(2) 4-6 "It's been a pretty lousy year and a half since the Accident, and the Universe owes me one." Hercules Beal is still hurting from the loss of his parents two years before when his teacher, Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer (from The Wednesday Wars, rev. 7/07), throws him a lifeline. For his Classical Mythology Application Project, he's assigned the twelve Labors of Hercules. He must learn the myths and consider how each of Hercules's labors connects to his own life. When the sixth grader vanquishes a pack of feral "demon cats," he realizes he has performed a labor akin to Hercules's defeat of the Nemean Lion. Bravely pulling a woman from a house about to be washed out to sea is like Hercules's catching the Boar of Erymanthus. And dealing with grief is like Hercules's forcing the carnivorous birds near the town of Stymphalus out of their hiding places into the open. Although readers might wish Hercules had a couple fewer labors, Schmidt's narrative keeps readers engaged with action, humor, and frequently interspersed 150-word journal-style reflections. He also has Lieutenant Colonel Hupfer teach a valuable life lesson: "You know, Beal, you've been fighting a whole lot of monsters this year, monsters much more real than any the mythical Hercules fought...But you haven't crumbled, have you? And you haven't disappeared. You're still here."

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Largely forgotten today, American writer Celia Laighton Thaxter enjoyed a significant literary career in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Both her life and her writing revolved around Maine's Appledore Island, and it is here that this picture-book biography takes root. Thaxter comes alive as a gardener from her earliest years (when the family lived on White Island), coaxing blooms to life amid the rocks, with vivid colors punctuating Root and Schmidt's narrative: "Pink morning glories opened to the sun, and Celia found green moss and purple starfish in rocky pools." Sweet's illustrations follow the text's lead, depicting the main character ankle-deep in a tide pool surrounded by bright, stylized flowers in purples, pinks, oranges, and reds. Both Celia and the island backdrop are dressed in muted gray-greens, causing the colors to pop all the more. Readers learn that Celia's lighthouse-keeper father moved the family to Appledore Island and built a hotel where "artists and writers [came] to stay"; after she married and moved to the mainland, that network f­acilitated her career. Hand-lettered excerpts of Thaxter's writings--both poetry and prose--frequently appear in the margins, artfully commenting on the narrative. The telling is elliptical; readers who wonder at the abrupt disappearance of Thaxter's husband must comb through the two-page timeline, printed in a tiny font, to learn of their estrangement. But Thaxter's devotion to her titular garden shines bright. Also appended are a biographical note and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Vicky Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA Losses suffered by two young people set in motion threads of fate that will ultimately tie them together. In June 1968, in Hicksville, Long Island, Meryl Lee Kowalski's closest friend, Holling (protagonist of The Wednesday Wars, rev. 7/07), is killed in a car crash, and her parents send her away for a fresh start at St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls on the coast of Maine. In a parallel narrative, Matt Coffin has fled New York City with a ­pillowcase full of money stolen from Leonidas Shug, an evil, Fagin-like leader of a gang of street criminals who killed Matt's friend. After the loss of her friend, Meryl Lee feels that "everything in the world became a Blank," a dark hole that threatens to suck her in. In the same town, Matt has holed up in a lobsterman's shack, but he realizes that he cannot escape his past, as Shug is in pursuit, leaving a trail of arson and mayhem in his wake. Meryl Lee's and Matt's stories eventually converge through the actions of St. Elene's wise and compassionate headmistress, who offers them both the refuge they seek. Schmidt nimbly weaves a story of good and evil, loss and gain, home and heart. He writes like a modern-day Dickens; at one point, Meryl Lee says that "there are times when words can't do what you want them to do," but Schmidt can, and this is a masterwork of old-fashioned storytelling.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(2) PS Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. Waiting for spring can wear on one's patience, but readers may find comfort sharing the burden with Ethan and his (apparently single-parent) father, who go through their daily routines looking forward to warmer days, shorter nights, and running sap in their maple trees. Still, Ethan has quite a wait yet, and as time passes, the illustrations show the stark contrasts of dark skies and long shadows with indoor lights and white snow. And, week after week, Ethan faces Sunday breakfast sans maple syrup, while the nights remain long and the days cold. A loose tooth provides a break in the monotony but ultimately creates yet another thing to wait for. Through muted colors with pops of red and well-considered details, artfully placed illustrations ranging from spot art to double-page spreads capture the relentlessness of winter, the budding of spring, and the easy comfort of this father-and-son relationship. Crisp text supplies just the right pace for the story and clearly explains the sugaring process without disrupting the flow of the narrative. The subtle visual cues that the season is slowly changing become more evident with every page-turn until the sweet and satisfying conclusion.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. When Samuel's mother expresses an ardent wish for "a brown-eyed cow to give us milk for the baby," Samuel and his father pack a couple of apples and their best Barlow knife to trade and set out down the road as the cold January clouds gather. At each stop, the boy, who loves animals and longs for a pet, wishes, "just a little bit, it wasn't a brown-eyed cow his mother was wanting." As they swap the Barlow knife first for two tin lanterns and then, successively, briefly come into the possession of a book of poetry, a blue-and-white pitcher, a lamb, and a pony and cart, the daylight begins to wane and the snow begins to fall in earnest. Along the way, readers are privy to the warm interactions between father and son as well as their easy rapport with their neighbors. The narrative is spare and engaging with a folktale-like tone and storyteller's flair for repeated phrasing. Yelchin's lively full-color paintings are full of motion and realistic natural detail. The period and the setting are not specified; rather, this is a bit of timeless rural Americana. The circular journey is a successful one, and Samuel proves his mettle as a companion and helper--and has earned his heart's desire.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(1) 4-6 Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, a British butler bequeathed to Carter's suburban American family, arrives on the boy's first day of middle school. He introduces Carter to the sport of cricket and the concepts of etiquette, responsibility, and knowing oneself. Schmidt lightens the otherwise tragic tale of Carter missing his deployed soldier father and dead brother by deftly incorporating comedic scenes and his trademark use of narrator-provided snark.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Daniel Minter. Schmidt’s hauntingly beautiful, uncompromisingly direct picture-book biography takes larger-than-life figure Sojourner Truth (1797?–1883) from childhood to old age, focusing on her acts of courage at a time when black Americans had few legal rights. Minter’s watercolor and mixed-media art is stunning, often making Truth the largest figure on the page or spread. An essential text for studying Civil War–era American history.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) YA Jack's new foster brother, Joseph, has a troubled past. The fourteen-year-old attacked a teacher, was subsequently incarcerated, and has a baby daughter whom he's never seen. Jack (a sixth grader) and his parents gradually peel away Joseph's cold veneer, but Joseph's single-minded desire to parent his daughter leads to strife. The heartbreak unfolds organically and--in an impressive show of authorial restraint--succinctly.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(1) 4-6 In Massachusetts, Tommy grieves for his mother; on a distant planet, Young Waeglim invests his Valorim culture into a necklace. It falls through worlds and lands in Tommy's lunchbox, bringing Tommy memories of the Valorim--and superhuman abilities. Schmidt gives us parallel stories--one Tolkienesque fantasy, the other contemporary realism--that merge, underscoring that inner change is itself the stuff of heroism.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by David Diaz. Martín de Porres (1579–1639), a beloved Peruvian Dominican monk, was canonized in 1962 as the patron saint of universal brotherhood. Schmidt's graceful account of his life focuses mostly on Martín's impoverished youth among Lima's slaves and Indians. Diaz's visualization of this story is magnificent: rich in Latin American hues, the mixed-media art extends the text on each lovely spread.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2012

(2) YA In this stand-alone story set in 1968, bad-boy Doug Swieteck (The Wednesday Wars) moves upstate with his family after his father's temper gets him fired. What "boring" Marysville, New York, offers Doug is something unexpected: kindness and a future. Captivated by a book of Audubon bird prints, he discovers a talent for art. Doug's story emerges through the character's distinctive voice.

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

(2) YA Henry's brother, Franklin, is comatose after a car accident involving a young Cambodian immigrant. Henry and his dog set off to Maine to climb Mt. Katahdin, as he and Franklin had planned to do together. Set in the 1970s, Schmidt's story presents three unforgettable characters--Henry, his friend Sanborn, and the accused Cambodian boy--and explores how tragedy and racism affect communities.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008

(1) 4-6 Every Wednesday, Holling (who believes teachers are "born behind their desks") stays with Mrs. Baker who, as he sees it, uses the time for special torture. Ultimately, Mrs. Baker steps forward as a multilayered individual who helps Holling follow his own path. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, Schmidt's novel rises above its conventions through memorable, believable characters.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(2) 4-6 In 1911, Maine officials ejected the African-American, Native-American, and foreign-born residents from Malaga Island. This historical incident ignites a rich novel that pits the powerful townspeople against the powerless islanders. Schmidt anchors this tragedy firmly within its historical setting, metaphorically connecting the natural surroundings with religion and society.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2004

(1) YA With illuminating source notes an essential component of the whole, Schmidt retells twenty-two Jewish tales in the context of the Holocaust. The tales flicker across a spectrum from transcendent hope to the absolute bleakness of a universe deserted by God. There is even humor, much of it conveyed through language. This collection should inspire both lively thought and sober meditation.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2002

(4) YA What if Rumpelstiltskin's motives were noble? Answering that question, this novel spins the story of a blind boy who unexpectedly inherits a kingdom, a weakling who becomes strong, a common queen who becomes regal, and a kind orphan who tells their tale. Evil lords and good peasants abound, with enough magic to glue together these scattered pieces. Perhaps more type than original, the characters still show the value of kindness as good triumphs over evil.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Todd Doney. This sentimental, rose-colored telling of the legend of Ciaran, Ireland's first saint, imagines the life of the man who brought God's name to Ireland. Called to Rome as a youth, he returned to Ireland as a hermit but soon attracted a following of animals and monks. Dramatic, somewhat stiff full-page oil illustrations capture the green majesty of sixth-century Ireland.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(4) YA Bradford, who arrived in the new world on the Mayflower and served as Plymouth's second governor, is the subject of this solidly written biography. The events of the Mayflower passage and the early colony remain compelling, even when the prose is more academic than dramatic. Historic reproductions and black-and-white photos--including ill-advised reenactment pictures--frequently lack quality. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 In this fast-paced novel set against the lush scenery of eighteenth-century Ireland, young Anson, a British Fencible drummer boy and Colonel Staplyton's son, soon finds his dreams of a soldier's life shattered by the harsh realities of suppressing the Irish. Torn between a Fencible's honor and his growing love for the Irish people, Anson must choose his own way.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) YA Engaging prose and well-chosen excerpts from Bradford's writings draw readers into this account of the hardships the Pilgrims endured in pursuing the Separatist cause. Schmidt relates factual information about the Pilgrims' flight to the Netherlands, their Mayflower voyage, and their Plymouth settlement; he also sifts through Bradford's words for insights into this Plymouth governor's character and motivations. Annotated suggestions for further reading are appended. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.