(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Sports Stories series. Illustrated by Aburtov. Black-and-white full-page illustrations accompany these hi-lo stories involving talented athletes in tennis (Doubles), football (Punter's), bull-riding (Rodeo), and golf (Secondhand). The message-laden texts highlight the importance of focus and fair play to achieve team victory and accomplish personal goals. The engaging, action-packed stories should appeal to sports enthusiasts. Each book is supplemented by background on the sport, discussion questions, and writing prompts. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Sports Stories titles: Double Trouble, Punter's Pride, Rodeo Challenge, and Secondhand Slice.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox JV series. Breakneck soccer, football, basketball, and baseball action dominate these message-driven short novels about middle-school boys who learn lessons concerning the importance of doing the right thing for your friends and yourself while seeking the glory of winning. The easy-to-read, engaging hi-lo books also include discussion questions, writing prompts, and interesting facts about each sport. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox JV titles: Block and Rock, Free Throw Fail, Home Safe Home, and Soccer Sabotage.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Graphic Novels series. Illustrated by Berenice Muñiz & Nephtali A. Leal. In Half-Pipe, snowboarder Payton is humiliated after his wipe-out on the slopes goes viral. Faceoff finds ice hockey player Jax facing off against his former BFF. The texts are message-y ("There's no shame in trying your best and not coming out on top"), but the graphic novel format and sports action may draw reluctant readers. "Visual Questions" of varying interest are appended. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Graphic Novels titles: Faceoff Fall Out and Half-Pipe Panic.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Graphic Novels series. Illustrated by Eduardo Garcia & Benny Fuentes. In Half-Pipe, snowboarder Payton is humiliated after his wipe-out on the slopes goes viral. Faceoff finds ice hockey player Jax facing off against his former BFF. The texts are message-y ("There's no shame in trying your best and not coming out on top"), but the graphic novel format and sports action may draw reluctant readers. "Visual Questions" of varying interest are appended. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Graphic Novels titles: Faceoff Fall Out and Half-Pipe Panic.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Graphic Novels series. Illustrated by Aburtov. In Catcher, Eddie quits baseball after a humiliating four strikeouts in the championship game. Switch finds Andre frustrated by his new soccer coach's unconventional methods. The texts are message-y ("if we want to make the championship...you need to trust me. Trust your team"), but the graphic novel format and sports action may draw reluctant readers. "Visual Questions" of varying interest are appended. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Graphic Novels titles: Comeback Catcher and Soccer Switch.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Spine Shivers series. Illustrated by Neil Evans. This not-so-scary series has a boy haunted by a creature out of a videotape (think The Ring) and a girl trapped in a sinister Truman Show–like program. While the creep-factor may underwhelm die-hard horror fans, the suspenseful narratives will work for newcomers and/or reluctant readers. Back matter includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and brief backstory for the supernatural events. Glos. Review covers the following Spine Shivers titles: Do Not Watch and Fade to Black.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox JV series. A mixture of fast-paced sports action and interpersonal conflicts plays out in these message-based hi-lo novels about middle schoolers on JV basketball, snowboarding, soccer, and tae kwon do teams. Readers will relate to the characters' emotions in each predictably resolved conflict. The easy-to-read books also include discussion questions, writing prompts, and interesting facts about each sport. Glos. Review covers the following Jake Maddox JV titles: Basketball Breakdown, Snowboard Struggle, Soccer Step-Up, and Tae Kwon Do Clash.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Military Special Forces in Action series. This series briefly profiles special forces units designed to perform difficult and dangerous missions. Each volume provides a history of the unit's origin and its mission, as well as the grueling and strenuous training involved. Brief vignettes relate successful reconnaissance and rescue operations. Military buffs will appreciate the glimpse inside these elite forces. Action photos will draw readers in to the choppy texts. Reading list. Bib., glos, ind. Review covers these Military Special Forces in Action titles: Missions of the Delta Force, Missions of the U.S. Navy SEALs, Missions of the U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers, Missions of the U.S. Army Rangers, Missions of the U.S. Green Berets, and Missions of the U.S. Marine Force Recon.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) 4-6 Military Special Forces in Action series. This series briefly profiles special forces units designed to perform difficult and dangerous missions. Each volume provides a history of the unit's origin and its mission, as well as the grueling and strenuous training involved. Brief vignettes relate successful reconnaissance and rescue operations. Military buffs will appreciate the glimpse inside these elite forces. Action photos will draw readers in to the choppy texts. Reading list. Bib., glos, ind. Review covers these Military Special Forces in Action titles: Missions of the Delta Force, Missions of the U.S. Navy SEALs, Missions of the U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers, Missions of the U.S. Army Rangers, Missions of the U.S. Green Berets, and Missions of the U.S. Marine Force Recon.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Highly Guarded Places series. It's all about protection in these examinations of guarding important or high-profile entities. From America's gold storehouse and nuclear facilities to prisons or the president, these seven entries briefly describe the history and necessary safety measures taken with regards to each one. Captioned color and black-and-white photos, maps, and sidebars complement the straightforward narratives. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Highly Guarded Places titles: Guarding Fort Knox, Guarding Nuclear Weapons Facilities, Guarding Supermax Prisons, Guarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guarding Air Force One, Guarding Area 51, and Guarding the Super Bowl Stadium.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 Highly Guarded Places series. It's all about protection in these examinations of guarding important or high-profile entities. From America's gold storehouse and nuclear facilities to prisons or the president, these seven entries briefly describe the history and necessary safety measures taken with regards to each one. Captioned color and black-and-white photos, maps, and sidebars complement the straightforward narratives. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers these Highly Guarded Places titles: Guarding Fort Knox, Guarding Nuclear Weapons Facilities, Guarding Supermax Prisons, Guarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guarding Air Force One, Guarding Area 51, and Guarding the Super Bowl Stadium.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Spine Shivers series. Illustrated by Nelson Evergreen. This not-so-scary series covers many bases: evil clowns, ghost children, a robot apocalypse, and evil mud clones. While the creep-factor may be low for die-hard horror fans, the suspenseful narratives (and hair-raising covers) will work for newcomers and/or reluctant readers. Three full-page black-and-white illustrations accompany each book. Back matter includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and brief backstory for the supernatural events. Glos. Review covers these Spine Shivers titles: Attack of the Mud Creatures, The Grin in the Dark, The Screaming Bridge, and Tech Fury.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Spine Shivers series. Illustrated by Nelson Evergreen. This not-so-scary series covers many bases: evil clowns, ghost children, a robot apocalypse, and evil mud clones. While the creep-factor may be low for die-hard horror fans, the suspenseful narratives (and hair-raising covers) will work for newcomers and/or reluctant readers. Three full-page black-and-white illustrations accompany each book. Back matter includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and brief backstory for the supernatural events. Glos. Review covers these Spine Shivers titles: Attack of the Mud Creatures, The Grin in the Dark, The Screaming Bridge, and Tech Fury.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Jake Maddox Sports Stories series. Illustrated by Aburtov. These easy-to-read sports-centric stories concern themes of trust and ethics. The protagonists of both stories must balance their personal feelings and problems with the needs of each one's respective team if they all are to succeed together. The story lines are predictable, but expressive illustrations convey characters' emotions and add some depth to the situations. Discussion questions, writing prompts, and a soccer/baseball "Dictionary" are included. Glos. Review covers these Jake Maddox Sports Stories titles: Caught Stealing and Soccer Shake-Up.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo