(4) 4-6 Princess Power series. Illustrated by Chuck Gonzales. In Prince, Princess Lysandra organizes a talent show audition to meet other adventuresome princesses. In Cousin, the four friends must foil Princess Fatima's wicked cousin's plot to become king. Prince drags at first, but this new series is refreshing: it stars four princesses, each boasting a special power, who aren't interested in fancy dresses. Comical black-and-white art appears throughout. Review covers these Princess Power titles: The Charmingly Clever Cousin and The Perfectly Proper Prince.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Princess Power series. Illustrated by Chuck Gonzales. In Prince, Princess Lysandra organizes a talent show audition to meet other adventuresome princesses. In Cousin, the four friends must foil Princess Fatima's wicked cousin's plot to become king. Prince drags at first, but this new series is refreshing: it stars four princesses, each boasting a special power, who aren't interested in fancy dresses. Comical black-and-white art appears throughout. Review covers these Princess Power titles: The Charmingly Clever Cousin and The Perfectly Proper Prince.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Little House: The Caroline Years series. Illustrated by Dan Andreasen. Seventeen-year-old Caroline wants to stay in her hometown of Concord, Wisconsin, to pursue a teaching career. So when she begins a courtship with her old neighbor, Charles Ingalls, who longs to move west, she faces a serious life-altering decision. The gentle, old-fashioned story provides a believable look at pioneer life and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) K-3 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Brief, declarative sentences explain and illustrate facts about different kinds of energy. While stopping short of introducing potentially useful terms like kinetic and fossil, Bradley ably demonstrates these and other concepts with the help of lively cartoonlike images, most featuring children engaged in energetic pursuits (e.g., a family roasts hot dogs). Two simple experiments end the book.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Santoro & Christopher Santoro. This fast-paced book describes the events of October 30, 1938, when an Orson Welles radio production of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds caused a nationwide panic. Featuring humorous black-and-white images, the entertaining narrative offers explanations--e.g., the era's breakneck technological developments--for why some listeners believed that an alien invasion was plausible. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Christopher Santoro. This account of the supposed UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico, glosses over the 1947 event, omitting most of the colorful details that surround the original incident. The simply written text, which is accompanied by often humorous illustrations, does a better job explaining the subsequent rumors, legends, and government reports that have made the "Roswell Incident" a cult phenomenon. Bib.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta