(2) YA In this chilling novel, five sisters go about their lives, unaware of a man's obsession with them until one becomes his prisoner. Alternating chapters tell the story from three of the sisters' perspectives and the man's point of view, told in measured, creepy prose. Mazer crafts a skillful psychological examination of a disturbed, dangerous predator and a family that experiences trauma.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(3) PS Illustrated by Christine Davenier. Emily's devoted dad pretends to look for his giggling preschooler in the silliest places--in his hair, "under the rug," "way up in the air." Finally she reveals herself with a roar, and he acts properly surprised. The free-flowing watercolors accompanying this lively rhyming story lend plenty of personality to Emily, her father, and even the cat who joins in the game.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 4-6 Mazer precisely captures sister dynamics in this story told in the present tense from ten-year-old Sprig's point of view. The author catches the intense love-hate relationship that can develop between siblings and also demonstrates a pitch-perfect ear for the way contemporary kids speak. Sprig's generally sunny disposition and interest in her world keep the novel fresh and funny.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2007

(3) 4-6 When Sarabeth's widowed mother dies unexpectedly, Sarabeth must cope with her devastating loss and then life in cramped quarters with her mother's friend's family. Depressed and alone, thirteen-year-old Sarabeth at last gets up the courage to seek out her estranged extended family. Mazer's intimate portrait of grief is convincing and well drawn.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 When Maman falls ill, Karin Levi and her brother must continue their journey through the French countryside without her, eventually boarding a ship in Italy taking refugees to the United States. This moving World War II story is neither highly dramatic nor politically charged; it is the very personal and immediate experience of a young girl grappling with the loss of her old life and with a new life that changes daily.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1999

(3) 4-6 Originally titled Mrs. Fish, Ape, and Me, the Dump Queen. Abandoned by her parents, Joyce is ostracized at school because her uncle ("Old Dad") manages the town dump. When Old Dad suffers a stroke, Mrs. Fish, the quirky-but-lovable school custodian, steps in to keep the dump running, and a wary romance develops between the two lonely adults. Written in a naturalistic style, this character study peeks into the hearts of those deemed "different" and shows how an unlikely family is created.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta