(3) K-3 Illustrated by Zahra Marwan. Daisy wins a fish at her beloved fair and names him October after the month the fair takes place. He’s odd-looking, “but he was her fish, her very own.” When October grows too large for his bowl, then for the bathtub, and finally for Daisy’s house, she must make a difficult choice. This bittersweet story (with a happy ending) of showing love by letting something go is accompanied by distinctive, loose-lined illustrations created in pen, ink, and watercolor and finished digitally.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 This chilling sequel to Small Spaces finds Ollie, Coco, and Brian trapped in a ski lodge. The three friends and their parents are alone until the arrival of mysterious Mr. Voland, who tells them Hemlock Lodge is haunted. The hotel's creepy history gives this tale the necessary trappings of a classic ghost story (e.g., a dead skier appears at unexpected moments to deliver silent warnings). The novel's second half takes the danger one step further by re-introducing old villains and raising the stakes, making for a harrowing adventure.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 A series of eerie mishaps on a school field trip strands sixth grader Ollie and her classmates near a Vermont farm exactly like the one in Ollie's book about a sinister "smiling man" and his army of terrifying, once-human scarecrows. Only two other students believe her insistence that they're in danger. This supernatural thriller is a page-turner; Ollie's journey through grief over her mother's death and into friendship makes it memorable.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018