(2) 4-6 Illustrated by LeUyen Pham. When Rebecca (a.k.a. "Becket") moves from the city to the family farm, she enthusiastically creates a list of steps to become a "country kid." She learns her way around the farm animals, and to adjust when twin Nicholas becomes more outgoing. Pham's interspersed drawings capture the siblings' squabbles and accomplishments, and Griffin presents the enjoyable novel's low-stakes conflicts with the full import they carry for a nine-year-old.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(4) YA Lizzie, a timid, studious class-of-1989 senior at a private school outside Philadelphia, is suddenly drawn into new, life-changing relationships: a romance with her longtime crush, Matt; and a friendship with mysterious, aloof new girl Claire, who's rumored to have a troubled past. Griffin packs this historical coming-of-age novel with entertaining eighties references, rad details of the Philly art scene, and almost too many plot elements.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 Oodlethunks series. Illustrated by Mike Wu. Neanderthal siblings Oona and Bonk, with help from their sassy grandma, open a summer CAMP ("Collected Animals Meeting Place") after the Stone Age community's restless pets (including their stegosaurus, Stacy) start causing trouble. The silly anachronisms are part of the fun in this lively series entry about entrepreneurial spirit and creative problem-solving. Purple-tinged illustrations and cave drawing–style doodles add movement and energy.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA On Fire Island in the summer of 1976, Jean (whose wealthy family is a pillar of the exclusive community) and working-class Southern girl Fritz (who's just visiting a friend's family there) compete on the tennis court as well as off for the affection of handsome but insensitive Gil. Griffin expertly evokes time, place, and atmosphere as the girls' rivalry builds to a shocking climax.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. In their second episodic four-chapter book, Clarabelle Chicken and Agnes Pig once again help each other overcome worries, this time while they celebrate holidays. Will the Maypole dance make Agnes dizzy? Will Clarabelle's too-scary costume ruin Halloween? As previously, the warmth of the quirky protagonists' friendship shines through both text and full-color illustrations, making it easy to overlook the episodes' simplistic resolutions.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(3) 4-6 Oodlethunks series. Illustrated by Mike Wu. Cavegirl Oona can't have a pet "fruitafossor" because of her brother Bonk's allergies. The giant egg she finds while lost one day is the perfect replacement--until it goes missing. This small-town Stone Age story blends pre-history with modern everyday angst of being a kid. A great choice for middle-grade budding paleontologists and Flintstones fans alike.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(3) 4-6 Oodlethunks series. Illustrated by Mike Wu. Oona's egg has finally hatched! But baby stegosaurus Stacy outgrows the Oodlethunks' cave, and Oona's parents turn the dino loose. Oona petitions a witch for help, but it's ultimately the Woggle Woods citizens who come to Stacy's rescue. Adventure pairs with lessons on responsible pet-raising and teamwork in this second lively Neanderthals-with-a-modern-spin family story. A mix of blue-tinged illustrations and cave drawings appear throughout.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 1-3 Read & Bloom series. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. In four season-driven, episodic chapters, best friends Agnes Pig and Clarabelle Chicken loyally work around each other's fears: when Agnes dreads the beach, for instance, Clarabelle spreads a towel in the parking lot and declares, "We are at the beach enough." Simplistic resolutions aside, the characters' personalities and friendship shine through their quirky dialogue and the warm full-color illustrations.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(2) YA In this faux investigative biography, Griffin conjures an edgy artist--Addison Stone--who died tragically at age eighteen. To chronicle her subject's life and probe her suspicious death, Griffin presents material from (fictional) interviews, along with photographs of Addison and reproductions of her artwork. What could feel disjointed instead works to provide an intimate and cohesive portrait of a complex girl.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) YA As seventeen-year-old Ember returns to her life after suffering a traumatic brain injury, her memories come and go, in accordance with this book's moody, dreamlike tone. A familiar stranger holds the key to information that feels out of reach. Though it lags in places, the pacing mirrors Ember's slow healing process and lends accurate frustration to an angsty internal struggle.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) YA Sisters Alex and Thea struggle to manage new identities in the wake of their mother's remarriage to a wealthy man, and their new life of privilege brings out the worst in both of them. This is a dark, gritty story of class disparity, sibling rivalry, and the limitations of familial loyalty; Griffin's stark prose will leave readers feeling deliciously unsettled.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Working as an au pair on posh island Little Bly, Jamie gets wrapped up in a supernatural mystery surrounding the deaths of a young couple who had been vacationing there the previous summer. Jamie is not only able to see their ghosts, she also bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman who died. Suspense lovers will be rewarded with a satisfying twist ending.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) YA Socially seduced by the formidable Ella Parker, queen of mean at her posh high school, good-girl Raye finds herself in the middle of an online scheme to humiliate heartthrob Julian. Raye soon ends up caught between her romantic inclinations and her fear of Ella's retaliation. Griffin hits the mark with her manipulative girl villain and the potential dangers of social networks.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Illustrated by Lisa Brown. Photographs, scraps of memorabilia, and letters (some a little difficult to read) give this eerie, atmospheric mystery the look and feel of a young woman's scrapbook. The woman is Jennie; her fiancé Will dies in the Civil War. Will's brother Quinn, broken in spirit, survives. As Jennie attempts to get to the truth about Will's death, her pain is palpable.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(3) YA Like the rest of her fruit-bat/vampire family, New Yorker Lexie aspires to be human. She feels her morality slipping away, though, when she decides to run a dirty campaign for class president against popular girl Mina. Lexie's third campy tale is sure to please genre fans on the hunt for a quick, droll read.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(3) 4-6 New Yorker Maddy (Vampire Island) and her family of fruit bat–vampire hybrids are back. This time they're battling the evil Knaveheart, who's searching for an heir. When he picks her sister, Maddy steps up, coming to Lexie's rescue and making her first New World friend. Maddy's energy and humor will satiate vampire fans and readers who enjoy light horror.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 4-6 Siblings Lexie, Maddy, and Hudson are fruit bat–vampire hybrids living in New York City. Each is gifted with special vampire-like skills, which do little to help the kids fit in at school. The story is easy and light and should appeal to vampire book fans.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(2) YA Before her sister's death, Lily was the popular girl-next-door type. Jane, troubled by mental illness, preferred the security of her family and make-believe games. Griffin's stirring narrative shifts back and forth between the living and the dead, both young women trapped by the past. This story's charged atmosphere derives from an enticing mix of poignantly imagined afterlife and complex portrayal of real-world problems.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. Witch twins Claire and Luna go to Scotland with their grandmother to rid a castle of ghosts--only to find that it's the castle's horrible landlords who must be evicted. The setting, although familiar, isn't clichéd; the witch-powers conceit is clear and consistent; and the twins' personalities are nicely individuated. Small iconic illustrations begin each chapter.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers. In their third book, witches Claire and Luna are starstruck by celebrity (and fellow witch twin) Melody Malady--or, rather, Claire is; Luna prefers Melody's scientific twin, Dolores. This new conflict between the twins informs their witch assignment to use their shape-shifting powers to help others. Although the book verges on the formulaic, the twins remain entertaining.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam