(4) 4-6 Library series. "Agent of the Library" Marcus O'Mara (Curse of the Boggin) steps--literally--into unfinished supernatural mystery stories to solve them. Here, in book two, Marcus and pals Lu and Theo investigate spooky accidents at a Massachusetts middle school. Suspense mounts (though, at times, rather slowly) as their run-ins with a school bully, a class president, and shape-shifting witches culminate in a frightening showdown on Halloween.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Library series. After thirteen-year-old Marcus witnesses unexplained phenomena, he begins investigating them and discovers "the Library," a mysterious space where spirits tell their unfinished stories. One of those stories is his own: why can't he remember his life before he was adopted? This paranormal series-starter is for readers who like their tension long and drawn out but nicely sustained.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Voyagers series. In this new multiplatform collaborative series, a group of twelve-year-olds in the not-so-distant future are chosen for a deep-space mission to retrieve an alternate clean fuel source that will save humankind from extinction. This series has it all: space travel, alien encounters, a diverse group of characters, and timely subject matter. Fans of The 39 Clues will devour these exciting sci-fi adventure stories. Review covers the following Voyagers titles: Project Alpha and Game of Flames.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA SYLO Chronicles series. After escaping from the SYLO quarantine of Pemberwick Island, Tucker and friends head to the mainland only to discover that most of humanity has been wiped out by the mysterious Air Force planes. They embark on a road trip to seek out other survivors and the possibility of revenge. Though there's plenty of action, the story is bogged down by superfluous exposition.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) YA Tucker, a football player and average student, skates through life until SYLO, a mysterious branch of the military, quarantines his hometown off the coast of Maine. After suspicion builds surrounding the original premise for the quarantine, Tucker and his friends risk their lives to escape. Though the action can be exhausting and exposition sometimes placed awkwardly, the story is suspenseful and mysterious.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) YA Morpheus Road series. Marsh and Cooper return in the suspenseful and chilling conclusion to the trilogy (The Light; The Black). As the two friends prepare to defeat the ancient warrior Damon, they receive help from unexpected sources. Despite the narrative's stilted dialogue, series fans will be drawn to the nonstop action and cliffhangers and will appreciate MacHale's strong female and male characters.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) YA Morpheus Road series. This sequel to The Light shifts focus to Marshall Seaver's missing best friend, Cooper. MacHale reveals more about the mysterious, haunting figures that have turned Marshall and Cooper's everyday lives upside down. Though the dialogue doesn't always ring true, fans of the first book will enjoy learning more about the eerie world and its many dangers while looking forward to the next volume.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. A below-ground-dwelling little-girl monster named Lala, who longs to be a princess, creeps into the castle where three princesses dress her up. She's humiliated at a ball but ends up saving the day. Boiger's illustrations, contrasting the pinky princess world and Lala's brown-as-dirt reality, are effective, and MacHale's rhymes are jaunty, but the be-yourself message is deafening.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) YA Morpheus Road series. Sixteen-year-old Marshall's summer is filled with mysteries, including the disappearance of his best friend, ghostly hauntings, and the corporeal appearance of a figure from Marshall's sketchbook. The first-person narrative voice doesn't always ring true, but the story's nonstop action and spooky details will grab readers' attention and leave them eager for the next volume in the projected trilogy.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 Pendragon series. In this series' final volume, each of the previous Travelers returns to life in time to learn that Bobby is the predestined hero of all the universes. The text's persistent focus on destiny confusingly undercuts its message of self-empowerment. However, this old-friend-filled conclusion will satisfy readers who have made it this far in the series.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Pendragon series. Traveler Bobby lands on a world where giant cats are in charge, feral humans are kept as slaves, and dinosaurs eat the unwary. Meanwhile, the villainous Saint Dane is keeping Bobby on his toes. In order to maintain the story's pace and tension, MacHale's characters make endless excessively foolish decisions, but this tale of jungle revolution will keep series fans happy.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Pendragon series. Bobby again faces demonic Saint Dane, this time on the alternate-universe "territory" of Veelox, which is also endangered by a virtual reality system so compelling the citizens have abandoned real life for fantasy. Meanwhile, Veelox's protector is reluctant to accept Bobby's help. Drab writing detracts only slightly from this fast-paced, exciting adventure.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 4-6 Pendragon series. Bobby Pendragon's quest to defeat the evil Saint Dane brings him to the apparent utopia of Ibara. Terrible secrets about the past are concealed from an ignorant populace, placing them in danger of Saint Dane's machinations. The shifts between Bobby's tepid journal entries and straightforward narration detract from the tension as the story races toward its conclusion.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin