(2) 4-6 Perigee arrives for a visit at their grandmother's house with their father in the middle of a snowstorm. The visit has a serious purpose. Only-child Perigee feels responsible for their dad (we surmise from his behavior that he is depressed) and hopes that a reconciliation between father and grandmother will solve the problem. From this solemn, realistic opening, the tone of the story and its action quickly morph into a rambunctious fun fair as the house, the "Eklunds' Puzzle House," built by Perigee's grandmother and her late husband as a themed bed and breakfast, takes over as the antagonist. This house, which has consciousness, agency, and its own first-person voice in the text, orchestrates a wide variety of puzzles, games, and mischief, including rhyming riddles, pinball machines, combination locks, anagrams, Morse code, sliding tile puzzles, dominoes, and labyrinths. (In a detail of homage Reese references Ellen Raskin's iconic The Westing Game.) Perigee and their pal Lily use creativity, gumption, logic, and smarts to outwit the house, soften their grandmother's heart, and broker peace between the generations. This romp suggests a warm welcome to readers who like their mysteries cerebral but who also appreciate a collapsing staircase or two.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Samantha and her older sister Caitlin have been sent away from their home in Los Angeles to stay with their aunt and her wife in Oregon. The mention of a caseworker and Sam's emotional fragility alert the reader to a backstory, gradually revealed, involving the violence of the girls' father. The realistic story line, in which Sam makes a friend and learns to trust her aunt, is paralleled by a fantasy story line begun when Sam discovers a card game called Fox & Squirrels. A charismatic fox character, Ashander, aided by his squirrel devotees, promises to give Sam her heart's desire--a return to her home--if she will only submit to his will. Through the tests that Ashander assigns--acts of vandalism that increase in seriousness--we are given a mirror portrait of the manipulative, abusive behavior of Sam's father. Sam is a bookish girl, and the world of Ashander contains references to Narnia and Middle Earth, but this is not a fantasy where the hero enters and leaves the fantasy world via some portal--rather it is one in which the two worlds are so intertwined that it seems at times as though Sam is undergoing a psychotic break. The squirrels, the kindly aunt and her wife, and Sam's new friend, a sunny boy who knits, add some warmth and lightness, but the overall temperature in this game is chilling.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2020

(3) 4-6 Above World series. Aluna and her friends disguise themselves as cyborg Upgraders in order to destroy Karl Strand once and for all. To win the war, however, they will need to strengthen existing friendships and forge new alliances among their world's diverse beings. This concluding installment, which features believable world-building, fast-paced action, and engaging characters, wraps up the series nicely.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(3) 4-6 Although she is secretly growing her mermaid tail, Aluna (Above World) and her Kampii friends train to compete in the Thunder Trials in order to prevent the evil Karl Strand from conscripting their Above World desert-dwelling friends, the centaur-like Equians, into his army. This well-written, action-packed sequel, a blend of science fiction and fantasy, will delight fans of speculative fiction.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(3) 4-6 When the mermaid-like Kampii's breathing technology begins to fail, thirteen-year-old Aluna, an aspiring warrior, and her tech-savvy friend, Hoku, journey to the Above World to see if the other hybrid human cultures can help them save their people. The creative world-building, vivid descriptions of landscapes, and a diverse cast of sympathetic characters will please fans of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller