(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Narrator Brandon (A Girl, a Boy, and a Monster Cat) is learning to tolerate bossy Hannah. When the naughty Sunderlands move in next door, Brandon must help Hannah rescue tough cat Buttercup. Cepeda's black-and-white cartoons, one per chapter, add just the right touch to a story that is at times silly and outrageous but never goes over the top.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Joe Cepeda. TV-addicted Brandon ends up at bossy Hannah's house after school three days a week, an unwilling participant in her pretend games. Brandon's narrative describes the over-the-top situations, which move wildly from yard to house to tree to wagon-cum-ambulance and are sure to keep young audiences laughing. Cepeda's black-and-white sketches add just the right energy to an already lively chapter book.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Michael jumps at the chance to work on an environmental magazine owned by his grandparents' hippie friends. But plugged-in, mainstream Michael isn't prepared for their resolutely ecological lifestyle. The dialogue-rich novel is filled with laugh-out-loud sound bites, and it moves at a clip similar to the instant messaging Michael does on the computer with his friends.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2003

(4) 4-6 When she's picked to give the coveted sixth-grade oral report on local hero Ethan Allen, maverick Tessy intentionally botches her report with crude, made-up stories. Given another chance, Tessy finds the history gets under her skin. Allen is a soulmate, another radical who refused to bow to pressure. Gauthier's occasional classroom raillery provides some life, but the story lacks focus and direction.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom

(2) 4-6 In this sequel to My Life among the Aliens, Will and Robby's home is slated to be the site of a first-class resort run by an enterprising alien and open to only the finest aliens (apparently, earlier aliens have reported very favorably on Mom's outrageous vegetarian concoctions). Offbeat and wacky, this book really is from outer space; kids will know it's not just Mom's cooking that rates four stars.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999

(1) 4-6 The iconoclastic cousins Butch and Spike enter sixth grade with a reputation for breaking all the rules. Narrator Jasper begins to weaken to the charms--and smarts--of the cousins even as he maintains his reputation as a teacher's "joy to have in class." Gauthier does not skimp on any chance for humor, deploying satire and slapstick in turn as Spike and Butch strike out against the restrictions and regulations that make education boring.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.