(4) YA Compelled to purchase a strange old dollhouse she finds at a hobbyists' convention, Zibby is frightened to discover that it's haunted--and dangerous. This is one of the spookier entries in a popular genre, and while overlong and overpopulated, it manages to whip up some genuine menace.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(4) 4-6 Time Travel Mystery series. Connor, a thoroughly modern California boy, time travels to 1926 to save his mother and break the magical ties that bind his family to an evil fifteenth-century painter. Though its pro-family subplot leans too heavily on obvious ironies (wholesome pleasure of the 1920s vs. electronic pastimes of the modern era), this tightly plotted novel moves swiftly through three distinctive time periods as it deftly presents a large cast of memorable characters.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 History Mysteries series. Following the confusion of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Clara finds a baby left on the doorstep of her family's boardinghouse. She eventually learns that the baby has been kidnapped and struggles to return her to her parents. Despite some underdeveloped characters, the satisfying plot moves quickly. Archival photos and historical information are appended.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 History Mysteries series. In 1754 New Hampshire, Rebecca discovers a thief in the fort where she and her sister live after their parents' kidnapping by Abenakis; in 1878 Kansas, Ida Kate uncovers the truth about her father's mail-order bride; in 1904 Missouri, Orphelia learns a family secret while she pursues her own dream of performing music onstage. Though formulaic, these well-narrated stories feature accurate historical details, as do the brief afterwords. [Review covers these History Mysteries titles: Enemy in the Fort, Riddle of the Prairie Bride, The Minstrel's Melody.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(2) 4-6 Living in the San Francisco Bay area, Violet finds mysterious letters and messages, obviously written in the past, that seem to refer to her and that present a historical puzzle, hinting at a murder and involvement in the great 1906 earthquake and fire. Themes of adventure and family relationships, heightened by an atmospheric sense of place, are deftly woven into this clever and skillfully written mystery.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.