(3) 1-3 Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novel series. Illustrated by Katy Farina. Color by Braden Lamb. This first installment in the graphic-novel adaptations of the Baby-Sitters Club spinoff series introduces Karen and her large blended family (including stepsister and BSC president Kristy), and Karen's humorously active imagination--she's convinced her neighbor is a witch. Colorful, spacious panels and easily interpreted facial expressions make this a good choice for newly independent readers, whether or not they've encountered the BSC universe before.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Gale Galligan. Color by Braden Lamb. The club's latest babysitting job involves supervising the fourteen children of the family and friends helping to prepare for Kristy's mom's wedding. Kristy's convincingly confused feelings about her new stepfamily provide a through-line in this funny, somewhat episodic story. Galligan's graphic-novel adaptation of the 1987 novel shows the cheerful chaos and makes smart use of the girls' penchant for relating babysitting experiences via a shared notebook.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Ben Hatke. Martin and Parnell’s expansions on Betty MacDonald’s Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books eschew the codified gender roles of the 1950s and feature a youthful Piggle-Wiggle niece, Missy. Otherwise, they follow the formula of magical cures for various bad behavior: in this third installment it's selfishness and kleptomania. Though far from original, the story should amuse modern children almost as much as the older books captivated their grandparents. Illustrated with Hatke's playful full-page sketches.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Gale Galligan. Color by Braden Lamb. Galligan takes over this series of graphic-novel adaptations with the tale of new member Dawn's difficulties with a sitting client's family situation--and with BSC president Kristy's resentments. Though Galligan's drawing style, with its wide-eyed depictions of Martin's sympathetic characters, is distinct from that of previous illustrator Raina Telgemeier, she maintains the series' accessibility.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Missy Piggle-Wiggle Book series. Illustrated by Ben Hatke. Readers who've loved Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's problem-solving magic may enjoy Martin and Parnell's imitations of the classic books; successful carry-overs include preposterous names, a genial tone, and accessibility. And in this volume, a suggestion of romance in the life of Mrs. P-W's great-niece Missy adds to Betty MacDonald's time-tested recipe for success. Hatke's playful full-page sketches break up the text.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Color by Braden Lamb. The full-color graphic-novel adaptation of Martin's classic series continues. Volume four focuses on artistic daydreamer Claudia, whose frustration with "perfect" big sis Janine is exacerbated when their beloved grandmother has a stroke. Meanwhile, the entrepreneurial friends struggle with their latest venture: a playgroup. Telgemeier's art complements and updates the classic series, ably delineating the nuances of family relationships and friendships alongside babysitting hijinks.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In this heartwarming standalone story featuring characters from the Doll People novels, antique Victorian doll Annabelle is upset when the humans make changes to Christmas traditions she's cherished. However, after an exciting (and dangerous) Christmas Eve adventure with her modern doll friend, Tiffany--portrayed dramatically in the detailed illustrations--Annabelle concedes, "I had the perfect Christmas after all."

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Ben Hatke. Beloved character Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle deputizes her great-niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle, to look after her pets and upside-down house in her absence. In a fresh set of vignettes, Missy, like her great-aunt, helps cure faults of the townspeople's children using kindness, firmness, and magic. Martin and Parnell channel original author Betty MacDonald in humor, genial tone, and accessibility, complemented nicely by Hatke's occasional, playful full-page sketches.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Color by Braden Lamb. Telgemeier's graphic-novel adaptations of the popular series, which follows the evolving friendship of four middle-school students who create a baby-sitting service, are published in full color. No-frills dialogue and dynamic panel illustrations skillfully convey sympathetic characters and an array of well-realized conflicts. Review covers the following Baby-Sitters Club titles: Kristy's Great Idea, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and The Truth About Stacey.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Color by Braden Lamb. Telgemeier's graphic-novel adaptations of the popular series, which follows the evolving friendship of four middle-school students who create a baby-sitting service, are published in full color. No-frills dialogue and dynamic panel illustrations skillfully convey sympathetic characters and an array of well-realized conflicts. Review covers the following Baby-Sitters Club titles: Kristy's Great Idea, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and The Truth About Stacey.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Family Tree series. The fourth and final volume in Martin's series follows Georgia Noble across the span of several years, as the stories from the previous three generations intersect with her own. The breadth of the story is ambitious but the copiously populated cast and the extent to which adult concerns weigh on Georgia's life may be difficult for young readers to overcome.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) 4-6 Baby-Sitters Club series. Illustrated by Raina Telgemeier. Color by Braden Lamb. Telgemeier's graphic-novel adaptations of the popular series, which follows the evolving friendship of four middle-school students who create a baby-sitting service, are published in full color. No-frills dialogue and dynamic panel illustrations skillfully convey sympathetic characters and an array of well-realized conflicts. Review covers the following Baby-Sitters Club titles: Kristy's Great Idea, Mary Anne Saves the Day, and The Truth About Stacey.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) 4-6 Family Tree series. In book three of Martin's multigenerational family saga, Francie (Abby's granddaughter and Dana's daughter) faces challenges throughout her childhood, from dyslexia to a frightening attempted abduction (the titular secret) to her parents' divorce to beloved great-aunt Adele's cancer diagnosis. The episodic structure strains under the weight of too much family history and drama, but Martin manages to keep the narrative voice engaging throughout.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(1) 4-6 Autistic eleven-year-old Rose lives with her single dad, who doesn't have the resources, material or emotional, to be a parent. Luckily her uncle Weldon has her back; she's soothed by her ongoing collection of homonyms; and she has Rain, her dog--until Hurricane Susan, during which Rain disappears. This could be a tear-jerker. It isn't. Rose is a resilient, honest, and perceptive narrator.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In their fourth book, the doll families are packed in a box and mistakenly put on a boat to England. Fans will be intrigued by a personality switcheroo: adventure-loving Tiffany Funcraft becomes terrified when three dolls fall out of a hole in the box and disappear; cautious Annabelle Doll leads the search. Black-and-white illustrations by new series illustrator Helquist are amusing and abundant.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015

(2) 4-6 Family Tree series. In this second entry in Martin's multigenerational family saga, the protagonist is Abby's daughter Dana. We follow her life in a series of vignettes, one or two a year, from her charmed Manhattan childhood, to the struggles after her beloved father dies, to her early adulthood. Satisfying symmetry connects the entries, and the whole is highly rewarding as a chronicle of interwoven personal journeys.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) 4-6 Family Tree series. In short vignettes, we follow Abby through her childhood in small-town Maine to 1940 when, at eighteen, she leaves home. We start to fill in the strands of the story: a controlling father; a mother prone to depression; the accidental death of a best friend. The approach here is plain, but the story has that addictive quality of the multigenerational family saga.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) 4-6 Fifth-grader Pearl (Ten Rules for Living with My Sister) writes an essay about her summer vacation: Dad loses his job, Pearl and big-sis Lexie head to Camp Merrimac, the family embarks on a "staycation," and the sisters earn their own money. Martin cuts her characters' sweetness with a good dose of sass in this reflective look at the financially strained family's adventures.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) 4-6 When their grandfather, Daddy Bo, moves in, Pearl (nine) and Lexie (thirteen) must share a room. Pearl knows she can be a pain, so she comes up with ten self-imposed guidelines to help keep the peace. The story's drama and humor are well balanced. Martin knows the ins and outs of Pearl's demographic, and the nine-year-old's travails will resonate with readers.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(4) 4-6 Baby-sitters Club series. A prequel to the long-running series, this book follows Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey before they create their well-known club. Pre-teens unfamiliar with the series will be drawn in to the entertaining, if predictable, tale of friends trying to grow up but not apart. Longtime fans will enjoy this glimpse at favorite characters' origins.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray