(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mary Kate McDevitt. A useful volume presenting historic documents in chronological order, this updated edition includes George W. Bush's address to the nation on the September 11 attacks, Barack Obama's 2008 DNC "Speech on Race," and excerpts from the 2015 Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges). Every selection includes historical background, information about the document's author, and the public response. Archival photos and facsimiles are featured. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.

(4) K-3 Pebble Plus: Pirates Ahoy! series. Beginning readers will learn vague, cursory pirate facts, such as "pirate ships looked scary" and "not all treasures have been found." Each double-page spread includes brief, readable chunks of text on the left side and an interesting photograph or illustration on the right. Large trim size and roomy page layouts make this series a good choice for groups. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Pebble Plus: Pirates Ahoy! titles: Pirate Ships and Pirate Treasure.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) K-3 Pebble Plus: Pirates Ahoy! series. Beginning readers will learn vague, cursory pirate facts, such as "pirate ships looked scary" and "not all treasures have been found." Each double-page spread includes brief, readable chunks of text on the left side and an interesting photograph or illustration on the right. Large trim size and roomy page layouts make this series a good choice for groups. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Pebble Plus: Pirates Ahoy! titles: Pirate Ships and Pirate Treasure.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(4) YA Three teens who have never met but share a blog devoted to Audrey Hepburn convene in NYC to spend a day reenacting scenes from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The schedule gets derailed, and narrator Gemma learns that being fabulous can feel "empty." Readers may tire of the "dahlings!," but there's real substance to what becomes a story about grief, identity, and friendship.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) K-3 Pebble Plus: Presidential Biographies series. Illustrated with large, clear photographs, these first biographies are inviting and very easy to read. The large-size texts provide a few basic facts about each man and his presidency, giving new readers a broad picture of the subjects. With a table of contents, glossary, and index, these bare-bones primers are good introductions to nonfiction. Reading list, timeline. Review covers these Pebble Plus: Presidential Biographies titles: Richard M. Nixon and Ronald Reagan.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) K-3 Forgetful Alfred Crabtree has misplaced his false teeth and begins to organize his many possessions in an effort to find them. Every page of this oversize volume serves as a catalog of Alfred's world, each item labeled (sometimes literally, sometimes not) and creatively categorized. The dizzying cacophony of color and line extends into the book jacket, which unfolds into a dual-sided poster.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) YA Sarah's visit to her family's Maryland estate, Amber House, for her grandmother's funeral triggers a tangle of plots--two romances, a fabulous party, an imminent divorce, a brother-sister adventure, and a treasure hunt--all tied together by Sarah's gift for ghostly time travel. Eventually, her intervention in the past rearranges the present. Unfortunately, the Southern gothic and it-girl glamour setups pair awkwardly.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) K-3 Porkelia is in the dumps until the Wise One tells her she's "destined to be / the first piggy Rockette!" After years of struggle, Porkelia fulfills her destiny and wins fame and fortune. Though the follow-your-dreams message is child-aimed, the humor and vocabulary are more adult than kid-friendly. Unfussy illustrations of the pink piglet in various costumes may entertain readers.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biography series. These standard biographies offer sanitized facts about each subject's life, beginning with childhood and ending with present day (which in Sotomayor focuses on her Supreme Court achievements, and in Jackson his legacy after death). The simple, uncluttered design includes appealing captioned photos. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Gateway Biography titles: Michael Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) YA Insistent declarations of undying love dominate this novel that pairs (not always successfully) a doomed eighteenth-century romance with a troubled modern-day one. Both love stories revel in a moody aura developed through lush descriptions of Nova Scotia's rugged coastline. Allusions to Longfellow's poem "Evangeline" and the historic expulsion of the Acadian settlements provide the tale's most intriguing elements.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biography series. The forty-fourth U.S. president, the longtime Massachusetts senator, and the supermodel-turned-entrepreneur are all given cursory biographical treatments. These books effectively describe the subjects' political or business successes and philanthropic work. However, anything negative is often oversimplified or omitted, especially in Kennedy. Banks includes a glossary and bibliography; Kennedy lists "Fun Facts" and other notable Kennedys. Obama has been updated through 2008. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Gateway Biography titles: Barack Obama, Tyra Banks, and Ted Kennedy.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA A rumor spreads around the Maroon Bells School for Girls: popular-girl Mary's boyfriend is cheating on her. Mary's best friend Peggy supports her amidst all the gossip, which heats up when the "other woman" appears. Based on the 1936 play The Women, this book is entertaining if not particularly juicy (except when describing aspiring-chef Peggy's food creations).

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biography series. This upbeat, laudatory biography gives young readers a brief look at Pelosi as a politician and first female speaker of the House of Representatives in addition to being a wife, mother, and grandmother. Though the text's details can be superficial ("Pelosi loves chocolate"), readers will come away with some general information about women in American politics. Many photographs illustrate the text. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Overweight teenage chef Cyril acts as matchmaker for the girl he loves and his best friend. When she begins to suspect the gourmet meals used to woo her are Cyril's creation, he must decide whether to risk their friendship by confessing the truth. The story is a lot slimmer than Cyril, but it's appetizing enough and includes recipes for Cyril's creations.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Grace Lin. The story about brothers with unusual abilities is recast with seven sisters who have less quirky but equally useful talents--e.g., speaking to dogs and riding scooters as "fast as the wind." When a hungry dragon kidnaps Seventh Sister, the girls race to her rescue. The tale's humor is played up in both text (apparently dog language can pass for dragon) and illustrations (the dragon looks woefully skinny).

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) K-3 Grandmothers at Work series. Photographs by Joel Benjamin. A chatty, first-person text in the voice of the subject's granddaughter introduces young readers to children's book author Vicki Cobb. Known for her science experiment books, Cobb makes a lively and interesting subject. While the photos and book design are unexceptional, the colored pages will help attract young readers. The final page gives advice on becoming a children's book author.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) K-3 Grandmothers at Work series. Photographs by Joel Benjamin. When six-year-old Eileen visits her grandmother, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, readers get an informative glimpse into the daily life of a senator. The chatty first-person text discusses the workings of the federal government and how one woman balances her personal and professional life. Some of the photos are poorly reproduced, and the book design is a bit of a distraction at times, but overall this is an appealing selection.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Grandmothers at Work series. Photographs by Joel Benjamin & Mark Gardner. Marine biologist Sylvia Earle is viewed through the eyes of her grandson (and the author) in this book designed to highlight the achievements of a pioneering grandmother, though the main focus is on daily routines in and out of work. While the concept is admirable, the tone is somewhat forced--the staged color photographs and the constant references to "G-mom" become grating.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. When mischievous Tom finds a can of red paint, he decides to coat the entire living room and all its contents. After Mom calms down, the cleanup and redecorating ensues. This well-paced tale, working in conjunction with the cheery, vibrant illustrations, demonstrates the relative difference between seconds, minutes, hours, and to a lesser degree, a day, weeks, months, and years.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) PS Illustrated by Nick Sharratt. This humorous look at the life of a knight answers a series of questions including "Do knights have TV?" and "What does the Fiery Dragon do?" The rhyming answers are silly and gentle, and, in the final cartoon-style illustration, the knight is falling asleep sucking his thumb. The rhymes are somewhat forced, but preschoolers will enjoy this introduction to knighthood.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth