(4) YA RecordBooks series. This book chronicles the 1972 Summit Series--a "war on ice" between Canada and the Soviet Union, where "hockey supremacy was at stake." It includes historical background on both countries and how the up-and-coming Soviet hockey program came to challenge Canada's longstanding hockey reign. The text-heavy, small-trim package is full of facts, tiny black-and-white photos, player information, and play-by-play game details. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) YA SideStreets series. Dan is having a hard time in school because he's desperately trying to keep his family together while his mother's schizophrenia wreaks havoc. Despite his efforts, it's not until it all comes crashing down that he's able to salvage anything. With such a tight focus on the mental illness there is little room for character development in this compact, otherwise touching story.

Reviewer: Pearl Higgins

(4) 4-6 Sports Stories series. Hockey MVP Adam Burnett moves to Vancouver and tries out for an elite hockey team--but he's introduced to soccer through his new school friend, Rodrigo. Adam loves his new sport but must hide it from his controlling father, who is banking on his son's hockey future. Despite flat characters, the pace moves quickly and the sports action is exciting.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 RecordBooks series. Adams provides a history of Canada's Preston Rivulettes women's ice hockey team. Hailing from a small Ontario town, the future legends formed an all-female hockey squad in 1931. The athletes drew crowds throughout the Great Depression, playing "about a hundred games and [losing] only two of them!" Short chapters, a compact trim size, and archival photographs enhance the accessible, if slim, package. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 Sixth-grader Becky's new neighbor seems too perfect to be true: "By the time the lunch bell rang, she was the most popular girl in Becky's class." Becky and Violet end up best friends and face new challenges together. While their idyllic suburban life seems oversimplified, Becky and Violet's ordinary conflicts and triumphs ring true. Black-and-white doodles decorate the pages.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) YA SideStreets series. When Cody starts drumming in a band, he hopes to turn his back on his violent past. His actions return to haunt him when his old compatriots track him down. The story's anti-bullying message is well integrated into the plot, and Cody's gritty past is honestly portrayed.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA SideStreets series. Amy is excited to score a summer job at the resort where her best friend is also working. She needs a good reference for film school--and her new boss is hot. But when her crush on him moves quickly from flirtation to more, Amy must decide how far she's willing to go. Some authentic-sounding dialogue enlivens this movie-of-the-week tale.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) 4-6 Canadian fourth-grader Jude Bhandari doesn't get why Terrence, the new kid from England, has to pick fights with everyone, including Jude's best friend Sanjay and even Jude himself. Jude's first-person narration reveals his frustration toward his own deadbeat dad, love for his mother and Nani, and a common link with Terrence. The straightforward story is accessible and entertaining.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 1-3 Illustrated by Ann Blades. Tod and Jen hate doing their farm chores, but when the cows escape, the sibs step up to find them. The straightforward story line may attract transitional readers. However, awkward dialogue detracts from the most appealing point: the children sincerely, refreshingly dislike caring for the cows and never change that opinion. Stiff pictures display the action.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) YA SideStreets series. Hardworking high schooler Avvy finds a wallet containing a cash card. In desperation, she uses the money to help her Chinese immigrant parents' struggling restaurant. In doing so, she quickly realizes how easy it can be to cross the honesty line. The story, including several subplots, is entirely predictable, but the tale's details are engaging.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(4) 4-6 Sports Stories series. Eighth-grader Daisy Howson feels like her world is falling apart. Her father is out of work, and her fellow track team members are turning against one another. Daisy tries earnestly to make everything better, yet her attempts only complicate things. The formulaic story's fast pace, along with Daisy's fix-it attitude, may attract readers.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 RecordBooks series. This biography follows Canada's Jarome Iginla, from shooting pucks as a kid to joining the NHL, winning Olympic gold, and playing in the Stanley Cup finals. The laudatory text details Iginla's work ethic, charitable contributions, and trailblazing as the NHL's first black captain. The readable (if slight) writing, short chapters, black-and-white photographs, and game action will attract reluctant-reader hockey fans. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) YA SideStreets series. Elias Minto knows trouble. His father split when he was a kid, and his mother's a drunk. What's more, his best friend, Jordan, is planning a "takedown" involving stealing profits from video gambling machines. Elias dreams of respectability but inevitably gets sucked into Jordan's scheme. The story employs every one-last-crime cliché in the book, but its fast pace may attract reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) YA SideStreets series. Beginning with the death of her father, Raine feels like her own life is falling apart. Her mother is absent, her boyfriend is straying, and her new guy has demons of his own. But Raine can control the food she does not eat. ("Life is so much simpler when you reduce the amount of food you eat.") Raw narrative voice is a highlight of this by-the-numbers problem novel.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA SideStreets series. After choosing life on her own over staying with her parents, Melanie is grateful to move in with Trent and keep off the streets. But with all they face--hunger, secrets, a shifty employer, dangerous neighbors--can Melanie find a way to survive? Melanie's tough-as-nails narration is convincing; her moments of epiphany--why she shouldn't get pregnant, how to eat on a budget--less so.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) YA SideStreets series. Alex's faith is shaken after he sees a church leader with a woman who isn't his wife. Then his brother comes out to him, and Alex must really reexamine his values. A series of events allow him to reclaim his faith and reconcile with his father and brother. Amidst the overloaded, soap-opera plot, the story raises some thought-provoking questions about morality and hypocrisy.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) YA SideStreets series. During the summer after ninth grade, fourteen-year-old Cori and her best friend were supposed to get makeovers. But then Cori's mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, and suddenly that other stuff isn't important. Raw emotion (verging on melodrama) drives the narrative; excerpts from a journal kept by Cori's mom provide a mature point of view.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA SideStreets series. With unsupportive parents asking for handouts and friends who can't relate to poverty, high school senior Robyn feels like the deck is stacked against her. She wants to become an architect but she's worried that instead she'll be stuck at her family's orchard in the Okanagan Valley. The narrative is choppy, with too much emotional drama, but Robyn's fears and ambitions are relatable.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(4) 4-6 RecordBooks series. These titles cover the history of two Canadian sports legends. Gold presents the underdog story of Canada's 2002 women's ice hockey team. Prove tells of Bobby Clarke, a Manitoba boy who played for the Philadelphia Flyers; particular attention is paid to his diabetes. The books' small trim size, short chapters, and black-and-white photographs provide engaging, if slight, profiles for ice hockey fans. Review covers these RecordBooks titles: Something to Prove and Winning Gold.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan

(4) 4-6 RecordBooks series. These titles cover the history of two Canadian sports legends. Gold presents the underdog story of Canada's 2002 women's ice hockey team. Prove tells of Bobby Clarke, a Manitoba boy who played for the Philadelphia Flyers; particular attention is paid to his diabetes. The books' small trim size, short chapters, and black-and-white photographs provide engaging, if slight, profiles for ice hockey fans. Review covers these RecordBooks titles: Something to Prove and Winning Gold.

Reviewer: Carrie Harasimowicz Sullivan