(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. A simple rhyme introduces young readers to gardening, with special attention paid to where vegetables grow relative to the ground ("Corn grows up. / Carrots grow down. / Cucumbers climb around and around"). The glorious illustrations star two kids, a father figure, and cheerful bugs, birds, and critters, some of which partake in the end-of-book vegetable-based feast.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) PS Super Sturdy Picture Book series. Illustrated by Hideko Takahashi. Simple text describes the imagined journey of Matthew's toy truck: "it explores green, leafy forests... / and sneaks under dark, shadowy bridges" while the bright, acrylic illustrations show the truck (with Matthew as driver) navigating around potted plants and under kitchen chairs. The "sturdy" pages of the pleasant but mild story probably won't have to endure repeated readings.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) 4-6 Dubbed "Macaroni Boy" by his sixth-grade nemesis, Mike Costa enlists his best friend to confront the bully. But when Mike sees his senile grandfather vomiting blood, his focus shifts to discovering the source of the poison he is sure Grandpap has been ingesting. The historical novel adeptly incorporates actual events that occurred in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, and Mike's concerns ring true.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(3) PS Illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Art and text transform a mundane short walk down the block into a full-blown adventure. A little girl turns a cardboard box into a car, a boat, an airplane, and a subway car as she journeys to her grandmother's house next-door. The story is told in few words, but Tusa's quirky, angular illustrations do much to fill out the imaginative drama.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Before leaving Ohio to pursue life as a peddler, sixteen-year-old Will Spencer helps Noah, a slave, escape to Canada. When he learns that Noah's family is still in Kentucky, he agrees to steal them and bring them north to freedom. Though Will's horrified discovery--that slave owners view slaves as "stock" that they own, work, and breed--seems naive, his passion for abolishing slavery is inspiring.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(3) 4-6 History Mysteries series. Before leaving Ohio to pursue life as a peddler, sixteen-year-old Will Spencer helps Noah, a slave, escape to Canada. When he learns that Noah's family is still in Kentucky, he agrees to steal them and bring them north to freedom. Though Will's horrified discovery--that slave owners view slaves as "stock" that they own, work, and breed--seems naive, his passion for abolishing slavery is inspiring.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 4-6 In 1885, Vallie Harper runs away from difficulties at her aunt and uncle's home in Pittsburgh to find her prospector father in Colorado. Disguised as a boy, she makes her way to Aspen on a series of trains. Working at the Silver Dollar Café, she explores various leads until her father finds her. Though the disguise is somewhat improbable, the realistic details and deft narrative make this a satisfying adventure.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 History Mysteries series. Well-drawn historical contexts--War of 1812, Pony Express in 1860, women's suffrage movement in 1814, and World Wars I and II--combine with thin but fast-paced mysteries and courageous preteen heroines for satisfactory historical-fiction fare. The best of the group, Secrets on 26th Street, relates the predominantly middle- and upper-class suffragists' efforts to recruit working-class women. Historical notes are included.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(3) 4-6 Through sixteen-year-old Lucinda's journal entries and letters to and from her family and friends, readers learn about her work with the Underground Railroad in a small Ohio town. The fast-paced, well-researched narrative provides insight into the social and political mores of the time and the dangers faced by those working to help slaves to freedom.

Reviewer: Deborah L. Thompson