(2) YA With the death of El Patrón at the end of The House of the Scorpion, fourteen-year-old Matt has been declared the Lord of the drug state Opium. Matt must consolidate his power to deal with challenges from the United Nations, rival drug lords, and his own subjects. Farmer introduces vivid new characters, enlarges the scope of her world-building, and provides nuanced mystery and intrigue.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(2) 4-6 Apprentice bard Jack and shield maiden Thorgil (The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples) face a vengeful draugr (sea hag). Farmer mixes in Norse, Celtic, Scottish, Irish, and Pictish lore with British pagan and early Christian history. Fondness for the characters keeps readers happily navigating through the nonstop plot to a conclusion that is both ambiguous and satisfying.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2009

(2) 4-6 In this sequel to The Sea of Trolls, Jack's quest takes him underground to the realms of hobgoblins and elves. His companions at various points include his bratty little sister Lucy and the bloodthirsty shield-maiden Thorgil, as they journey through enchanted lands and among astounding peoples. The mix of deep myth and high humor is handled with assurance.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gail de Marcken. When Ali's pigeon steals a cherry from the throne room, the evil Sultan threatens death to Ali's father unless Ali can accomplish the impossible: produce six hundred Syrian cherries in three days. Being clever, he does, and Ali ends up as crown prince. This original story (based on a historical incident) is rich with musical language and with the patterns of Egypt's Arabic art.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(1) 4-6 Drawing upon history, Norse and Celtic myth, and Farmer's own abundant imagination, this story is long but engrossing, a "cruel tale with a merry heart" about a Saxon boy and what befell him upon his and his younger sister's capture by marauding Northmen (and, later, trolls). The book is effectively sparing in its use of fantasy elements, but when Farmer pulls out all the stops, she does so with aplomb and assurance.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2004

(2) YA In this thought-provoking science fiction novel, El Patrón, the 140-year-old patriarch of the Alacrán family rules a narrow strip of land between the U.S. and Aztlán, and Matt Alacrán, a clone despised by almost everyone, is the key to his future. Certain parts go on too long, and the ending seems too good to be true, but Farmer has shown great imagination in creating a unique, plausible, and disquieting view of the future.

Reviewer: Barbara Scotto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2002

(3) K-3 Illustrated by James Bernardin. Sim Webb, the African-American fireman for legendary train engineer Casey Jones, tells of the events leading up to the crash of the Cannonball Express in 1900. Jones is seduced by an unearthly sounding seven-quill train whistle, and he insists on running the train faster than Webb feels is safe to get enough steam to play the seventh pipe. Expressive illustrations capture the drama of this event, based on the real-life disaster.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith