(2) 4-6 Paterson's latest novel opens with Birdie (a nickname for Elizabeth) crying as her mother drives her father to the airport for his third deployment to Iraq. It's significant that Birdie is wearing an "I [heart] Jesus" shirt, because the bargain referred to in the book's title is one she has made with God to keep her father safe: "I'll stop acting like a jerk, if you'll start acting like God and take care of us for a change." To cut costs, the family moves in with Gran. The first person Birdie meets is fellow fifth-grader Alice Suggs, who comes on very aggressively, grabbing her arm and bragging that her father outranks Birdie's. Birdie doesn't enjoy being with her, but she remembers the Bible verse "Be ye kind, one to another" and continues to go to Alice's house and eat lunch with her at school. When Birdie's father is seriously injured in Iraq, she feels shocked and betrayed: "She was mad, so mad, mad at God, at Mom, at Gran, even at Daddy, at everything in the whole stinking world." As the protagonist copes first with the move and then with her crisis of faith, Paterson, using skillful omniscient narration, rounds the story with specific physical details and depicts the character's emotional arc with authenticity and empathy.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lisa Aisato. This is a lyrical meditation on Christ's birth, told by His mother Mary as the newborn sleeps in her arms. "Can you believe it? God's anointed one upon my breast, with milk, just there, at the corner of his tiny mouth." Although unduly ponderous for a picture-book audience, the text reads aloud beautifully, and the watery, speckled illustrations convey the humble humanity of mother and Child alike.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Donna Diamond. This fortieth-anniversary edition of Paterson's Newbery Medal–winning novel includes a foreword by fellow Newbery-medalist Kate DiCamillo; an author's note reflecting on the reaction to and reach of Jesse and Leslie's story; and Paterson's Newbery acceptance speech.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: February, 1978

(2) 4-6 In this idealistic and informative coming-of-age novel set in 1961 Cuba, thirteen-year-old Lora and thousands of other young brigadistas travel hours away to live with poor mountain farmers and become literacy teachers. Lora comes across as a distinct, individual character, but through her readers also learn many details about the brigadistas, the dangers they faced, Cuban politics, and the resilience of the Cuban people. Timeline.

Reviewer: Alma Ramos-McDermott | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) YA Demonstrating warmth, ease, and a sense of humor about herself, Paterson relates tales from her life, looping naturally through her youthful experiences in China and Japan, her marriage and children, and her writing. The book ends with an account of Paterson's husband's death in 2013; like almost everything she writes, the chapter is honest, flecked with good sense and humor, and heartrending. Timeline.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by John Rocco. At the core of Eden Phillpotts's 1910 original fairy tale The Flint Heart lies a marvelous modern fantasy; the Patersons' abridgment allows that tale to emerge. They've eliminated much unnecessary detail and playfully incorporated direct address and lighthearted asides. The book is illustrated with full-color pictures and silhouette spot art, and the page design is generous; best of all, the story delivers.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(2) 4-6 Meli and her family are minority Albanians living in Serbian-controlled Kosovo in 1998. After her brother is beaten by Serbian police, the family flees then immigrates to America. Paterson conveys their struggles first to survive, then to fit in. The theme of what people do with the hatred they feel toward those who have mistreated them is the novel's great strength.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(2) K-3 Illustrated by François Roca. Paterson's graceful text relates the major events of the life and death of Jesus in simple, accessible language while preserving the central metaphors of the New Testament. Roca's elegant, glowing compositions, showcased in the book's large square pages, echo these images. Writer and illustrator lend their crafts to an earnest and artful expression of faith.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(2) 4-6 This tale is about two children caught up in the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Jake labors in the textile mills, and Rosa goes to school while her mother and sister toil. Both Jake and Rosa are unwilling coattail participants in the labor action. The themes (e.g., children forced by circumstance to an unnatural self-reliance) are familiar--but nobody does them better.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2006

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Jeffers. It's 1942, and William is considered too little to do war work like his family. He settles for "peace work" and gives a gift of fresh-picked blueberries to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, who is temporarily living in Massachusetts. Based on a true event, the story captures a child's sense of longing to prove his worth, and Jeffers's art ably transforms him into the knight he dreams of being.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Angel's mom, Verna, leaves most of the mothering up to Angel. When Verna dumps Angel and her little brother at their great-grandmother's farm, she leaves them with an old woman who is ill-equipped, both physically and emotionally, to care for anyone, even herself. So, once again, Angel becomes the responsible one. Though the supporting players are predictable, Angel is an ultimately triumphant character.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2002

(3) K-3 I Can Read Book series. Illustrated by Jane Clark Brown. This time around, Marvin is starting first grade, but he doesn't learn to read as quickly as his classmates do. He feels terrible until his father begins to help him and admits that he, too, was slow learning to read. Text and illustrations express Marvin's feelings--ones that beginning readers will recognize. Format, subject, and emotional honesty make this well suited to the intended audience.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. Josh has recently moved to Vermont with his family. His problem with a group of bullies parallels that of his dog, a mutt Josh mysteriously understands when he hears the dog discuss a face-off with an unruly pack roaming the countryside. The emphasis here is on action and resolution, both of which occur swiftly, masking the slight characterization and some improbable plot twists.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Vladimir Vagin. Princess Miranda receives the gift of being wide awake--which enables her to observe many things in her anonymous travels through her kingdom, working alongside the peasants and encouraging them to revolt against the greedy nobles. The pointed message about compassion and perception overshadows the too-long story, while Vagin's colorful, though awkward, illustrations give the tale a European flavor.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) 4-6 Robbie Hewitt has a penchant for mischief but shocks even himself when he almost drowns another boy in a murderous rage. His interactions with a pair of vagrants eventually bring about retribution for his sins and rapprochement with his minister father in a narrative that, shuttling skillfully between sentiment and farce, combines moments of painful insight with uproarious action.

Reviewer: Nancy Vasilakis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1999

(3) 4-6 The authors elaborate on the many biblical images that help explain the essence of the Judeo-Christian God. The twenty-three images discussed include those from creation (water, light), from "ordinary life" (mother, visitor), and images of "watchfulness and creation" (shepherd, potter). The formal drama of Koshkin's illustrations suits the topic, and the straightforward text will be appreciated by young readers exploring the Bible. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Vladimir Vagin. Celia undertakes a perilous journey to obtain a vial of sweet, sweet water from the well in the village of her mother's childhood; her mother is dying, and both think the water is the only thing that might revive her. The smooth, well-worn cadences, memorable turns of phrase, and familiar structural elements are reminiscent of a beloved, oft-told traditional tale. Vagin's figures are sometimes stiff; his scenery is more successful.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 Paterson retells Wolfram von Eschenbach's epic thirteenth-century poem about the knight's quest for the Grail with a courtly yet accessible style. However, characters and events are many, and the compression of the story sometimes makes the adaptation read like an opera libretto, where you're still trying to sort out who's who when the action shifts yet again.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.