(2) 4-6 In the 1944 Germany-occupied Netherlands, fifteen-year-old Michiel finds himself caught up in a dangerous situation involving an injured English pilot. Although the tone of this novel, originally published in the Netherlands in 1978, is straightforward and subdued, the devastating effects of the Occupation are cumulative, leaving readers with a strong sense of the courage necessary for survival during wartime.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) YA Margalo, Mikey, and their assorted friends and enemies are back. They grapple with real issues--bullying, stealing, cheating, and other people's sexual and academic problems--and in the process, they and their classmates learn about doing what's right. Though the undifferentiated stream of teen daily-life minutiae can be tedious, Voigt's feel for the frenetic nature of that world is right on.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2006

(2) YA Living in a secretive southern family in the 1950s, Sonny, thirteen, is still trying to make sense of an incident that occurred when he was six (his mother heaved a plate at his father, who left the next morning). His attempts to grapple with the issues of race and sexuality bring about major repercussions. This lively novel crackles with wit as it sensitively explores Sonny's world.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(2) 4-6 When Abram Harsich comes to Robert's drought-stricken town with his Mirror of All Things and grand plans for a rain machine, the mesmerized residents forget their troubles--and their children who are mysteriously disappearing. Eleven-year-old Robert watches the ensuing events quietly and, with increasing unease, begins to question what is happening. His determination and heroic actions are the steady focus of the tale.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(2) YA In this thought-provoking science fiction novel, El Patrón, the 140-year-old patriarch of the Alacrán family rules a narrow strip of land between the U.S. and Aztlán, and Matt Alacrán, a clone despised by almost everyone, is the key to his future. Certain parts go on too long, and the ending seems too good to be true, but Farmer has shown great imagination in creating a unique, plausible, and disquieting view of the future.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(2) 4-6 This fifteen Redwall book continues the pattern: contentment, good cheer, plentiful food, and fine companions exist side-by-side with adventure, mayhem, and death, but in the end the goodness of the Abbey world prevails. With at least four story lines always in play and numerous characters, it's a wonder it ever gets sorted out. Jacques pulls it all together, so that lovers of Redwall will find this another satisfying read.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2003

(2) YA This is a richly detailed, beautifully designed biography. Known today primarily as collectors of German fairy tales, the brothers had wide-ranging intellectual and political interests. Not only does the book provide a realistic look at their lives and times, it also shows the brothers as real people. Drawings accompany the text, most of them probably done by younger brother Ludwig. A complete listing of the collected tales and a time line are helpful. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002