(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Ryan Andrews. Nine-year-old friends Mellie and Danny rescue a bedraggled cat they find hiding in a trash barrel. They don't realize that he has just made his escape from a nefarious animal-testing laboratory run by the Trump-like CEO of YummCo., the largest employer in town. Mellie names the cat Bert, but Danny calls him ZomBert because of his habit of eating only the heads of his prey. Meanwhile, the lab is pulling out all the stops to find the missing cat. Why is he so important? Is Bert really a zombie? Can Mellie and Danny protect him? Readers will have to wait for the next series entry to find out; this one ends in a cliffhanger. Frequent digital sketches add suspense to a story with dead-on appeal for Halloween reading.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Ryan Andrews. This unique, interactive second-person narrative casts the reader as a character trying to escape from a fantastical world populated by, among others, an evil queen and her robot minions, an enormous dung beetle, and a French-speaking stoat. The wordplay-heavy adventures follow one another rapid-fire without much character development. Still, humorous characters and clever activities such as word scrambles and drawing prompts should keep readers engaged and entertained.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(4) 4-6 Witching Hours series. Illustrated by Ryan Andrews. Siblings Anna and Max join their father on his research trip to Transylvania, Romania. When a vampire kidnaps Max, Anna and her new friend Isabella take the mysterious knife Anna's found and venture into the remains of a castle to save her younger brother. The straightforward plot is only mildly scary, but this new series may appeal to young readers drawn to the supernatural.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Ryan Andrews. After the shooting death of his best friend, eleven-year-old aspiring cartooonist Lowen Grover ("his" comics are interspersed) convinces his family to move to Milltown. Hoping for revitalization, the down-on-its-luck town is giving away homes for one dollar, which proves too good to be true. Facing myriad financial and social challenges, the Grovers persevere in this emotionally resonant family drama featuring a diverse cast of likable characters.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello