(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Celia Kaspar. Ivy and her grandmother, a healer of real and magical creatures, live in an overgrown cottage in the otherwise clean, orderly village of Broomsweep. A kingdom-wide contest for best town leads the angry villagers to insist the pair clean up and get rid of the animals. Likable characters, plentiful black-and-white illustrations, and a happy ending make this a good choice for fantasy-loving young readers.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(2) 4-6 "Plain, unremarkable she-bear" Ursula Brown becomes governess to Teddy, only cub of the affluent Vaughns--and finds herself contending with midnight footsteps, a hidden personage in the attic, and handsome clerk Mr. Bentley. This ursine Victorian romance riffs on Jane Eyre, folktales, and nursery rhymes, but the fully imagined world stands up well even if a reader doesn't recognize the literary play.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015