The king has promised to lift the ban if an exotic ice bear is brought to him alive. The final suspenseful page turn will send readers on their own quest, to find this prequel's companion--Levin's 1986 book, The Ice Bear.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(2) 4-6 Levin has created a tense drama that follows young teen Jody as he attempts to deal with life with his mother, a key member of a radical animal rights group. Jody is forced deeper into the effort as Moss, a sheep-herding Border Collie "rescued" by his mother, must be nursed back to health. For youngsters who first met Moss in Away to Me, Moss, to which this book is a sequel, the plot will hold even more suspense.

Reviewer: Elizabeth S. Watson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999