(2) YA Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano. Twelve-year-old Ebo and his older brother are among hundreds of migrants on a crowded boat to Europe when it capsizes. Chapters alternate between "now" (at sea) and "then" (Ebo's sojourn from Ghana by truck and on foot). Moments of resilience and generosity stand out, but perhaps most moving are close-up panels of distressed faces and haunting images of death. This poignant graphic novel humanizes an ongoing tragedy.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(4) 4-6 On his way to a publicity party as Iron Man, Tony Stark discovers something amiss on an Irish island that brings him face-to-face with his nemesis, the Mandarin. Though Colfer captures Tony's verbose diction--to the brink of meandering off-plot at times--his characterization is disappointingly inconsistent with the Iron Man of the comics.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Fred, an imaginary friend, loves spending time with the lonely kids who wish for him--until each meets a "real friend" and poor Fred fades away. Then Fred meets Sam and begins an unusual friendship in which the rules change. Jeffers's delicate ink drawings and Colfer's lighthearted but sensitive tone are a perfect match in this quirky tale about friendship and growing up.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) YA W.A.R.P. series. Shot through a wormhole to Puritan England, Victorian magician Riley and twentieth-century FBI agent Chevie struggle to save each other while Riley's former master, Garrick, tries to revenge himself on Riley by burning Chevie as a witch and destroying life on earth via the wormhole. This entertaining third W.A.R.P. volume alternates humor with mild romance and rousing action.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA W.A.R.P. series. Returning from her jaunt to Victorian London in The Reluctant Assassin, Chevie Savano finds that fellow time-traveler Colonel Box must have succeeded in his conquest, since she's now a cadet in the repressive Boxite Empire's military academy. Going back to the past, Chevie reunites with magician and good friend Riley to change history in this funny, high-octane adventure with thought-provoking time-travel insights.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Adapted by Andrew Donkin. Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano. Colfer's third Artemis Fowl installment gets the graphic-novel treatment as amoral genius Artemis teams up again with fairy police captain Holly Short in a heist to retrieve a stolen computer that could reveal the fairies' existence. A larger trim size would have rendered the text and stylized character illustrations less inscrutable, but energetic panels and lively dialogue keep the presentation humming.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA W.A.R.P. series. After a wormhole transports Riley, a reluctant assassin's apprentice, from Victorian to modern-day London, Riley and teenage FBI agent Chevron Savano must evade and defeat Riley's evil mentor, Garrick, who gained quantum abilities during his own trip forward through the wormhole. Capably plotted time-travel adventure filled with hand-to-hand combat, canny reversals and tricks, and sarcastic repartee will ably reward Colfer's longtime fans.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Artemis Fowl's pixie nemesis Opal Koboi reanimates a horde of spirit Berserkers to possess Artemis's four-year-old twin brothers and their nanny/bodyguard for the purpose of destroying humankind. Teen genius Artemis and his crew must out-think them all. This final volume has close-knit relationships, desperate last stands, and a gleeful penchant for utter destruction, sending the series off in high style.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Artemis Fowl is suffering from the Atlantis Complex, a fairy mental disorder that makes him obsessive and delusional. In spite of his confusion, he needs to save the underwater city of Atlantis from an evil fairy, with help from Butler, Holly, and other returning characters. Entertaining action scenes will appeal to this series' many fans, who will enjoy the familiar but formulaic fun.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 4-6 In his sixth adventure, boy genius Artemis is faced with his toughest challenge yet: traveling back in time to save an endangered species from his younger self. This entry in the popular series will grab and keep readers' attention, as magical devices, duplicate characters, and time paradoxes combine to create complex situations and adventures.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(2) YA Conor, framed for a king's murder, is sent to a diamond-mine prison. Sustained by his passion for flight, Conor designs flying machines on the walls of his cell. The story's tension draws power from the many cards stacked against its protagonist. Lightening this grim concoction is the heady aura of scientific possibility and plenty of period grit and flavor.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2008

(3) 4-6 Wise-guy Benny makes friends in unexpected places. In Omar, Benny's family moves to Tunisia, and Benny, initially resistant, finds his place among the diverse people he meets. Babe is about Benny's summer at the Irish coast, where he encounters a tomboy who shares his instinct for trouble. Both stories are driven by sharp dialogue, tight writing, and vibrant characters and settings. Review covers these titles: Benny and Babe and Benny and Omar.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 4-6 Wise-guy Benny makes friends in unexpected places. In Omar, Benny's family moves to Tunisia, and Benny, initially resistant, finds his place among the diverse people he meets. Babe is about Benny's summer at the Irish coast, where he encounters a tomboy who shares his instinct for trouble. Both stories are driven by sharp dialogue, tight writing, and vibrant characters and settings. Review covers these titles: Benny and Babe and Benny and Omar.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(4) 1-3 Legend Of... series. Illustrated by Glenn McCoy. With four brothers, Will has a hard time finding anyone to listen to his problems, so he makes a deal with Grandad. Grandad will listen to his grandson's troubles if Will listens to his--which helps Will put his problems in perspective. The humor is painted with too broad a brush, but readers will sympathize with Will's sibling issues. The cartoon illustrations match the text's exaggeration.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Giovanni Rigano & Paolo Lamanna. This graphic novel adaptation of the first Artemis Fowl book presents Artemis in action as he schemes to capture a fairy and collect a golden ransom. Action scenes are presented from various visual perspectives, heightening excitement. Even readers familiar with the series will enjoy this new approach, though their conceptions of the characters (some poorly developed) may not match the pictures.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 4-6 In this fifth entry in the series, Artemis Fowl--now fourteen and in the grip of puberty--meets his match in twelve-year-old genius Minerva Paradizo. The plot revolves around the existence of demons and the impending collision of their world with that of humans. Schemes within schemes may confound readers new to the series, but Artemis's many fans will find much to enjoy.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Glenn McCoy. Ordered by their parents to visit the library, nonreading brothers Will and Marty fear the kid-hating librarian, who is rumored to shoot unruly patrons with a potato-pelting gun. The larger-than-life (and stereotyped) Mrs. Murphy does provide some laughs, but this over-the-top story is weakened by its sappy ending. The cartoony black-and-white illustrations match the text's hyperbole.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Running away from an orphanage that uses children as human guinea pigs, Cosmo joins a group of young people who fight off high-flying parasites that suck the life from human beings. The kids scurry through futuristic cityscapes and journey to the edge of outer space in a twisty plot that never plumbs below the busy surface action. The ending virtually assures a sequel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) YA Shortly after breaking into the home of elderly Lowrie McCall, teenagers Meg and Belch are killed in an explosion. Bad guy Belch goes straight to hell, but Meg's fate in the afterlife is more uncertain. She is given the opportunity to redeem herself by returning to earth and helping Lowrie achieve some of his final wishes. The familiar plot contains sitcom elements, but the slick story moves quickly and agreeably.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Artemis and Captain Holly Short are at it again, this time attempting to thwart the evil Spiro's theft of an ingenious device Artemis has designed that (inadvertently) puts the fairy world in danger. There's plenty of snappy dialogue, badass posturing, and blow-by-blow fight scenes, but by the end the characters and story are right back where they started, which means that the next book in the series is completely free to do the same thing all over again.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton