(4) 4-6 Five Elements series. Cult leader Jonathan Thorne dupes Gabe and his friends into merging the hellish dimension of Arcadia with San Francisco. Thorne's victory seems inevitable, but the young elementalists have one last chance to prevent the villain from transforming the entire world. This finale maintains the series hallmarks of multifaceted characters and astonishing powers but is hampered by an overly long climactic battle.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Five Elements series. Having escaped the Eternal Dawn on Alcatraz, Gabe and his fellow child-elementalists (The Emerald Tablet) must combine their powers to destroy the hellish dimension of Arcadia. While the Dawn cultists work to merge Earth with Arcadia and to resurrect their leader, a traitor close to Gabe could ruin everything. Despite overdone gore and a convoluted plot, the novel's deepening character relationships and stunning magic will satisfy fans.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Five Elements series. When Gabe and his three friends enact a binding ritual (thinking it will secure their friendship forever), they inadvertently join themselves to mystical powers. Together with a ghostly boy, they must use their new abilities to stop a cult bent on fusing Earth with a hellish parallel dimension. Surprisingly gruesome at times, the convoluted story is bolstered by complex characters and dazzling elemental powers.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) YA Graphic Universe: My Boyfriend Is a Monster series. Illustrated by Natalie Nourigat. In these lightweight graphic novels, amateur witches accidentally reanimate Incan mummy Pachacutec, who falls in love with high-schooler Staci (Wrapped); popular Serena is involved in a love triangle--with strange parallels to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Loves Me); and Glory gets with new-kid Gabriel, who may just have a heavenly mission (Match). Holes in logic detract from what should be breezy reads. Review covers these Graphic Universe: My Boyfriend Is a Monster titles: Wrapped Up in You, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, and A Match Made in Heaven.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Graphic Universe: My Boyfriend Is a Monster series. Illustrated by Alitha E. Martinez. In Bites, Vanessa learns from sharp-toothed boyfriend Jean-Paul that she's a foreordained monster hunter; the story has some depth and a few surprising twists. The human-faerie romance in Spell raises less excitement, but a visual shift into full color makes scenes in the fae realm seem more magical. Both graphic novels are one-time reads that series fans will enjoy. Review covers these Graphic Universe: My Boyfriend Is a Monster titles: Under His Spell and My Boyfriend Bites.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Deborah Allwright. Fed up, the farmyard animals give an obnoxious pig his comeuppance on his birthday: a stick of dynamite that sends him flying into space in a double-page spread pop-up. Although somewhat manipulative, the book is a fresh alternative to the sentimental change-of-heart bully story. While unoriginal, the jokes and sight-gags (nose-picking, gas, etc.) will provoke laughs, as will the descriptions of mean Grunter in the text and art.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander