(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Marinka chafes against her lonely destiny as she trains to be a Yaga like her grandmother, a witch who guides the dead to their afterlife among the stars. When she rebelliously pursues her desires at the expense of her responsibilities, everything spirals out of control. In this lyrical story, inspired by Russian folklore and shot through with grief, Marinka finds a way to balance her needs with those of others. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tom Knight. In this playful Halloween-themed retelling of the folktale "Stone Soup," three hungry witches have only a bone to eat. They beg local monsters for eerie ingredients such as earthworms, eyeballs, and cobwebs, promising there's no trick, just a tasty treat. Greens, blues, and oranges dominate the cartoonish, digitally colored charcoal and pencil illustrations. A soup recipe (substituting edible ingredients for witchy ones) is appended.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Lady Silvie of Loughsley must flee her privileged life to escape her cruel brother John's control. She founds a forest community bound by love and care, which expands to take in all those exploited by corrupt aristocrats until the balance of power shifts. A glorious gender-swapped reimagination of the Robin Hood legend, with flavors of matriarchal mysticism along with restorative economic justice.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond series. Illustrated by Vivienne To. New Jersey sixth grader Kiranmala's parents have always told her she's a "real Indian princess," and she learns it's true when an inter-dimensional demon swallows the family up on her twelfth birthday. Guided by cranky Prince Neelkamal, Kiran quests through a shifting, wondrous, and frequently snot-soaked galaxy of Indian mythology to rescue her parents. Kiran's first-person narration is assured, appealing, and unfailingly funny.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Whatever After series. This fifth entry focuses on the prickly dynamic between Nory (who turns into hybrid animals such as a "squippy"--half-squid, half-puppy) and Willa (who makes it rain indoors) plus their caught-in-the-middle friend, Elliot. As usual with this entertaining series set in a magic school, each character is fully rounded, with alternating perspectives providing broader pictures of the various classmates.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Whatever After series. When Abby and Jonah find themselves in "The Princess and the Pea" (Pod), Abby spends a restless night on a precarious stack of mattresses and is promptly appointed the swamp kingdom's new ruler. In Red, they land in "Little Red Riding Hood" and intervene on Little Red's behalf. As usual for these entertaining fairy-tale takeoffs, the sibs must set the stories straight and learn gentle lessons in the process. Review covers these Whatever After titles: Seeing Red and Two Peas in a Pod.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) K-3 This old-fashioned collection of eight classic stories, including fairy tales, Aesop fables, and folktales, is pleasing but not groundbreaking. Gustafson retells the stories in a natural style with moderate emphasis on traditional ideals such as honesty, industry, creativity, and inner beauty. Expressive animal characters and a few pink-cheeked humans dominate Gustafson's glowing, luxuriantly detailed oil paintings on large-trim spreads.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) 4-6 Out of Abaton series. Before they can begin ruling Abaton, Pinocchio and Lazuli (The Wooden Prince) must undertake a quest to learn why monsters that have been asleep for centuries are suddenly attacking--and why Pinocchio is turning back into wood. Despite a large, confusing cast of undeveloped supporting characters, the protagonists' emotional journeys are compelling and the details of their magical world inventive. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Alan Brown. Fairy tales told as choose-your-path adventures may be an ideal match of form and genre. Readers addressed as "you" first select one of three scenarios (including fantasy, wacky humor, and sci-fi) and make narrative choices until reaching a happy, sad, or neutral ending. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations support the texts. Background about the source tale and critical thinking questions are included. Reading list. Review covers these You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Secrets of the Pied Piper series. Max and her friends are back on the Summer Isle, searching for her younger brother Carter, who has teamed up with their former enemy, the Piper, to learn magic. Can they unite to defeat the evil Grannie Yaga? Cody treats Carter's mobility impairment with nuance and partially subverts the unfortunate "magical cure" from book two, bringing the trilogy to a pleasing conclusion.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA In this sequel to Ivory and Bone, unexpected tragedies make Mya and Kol the new leaders of their respective clans. Their betrothal is strained by the demands of survival in a prehistoric landscape prone to intertribal warfare. Continual narrow escapes and violent confrontations become wearying, perhaps because narrator Mya remains emotionally reserved; still, her struggle to balance duty and desire feels genuine.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Conspiracy of Us series. As prophesied, Avery and Stellan join the Circle of Twelve, the elite group of all-powerful families who secretly rule the world. But, like the teens' romance, it's just a ruse--until it isn't. The series' conclusion (The Conspiracy of Us; Map of Fates) contains all the romance, thrilling international chases, ancient art puzzles, and preposterous plot twists fans could hope for.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Federica Frenna. Fairy tales told as choose-your-path adventures may be an ideal match of form and genre. Readers addressed as "you" first select one of three scenarios (including fantasy, wacky humor, and sci-fi) and make narrative choices until reaching a happy, sad, or neutral ending. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations support the texts. Background about the source tale and critical thinking questions are included. Reading list. Review covers these You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales titles: Rumpelstiltskin and Rapunzel.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Ben Hibon. It's not easy for a thirteen-year-old necromancer-queen to rule a shadow kingdom--especially when using magic is taboo for women, dead citizens are coming back as zombies, and the living are mysteriously disappearing--but feisty Lily does her best with the help of peasant friend Thorn. Gothic set pieces, humorous banter, action, and nasty villains keep the pace quick and the pages turning.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Last Dragon Charmer series. Prince Caden and his friends (Villain Keeper; Quest Maker) must stop the villains exiled to Asheville, North Carolina, from destroying the town with a fearsome ritual meant to reopen the portal to Razzon. The reversal of the stock fantasy premise is amusing, but it's Caden--his perspective limited by the rigid heroic ideals that disguise his insecurity around love and acceptance--who is utterly winning.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) 4-6 Fablehaven series. Illustrated by Brandon Dorman. Now that the demons have been defeated, Kendra and Seth face a new threat: dragons. The teens agree to quell rebellion by becoming caretakers of the dragon sanctuary, but is this alliance a trap? Many nods to the original Fablehaven series will please fans, but this first book in a "sequel series" primarily sets up what's to come in future installments without much plot development.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Owl discovers that the father she has never known is Jack Frost, and that she has inherited some of his magical power. But can Owl convince the winter spirit to be a parent to her? Wilson's appealing narrative blends Owl's exploration of her new abilities; power struggles in the Faerie court; and day-to-day concerns of family, friends, and middle school.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Out of Abaton series. Pinocchio was a mindless wooden "automa," but ever since a mysterious prisoner fiddled with his gears, he's started transforming into a human boy. He joins Princess Lazuli, a fairy, on a quest across the Venetian Empire, into the air, and beneath the sea. The plot rockets along in this steampunk alternate-history retelling, entrancingly packed with Italian Renaissance details and alchemical magic.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) 4-6 Far Out Fairy Tales series. Illustrated by Omar Lozano. Sixth grader Victoria Torres's aspirations and her reality don't usually align. In these volumes, she's cast as Friar Laurence, not Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet (Drama); and she refuses to engage in dirty politics during class elections and might have to accept a lesser office (President). Believable ethical situations and a thoughtful heroine add appeal to otherwise pat middle-school fare. Activities appended. Glos. Review covers the following Victoria Torres, Unfortunately Average titles: So Much Drama and Vicka for President.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Also written by Robin Wasserman. Simon helped save the world in the Mortal Instruments series, but he lost his memories. Ten stories chronicle his time at Shadowhunter Academy, re-learning how to be a hero (and Isabelle's boyfriend); recurring characters appear as "guest lecturers," filling holes in the mythos and dropping hints about future series. Despite the underwhelming plots, some characters do undergo real development, and the school setting offers familiarity.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian