(3) 4-6 British twelve-year-olds Aidan and Sally take Aidan's father's fishing boat and join the brigade of small civilian boats traversing the English Channel to save Allied soldiers trapped in Dunkirk. One of Aidan's brothers has been killed in the war, and another is among the troops he is trying to save. McDonough understatedly yet effectively relates the courage and resilience of the two young protagonists. Timeline. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Who HQ: What Was...? series. Illustrated by Tim Foley. The long-running Who Was...? series (originally Grosset, now rebranded by Penguin Workshop) expands its coverage. This readable, informative volume is marred only by the caricatured cover art (typical of the classic series) and bland interior pencil illustrations. Otherwise, the book will give young readers a good sense of Moses's story. Occasional full- and double-page text boxes successfully illuminate related topics; photo insert included. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Tour de France–loving Marcel, twelve, uses his cycling skills in his small French town to help his baker parents, members of the French Resistance. His new friend Delphine and her Jewish family also need his help escaping the Nazis. Although plot points are occasionally too neatly resolved, Marcel's courageous spirit carries this World War II drama set in 1942. Reading list, timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Thermes. This biography will be of interest to young fans eager to know more about Wilder and how closely her own life was mirrored in the Little House books. The accessible text is well paired with genial illustrations that call to mind Lois Lenski's art. Devoted fans will appreciate the appended recipes (gingerbread, Johnnycakes, and homemade butter), games, and corn-husk doll instructions. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Heather Maione. In this sequel to The Doll Shop Downstairs, Anna and her family await the arrival of cousin Tania, fleeing Russia during WWI. When Tania arrives, she's as skittish as the stray cats in the neighborhood; caring for the cats helps her acclimate. McDonough's straightforward text and Maione's cheery All-of-a-Kind-Family-esque illustrations show the small details of one family's life during a turbulent time.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Heather Maione. When Anna's parents' New York doll repair business is affected by the WWI trade embargo with Germany, they must find creative ways to support the family. Issues of economic hardship, heritage, and social class are interwoven with themes of love and determination in this heartening story. An author's note describes the historical events on which the tale is based. Timeline. Glos.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen. McDonough describes the Alcotts' uncompromising ideals, Louisa's struggles with poverty, her growing fame, and her loyal nurturing of a family sadly diminished by its losses over time. The informative, no-nonsense text and the sophisticated illustrations should appeal to readers who are nearly ready for Little Women itself. Andersen's gouache and pastel art is rendered with a free-flowing, impressionistic brush. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Jill Weber. Once past the unflattering cover caricatures, these informative biographies provide useful details on each subject's life, family, and career. The lack of divisions within chapters makes the books a little less accessible, although black-and-white drawings and occasional spreads on related topics help break up the text. Timeline. Bib. Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Was John F. Kennedy?, Who Was Louis Armstrong?, and Who Was Ronald Reagan?.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by John O'Brien. Once past the unflattering cover caricatures, these informative biographies provide useful details on each subject's life, family, and career. The lack of divisions within chapters makes the books a little less accessible, although black-and-white drawings and occasional spreads on related topics help break up the text. Timeline. Bib. Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Was John F. Kennedy?, Who Was Louis Armstrong?, and Who Was Ronald Reagan?.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Who Was...? series. Illustrated by Carrie Robbins. These short, illustrated books capture the lives of famous individuals with accessible prose. Each book spends considerable time explaining the childhood experiences of its subject and manages to give readers a sense of the individual's personality and motives. All but Tallchief and Houdini have bibliographies. Timeline. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Is Maria Tallchief?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Who Was Harriet Tubman?, Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?, and Who Was Harry Houdini?.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis. Straightforward prose tracks Mandela's journey from a South African village to his political awakening, ensuing activism, and subsequent imprisonment. Readers will appreciate this book's generosity with small but fascinating details (Mandela's childhood toys, the exact size of his prison bed) and its folk-art illustrations, which blaze with color as if to reinforce the power of the subject's convictions. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 1-3 All Aboard Reading series. Illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo. Nine-year-old Kate proves to her doubting mom that she's old enough to play carefully with the heirloom doll that her grandmother has given her. This upper-level easy reader contains a lot of text, but the accessible format will attract newly independent readers. Plentiful illustrations in pastels accompany this pleasant but didactic story that may appeal to doll fans.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Nancy Harrison. These short, illustrated books capture the lives of famous individuals with accessible prose. Each book spends considerable time explaining the childhood experiences of its subject and manages to give readers a sense of the individual's personality and motives. All but Tallchief and Houdini have bibliographies. Timeline. [Review covers these Who Was...? titles: Who Is Maria Tallchief?, Who Was Amelia Earhart?, Who Was Harriet Tubman?, Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?, and Who Was Harry Houdini?.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Malcah Zeldis. Featured in this collection are brief three-page biographies of eleven influential American women, including Harriet Tubman, Emily Dickinson, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller. Unfortunately, the garish, often grotesque folk-art portraits that accompany each piece bear almost no resemblance to their subjects, but the writing is personable and reader friendly, focused on the women's early lives. A time line is included. Bib.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Diane Palmisciano. Lila and Jane are thrilled when elderly Miss Whitcomb lets them play with her elaborate dollhouse: "Children are what give a dollhouse its life and its magic, you know." Her unexpected death brings sadness, but the girls entertain the tantalizing thought that dollhouse magic is responsible when a young girl moves into Miss Whitcomb's house. Lighthearted illustrations help make the chapter book's Depression-era setting accessible.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander