(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Karla Peña. Eight-year-old investigative reporter Emma gets her third case when her dance teacher's prized tambora drum, critical to the dance troupe's Thanksgiving Day Parade performance, goes missing. Despite a rushed plot line, Emma's enthusiasm shines. The bilingual half-Dominican girl's narrative is peppered with Spanish phrases and illustrated with cartoony grayscale spot art.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) PS Pearle's energetic and evocative cut-paper collages picture a young girl's car-ride home and her family's fascination with the moon silhouetted against the night sky. The urban setting includes subtle mini-vignettes; the rural environment focuses on the full moon. Minimal text expresses wonder at the moon's perceived travels: "See it hiding behind boulders? / And peeking through clouds?"

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Karla Peña. Eight-year-old Emma Perez wants to be a TV reporter. Bursting with confidence, tenacity, and boundless energy, and mentored by her newspaper journalist father, she lands her first big story when a classmate finds a worm in his lunch. Emma's character is borderline twee, but her half-Dominican heritage and bilingualism are seamlessly integrated into the text. Frequent illustrations enhance the chapters.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Karla Peña. Aspiring TV reporter Emma Perez returns with a new mystery afoot: Sophia's lion costume, part of a group costume with Emma and Javier, has disappeared. Without it, their hopes to win the interschool Halloween costume contest are ruined. Still dauntless and spirited, but fortunately less fame-crazed in this installment, Emma heads up the investigation. Spanish phrases and cheerful illustrations are evenly sprinkled throughout.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) PS Readers both young and young at heart will enjoy this alphabet book dedicated to play. From Act to Zoom, the children in the book are busy having fun. Each page features a letter of the alphabet and a verb representing that letter. Pearle's cleanly composed cut-paper collages fill the pages with bright colors and lively patterns.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) YA Essential Events series. These books examine seminal events in American history. Each gives background information and discusses the people involved. The writing is straightforward, and readers will find these books useful for reports. The many sidebars are informative and interesting, though the design is crowded. Archival photographs and drawings enhance the text. There are four other new books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Events titles: The Battle of the Little Bighorn, Hurricane Katrina, The Great Chicago Fire, The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, and The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Essential Viewpoints series. This series offers readers a generally well-balanced discussion of the featured topic. The history, laws and reforms, significant events, and divergent perspectives are clearly, if dryly, presented. Offering no solutions, these titles provide readers with the facts needed to make informed decisions of their own. Primary-source reproductions, photographs, charts, and encroaching sidebars make pages crowded. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Essential Viewpoints titles: The Abortion Debate, Internet Piracy, Gun Control, The Causes of School Violence, and The Death Penalty.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Translated by Terese Edelstein. During the Nazi occupation of Holland, two young sisters are hidden in a series of private homes, ultimately living with a childless man who makes puppets and performs as a clown. Though occasionally sentimental in tone, the present-tense prose provides immediacy to the story. Unfortunately, the two protagonists have interchangeable personalities and never come alive as individual characters.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta