(3) YA Worldweavers series. Recruited to help the Federal Bureau of Magic, Thea learns about her own special abilities as well as whom she can and cannot trust. Unlike the first two books, whose pace occasionally dragged, this final book in the trilogy is a fast-moving magical adventure about the meaning of friendship, the responsibilities of those with extraordinary power...and Elemental pigeons.

Reviewer: T. Borregaard

(4) YA After witnessing her brother's death at the hands of a Saxon invader, Branwen's only thought is of vengeance. Her parents, however, send her away to a neighboring stronghold to ensure her safety. There she must figure out a way to determine her own destiny. Overwrought prose slightly detracts from the well-woven and compelling story.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(2) YA Matt Cruse and Kate de Vries (Airborn, Skybreaker) join the Canadian team that plans to launch its first spacecraft. Before their departure, Kate announces she's engaged. Matt's subsequent inner turmoil is soon matched by a series of disasters that leaves the crew members battling for their lives. True to form, Matt and Kate rise to the challenges, emerging victorious in life--and love.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2009

(4) YA Worldweavers series. Thea (Gift of the Unmage) and her magic-impaired friends at Wandless Academy must save the world again, this time from e-mail spam contaminated with increasingly dangerous spells. Though the pacing is sometimes uneven and the cast of characters overlarge, the premise is fresh and intriguing. Thea's personal maturation and the politics and mysteries of the magic-rich world are well developed.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(2) 4-6 Having left home in some disgrace, Fisk (The Last Knight) returns to help with family troubles. It doesn't boost his reputation when former would-be knight Michael shows up. With careful sleuthing, Fisk and Michael expose the truth. Bell writes with a buoyant, easygoing style, creating character and setting with economy and giving her readers a lighthearted, but also warm-hearted, tale.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2008

(4) YA Princess Tania and Edric journey on a desperate quest while her royal family fights an ancient enemy. Nearly all the action takes place in the stock Faerie landscape; Tania's former human life is barely referenced. This action-packed conclusion to the trilogy remains entertaining and engaging despite its reliance on fantasy clichés, including a climactic final battle.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(3) 4-6 In this final installment, Peer and Hilde (Troll Fell, Troll Mill) set sail for Vinland aboard a Viking longship. Langrish skillfully mixes Norse and Native American mythology with history and a touch of magic. As in the previous books, the story is layered and gripping, and the characters are well drawn. The ending will satisfy series fans.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(3) YA Sol doesn't think much about the Machine, which powers last-city-on-Earth Ash Harbor, before witnessing an accident that nearly kills the settlement's executive. Then his father disappears, and Sol is sucked into a conspiracy of corporate control, murder, and the ominous Clockworkers. McGann draws on dystopian influences, from 1984 to The Matrix, but creates a world as fresh as it is frighteningly plausible.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Strengthening his psychic powers, Jacob (Truesight, The Seer) searches for former "Blinders" like himself, in hiding on a planet called Teiresias. His perilous journey, including a spaceship crash, doesn't win him a peaceful home: the Foundation is still trying to destroy them all. Despite some clichéd dialogue and trite sentiments, this book provides a satisfying ending to the well-developed series.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA Gus, Diana, Kali, and Tigre, mortal teenage avatars for gods battling to regain control of a world that forgot them, are supposed to be killing one another--not fleeing their pantheons and working together to save the world. Sutherland wisely focuses the narrative on her four lively and likable main characters, driving her rousing, suspenseful trilogy to a satisfying conclusion.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) YA Worldweavers series. In a society where everyone has magic, fourteen-year-old Thea--the seventh child of two seventh children--has none, gravely disappointing her family. Throughout the course of the story, she travels the spirit lands, learns not to whine, and saves the world. The book suffers from some cumbersome pacing, but occasional flashes of humor perk things up. Thea's quest for self-actualization is believable.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(2) 4-6 Sir Michael, accompanied by mysterious squire Fisk, takes to the road to do good deeds. Their first act together is a daring rescue; unfortunately, the damsel they free is a murderess. Bell's plot is nicely inventive, and she writes with a robust cheer and a peppery sense of irony. Michael and Fisk are both appealing, as is the quasi-medieval, magical setting.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(3) 4-6 Ellie's little brother Danny disappears. While being held captive, he dreams about Argent, the fantasy heroine he and Ellie dreamed up as children. The Argent story parallels Ellie's real-life journey to find her brother. Ellie's anguished drama is more immediate than Argent's adventure, but the cleverly wrought, satisfyingly executed story lines powerfully complement one another.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(3) 4-6 Many sixth graders feel like aliens, but Deborah really is one. Her family generally blends in, but once a year--for sustenance--each member has to eat a human. When she's pressured to devour her best friend, Deborah begins to rebel against what she's always believed was her destiny. Deborah's matter-of-fact Everygirl voice makes her likable, even when she's digesting a person.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(2) YA When Joey Harker takes a wrong turn and steps outside his reality, he learns his world exists within the Altiverse, a near-infinity of Earths existing in parallel dimensions. Thus begins an adventure filled with innovative world-building and breathless action. The authors' efficient, understated characterizations create a distinct array of personalities. Humor occasionally surfaces; Joey's immutable homesickness is another defining undercurrent.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(4) YA Prince George has "animal magic"; he's able to communicate with animals, a feared and forbidden skill in his homeland. After his mother's death, he's followed by a cursed bear. The story meanders until the prince meets Princess Beatrice and her hound companion. Some Grimm-inspired twists late in the book enhance the plot.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess

(4) YA Formerly ordinary teenager Tania has accepted that she is truly a princess of Faerie. Reconciling the difficulties of her human life (appeasing her frightened, angry parents) with her new life (fleeing from enchanted warriors) complicates the search for her Faerie mother, Titania. This installment consists of standard but enjoyable fantasy material and romance, progressing straightforwardly through a familiar story arc.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Anita discovers she can walk between worlds--from her own into the world of Faerie, where she is hailed as the lost Princess Tania, seventh daughter of King Oberon and Queen Titania. The fantasy characters and depiction of Faerie offer nothing new, though readers will likely enjoy the plot twists, wish fulfillment, romance, and drama of Anita/Tania's search for self-knowledge.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old healer Avala is the prophesied bringer of a golden age of unity and freedom for four nations bound by enmity and living in the shadow of dictator Jaganath. Though undercut by the lack of sacrifice with which the central characters achieve victory, this sequel to Secret Sacrament synthesizes powerful themes--redemption, love, homecoming--for an absorbing, affecting read.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brian Biggs. These four short stories tell of resourceful children outwitting rats, aliens, and other beastly creatures. Nix's vivid imagination is here used to humorous effect. Featuring clever wordplay and unpredictable situations, the book is a solid choice for both reluctant and voracious readers. Biggs's heavy-lined cartoon illustrations composed of simple shapes add even more personality to Nix's silly creations.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister