(3) 4-6 Pumpkin Falls series. Truly Lovejoy (Absolutely Truly) has a memorable spring break: she turns thirteen, receives her first kiss, her best friend visits, and the Pumpkin Falls Private Eyes solve two more mysteries (one Civil War–related, the other involving stolen tree sap). Truly may be reluctantly adjusting to her new life in New Hampshire, but readers will be captivated by the idyllic town and its unconventional inhabitants.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) YA Mother-Daughter Book Club series. Emma and her book club friends spend their last summer before college as camp counselors. Trying to cure homesick little campers, the girls realize a book club might be the answer. Fans have waited four years for this satisfying sixth and final book in the popular middle-grade series and will be especially happy to catch up on boyfriend news and college plans.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. The March family celebrates Christmas and welcomes Father home from the Union Army in this warmhearted picture-book adaptation of scenes from Alcott's classic novel. Frederick incorporates memorable phrases into this historical-fiction narrative complemented by Ibatoulline's realistic gouache illustrations. However, the author and illustrator take unfortunate liberties with the original material (e.g., Beth as a blonde and the youngest).

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Pumpkin Falls series. In the series-opener, new-to-town gangly twelve-year-old Truly Lovejoy discovers a cryptic letter in a valuable copy of Charlotte's Web at her family's struggling New Hampshire bookstore. She hunts for answers about the letter--and the book's disappearance--with help from new friends. A spunky heroine, her quirky yet complex family and fellow townspeople, and plenty of literary references complete this entertaining mystery.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Cat complains to her eccentric great-aunt about her nasty, name-calling stepsister Olivia; the next morning Cat starts spitting out toads, while Olivia produces flowers and diamonds. When kidnappers steal their little brother, demanding "the diamond girl" Olivia in return, it's up to the enchanted stepsisters to get him back. Cat is a dryly witty, grounded protagonist in an action-packed, zany plot with an even wackier cast.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) YA Mother-Daughter Book Club series. The overstuffed plot finds a French exchange student living with Megan; Jess going to national finals for a cappella; Cassidy's hockey team also going to nationals; and Becca's romantic life heating up. Meanwhile, the girls are reading Jane Eyre. As usual, minor dramas and misunderstandings occur. This series will likely appeal to fans far younger than the characters' ages of sixteen.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) PS Illustrated by C. F. Payne. It's bedtime, and Daddy Mouse is chasing his mischievous son from the garden to the house and into the bathroom. Says Daddy: "It's time for bed. It's time for sleep. / No more time for hide-and-squeak." Large close-up views of the two mice, with the mouse child sometimes running right off the page, draw viewers into the playful rhyme.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) YA Mother-Daughter Book Club series. As the holidays approach, the book club's plans for getaway fun go awry, leading to plot-furthering arguments and misunderstandings. The girls' choice of the Betsy-Tacy series seems timely as they navigate the issues (as usual, they're pretty small and bland) that crop up within their crowd. The story may encourage a new generation of fans to seek out Lovelace's books.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) YA Mother-Daughter Book Club series. Emma's move to England inspires the book club to read Pride and Prejudice. Thanks to video chat, Emma can still participate in the meetings as well as keep up with her friends' lives: Jess returns to private school, Cassidy joins an all-girls' hockey team, and Megan starts a snarky fashion blog. The story is entertaining if overly long.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) PS Illustrated by Amy Schwartz. The recipe for babyberry pie? "First you pick a baby / From the babyberry tree-- / One who's sweet, / A cuddly treat-- / And bring him home to me." As evening comes, Dad "picks" a toddler from his tree swing and carries him inside to Mom. Schwartz's affectionate, cozy illustrations and Frederick's bouncing text create a satisfying bedtime snack.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) 4-6 Mother-Daughter Book Club series. Jess, Emma, Cassidy, and Megan find their eighth-grade year filled with issues including boarding school, boys, dress codes, and family changes. They read Jean Webster's Daddy-Long-Legs and write to a pen pal, while their book club expands and they take a group vacation. Though the story is packed with too many subplots, the girls' alternating narration keeps things moving.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Mother-Daughter Book Club series. Cassidy, Emma, Jess, and Megan, this time reading Anne of Green Gables, are blindsided when their moms invite stuck-up Becca and her mother to be in the club. Becca's presence engenders tension and hurt feelings until she hatches a plan to save Jess's family farm. The girls' different perspectives provide direction in a story overstuffed with subplots.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Four sixth-grade girls and three of their mothers read Little Women for their book club. Reluctant at first, the girls manage to overcome their misgivings. The girls' voices are a bit stiff and stereotypical, and Frederick reaches too far for some of her Little Women parallels. But the concept is sweet and the Concord, Massachusetts, setting well drawn.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(3) 4-6 In The Voyage of Patience Goodspeed, Patience thwarted a mutiny on her father's whaling ship. Now, she and her aunt are unceremoniously dumped on the Hawaiian Islands while Father ventures forth for more excitement. This plot-driven sequel introduces new dangers as Patience, still armed with gumption but little self-awareness, meets a landlocked adventure head on.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) 4-6 After her mother's death, thirteen-year-old Patience abandons her dream of studying mathematics to spend the next couple of years with her captain father on a whaling ship. When part of the crew mutinies and deposits the captain on an isolated island, Patience must use her mathematical skills to find him. Patience's hard work and determination help create a believable historical figure.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002