(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Anthony Lewis. Amber, her mom, and her new stepfather are moving to a new house, and Amber does not want yet another change in her life. Nor is she thrilled to include her father's new girlfriend in their weekend time together. Like the original Amber Brown stories, this is a readable, realistic look at life from one spunky, likable child's perspective.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Tony Ross. Coville and Levy, friends of the late Danziger, continue her legacy with this new Amber Brown story. Here the topic is Amber's mom's remarriage--an event fraught with practical and emotional complications. As always, Amber navigates her days with humor. The authors get the tone just right, and Amber is as spunky as ever. Breezy black-and-white line drawings enhance the chapter book's mood.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. Philippa and Philip (Diamonds & Danger) solve their second mystery aboard their floating home, the cruise ship S.S. Excalibur. The theft of Philip's pet causes a rift between the friends that won't be closed until Philippa finds the missing parrot. Gerstein's crosshatched black-and-white illustrations break up the story nicely in this accessible and entertaining light mystery.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. Philippa Bath knows every nook and cranny of the cruise ship S.S. Excalibur--because she lives aboard it. On this story's voyage, Philippa has to contend with a new ship's captain, his son, and a snooty duchess--and nothing is what it seems. Gerstein's textured black-and-white illustrations add humor and expression to Levy's accessible mystery.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein & Mordicai Gerstein. In Too Many, part of Fletcher's Elvis costume for an act in a pet talent show is missing, as is a fellow dog/contestant. Fletcher, the sleuthing basset hound, works to figure out who's behind the sabotage. In Ghoul, Fletcher, on a ski vacation with his owners, uncovers the truth behind mysterious messages appearing in the snow. The humorous, slight stories are fast paced, and the characters are likable. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery titles: The Cool Ghoul Mystery and The Mystery of Too Many Elvises.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When preparations for a masked ball to celebrate the opening of a new park are sabotaged (masks made by kids for their pets are chewed up, a fire is set, the electricity is shut off), it's up to sleuthing basset hound Fletcher to solve the mystery. Levy's simple story, though a bit thin, is fast paced and humorous with a distinct cast of likable characters and illustrated with black-and-white pictures.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein & Mordicai Gerstein. In Too Many, part of Fletcher's Elvis costume for an act in a pet talent show is missing, as is a fellow dog/contestant. Fletcher, the sleuthing basset hound, works to figure out who's behind the sabotage. In Ghoul, Fletcher, on a ski vacation with his owners, uncovers the truth behind mysterious messages appearing in the snow. The humorous, slight stories are fast paced, and the characters are likable. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery titles: The Cool Ghoul Mystery and The Mystery of Too Many Elvises.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When the class rabbit disappears, Fletcher--a basset hound brought for show-and-tell--gets blamed. It's up to him and his flea sidekick, Jasper, to solve the mystery. Though the plot gets off to a slow start and the secondary characters are somewhat indistinct, this simple story succeeds when Fletcher shares his observations on human/animal relationships. Scratchy black-and-white drawings illustrate the text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Mark Elliott. Fourth-grader Eve and her kindergarten-age twin sisters, the protagonists of Big Trouble in Little Twinsville, are back in a school and family story that doubles the fun with a second set of twins, new teachers in town. A contemporary setting (complete with nightly instant messaging) coupled with believable, likable characters gives this chapter book a realistic feel that readers will enjoy.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When Principal Leonard reads Gwen's story "The Mystery on the Roof," about aliens who cause humans to sneeze, he starts to sneeze, and Gwen is suspected of foul play. It's up to an affable sleuthing hound named Fletcher to solve the case. Though a bit aimless, Levy's story is humorous and fast paced. Scratchy black-and-white drawings illustrate the text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) 4-6 America's Horrible Histories series. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. This volume traces the history of humans in North America from around 13,000 B.C.E. to about 1000 CE, using humor to describe Ice Age animals, and the ways these earliest Americans ate, hunted, created art, and built mounds. Information boxes reveal where some of the places described in the book are located. The comical narrative voice and black-and-white illustrations will attract reluctant readers. Timelines are included. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 America's Horrible Histories series. Illustrated by Daniel McFeeley. Reluctant readers in particular will enjoy this volume, which mixes factual content about North America's prehistory with a wisecracking narrative voice. The information is solid, even when the details are sometimes purposefully gross (including discussions of dinosaur droppings and methane-containing flatulence). The accompanying black-and-white illustrations are equally humorous. A timeline is included. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Elliott. Everyone loves Eve's little twin sisters, but she thinks they're pests. So when her family attends a twins festival, she and her two cousins set out to prove that singletons are people, too. The twins' relentless trouble-making and Eve's justifiable frustration with them are too one-noted in this otherwise entertaining story, illustrated with spare but expressive and energetic line drawings.

Reviewer: Erica L. Stahler

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Bill Basso. Sam teases his brother Robert about his gerbil then feels horrible when the gerbil dies. He gets his mother's new boyfriend, a taxidermist, to stuff the gerbil, and the tooth-baring result leads Sam and Robert to suspect the taxidermist of being a zombie. The pseudo-humorous plot strains belief, but the brothers' relationship rings true. Black-and-white illustrations accompany the text.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 At school, friends Rebecca and Scott are partners for the ballroom dancing class and impending competition, but the social pressure to participate in kissing games at parties comes between them. When they listen to their "cores," as their dance instructor taught them, both their dancing and their friendship blossom. Despite some contrivances, this is a satisfying story about heeding your inner voice.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(3) K-3 Hyperion Chapters series. The insults and put-downs fly fast and furious between Sally and Jake until they realize that they'll need to work together in order to stop an older bully. A book with a message, surely, but one conveyed with humor and skill. One full-page and one spot illustration, slick black-and-white pencil drawings, illustrate each chapter.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.