(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Larry Di Fiori. Nine stories, each told by a different student in a third-grade class, focus on the issues a third-grader might encounter (writer's block, wanting to cut in line, etc.), each of which is solved through supernatural means. Though some of the stories tend to be didactic, the black-and-white spot illustrations help to lighten the mood of the otherwise entertaining tales.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by John Shelley. Little does twelve-year-old Adam Story realize that when he accepts a challenge to travel around the world in forty days without an adult, he is joining a mysterious, complex global game of intrigue and adventure. Appealing characterizations, nonstop action, and a sense of "being there"--whether it be Paris, Stockholm, or Tokyo--are just some of this enjoyable romp's strengths.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Larry Di Fiori. After the "New-School-Year Moon" hangs over the third grade classroom, strange things happen. Andrew, who wastes time doodling, finds that his doodles take over the classroom, and Kate learns the importance of spelling accurately from her science-experiment mealworm. Each chapter, a short story, is a comical, though somewhat heavy-handed, episode of magical intervention teaching students (and a new teacher) good behavior.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 4-6 When the Wilsons arrive at their vacation hotel and discover it's full, they decide to settle into the elevator. These amusingly oblivious oddballs welcome a series of bewildered hotel guests into their "mobile room" as they travel the floors. Evans reaps sly humor from what could have been a one-joke story, and even redeems the contrived ending, which finds the Wilsons cracking a kidnapping case.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli