(4) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Vess. In Nowhere, Texas, the five Upagainstit siblings find a baby in a tumbleweed. Despite the "littlest-of-all" girl's wishes, they bring Tumbleweed Baby home--where she wreaks havoc. The nonsensical story will prompt a chorus of "Why?" and "How?" from listeners, but the ending helps bring it all together. The inconsistent figures in the ink and colored-pencil illustrations befit the odd tale.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) 4-6 In 1800s Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Robby Hare is horrified by his father's new scheme for making money: robbing graves and selling the bodies to a teaching hospital. He's also captivated by the investigation of human anatomy and how studying cadavers can save lives. This intriguing fictional account explores the morality of human dissection and its place in the history of medicine.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) YA Orphans Drucilla and Gabe were raised as siblings, then separated after being taken in by different families in colonial Salem. As hysteria over witchcraft builds, Dru joins her peers in making denouncements--until Gabe is accused, and Dru searches for a way to end the trials. Dru's character exhibits sensibilities too modern for 1692, but the setting is otherwise well realized.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Revolutionary War hero Nathan Hale's story is told here from two perspectives: Hale's own and twelve-year-old Jonah's, Hale's (fictional) student. Hearing Hale's reported last words firsthand clinches Jonah's difficult decision to support the Patriot cause rather than his guardian's Loyalist views. Though at times characters feel distant, this is an interesting take on Hale's fate. An author's note is included.

Reviewer: Juliet S. King

(4) 4-6 Eighth-grader Stewart's life is turned upside down when a mysterious new teacher begins dating his father. Convinced she's using witchcraft to control events, Stewart and his friends attempt to expose the truth. The kids' perspective on how adults manipulate one another into marriage is belabored and too young for their age, but readers may relate to Stewart's conflicting emotions.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Howard, a "hoggee," drives the mules that pull boats along the Erie Canal. But he can also read and write and hopes to become something more. Although suffering from some unlikely coincidences, this interesting story has a sympathetic main character. One subplot involves the treatment of a deaf-mute girl, whom Howard hopes to reach through sign language.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Selling medical elixir in Florida with his adopted father, Ben meets two destitute orphans who illegally hunt birds and sell their feathers. Narrated alternately by Ben and his father's macaw, this solid novel set in the early 1900s places Ben in a moral dilemma as he adopts two orphaned egrets and debates turning his new friends in to the warden.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Based on events surrounding the 1921 Tulsa, Oklahoma, race riots, this story concerns the friendship between fifteen-year-old Nobe Chase, an angry white boy, and a thoughtful young black man. When Nobe intervenes to save his friend from a lynching, his own life takes a turn for the good. Despite several improbable and contrived events, the novel is fast moving, and a number of characters are well portrayed.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(2) YA Fifteen-year-old foster child Ophelia avoids getting close to anyone. When she takes on the job of reading aloud to ninety-two-year-old Portia, she reluctantly finds herself drawn to share her tragic past with the reclusive old woman. Told alternately from Ophelia's and Portia's points of view, the narrative puts monstrous acts of cruelty into context in this thoughtful intergenerational story of loss and deliverance.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2001

(4) 4-6 Gail's mother insists that her father, missing in action in Europe during World War II, is still alive. But sixth-grader Gail fears what the rest of her small town believes is true: her father is dead. As Gail struggles to stay strong, her uncle, a blinded veteran, angrily withdraws into his own misery, where only Gail's dog Captain can reach him. Despite a melodramatic ending, this story does convey the toll of war on families.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA Clare and Liz's "friends forever" pledge is tested when Ethan, a gifted but schizophrenic pianist, moves to town and Clare becomes his girlfriend. As Clare searches for the truth behind Ethan's claims that his talent comes from a long-dead German composer, her relationship with Liz falls apart. This quick read has a bit of everything--romance, mystery, a hint of the supernatural, and, ultimately, tragedy.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute