(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. In the Liberty, a part of Nagspeake (Greenglass House, rev. 9/14, and sequels) where retired rogues and smugglers find sanctuary from the long arm of the law, Marzana takes it upon herself to solve a mystery after her mother is asked to find a kidnapping victim. Hoping to help rescue the missing girl, and despite her extreme social anxiety, Marzana assembles a team (or "knot") of her own: her best friend and codebreaker Nialla; a magician named J. J.; Ciro, a "camofleur," or expert in hiding things in plain sight; and Meddy, the ghost from Greenglass House who arrives via parcel post. The team makes progress following up on several clues, but kidnapping isn't a game, and Marzana's parents are furious when they discover the knot members putting themselves in danger. This entry shows all of Milford's strengths: theme-expanding stories within stories, a thrilling genre fusion, swashbuckling technical mastery (here, lock-picking, cryptography, and sleight-of-hand magic), a vocabulary to delight the word-nerds, and an invented world real enough to live in. Delivering layers upon layers, convincing characters who succeed despite their emotional challenges, and a brain-tingling mystery that unfolds at just the right speed, this ghostly fantasy-adventure is a humdinger of a good read.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Nix, an impish woodland fairy, is left behind when the other fairies go to the Summer Country. He's lonely, but still he's outraged when "a people" (read: a person) moves into a cottage in the forest. Nix soon finds out that he has more in common with this "man-people" than he had suspected. Fanciful, detailed black-and-white illustrations complement the mysterious tone of the text.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Young women thieves Clem and Georgie return to the cliffside smugglers' inn run by Milo's adoptive parents (Greenglass House); they're flush with loot from a heist gone wrong but missing a movable navigational map they'd hoped to secure. Ghostly girl Meddy reappears and helps Milo penetrate the motives of the inn's idiosyncratic guests. Milford delivers a complicated mystery and eerie ghost story. Zollars's chapter-heading vignette illustrations honor the story's many layers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Miserable, bullied orphan Girl gets by on her quick wits at the Convent of the White Wolf. When the Wolf King attacks the convent, Girl discovers that what she has been taught was a lie. Renaming herself Quicksilver, Girl sets out with an ancient witch, leaving the world she knows behind. Snappy dialogue and creative fantasy elements will delight seasoned fantasy readers.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. While her parents search for her missing brother, George (short for Georgina) answers her uncle's plea for help. Joined by two orphans and a snarky talking map, George journeys through hidden worlds to reassemble the mystical Council of Seven and prevent a cataclysmic meteor shower. An instantly likable heroine, inventive worlds, offbeat humor, and detailed chapter-opening pencil drawings enhance this winning debut.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Milo is anticipating a quiet winter-holiday week at home--home being Greenglass House, a "smugglers' hotel"--with his adoptive parents, when the bell rings and a parade of strangers begins to arrive. Milford employs a Westing Game level of cunning in setting up clues (smugglers, folktales, stolen objects, adopted children, and ghosts all play a part) and revealing their importance.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Noah wishes Mazel the dog could come along on his Shabbat walks with Grampa, but Grampa thinks he's too noisy. Finally he relents and concedes that "even a wiggly, jiggly, barking, bouncing dog" can find Shabbat peace. While Grampa's change of heart seems arbitrary, the book's playful text and endearing graphite/digital illustrations (Mazel is delightful) make it a good read-aloud choice.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Glaser details the winter survival techniques of a dozen different insects. Short, rhythmic lines explain each insect's adaptations (field cricket: "Safely hidden, you'd wait and wait"). Evocative paintings move from colorful fall to icy winter and finally burst into spring. The insects' point of view is emphasized in text and pictures, with nearby children also engaged in typical winter activities.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. A blind boy feels helpless to assist his hardworking mother bake and sell hamantashen, the three-corned pastries for Purim. In a dream an angel tells him that he can see--in his mind's eye--and he astonishes his mother by creating cookies in lovely shapes. This new edition has shorter text and new illustrations of collage and acrylic paint in warm, golden-hued shades.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1991

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. After stealing a lemon drop from behind the counter, the narrator finds herself trapped at the Slidy Diner, where the owner "smells like rotten grill grease," the coffee induces hives, and the ladyfingers "really are." Snyder's text describes the eerie diner in deliciously gross depth, while Zollars's acrylic and collage illustrations in shadowy colors add details and humor.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. This book addresses sexual abuse directly and thoughtfully. Mrs. Salvador sets high standards for her classroom, and one quiet, well-behaved student, Regina, prefers the order of Room 204 to going home. Zollars's expressive pictures capture the warm, bright classroom as well as Regina's worry and isolation. While the book has a clear purpose and message, it also has a heart.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007