(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Sky is a wild mustang, at home in the Virginia Range of western Nevada. From his earliest days, Sky learns to live as part of a herd. During a time of drought when Sky must leave his band to search for water, he is captured by humans. He is used by the Pony Express and then is captured by silver miners. There, faced with horses and donkeys who are suffering from poisoned air and water, Sky leads a rebellion to free the captured animals. Sky's first-person narration of his adventures is engrossing and fast-paced. His vocabulary is appropriate to a wild horse; human hands are grabbers, corrals are traps, and mountain lions are claw beasts. Parry weaves historical and environmental information smoothly into the narrative. Sky's life depends on water and the healthy plants and animals in his surroundings, so readers finish the book with a strong sense of the impact of human choices on animal and plant life. As she did with A Wolf Called Wander and A Whale in the Wild (rev. 1/21), Parry writes a convincing fictionalized life of one wild animal while addressing issues of community, survival, and care for our environment. Fagan's realistic black-and-white illustrations convey the windswept mountain terrain and the movement of the horses. Extensive back matter includes detailed information about the historical and environmental context of the story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(4) 4-6 Dark Waters series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. African American girl India Finch is just an ordinary preteen until, on a visit to her grandfather's in coastal Maine, she learns she's half-mermaid and can heal creatures of the sea. Each by-the-numbers but engaging hi-lo novel involves India helping save the mer while Gilbert spells out themes of friendship, working together, and accepting differences. Slick illustrations appear occasionally; discussion questions and writing prompts are appended. Glos. Review covers these Dark Waters titles: Fire and Ice and The Sighting.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Survive! series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Each formulaic standalone story finds children navigating seemingly impossible disaster situations: for example, twins Andy and Tony mistake the eye of a tornado for its aftermath and a dormant volcano erupts during Cam's family's Hawaiian vacation. Rapid pacing, vividly rendered scenes, and clever protagonists make for heart-stopping adventures. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations break up the short texts. Back matter includes related survival tips. Glos. Review covers the following Survive! titles: Blizzard, Lost, Tornado, and Volcano.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Survive! series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Each formulaic standalone story finds children navigating seemingly impossible disaster situations: for example, twins Andy and Tony mistake the eye of a tornado for its aftermath and a dormant volcano erupts during Cam's family's Hawaiian vacation. Rapid pacing, vividly rendered scenes, and clever protagonists make for heart-stopping adventures. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations break up the short texts. Back matter includes related survival tips. Glos. Review covers the following Survive! titles: Blizzard, Lost, Tornado, and Volcano.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Survive! series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Each formulaic standalone story finds children navigating seemingly impossible disaster situations: for example, twins Andy and Tony mistake the eye of a tornado for its aftermath and a dormant volcano erupts during Cam's family's Hawaiian vacation. Rapid pacing, vividly rendered scenes, and clever protagonists make for heart-stopping adventures. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations break up the short texts. Back matter includes related survival tips. Glos. Review covers the following Survive! titles: Blizzard, Lost, Tornado, and Volcano.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) 4-6 Survive! series. Illustrated by Kirbi Fagan. Each formulaic standalone story finds children navigating seemingly impossible disaster situations: for example, twins Andy and Tony mistake the eye of a tornado for its aftermath and a dormant volcano erupts during Cam's family's Hawaiian vacation. Rapid pacing, vividly rendered scenes, and clever protagonists make for heart-stopping adventures. Serviceable black-and-white illustrations break up the short texts. Back matter includes related survival tips. Glos. Review covers the following Survive! titles: Blizzard, Lost, Tornado, and Volcano.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum