(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Princess Marigold has grown up in the shadow of her perfect older sister, Rosalind, who was abducted by a wizard long before Marigold was born. When Rosalind miraculously finds her way home, Marigold is ambivalent and rashly decides that she's wicked and doesn't belong in the kingdom. She runs away to a place where she can embrace her so-called wickedness: the fortress of the wizard who held Rosalind captive for fifteen years. She can stay with Wizard Torville and his imp, Pettifog, if she passes a test to prove that she's evil: "I'll give you seven days to do something so vile that even an imp can't deny your wicked nature." Hijinks ensue (including Marigold mistakenly turning Torville into a sentient blob). When a pair of wizards plots to destroy a peace treaty among the kingdoms, Marigold must reckon with what it really means to be wicked. What began as sisterly revenge becomes part of a complicated web of spells that could undo the Cacophonous Kingdoms altogether. Carlson's deftly told story tackles questions of good versus evil and sibling bonds with a cast of oddball creatures and lots of humor. Clever, quirky, and cozy.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Toby lives with his uncle Gabriel, a down-on-his-luck private investigator. When Gabriel's celebrity-detective nemesis sponsors a contest offering a $10,000 prize and bragging rights as the next "world's greatest detective," Toby enters, without his uncle's knowledge. Clues drop where and when they will be most useful, and the mystery structure is solidly built, with multiple red herrings and surprising reversals.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(3) 4-6 Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Illustrated by Dave Phillips. Recently turned freelance pirate, Hilary Westfield challenges Captain Blacktooth for leadership of the League, a proposition that requires extensive support and draws in even the primmest-seeming characters. Like the previous installments, this trilogy-ender comes with high stakes but also plenty of humor and cheery spot art to keep things light; documents and letters add interest to the narrative.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Illustrated by Dave Phillips. Amid accusations of insufficiently piratical conduct, pirate Hilary Westfield must decide if she should risk her reputation in the League by rescuing Enchantress of the Northlands, Miss Pimm. Fans of the first installment will find the same combination of silliness and well-plotted adventure, complete with cheerful chapter-opening spot art and letters whose formality belies their absurdity.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series. Illustrated by Dave Phillips. Piracy-obsessed Hilary clearly doesn't belong at her over-the-top finishing school, so she and her talking gargoyle run away the first chance they get and join a ragtag group of pirates. The ensuing quest rewards the careful reader with absurd humor and playful characters who are more than they first seem. Spot art and faux documents punctuate the madcap tale.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax