(4) YA Gilded Wings series. Haven, Lance, and Dante (Illuminate) sign up for community service in New Orleans but learn that the program's true purpose is to develop their angelic powers. The angels-in-training face devils who would claim their souls, culminating in a final showdown during Mardi Gras. The novel's action and romance are engaging, though the device of evil as transmissible by touch fails to explore ethical questions with any nuance.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA Katie (The Hallowed Ones) was shunned by her Amish community after the rise of vampires. When she and her "English" (non-Amish) boyfriend Alex find other survivors, Katie--who's already compromised her values--balks at their new allies' (somewhat implausible) bioengineered defense against the creatures. This unusual vampire story raises questions of faith, ethics, and science while offering a glimpse into Amish culture.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA With no plans for the future and an inability to comprehend a world in which he gets in trouble for standing up to bullies, delinquent orphan Cricket, almost eighteen, contemplates ending it all. However, he starts to reconsider when his longtime crush suddenly begins talking to him. Alternately comedic and tragic, Cricket's profane but inventive narration crafts a heartrending portrait of the antihero.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Maria Monescillo. Mary Wrightly is polite (maybe excessively). When shopping for a birthday gift for her little brother, her meekness results in others snatching up each toy she spots; satisfyingly, she ultimately speaks up and lands the perfect gift. This soft-spoken story uniquely underscores both the importance of manners and of (politely) standing up for oneself. Monescillo's pastels are as sweet-natured as the protagonist.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 4-6 With lyrically descriptive narration from three perspectives, this survival story set in a lawless, drought-ridden African desert presents the struggles of Sarel, an orphaned girl; her dog, Nandi; and Musa, a boy with a spiritual talent for finding water, this setting's rare, commoditized resource. Crowder creates a compelling view of three determined beings courageously willing to endure brutal, widespread carnage.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) YA At thirteen, Tula wonders "how many slaves / Mamá will buy with the money / she gains by marrying me to / the highest bidder." Loosely based on the early life of Cuban writer Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda (1814–73), this lyrical verse novel highlights Tula's need to write and her struggle for self-determination. A note sorts fact from fiction and samples Avellaneda's poetry.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(4) 4-6 In this third installment, King Christian and Queen Marigold's new baby is kidnapped by the kingdom's former poisoner-in-chief and former torturer-in-chief. The two villains' adult children, librarian Phoebe and tinkerer Sebastian, recover the baby and fall in love with each other in the process. Saccharine romance and overly earnest life lessons don't detract too much from the creative fairy-tale plot and humorous dialogue.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) YA Chronicles of Kazam series. In this sequel to The Last Dragonslayer, foundling Jennifer Strange--acting manager of the Kazam employment agency for sorcerers, soothsayers, and flying carpeteers--must apply her eminently sensible brain and stalwart efficiency to stop the king from commercializing magic. The clever novel is imaginatively energetic, made more so by a gloriously formidable female protagonist.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(2) PS Illustrated by Sean Qualls. "My little dark baby, / My little earth-thing, / My little love-one, / What shall I sing / For your lullaby?" Not all poems make for great picture book texts, but this one has just the right cadence and all the right line breaks for smooth page turns, especially when accompanied by Qualls's superb blue-hued pencil, acrylic, and cut-paper collages.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(3) YA In this companion to Those That Wake, Mal and Laura are still searching for home, identity, and answers, even after having found what they thought they were seeking in the first book. As they fight to survive, they also fight to save humanity from the power-hungry Old Man. A futuristic, technologically-wary setup pairs with a dreamy, romantic sensibility about fate and love.

Reviewer: April Spisak

(3) YA Saturday, the most ordinary of the seven sisters first introduced in Enchanted, gets her own adventure in this romantic romp through a magic-infused world peopled with fairy-tale characters and plenty of quirky folk brewed in Kontis's own imagination. The playful narrative style sometimes borders on giddy, but the author's wit and ear for clever phrasing sustain this light and amusing fantasy.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. Short, lively chapters (ranging from two to five pages) introduce twenty influential scientists of the modern era. Krull emphasizes memorable, and often humorously idiosyncratic, character traits. In addition, she points out historical and societal barriers that so many of the scientists, particularly the women, faced. As in previous volumes, Hewitt provides a big-headed but pristine, almost airbrushed, portrait of each subject. Reading list.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Krull and Brewer tell the story not just of international superstars but of friends who made one another laugh. Drawn with exaggerated features, the lads are all legs and bowl-cut hair, their ample noses serving to distinguish one from the others. Youngsters wondering why the band is still beloved by their parents and grandparents will understand after reading the humorous anecdotes. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt. Pig Flora is on a boat headed to the South Pole, where she knows she'll find adventure (never mind that Amos the sailor refers to her as his "little ham bone"). Like all good animal adventure stories, this one has a richly drawn cast; dedicated sled dog Oscar will move readers to tears. Thirty-eight fast-paced chapters make this perfect for reading aloud.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(4) YA Meyer retells the origin, experience, and fall-out of the Trojan War through the eyes of Hermione, the neglected daughter of Helen of Troy. Hermione's ambivalence toward her infamous mother, her struggle to chart her own destiny, and her own troubled romantic ambitions shape the thin plot that Meyer builds around authoritative explanations of Greek myths, heroic backstories, and dynastic relationships. Bib.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Jacky Faber is back in Boston where she endeavors to restart her life and business ventures amid the turmoil of Irish labor disputes and the Women's Temperance Union. Readers will be reacquainted with a rehashing of the series' previous episodes and an exciting denouement as the brazen heroine thwarts enemies and confronts the possibility of losing her beloved Jaimy Fletcher.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) YA The teenage children of the characters from The Vespertine and The Springsweet meet serendipitously in 1917 Los Angeles. Bohemian Kate is a budding filmmaker and Julian is disabled by polio; they also both possess supernatural gifts inherited from their parents. Overall this is a lackluster addition to the saga, though fans of the companion volumes may appreciate getting to know the next generation.

Reviewer: April Mazza

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark Edward Geyer. Moriarty (The Inquisitor's Apprentice) returns to his alternate early-twentieth-century New York, where magic and traditional Judaism are the major forces. In solving the murder of the Klezmer King, Sacha once again faces dark magic and must decide whether to defy his upbringing and use his own magical gifts. Occasional line drawings enhance the novel's evocation of setting, which is its greatest strength.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. This starter biography of singer (and dog lover) Billie Holiday spotlights her relationship with her favorite pet, a boxer named Mister. The focus on Holiday's dog is a conspicuous effort to soften the hard edges on the singer's story, but this is still an excellent introduction to the jazz great. Newton's glam-infused illustrations work best when depicting Holiday as a diva. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) YA In a well-protected enclave, Jon is shielded from the worst environmental effects that resulted when the moon was knocked out of place a few years (and three Life As We Knew It books) ago. Pfeffer does justice to each recurring complex character, though a lack of satisfactory explanation for the existing power dynamics mar this intriguing revisit to the world gone permanently awry.

Reviewer: April Spisak