(2) 4-6 The redoubtable Dido Twite is aboard ship again, this time searching for Lord Herodsfoot, who is wanted in London to cheer up King James III with a collection of new games. Loaded with material--the author's famed power of invention is prodigious--the story hurtles by at such a pace that the reader can hardly keep up. However, Dido, ever cheerful and sensible, is, as always, a splendid heroine--"a one-er, and no mistake."

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Scott Gustafson. This edition of the classic story features illustrations that are theatrical, saccharine, and overdone.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Jane, the youngest of five cats with wings, is bored with her secluded life on the farm. She forgets her siblings' warnings and flies to the city, where a man gives her a comfortable home. However, just as her siblings had predicted, she finds she's traded freedom for stardom, so she escapes and finds a suitable home with her mother. Another satisfying book for admirers of the series.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(3) 4-6 Stepping Stone series. This gentle little mystery, cast among the bug population of Cottage Garden, has for its hero a young butterfly named Leon Leafwing. He searches for his lost love, Mimi, a gossamer-winged butterfly, with the help of Spider Kane, the elegant sleuth, and his assistants. This edition features new cover art and has been published without Victoria Chess's droll illustrations.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. This reissue features Poole's cool, limpid, flowing text and Barrett's elegant, mysterious illustrations--delicate yet strong, in deep, muted colors. A splendid work, with the flavor of eighteenth-century German Romanticism.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1992

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by S. Saelig Gallagher. Lila has one ambition: to be a master firework-maker like her father. Sent to distant and dangerous lands to gather rare ingredients, the plucky heroine is helped on her journey by her friend Chulak and his white elephant. Most amusing is a comic troupe of losers--sometimes pirates, sometimes restaurateurs, always changing but always failing--that she meets again and again.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Pamela R. Levy. Boston in 1912 is the setting for a series of cases solved by a charming cat detective. Eileen O'Kelly deals with every type of problem from lost baseballs to murder and remains both hard-boiled as well as feminine. Although the characters are clearly human surrogates with nothing particularly catlike about them, the Boston scene is carefully drawn, and the descriptions, particularly of food and clothing, are delightful. Readable and clever, with a splendid female role model.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(3) K-3 A discussion of cat behavior is inserted into a fictional story about Bob, who is caring for the Fosters' cat, Molly, while they are away. Bob's many questions about why Molly does certain things are answered in clear, concise, and accessible text on the facing pages. Bonners explores such subjects as feline social behaviors and signals, sleeping habits, and threat displays. The watercolors are delightful.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jos. A. Smith. Orphaned Annyrose Smith, twelve when she is left with a heartless swindler during the California gold rush, manages to escape, only to be gathered up by infamous outlaw Joaqu_n Murieta. The characters of Joaqu_n, a Mexican Robin Hood, and Annyrose, spunky but thoughtful, clothe issues of loyalty and honesty in a roaring adventure story, smartly written and chock full of humor and derring-do.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Elizabeth Harbour. In this original tale a thistle in the garden turns into a baby for a sad and childless king and queen. The king and queen love the princess so much that they refuse to let her have friends in case she should be hurt. Only when she floats away like thistledown do they realize their error, and welcome all children into their garden. The pale, delicate, stylized pictures match the quiet mood of the story.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(2) 1-3 A tale of ancient Rome is illustrated with Gerrard's trademark shortened-and-distorted figures and narrated in simple, bouncy verse. Two slave children run away from their cruel master, and after many vicissitudes, they win a chariot race and practically single-handedly save Rome from an invasion by the Ostrogoths. The charm of the whole absurd conception is only accentuated by the ridiculous, squat figures and the rather tatty rhymes.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) YA A rather unorthodox wizard, Derk's primary interest is in breeding unusual animals: griffins, flying pigs, winged horses. When the greatest wizards in the land appoint him Dark Lord, Derk is extremely unwilling. But Dark Lord he must be, and he goes about his business with an immense roster of fascinating creatures. Several surprises in the convoluted plot lead to the triumphant ending of the author's best fantasy in some time.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) YA In 1717, fourteen-year-old Nathan Gull's country-parson father dies insolvent. He finds an unlikely rescuer in Tamo White, the young son of a wealthy pirate from Madagascar and his native wife. Tired of England, Tamo returns home and takes Nathan and his mousy, prudish sister with him. Readers will devour this riveting, thoughtful tale of both piracy and the clash of cultures.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) K-3 Our old friend Martha the verbal dog here ventures unexpectedly into the rehabilitation of antisocial canines. She meets a newcomer to the neighborhood: he is called Bad Dog Bob and behaves as such, barking and growling at all and sundry. But clever Martha enlists the help of a parrot at a crucial moment, instantly reforming Bob. Dear Martha, a canine of good sense and kindly instincts, is a model for us all.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) 4-6 A novel of a contemporary girl who experiences the Great Plague of London in 1665 presents a horrifying picture of one of the greatest epidemics known in historic times. Although powerful descriptions of both the repulsive disease and the measures taken to deal with it are the novel's strongest feature, the story is also well written, and Emily is a strong-minded, likable heroine.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Leonid Gore. A remarkable fable about time and love is set long ago in Germany. Fritz, a local writer, tells the company gathered at the tavern a story about the magician and clockmaker Dr. Kalmenius. Pullman's Faustian tale, in which every small event is carefully related to another with the delicate precision of the finest clockwork, is deeply absorbing and aptly illustrated with evanescent ink drawings that complement the gothic atmosphere.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Mary Grandpre. On orphaned Harry Potter's eleventh birthday, mysterious missives begin arriving for him, culminating eventually in the arrival of a giant named Hagrid. Harry learns that his parents died saving him from an evil sorcerer and that he himself is destined to be a wizard of great power. A charming and readable romp with a most sympathetic hero and filled with delightful magic details.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999

(2) 4-6 The headmaster at the Nexhoath School seems to have a compelling power over the students that, one by one, robs them of their individuality. New student Jai becomes involved in solving the mystery, and his adventures include shape-changing and visits to alternate worlds. Rubinstein's practiced hand mixes a number of implausible elements to produce an entertaining if somewhat didactic fantasy.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998

(4) 4-6 In this sweet and slightly moralistic story, three children on vacation on an island find a three-headed dragon in a cave. Each head of the dragon, Fafnyr Goldenwings, has an improving tale to tell that applies to each of the children. Although the novel, set in modern times, seems somewhat anachronistic, the old-fashioned tone will appeal to E. Nesbit fans.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers

(2) 4-6 Sutcliff's admirers will rejoice at the posthumous publication of a novel about a young Viking warrior. Bjarni Sigurdson is barely sixteen when he is banished from his settlement on the west coast of Scotland for accidentally killing a man. Sutcliff's careful handling of how a young man deals with the difficult choices that lead to maturity is nothing short of masterly. An unexpected and most welcome gift.

Reviewer: Ann A. Flowers | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1998