(1) YA The sons of J.J. Liddy (The New Policeman, The Last of the High Kings) have become warlords in a world ravaged by global warming. As the situation becomes ever more dire, climate change refugees begin to pour into Tír na n'Óg. Thompson's sparkling wit, droll humor, and nimble plotting are on full display, while the book's theme packs a heavy punch.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jonny Duddle. Silver-tongued Marcus spins a rousing tale of how he came to possess Incitatus, beloved steed of Emperor "Gaius" (think vicious tyrant Caligula). "Take care of him," says the slave who hands Incitatus over just before being summarily dispatched. Marcus's ensuing escape on horseback is engrossingly eventful on its way to the story’s just conclusion. Plenty of pen-and-ink spot illustrations keep the tone light.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2011

(2) YA Bobby's family moves from the Dublin slums to the countryside. Their new house has a dark history, including a girl's death and the previous tenant's disappearance. Thompson (The New Policeman, The Last of the High Kings) shifts gears for this gritty crime thriller with only the barest hints of fantasy, though the Irish setting once again works its own kind of magic.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jonny Duddle & Robert Dress. Addressing an otherwise unnamed "sir," a street urchin spins a lively yarn. The beggar fends off would-be horse thieves--who evaporate when soldiers appear saying the mare is highwayman Dick Turpin's Black Bess. However, a clever concluding twist casts the boy's whole ingratiating tale into delicious doubt. The narrative, rich in language, is told with panache. Comical, detailed sketches show the story's Dickensian denizens.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2009

(1) 4-6 J.J. Liddy (The New Policeman), now grown up, is the guardian of a changeling named Jenny. Jenny, J.J.'s son, and an aged neighbor work to protect the world from a púka (mythical goat). Thompson's rich portrayal of family benefits from folkloric play on trickster motifs and otherworld creatures. Resonantly Irish, Thompson's storytelling still easily leaps geographical and cultural boundaries. Glos.

Reviewer: Betsy Hearne | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(1) 4-6 Time is leaking out of the human world and into the timeless land of Tír na n'Óg. The book's complex plot features alternating narratives, enigmatic subplots, and a large cast. The story sometimes gets a bit crowded but winds into a suspenseful climax. For those who appreciate an original twist on authentic lore, this will be spellbinding. Glos.

Reviewer: Betsy Hearne | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2007

(2) 4-6 Missing Link Trilogy series. Christie and his newfound family of humans, talking animals, and human-animal hybrids in Fourth World struggle to understand the purpose of a sinister invader; meanwhile, an interwoven narrative follows new characters Nessa and Farral, whose societies are threatened by war. As in the previous volumes, the characters are sympathetic, the narrative tension is thick, and the moral ambiguities are profound.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(2) 4-6 Missing Link Trilogy series. Human-animal genetic manipulation is the motor that drives this gripping book in a promising science fiction trilogy. Christie, thirteen, and his physically awkward stepbrother, Danny, travel to Fourth World, Danny's mysterious mother's home in Scotland. The tale unfolds quickly as the stepbrothers, an angry homeless girl, a talking sheepdog, and a starling make their way across Britain, experiencing natural and human peril.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2005

(2) YA Rilka is allergic to chuffies, creatures that absorb negative feelings. Her discontent is perhaps why she makes the mad pledge to catch a beguiler, a beautiful but treacherous creature that haunts the mountains at night, driving despair into the soul of anyone foolish enough to venture out. This fast-paced fantasy delves both realistically and metaphorically into the act of setting oneself a challenge and following it through to success.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002

(3) 4-6 Following Switchers and Midnight's Choice, this last volume in Thompson's trilogy takes place at a rural Irish farm where Tess is spending the summer. When her three young cousins disappear, the teenager utilizes her ability to change into different animals in order to find them--and discovers a family secret along the way. This suspenseful series conclusion is more tightly focused than its predecessors.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Tess, who has the ability to switch between human and animal forms, tries to free her old friend Kevin from captivity in a zoo while fending off the evil advances of Martin, a fellow switcher assuming the role of a vampire. Although this sequel to Switchers doesn't explain every plot twist satisfactorily, it's still a tighter, faster-paced novel than the first book.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Tess has the ability to change into the form of any animal. When she meets Kevin, another "switcher," the teens join forces to fight the "krools," frozen creatures from the Northern Hemisphere that are plunging Earth into another ice age. Despite some unanswered questions and lapses in logic, the tense fantasy presents an intriguingly realistic picture of Tess and Kevin living inside the skins of rats, cats, and even dragons.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.