(3) YA Sawkill Rock is an idyllic-seeming island--where young women disappear. Marion's family moves to Sawkill after her father's death, and shortly thereafter, her sister vanishes. Marion and two island girls, Val and Zoey, are pulled into the discomfiting mystery. All three characters are compelling, and readers will be unnerved and horrified as they get closer to the truth.

Reviewer: Christina L. Dobbs

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Finley Hart is spending the summer at her estranged grandparents' house. A natural observer, she writes stories about a fantastical forest whose mythology she develops as a way of understanding her family, why she doesn't fit in, and her recurring sadness. Vivid first-person narration and fully developed characters provide a rich backdrop for Finley's process of understanding herself and those around her.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jaime Zollars. Miserable, bullied orphan Girl gets by on her quick wits at the Convent of the White Wolf. When the Wolf King attacks the convent, Girl discovers that what she has been taught was a lie. Renaming herself Quicksilver, Girl sets out with an ancient witch, leaving the world she knows behind. Snappy dialogue and creative fantasy elements will delight seasoned fantasy readers.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2016

(2) 4-6 Also by Emma Trevayne. Illustrated by Alexander Jansson. Four "curators"--Bachmann, Catmull, Legrand, and Trevayne--fill their Cabinet of Curiosities museum with objects of wonder as well as the (often unearthly) tales behind them. The stories are remarkable both for their uniformly high quality and for their distinctness from one another; the abundant atmospherics, including occasional stark black-and-white illustrations, provide a unifying sense of dread.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) YA When her father, mayor of NYC in 1889, is kidnapped, Clara follows into a violent parallel world. Handsome deposed prince Nicholas--freed from imprisonment inside a statue--accompanies her. Clara's level head, self-defense training (by her godfather Drosselmeyer), and latent magical abilities serve her well, especially in interactions with beguiling-but-insane new queen Anise. This Nutcracker-inspired fantasy tells a gritty tale all its own.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) 4-6 Forced to live at a symphony hall while her maestro father pours money into keeping the orchestra afloat, Olivia helps ghosts move on to the afterlife while shades threaten to lure the ghosts to Limbo. A plot point involving Olivia's absent mother strains belief, but her growing friendships--human and ghost--plus a few spooky moments will keep readers engaged.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sarah Watts. Victoria does what she's told, loves order, and is used to being the best. Breaking the rules isn't how she usually operates--that is, until children start disappearing, including her only friend, Lawrence; Victoria traces the source to a nearby orphanage run by the (seemingly) lovely Mrs. Cavendish. Imaginative and creepy, with a frightening villainess, this atmospherically illustrated fantasy will suck readers in.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis