(3) YA As Elizabeth I's troops storm Ireland, fourteen-year-old Maeve O'Tullagh fights to save her mother and sister from a mysterious illness. To do so, she must confront Uria, a vengeful Valkyrie, and the malicious Tom Cavan. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and historical elements combine in this tightly woven Celtic fantasy.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Greg Call. Barry and Pearson deliver a snappy adventure in this fourth Peter book. Wendy, Peter, and the Starcatchers fight to keep a cache of starstuff from the hands of the evil Skeleton and Baron von Schatten (possessed by Ombra). Though there's too much going on and the book is way too long, the story's unflagging pace makes quick work for fans.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) YA To impress a new girl in town, Ed pretends to be the "Sergio" of his work nametag, thus complicating an already tangled love-quadrangle. Hurt feelings, misdirected affections, and self-doubt pave the way for the too-perfect ending's revelations about life and love. The book's strengths are the voices of its four principle characters (especially Ed's offbeat friend, Quark) and their occasionally striking wisdom.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) YA With girls pitted against boys in a literacy fundraiser, Luisa Perez's inflammatory (and anonymous) column in the school paper garners attention. But for every girl-power article she writes, an anonymous guy fights back. Who is Luisa's nemesis...and is she dating him? Though the plot is implausible, Collins's sharp characterizations deserve commendation.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(3) 4-6 To young rabbit Kenny's surprise, the fearsome new dragon in town, Grahame, loves books and good food rather than ravaging. As Kenny and Grahame become friends, however, the local animals consider dragon-slaying; it falls to Kenny to keep the peace. This genial dragon story, with its nods to myth and Kenneth Grahame, is an accessible, enjoyable read.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(2) K-3 Little Mouse fears everything, from heights to going to bed. Making his way through this book, he scrawls out his anxieties on pages labeled "Isolophobia (Fear of solitude)" and "Whereamiophobia (Fear of getting lost)." The visual and textual layers woven by Gravett's meticulous mixed-media illustrations, including nibbled pages and foldouts, contain enough detail that multiple reads still won't reveal everything.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009

(4) K-3 Fox Rufus leads his sheep friend Babette on a goose chase to her surprise party. The book's aim is to teach similes; plot is buried beneath explanatory notes and simile-based dialogue. It works in most places, but sometimes the chosen similes either don't fit well together or are just straight comparisons. The synthetic-looking illustrations are garish but lively.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(3) PS Colorful animals demonstrate Stein's advice on good behavior. The unpretentious text offers basic rules ("When you get in a snit, don't hit!") and reminds readers that sometimes having time alone is as important as being with friends. The acrylic, ink, marker, and digital illustrations are reminiscent of finger painting. Sound advice and good humor impart wisdom without didacticism.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Christian Slade. In the meter of "A Visit from St. Nicholas," Wharton considers what Mrs. Claus might be up to on the night before Christmas, from domestic tidying to business management. The text, accompanied by humorous mixed-media illustrations, offers a positive message: the heavily built, glasses-wearing, gray-haired heroine's undaunted enthusiasm demonstrates that people of every sort are perfectly suited to succeed in their dreams.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2008

(4) 4-6 Translated by John Brownjohn. Aspiring author Optimus Yarnspinner (a dinosaur) journeys to the city of Bookholm. Seeking the author of a certain perfect manuscript, he discovers wondrous books, countless dangers, unsavory characters, and inspiration. The story's erratic pacing and adult-oriented references make the audience difficult to discern, but the humor and appealingly dark and creepy line drawings may win Optimus some fellow adventurers.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) 4-6 Colored by Steve Hamaker. The creator of Bone tries his hand at superheroes in this revival of a DC classic. Life gets interesting for orphan Billy Batson after he starts timesharing his body with Captain Marvel. He faces giant robots, angry monsters, and a fiendish U.S. attorney general, and he discovers he has a sister. Politics are clumsily incorporated, but Billy and friends are smart, fearless, and likable.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner