(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mariko Ando. In Canada during WWII, Esther and Michiko are best friends. But when Esther receives a fancy princess doll and Michi doesn't, the friendship sours. Then Michi is sent to an internment camp, and Esther tries to help from afar. Schwartz deftly shows how a once-simple friendship can be complicated by class and race. Black-and-white illustrations depict important moments with depth and detail.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. Brendan is popular and respected--he's generally fortunate in life until he is devastatingly diagnosed with leukemia. In treatment he meets Lark, a fellow patient who not only understands him but also teaches him to love life in the direst of times. One goes into remission while things turn tragic for the other--an ending that readers will unfortunately see coming from a mile away.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 A & E Biography series. With an engaging conversational style, each biography captures the highlights of an intriguing modern figure. Both books include interesting details, especially from childhood, and do not shy away from discussing the role the person played in controversial events. The bland layout, which includes a smattering of archival photos, does nothing for the text. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these A & E Biography titles: Fidel Castro and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) YA The energy and passion for science held by Clark, an ichthyologist, shines through this upbeat, if a bit superficial, account of a very inspiring life. Clark's dedication to science--despite prejudice on account of her gender and ethnicity and the twists and turns of professional and family life--is a testimony to doing what you love. More photographs would have added appeal. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) YA A & E Biography series. These biographies offer straightforward information about their subjects in accurate, if adulatory, packages. Illustrated mostly with low-grade black-and-white photos, along with a few color photos, these books generally afford serviceable, well-documented introductions to their subjects. Crazy Horse, Cousteau, and Gandhi contain time lines; Gates, Sagan, and Gandhi contain glossaries. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stefan Czernecki. Competition across the street causes Mr. Belinsky to start selling pastries, cakes, and cookies instead of his beloved bagels. Despite success, Belinsky returns to bagel-making out of loyalty to his less numerous but more cherished bagel customers. Brightly colored folk-art-like illustrations enliven this somewhat stale story, which is followed by a brief history of the bagel.

Reviewer: Jennifer Polshek