(3) 4-6 Friday Barnes Mysteries series. Illustrated by Phil Gosier. In the third installment (Friday Barnes, Girl Detective; Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion), brainy sleuth Friday and her sidekick, boarding-school roommate Melanie, uncover the identity of a campus thief, save a Norwegian princess, foil multiple cheating scams, and (of course) continue to obsess over frenemy classmate Ian. The appearance of Friday's clueless physicist parents adds humor and even more clever dialogue to the series.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Friday Barnes Mysteries series. Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Book four in this humorous mystery series picks right up following Big Trouble, with sleuth Friday deported to Switzerland and untangling various immigration snafus. She returns to save frenemy Ian from scandal and determine who is pranking the entire boarding school. Friday's quirky brain remains sharp in this hilarious romp, and the black-and-white cartoon illustrations continue to accentuate the caper's lighter side.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Brilliant, quirky Friday has a knack for solving crimes, which comes in handy when she enrolls herself (as the "unexpected" youngest of five, she "largely raised herself") into an elite boarding school that is surprisingly teeming with petty crime. Friday's creative sleuthing and amusingly odd classmates are brought to life by angular black-and-white cartoon illustrations that nicely complement her humor and heart.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Super sleuth Friday (Friday Barnes, Girl Detective), still a misfit at fancy Highcrest Academy, is framed for a crime and solves increasingly bizarre ones while balancing her love/hate relationship with frenemy Ian. Comical, angular sketches of the spoiled students and ridiculous headmaster continue to be a main strength of the eccentric series. An intriguing cliffhanger ending sets up the next installment.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dan Santat. In this third Nanny Piggins novel, the porcine former-circus-performer-cum-caretaker leads her three (human) charges in ridiculous adventures such as mediating a dispute between a dissatisfied lion and her tyrannical tamer. The varied word choice and deadpan humor marks this as a solid read-aloud option. Spot- and full-page art illustrate memorable moments in each adventure. A chocolate soufflé recipe is appended.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dan Santat. In this sequel to The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, the chocolate-loving pig and her charges, the Green children, must stop Mr. Green from finding a wife and firing Nanny. Humorous antics ensue, including competing in the Westminster Nanny Show and a duel with a gypsy queen. The vignette-like chapters and absurd adventures will please fans; Santat's black-and-white captioned drawings showcase the mayhem.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Dan Santat. Mr. Green has no desire to take care of his children or to pay very much for a nanny. When a former circus pig asks for the job, he grudgingly employs her. Nanny Piggins then takes the kids on a string of adventures. Funny, odd, and rambunctious, this story will entertain many readers. Detailed black-and-white illustrations humorously convey the characters' spirit.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray