(4) PS Illustrated by Amy Wummer. In first-person rhyming text, a yarmulke-wearing boy identifies various emotions and how he responds to them, with an emphasis on his relationship with Hashem (God). Cartoonish illustrations on laminated paper accompany the didactic text. A feelings chart and a note to adults further the book's purpose of helping children process emotions. Glos.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Harry and Doug can't wait for field day, especially with a secret prize waiting for the winner. Doug worries when Harry is tricking his way to the top, but other students start cheating as payback. While the characters' cycle of cheating and apologizing becomes repetitive, readers should enjoy the genuine, lighthearted antics, accompanied by pen-and-ink spot illustrations.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Harry's teacher is getting married and--gasp!--Miss Mackle didn't invite the class to the wedding. So Harry and his pals devise a wedding-crashing plan and end up saving the day when the bride's dad gets lost. There are some old-fashioned-feeling details in this story ("you may kiss your bride"), but the Room 3B kids continue to be engaging, realistic chapter-book heroes.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. This story inspired by the familiar Christmas poem starts on July 3 ("while visions of fireworks popped in our heads") but is mostly set during the happy holiday itself, when rain threatens but quickly disappears. While the meter shifts constantly, this is a serviceable introduction to what one might expect on Independence Day, complete with a patriotic color palette and firework-bedazzled skies.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Milo and Jazz attend the town's celebration to dig up a seventy-five-year-old time capsule. But a skeleton--quickly identified as the school science skeleton that disappeared seventy-five years ago--is unearthed instead. So what happened to the capsule? With humor and some vague but helpful clues, Milo and Jazz crack the case. The breezy but formulaic installment includes appended logic puzzles.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. When the school fundraising money disappears from the locked cashbox, Jazz, the only one with a key, is accused of stealing it. Milo races to figure out who the real thief is and prove Jazz's innocence. Although her trial, held during recess, goes over the top, Milo's sleuthing skills are clever. This formulaic installment includes pleasant spot illustrations and appended puzzles.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. When a television rock star comes to town, everyone wants one of her guitar picks. But only a few, including Jazz's brother and his friends, win them. When they receive letters scamming them out of their picks, Jazz and Milo get to work and solve the mystery. Spot illustrations and sleuthing puzzles at the end add additional enjoyment to the breezy if slight mystery.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. The Room 3B students all enter a poster contest, and when Harry's is dubbed the winner, jealous Mary lashes out (Scissors). It's Harry's fault when a mean substitute banishes Song Lee's origami pig to the June box ("a jail for toys"), but the kids have a plan. Kline's considerable grasp of elementary-age children's feelings is on display in these latest installments. Review covers these titles: Horrible Harry and the June Box and Horrible Harry and the Scarlet Scissors.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. The Room 3B students all enter a poster contest, and when Harry's is dubbed the winner, jealous Mary lashes out (Scissors). It's Harry's fault when a mean substitute banishes Song Lee's origami pig to the June box ("a jail for toys"), but the kids have a plan. Kline's considerable grasp of elementary-age children's feelings is on display in these latest installments. Review covers these titles: Horrible Harry and the June Box and Horrible Harry and the Scarlet Scissors.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. When Jazz runs for school president, her friends plan a clever campaign for her. Someone, however, steals their best ideas and gives them to Jazz's opponent, the school bully. Can detectives-in-training Milo and Jazz discover the culprit before election day? The fast-paced but simplistic story provides the right amount of clues for young mystery-lovers. Sleuthing strategies and puzzles are appended.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. It's another boring day at school--until Milo finds a diamond necklace in his desk. He's sure it's from a jewelry heist he read about, but Jazz reminds him not to jump to conclusions. Using deductive reasoning, they work backwards to solve the mystery. It's a slight but pleasing story; appended riddles and puzzles will further entice young wannabe sleuths.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. It's a hot summer day and everyone's looking forward to swimming at the neighborhood pool--except for the person who's turned it purple. It's up to Milo and Jazz to figure out who dyed the water and why. The vocabulary and simplicity of the clues are perfect for early chapter book readers, but those new to the series might be confused by the story's many characters.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Milo enjoys his week at camp across the lake from the girls' camp and his sleuthing partner, Jazz. When his bunk's moose mascot goes missing, he must solve the case on his own with only Jazz's letters for help. Accompanied by ink and wash illustrations, the story isn't deep but it is lively. An epilogue includes puzzles and brainteasers.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Kindergarten doesn't daunt Annie: garbed in a star-spangled headband, a red cape, and cowboy boots, she's on the alert for first-day adventures. Retrieving two classmates who have gotten lost, she earns the Gold Star Deputy badge for the day. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are as cheery as Annie herself. Though her first-person narration doesn't always ring true, her enthusiasm does.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. After kindergartner Samuel announces that he's "having a baby!" his classmates imagine that they, too, are about to become parents (they put stuffed animals under their shirts, etc.). The simple text and soft-hued art rely on a "That's so cute!" reaction from a readership largely too young to supply it, but big-siblings-to-be may relate to Samuel's excitement and trepidation.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 1-3 Milo & Jazz Mysteries series. Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Weird stuff keeps happening at the Fourth of July fair, especially when those big kids who call themselves the Zoo Crew show up. Aspiring detectives Milo and Jazz resolve to prove the Zoo Crew is behind the mischief, but things are not always what they seem. Although the characters lack depth, the story is enjoyable. Clever logic puzzles and games are appended.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. On Saturday, Annie pulls on her "adventure cape" and "sparkle tights" for mother-daughter playtime. But an urgent work call instead sends the pair to mom's office. There, Annie makes her own fun--and saves the day. Annie's voice doesn't always ring true, but readers with working moms may identify with the spunky girl, shown in energetic cartoon-style pencil and watercolor illustrations.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. In this book about the Table Two second graders, narrator Richard and bully Patrick are both in the Sumac School Chess Club (motto: "Chess! I love it I love it I love it!" accompanied by pumping fists, shown in the black-and-white ink and watercolor illustrations). The boys' personal rivalry threatens their tournament preparations, though Gilson's message about teamwork doesn't overpower the story.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Miss Mackle gets a real mailbox to use in the classroom. She sets up a post office, with jobs for the kids, and her class is thrilled. But after their rainbow bookmarks begin to disappear, Harry and Doug have a new mystery to solve. Peppered with class poems and typical third-grade behavior, here's another mild adventure for Harry fans to enjoy.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Wummer. Ballet-dancing Tucker is teased at school and even sometimes at home by his uncle Frank (though his mom reassures him, "I love that you love to dance"). When Tucker's drafted for football, his nimbleness helps win the game--and the team signs up for ballet. The book is well meaning but overly earnest. Dancing across the pages, Tucker is a lovable hero. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman