(4) 4-6 Neil Flambé Capers series. Fourteen-year-old chef/budding detective Neil Flambé finds himself on the case--and on the hook--when some of the town's best chefs turn up dead. Certain clues from the crime scenes, including apparent ties to Marco Polo, make Neil the most logical choice to solve the mystery. There's lots of humor and intrigue to be found, if the main character's arrogance doesn't task readers' patience.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) YA Vicious Catholic clergymen persecute benevolent Cathars in thirteenth-century France as two childhood friends, Peter and John, explore the philosophies and futures each sect offers. Despite an intriguing topic, this exploration of faith and power ends up being too superficial. Wilson's prose is descriptive of the time, but can be plodding.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Mitchell. Beginning at age three and moving to age six, the narrator muses about stages of development. Meanwhile, grownup friends and relatives talk about pumpkin babies, cabbage babies, and stork babies; the story culminates in the birth of the little girl's baby brother. Simple, repetitive text reassures siblings-to-be that their seeds of doubt are normal. Doll-like illustrations create a cheery sense of make-believe.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax