(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kasia Charko. A shipwreck near Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, informs the events of the summer for young Lucy Maud Montgomery. Adapted from Montgomery's journals, the prose is contemplative but rambling and hampered by unexplained backstory. Luminous watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations capture moments frozen in time and faithfully depict P.E.I.'s particular beauty. An author's note is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Kasia Charko. In a tale so strange it must be (and is) true, young Cameron and his father lead twenty-one camels on a supply delivery mission during the Canadian Gold Rush of 1862. Manuel's fictionalized account is well paced and contains touches of humor that offset some of the stiff dialogue. Charko's watercolor and colored-pencil art features a bevy of expressive camels.

Reviewer: CHristine Sarrazin

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Carol Benioff. After her grandmother dies, Chloe doesn't even want to look at the "thingamajigs," Grandma's handmade Christmas ornaments. Gradually, Chloe and her grandfather begin to cope with loss and change, strengthened by their Christmas traditions and cheered by a new thingamajig, thoughtfully provided by Grandma before her death. The illustrations reinforce the story's poignancy.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert