(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Canine narrator Jack helps thwart a burglary ring and save some woods from demolition. The narrative is often funny, but Jack's disjointed train of thought and the inconsistent use of "Jackspeak" (glossary provided) can be confusing. Sarcastic comments from Jack's cat housemates are footnoted. Frequent line art helps illustrate the action (though some of the drawings look like rough sketches).

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(3) 4-6 Lady Grace Mysteries series. When a famous portraitist comes to Nonsuch Palace to paint Queen Elizabeth, paint containing arsenic goes missing and a maid of honor falls ill. Lady Grace's sleuthing leads her to the perpetrator of the poisoning as well as to the crime's motive. This light, engaging mystery is full of period detail. Endnotes illuminate "the fact behind the fiction." Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Lady Grace Mysteries series. This third installment finds thirteen-year-old Grace, one of Queen Elizabeth I's favorite Maids of Honor and an astute sleuth, investigating a series of suspicious accidents the queen barely escapes while making her annual summer progress. A spirited main character and the appealing combination of history and intrigue will keep readers interested in this well-paced story. An endnote clarifies fact and fiction. Glos.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Lady Grace Mysteries series. Although highly improbable in plot and characters, these two books introduce the feisty and clever Lady Grace, "maid of honour" to Queen Elizabeth I. She not only uncovers a murder at court, she goes on to rescue a kidnapped damsel in distress on the high seas. The historical background is colorful and enlivening, Grace is delightfully rebellious and spunky, and the diary format is appealing. Review covers these Lady Grace Mysteries titles: Assassin and Betrayal.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Lady Grace Mysteries series. Although highly improbable in plot and characters, these two books introduce the feisty and clever Lady Grace, "maid of honour" to Queen Elizabeth I. She not only uncovers a murder at court, she goes on to rescue a kidnapped damsel in distress on the high seas. The historical background is colorful and enlivening, Grace is delightfully rebellious and spunky, and the diary format is appealing. Review covers these Lady Grace Mysteries titles: Assassin and Betrayal.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Although his humans think Jack, a yellow Labrador retriever, is not too bright, he ably and humorously provides for the mother of his puppies and rescues his human who has a broken leg. Jack, who narrates, has a dog's understanding of the human world, giving the story the breathless quality of a bouncy puppy, sometimes tedious but often funny.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley