(4) YA Polly is on track to become an interplanetary pilot. Then her mother unexpectedly ships Polly and her twin brother, Charles, from their home colony on Mars to an elite Earth boarding school, where fitting in takes a backseat to investigating unsettlingly frequent accidents. Narrative focus on teenage social navigation makes this a familiar school story with some sci-fi details.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA This sequel to The Second Guard focuses on Brindl, now Master of Messages for Princess Xiomara of Tequende. When the power-hungry queen's oppression leads the working-class Earth Guild to the brink of revolt, Brindl is torn between her loyalties to Xiomara (the queen's cousin) and to the guild. The well-realized setting and memorable characters make for a stirring fantasy.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Fifteen-year-old Tali and her friends want nothing more than to earn a place in the Queen's legendary army, the Second Guard. Whispers of something rotten in Tequende, however, draw them into a conflict that threatens to destroy the realm. Set in a richly imagined world inspired by seventeenth-century Colombia, this action-packed adventure thoroughly stands out in the high-fantasy genre.

Reviewer: Barratt Miller

(2) YA Journal entries, emails, and essays written for school document Danielle's senior year, offering readers a protagonist with a wicked sense of humor and a barrel of insecurities. Slowly, readers will pick up on hints Danielle drops about a traumatic event in her past she is no longer able to ignore. But it all ends superbly, the feel-good conclusion swelling with happiness.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) YA Contemporary girl Jill, a champion fencer, time-travels to the Caribbean in the 1700s. She's strong-armed into joining Captain Marjory Cooper's pirate crew and undergoes a challenging but educational apprenticeship. Rich detail about pirate life, along with a colorful lady-pirate captain and some fencing derring-do, give the well-wrought adventure heft (awkwardly framed time-slip aside). Glos.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. Sophisticated poems celebrate elephants, from their behavior to their various roles in human imagination and commerce. Mixed-media collage illustrations combine with the writing--particularly the concrete poems--to create a sense of the complexity of elephants' lives and their relationships with people. Unobtrusive text boxes provide factual information about the creatures. Reading list.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA Though it's forbidden, seventeen-year-old Kay continually sneaks over her country's border to dragon territory. There she meets Artegal, a dragon more interested in practicing English than violence. Soon the two friends are pushed into the center of a deadly border war in which allies and enemies blur. Readers will enjoy this transporting fantasy about peace, diplomacy, and standing up for your beliefs.

Reviewer: Lauren Maggio

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Megan Halsey & Sean Addy. This collection of free-verse poems explores the myriad careers readers can ponder pursuing. Whether describing the wisdom of a janitor ("He senses / all the secret wishes / a building whispers / in the night") or the anxieties of an author, Zimmer's writing is insightful and original. The accompanying mixed-media collages, sophisticated and whimsical, are themselves inspiration for aspiring artists.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. This free-verse novel's title refers to the distance between JoEllen's divorced parents' homes: her mother's urban Cincinnati apartment and her father's farm. JoEllen feels split not only between her parents but also between her two very different identities when she's with each of them. The emotionally credible poems are accompanied by collages, doodles, and found art, reinforcing the novel's authentic voice.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old orphan Owen narrates his adventures working aboard a circus showboat in the 1850s. Solomon, a free black man, shows Owen the ropes, and Owen's developing understanding of slavery is portrayed with honesty. Vivid scenes capture the spectacular performances and romance of circus life, also hinting at a darker side--class distinctions between workers and performers, mistreatment of animals, and duping of spectators.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(2) 4-6 Garden imagery wends its way through this eloquent free-verse novel about a seventh-grade girl with cerebral palsy. No one at Josie's school bothers to see beyond her disability until science nerd Jordan moves into her neighborhood. While the portrayal of friendship between misfits is nothing new, Zimmer infuses Josie's story with distinctive auxiliary characters, such as Josie's resilient grandmother.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2007

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Andrew Glass. Linked free verse poems follow a young girl as her anger over her father's abandonment of his family gradually subsides and she begins to accept her mother's new husband. An inveterate sketcher, Anne Marie's art provides an important outlet; her twin sister also helps her gain perspective. Paintings, line drawings, and photographic collages illustrate these emotionally honest poems.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute