(2) 4-6 Olga Oblomova's father has been "promoted" (i.e., exiled) to the remote Imperial Centre for Avian Observation. Olga, her little sister Mira, and their melodramatic stepmother Anastasia are sent to the Borderlands with him. Then Mira is kidnapped by birds and taken to their city, Ptashkagrad. Years ago, a war was fought between birds and people over the possession of a firebird's egg, which a coven of yagas (witches) hid in the Unmappable Blank for the good of everyone. Now, with Mira's kidnapping, the tentative peace between humans and birds is shattered. Olga takes it upon herself to embark on a perilous journey to find the firebird's egg and bring her sister home. Slavic folklore is woven throughout this inventive and wholly engrossing fantasy, giving it a rich history of magic and lore from which to draw. As Olga learns to embrace her hidden yaga talents, she also grows to celebrate what makes her unique. A story of intense bravery with a stalwart heroine.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova. At Witheringe House, her father's gloomy childhood home, Elizabeth's main company is Zenobia, a vivacious, morbid, obsessed-with-clairvoyance friend no one else can see or hear. Zenobia is sure the house contains a "Spirit Presence," and the antics Zenobia initiates reveal secrets from the house's past. Miller includes plenty of macabre moments and snootily funny exchanges alongside Bryksenkova's Gothic-feeling black-and-white illustrations.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017