(3) 4-6 Seventh grader Callie's problems at home and at her NYC private school lead her to play hooky to go to museums, where she meets Cassius, an "unschooled" ("like homeschooling...Except my parents don't believe in making lesson plans") African American boy. The new friends eventually work together to uncover a mystery related to Callie's grandmother. The narrative's poignancy develops slowly as this novel explores a number of tough issues.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 Through destiny--not luck--Kai, visiting her great-aunt in Texas, and Leila, on a family trip to Pakistan, find the same mysterious book with a life of its own. From across the world, the girls get immersed in the auto-generating book and discover new friendships while tracking down the clues it leaves them. This memorable magical tale ponders bigger questions about human interconnectedness.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Neil Swaab. Georgia, Rafe's (Middle School: Get Me Out of Here!) sister, feels apprehensive about entering middle school. And with bullies, judgmental teachers, etc., her fears prove justified. But as Georgia's band prepares to play for the school dance, some new friends help her learn to stand up for herself. Georgia's energetic and imaginative narration weaves a wacky tale, which is enhanced by humorous black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) YA Will's brother, Tim, is presumed dead after a boating accident. Now Will and his childhood-friend-cum-crush Gretchen wonder whether the oddly compelling new girl in town, Asia, is connected to Tim's drowning and several others. The Calypso myth isn't fully explored (lengthy expository narrative in a sea captain's log aside), but the mystery is engaging.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Mieka and her artist father fly to Houston to visit her estranged grandmother, staying with Mieka's aunt and cousins in their luxurious home. Papademetriou captures well the awkwardness of trying to fit into a family. There is little drama, but the Houston setting is vividly drawn, and Mieka is an observant narrator, concluding that "normal" is something that doesn't exist.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) YA Readers are immersed in the world of gambling, as three protagonists join forces to try and beat the system. Each has a different motivation: Sanjay strives for notoriety, Kat longs for escape, and possibly-psychic Jerrica searches for order in the universe. Their stories interlace to form a compelling, though metaphor-heavy, narrative exploring the temptation and futility of finding an easy way out.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) 4-6 Negotiating middle school is challenging when Allie's best friend becomes more interested in cheerleading and popularity than in soccer and old friendships. Allie also has to choose between her handsome but humorless crush and her nerdy but nice lab partner. Allie's appealing voice and witty invented words ("accidiss": an accidental insult) enrich the familiar plot.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) K-3 Real Kids Readers series. Photographs by Dorothy Handelman. Written for different reading levels, from preschool to third grade, these three stories contain phonic guidelines to assist parents. Spots, about a girl who loves dots, has a cute resolution; My Pen Pal, Pat effectively presents a tale of mistaken identities; in The Good Bad Day, Pam's bad day turns into a good day. The weakest aspect of the books are the posed color photographs, which are often static in nature. There are nine other books in this series.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta