(3) 4-6 Wise-guy Benny makes friends in unexpected places. In Omar, Benny's family moves to Tunisia, and Benny, initially resistant, finds his place among the diverse people he meets. Babe is about Benny's summer at the Irish coast, where he encounters a tomboy who shares his instinct for trouble. Both stories are driven by sharp dialogue, tight writing, and vibrant characters and settings. Review covers these titles: Benny and Babe and Benny and Omar.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 4-6 Wise-guy Benny makes friends in unexpected places. In Omar, Benny's family moves to Tunisia, and Benny, initially resistant, finds his place among the diverse people he meets. Babe is about Benny's summer at the Irish coast, where he encounters a tomboy who shares his instinct for trouble. Both stories are driven by sharp dialogue, tight writing, and vibrant characters and settings. Review covers these titles: Benny and Babe and Benny and Omar.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(4) 1-3 Legend Of... series. Illustrated by Glenn McCoy. With four brothers, Will has a hard time finding anyone to listen to his problems, so he makes a deal with Grandad. Grandad will listen to his grandson's troubles if Will listens to his--which helps Will put his problems in perspective. The humor is painted with too broad a brush, but readers will sympathize with Will's sibling issues. The cartoon illustrations match the text's exaggeration.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) 4-6 Mistmantle Chronicles series. Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. The fuzzy-animal kingdom of Mistmantle is beleaguered once again. This time the enemy is no evil creature, but the convergence of plague, an accidentally kidnapped princess, and the suspicions of an uneducated populace. Simple but endearing, this adventure tugs on all the right heartstrings as the squirrel Juniper and his friends come of age in trying times.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(2) 4-6 Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy Jackson, modern-day half-blood son of Poseidon, returns to face mythical monsters while on a cross-country trip. Percy's kept occupied fighting skeleton warriors and Atlas himself. The plot may seem a little muddled to those unfamiliar with the earlier books. However, the high-powered action sequences, humorous transposition of Olympian legends to the modern day, and direct, unassuming narration remain big draws.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2007

(4) 4-6 In this fifth entry in the series, Artemis Fowl--now fourteen and in the grip of puberty--meets his match in twelve-year-old genius Minerva Paradizo. The plot revolves around the existence of demons and the impending collision of their world with that of humans. Schemes within schemes may confound readers new to the series, but Artemis's many fans will find much to enjoy.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(1) 4-6 Translated by Shaun Whiteside. De Mari combines common fantasy elements in this subtly post-apocalyptic story. An elf child, a young dragon, and an orphan girl endure an epic flight to safety, during which time the true nobility of both elf and girl emerges, along with a moment that will stun readers with its heartbreaking act of sacrifice. This book's combination of humor and deeply felt emotion will leave readers enthralled.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2006

(4) 4-6 Mistmantle Chronicles series. Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. In Urchin of the Riding Stars, spunky squirrel page Urchin fulfills (maybe) a prophecy that he would unseat a great ruler. In this predictable but sweet second adventure, Urchin is kidnapped by mad King Silverbirch, and the always-good, always-cuddly squirrel rescues Silverbirch's subjects (more small, furry animals) from the greedy usurper's enslavement.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Glenn McCoy. Ordered by their parents to visit the library, nonreading brothers Will and Marty fear the kid-hating librarian, who is rumored to shoot unruly patrons with a potato-pelting gun. The larger-than-life (and stereotyped) Mrs. Murphy does provide some laughs, but this over-the-top story is weakened by its sappy ending. The cartoony black-and-white illustrations match the text's hyperbole.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Running away from an orphanage that uses children as human guinea pigs, Cosmo joins a group of young people who fight off high-flying parasites that suck the life from human beings. The kids scurry through futuristic cityscapes and journey to the edge of outer space in a twisty plot that never plumbs below the busy surface action. The ending virtually assures a sequel.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(2) 4-6 Bartimaeus Trilogy series. This second book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy adds a new character to The Amulet of Samarkand's entertaining mix of power-hungry junior magician Nathaniel and supercilious djinni Bartimaeus: Kitty, a commoner and a member of the Resistance opposing the magicians' corrupt rule. The action never flags--with not one but two seemingly unstoppable villains to defeat--and the escalating intrigue among the three main characters bodes well for book three.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(2) YA In a teenage boy's fairy tale come true, "serious dork" Jeremy discovers a pill that actually makes him cool. Once swallowed, the squip, a microcomputer, tells him how to walk, talk, dress, and perform in social--and sexual--situations. Vizzini's invention is a clever device for exploring high school social strata and the thinly veiled code for success.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2004

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Milton Glaser. A letter ("Angry A," "Bashful B") enters a room and speaks in the manner of its name until twenty-six disparate personalities are yakking away. An explanation that each letter's shape and personality is based on a typeface (Aurora, Bodoni) is appended. While this complex concept book's audience isn't clear and the speech balloons are confusingly displayed, there are enough clever touches for several books.

Reviewer: Lolly Robinson

(2) YA Through guile, teamwork, and dumb luck, a magician's apprentice and a "Spenser for Hire"-type djinni uncover and foil a coup attempt masterminded by a ruthless magician. The pace never slows in this wisecracking adventure, and Stroud has created a well-realized fantasy world, but it is the complementary main characters who will keep readers coming back for the rest of the projected trilogy.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2003