(3) K-3 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. A bespectacled young father observes Santa Claus delivering his family's Christmas gifts in this edition of Moore's holiday poem. Caparo's rich-toned, full-bleed illustrations feel cinematic, with varied perspectives creating a sense of intimacy in the cozy home and neighborhood scenes. A contemporary typeface and modern visual details--such as fashionable Santa's red sneakers and striped gloves--gently update this classic tale.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Biography and timeline by Mariah Fredericks. Foreword by John Lithgow. This collection of seven Shakespeare plays compellingly retold in prose by beloved children's book author E. Nesbit includes Hamlet, The Tempest, and Much Ado About Nothing. The accessible retellings incorporate many of the Bard's original lines, making them fine introductions to his complex language. Romantic, richly colored Photoshop illustrations complement the stories' drama. A short Shakespeare biography is appended. Reading list, timeline, websites.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) 4-6 Will Wilder series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Will Wilder inconveniently inherits the family gift of seeing shadow creatures and, with boats sinking and innocent people drowning, must master his abilities quickly. Will's race to save Perilous Falls is filled with hidden chambers, unexpected allies and enemies, and secret histories. Despite its convoluted mythology, this is a rollicking adventure.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. "But Rudolph, still bashful, despite being a hero, / Was tired. His sleep on the trip totaled zero." Here's the story that spawned the well-known song and animated TV special. Originally written in 1939 as a department store promotion, these singsongy rhyming couplets are brought to life in a seventy-fifth anniversary edition featuring festive if slick-looking illustrations.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 4-6 Magic Thief series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. When other wizards' locus magicalicus stones are stolen, wizard and former thief Conn comes under suspicion. His attempts to uncover the real thief and soothe the city's two warring magics reveal instead the return of his nemesis, exiled thief-lord Crowe. Letters, bits of runic code, spot-art illustrations, and amusing supplementary back matter fill out this vigorous addition to the series.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. This sequel to Missing on Superstition Mountain begins weeks after Simon, Henry, Jack, and Delilah's last dangerous adventure, with the characters returning to the mountain to search for the Lost Dutchman's Mine and buried gold. Packed with mysteries (many of which aren't solved here), this book slowly builds intrigue, and readers will look toward the next installment in the series.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Tuckernuck Hall students Bud, Laurie, and friends (The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck) return to defend their founder from accusations of murder and reveal the truth about a vanished magician and his mechanical bird. Fairlie supplements her narrative with characters' notes, emails, texts, etc., a device which occasionally forces the tone but effectively displays the kids working through clues.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) YA Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Humans and evil aliens called the Tremist are fighting to control a colony world. When the Tremist steal a powerful weapon, it's up to thirteen-year-old Mason and his fellow Academy for Earth Space Command cadets to stop them. Action and adventure abound in this accessible sci-fi coming-of-age tale. Occasional murky black-and-white full-page pictures illustrate the events.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Laurie, a reluctant student at Tuckernuck Hall, and Bud, an academic overachiever, team up to solve a generations-old chain of clues left behind by the school's founder. Fairlie leads her protagonists (and readers) through a series of initially obtuse riddles that are often solved by convenience rather than wit. Still, fans of treasure hunts will enjoy the challenge.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. The three Barker boys come upon three human skulls on Superstition Mountain. Aided by their friend Delilah, the boys spend a few exciting summer days trying to solve the mystery. The main characters are nicely differentiated, the desert landscape of the (real-life) Superstition Mountains is well evoked, and there's lots of appeal in the kids' secret forays.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2011

(4) K-3 Step into Reading series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. This adaptation highlights the humor of Gulliver’s misadventures in Lilliput; the tale culminates with Gulliver urinating to extinguish a palace fire. Aside from common plot points, the resemblance to Swift's story is slight, but the entertaining elements, reflected in Caparo's illustrations, may make readers curious about the original.

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(4) 4-6 Magic Thief series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Young wizard Conn can't convince the other magisters that the city's living magic is under attack, but his journey will provide all the proof he needs. Erratic characterization muddies this action-heavy third installment, but a satisfying resolution moves the series forward. Letters, diary entries, spot art, recipes, a table of runes, and guides to characters and places are included.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Young Reader's Shakespeare series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. This freely adapted prose retelling of Shakespeare's comedy includes some lines from the actual play. The text focuses on the broadest elements of the tale's humor and emphasizes them with comical fairy-heavy digital illustrations, some awkwardly posed. Short chapters complete the effort to make the work easily understandable to young audiences, though much is lost in terms of language and subtlety.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) 4-6 Magic Thief series. Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. With his locus magicalicus destroyed in The Magic Thief, wizard-apprentice Conn can only summon magic through pyrotechnics. But after an explosion levels his home, Conn is exiled; not even discovering who's behind the shadowmen turning Wellmet's citizens to stone absolves him. The part-epistolary narrative features a plucky protagonist and a creative setting full of magic and secrets.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo. Precocious pickpocket Conn becomes an apprentice to Nevery Flinglas, a wizard trying to stem the loss of magic from the city. Readers will find the familiar character types and straightforward plotting of this amiable tale (akin to that of another well-known boy wizard) easy to grasp, while the evolving conflicts and distinctive setting will draw them on.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008