(4) YA Nym is a storm siren and a slave. Able to create storms and call down lightning, she is given the choice to hone her ability and fight in the centuries-old war her kingdom is losing or be executed. The world-building and secondary characters are unsubstantial, but a compelling plot with plenty of action will keep fantasy fans riveted.

Reviewer: Lauren Chambers

(4) PS Illustrated by Steve Smallman. Ellis retells forty familiar stories from the Old and New Testaments using simple language and repetition: "Pound! Pound! Saw! Saw! Joseph made a table." The tales are stripped to the bare-bones plot, and each concludes with a suggestion for a related activity (e.g., making a rainbow, singing a song, talking about kindness). Smallman's cartoon-style illustrations are kid-friendly.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sergio Martinez. This picture book in verse explores the meaning behind the biblical parable of the vine and the branches. The text has a promising beginning, but the constraints of the rhyme scheme are a drawback: the message becomes muddled due to the authors' need to find the right rhyme and rhythm. Loose, flowing black lines define the details in the careful illustrations, which are rendered in natural brown-and-green tones.

Reviewer: Anne St. John