(4) 4-6 Ben's quiet life with just his dad changes when Ben acquires first a stepmother; next a baby sister adopted from China; then a slew of new relatives, including grumpy great-aunt "Poornora." The book is too slender to support its multiple story lines and large cast, but Rodowsky ably conveys Ben's fluctuating feelings as he adjusts (eventually, happily) to his new family.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Sara Barker, nine, has been terrified of dogs ever since she was small. When Ms. Harrington, a new neighbor with two dogs, falls and breaks her leg, Sara runs into the yard next door, where the dogs stay, to help her. Rodowsky makes Sara's fear palpable and her eventual road to recovery believable. Plentiful pencil illustrations add to the book's accessibility.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2005

(4) YA After his mother's death, seventeen-year-old Zachary goes to live with his father, whom he's never met, and his father's family. Thirteen-year-old Tottie never knew that her half-brother existed, and she has difficulty adjusting to his arrival. The narrative timing is awkward in this depiction of a family's growing pains, but Zachary and Tottie's alternating voices are genuine and enjoyable.

Reviewer: Kristin Cashore

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Beth Peck. In this satisfying chapter book, Jason would rather play music than sports. Granddad provides him with a drum and music lessons after Jason begs to listen to more bands at the Memorial Day parade instead of watching his brother's baseball game. In his sports-crazy family, Jason's individuality shines through. Black-and-white drawings accompany this realistic family story.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Elsie begins having flashbacks and realizes that she and her autistic brother Tommy were abducted by their mother four years earlier. When Tommy gets sick, Elsie breaks her mother's rules about talking to strangers and goes for help. Both the complete loss of her memory and its sudden reappearance stretch belief. However, Elsie is a sympathetic character, and the plot is intriguing.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 The summer after seventh grade, Cassie's world falls apart: her beloved brother-in-law is cheating on her pregnant sister, and her grandmother is selling the seaside inn where she, Cassie, and Cassie's mother live. While the story is predictable, Rodowsky has a solid handle on adolescent angst, and Cassie struggles believably to accept the people she loves for who they really are.

Reviewer: Amanda Sullivan

(1) 1-3 Illustrated by Thomas F. Yezerski. Here's a really good book--well written, brief without being a mere outline for a novel, predictable without being boring, heartfelt--for that neglected second-to-third-grade market. Eight-year-old Ellie wants a puppy more than anything else in the world, so she's not happy when her parents inform her that they are adopting a full-grown dog who belonged to a distant relative. Readers will find their interest engaged and held from beginning to end.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(3) 4-6 After the death of her free-spirited mother, fifth-grader Livvy is sent from New York to Baltimore to live with Jessie Barnes, her mother's sensible, antique-shop-owning friend. Livvy's narration, in the form of stories told to her mother, often seems overly mature, but presents a quiet, reassuring portrait of a child adjusting to a new life.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.