(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ed Briant. After a professor's intriguing but impractical invention fills his house, the city inspector condemns the dwelling. Luckily the Contemporary Art Museum comes to the rescue. The language is playful and witty, but occasionally the rhyme's hard to find. Varela's underlying message of "art for art's sake" is more for adults than kids. Briant's illustrations feature energetic black lines and judicious use of color.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) YA Set in 1970s New Jersey, this bleak portrait of childhood sexual abuse finds eleven-year-old Robby disturbed by the erratic behavior of his new neighbor, Colleen, and by the arguments he hears coming from her family's dilapidated house. Varela powerfully implies, though never confirms, what is happening to Colleen. The novel's hopeless, violent ending offers more shock value than insight.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann