(4) YA Orca Soundings series. After his parents' death, Nick is sucked into the illegal operations of a bicycle chop shop. His flimsy reasoning--that his foster parents will reject him and his sister if he doesn't replace the TV she broke--is not borne out by the sunny ending, but the swift plot escalation and clear character hooks will satisfy hi-lo readers.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Cindy Revell. Daisy's mom is keen to convince her possessions-rich caricature of a daughter to donate some room-cluttering toys. (Daisy's unsympathetic opinions include "I need a bigger room!" and the classic "Life was so unfair.") Upbeat digital art helps downplay the story's message somewhat, but it's still front-and-center. An appended "What's Mitzvah Day?" page tells more about the Jewish practice of tzedakah.

Reviewer: Nell Beram