(4) 4-6 Map to Everywhere series. Illustrated by Todd Harris. In this third series entry (Map to Everywhere; City of Thirst), the crew of the Enterprising Kraken sails the Pirate Stream, intent on stopping the prophesied destruction of the magical waterway. Full of intricate world-building, complex characters, and rip-roaring adventure, the story moves quickly, but the action-packed cliffhanger ending is a bit unwieldy. Lively grayscale illustrations add to the fun.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(3) YA The luxury yacht Persephone was sunk by a wave, and its wreckage was never found--that's the official version. But Frances survived the disaster, and she knows that men with guns killed everyone on board. Four years later, she has assumed an alternate identity and is intent on finding the truth. This fast-paced thriller is a tense exploration of selfhood and revenge.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 Pirate Stream series. Illustrated by Todd Harris. "It is said the Bintheyr Map to Everywhere will take its possessor wherever he or she needs to go." Marrill, on a ship sailing the inter-dimensional Pirate Stream, needs to get back home. Fin, a master thief no one seems to remember, needs to find his mother. And they aren't the only ones looking for the Map. A clever, fast-paced adventure.

Reviewer: Susan Graham

(4) 4-6 Infinity Ring series. This series (which has an online component) focuses on history nerd Dak, physics-obsessed Sera, and polyglot Riq as they travel through time to repair history. Mutiny focuses on Columbus's voyage; the writing is stilted and Native Americans are ignored. Divide, set in medieval Paris, appears to be more accurate, though the writing is formulaic. Fans of the 39 Clues books will be clamoring for this read-alike.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(3) YA After years of fending off "the infected" on her own, Annah is reunited with her twin sister Gabry (The Dead-Tossed Waves) and Elias. Meanwhile, enigmatic Catcher's immunity makes him a prized tool for the tyrannical military. As the teens try to protect one another from zombies and Recruiters, the development of their believably complex relationships ratchets up already taut suspense.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA The zombielike Mudo have been reduced to a minor danger a generation after events in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. On a night of rule-breaking, Gabry and her friends inadvertently cause an outbreak of the monster infection. Gabry, desperate to help, leaves the safety of the Barrier to seek answers. The skillful world-building and suspense of Forest continue in this sequel.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA Only a fence separates Mary's village from the Unconsecrated--zombielike creatures that must be kept at bay in order for her primitive post-apocalyptic community, governed by a religious sisterhood, to survive. This inventive horror story combines mystery, romance, and suspense as it records Mary's quest to search beyond the barrier for alternatives to the life she has always known.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann