(1) K-3 Illustrated by Cece Bell. Depicted in spindly lined cartoons, Yankee Doodle and his pony debate plans for the afternoon. His pony cheerfully suggests they go to town--do some shopping, buy a feather for his hat--but each idea is met with disdain. Readers will cheerfully hum their way through the giddily imagined argument and resolution. An author's note outlines possible origins of America's goofiest ditty.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) PS This hybrid counting book–bedtime story asks readers to guess the source of illumination poking through die-cut black pages. Vehicle-obsessed readers will enjoy how every question--"2 lights, hovering in flight?"; "7 lights, flashing red and white?"--leads to a helicopter or fire truck or taxicab or snowplow, all pleasingly rendered in geometric digital illustrations.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) 4-6 For a sixth-grade time capsule meant to be opened in the year 2500, Hal entertainingly describes what it's like to share a bedroom with twin baby sisters and to be courting a failing grade in history. Funny cartoon timelines and occasional doodles enhance the quirky humor. Sure, this sad-sack path blazed by Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid is familiar ground, but Hal treads it well.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2013

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Sara Varon. In an appealingly hybrid design--part graphic novel, part picture book--cartoon illustrations in spring colors follow two duck neighbors on their path to discovering they have more in common--like an aversion to migrating--than first they thought. A lively friendship story that shows it's more fun to be different than "normal," and most fun of all to be different with a buddy.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) 1-3 The humor in Egan's globe-hopping series about Dodsworth and his duck friend has always stemmed from the characterization of duck-as-id, and, happily, this installment doesn't break the pattern. A plot thread involving a lost toy leads to a much-anticipated moment of mayhem and to the reminder that our troublemaker has a good heart. As usual, droll watercolors illustrate the pair's tour of popular attractions.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(2) PS Illustrated by Laura Ljungkvist. Readers are invited to search for a smiling ladybug amidst a jumble of recurring objects in various settings. If children fail to find the insect in the festively cluttered tub or classroom, they get a close-up of her hiding spot on the next page. Sprightly digital illustrations teeming with patterned backgrounds allow Ms. L. to conceal herself behind teddy bears, chickens, toy rabbits, etc.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) PS "Where do you look for glasses? On a shelf? Or on a face?" This introduction to homonyms pairs its series of questions with generously patterned collage artwork that has an inviting homespun feel, like a patchwork quilt. The book's warmth and cheerfulness impart the message that it's not just toys that can be played with--words can be played with, too.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2013

(2) YA Shades of London series. Rory and her friends in the Shades return and regroup after defeating a spectral Jack the Ripper copycat killer at her boarding school in The Name of the Star. While not as taut and engaging as Name, this second installment in the series still offers promising developments, such as Rory's new supernatural power. Fans of the first book should be sufficiently intrigued.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(1) YA New to a Queens high school, Piddy Sanchez gets word that a girl she doesn't know has it in for her. As the bullying intensifies, so do Piddy's fear and lack of self-worth; she's soon retreating from life more than living it. Is it easier to give up and become a "nobody" or fight back? Teens will identify with Piddy's struggle to decide.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Plans for a modest fete grow increasingly tangled for Xander, the lone panda at the zoo. At first he's pragmatic, but by the time a crocodile slips into the mix, he's a wreck. Liberal use of internal rhyme makes Park's text sing. Phelan's sprightly ink and watercolor illustrations show Xander spinning until he's prostrate, convinced his party will balloon out of control.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(2) YA Imogen, a high school junior and a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, has been punishing herself since she witnessed an armed holdup at the local diner. Can she ever forgive herself for hiding instead of using her training to stop it? Nuanced and honest, this layered first novel convincingly depicts Imogen's struggle to come to terms with what she did (and didn't do).

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2013

(3) YA "For me personally, things are in no way more meaningful because I got to know Rachel before she died. If anything, things are less meaningful." Self-deprecating and cynical in the extreme, high school senior Greg says he's writing the opposite of a "sappy tear-jerking" cancer story and offers up a funny, profane, and, despite his supposed best efforts, poignant narrative.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(2) YA Narrator Olive doesn't really believe the rumors that Miranda killed her own parents--but something's definitely off. The evil new girl is a familiar type in thrillers, but Australian author Bailey adds the intriguing possibility that Miranda's talent for slowly sucking the life out of those she befriends is literal. Readers will enjoy puzzling through what's real and what isn't.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(2) YA A rare but welcome type of YA protagonist, Angel has a healthy libido and no shame about following where it leads. Still, she knows the damage that her fling with her best friend's boyfriend could inflict. This steamy beach book goes a level deeper in its presentation of teens finishing high school and facing choices, some more difficult than others.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(2) YA Bray's lavish supernatural thriller plunks a macabre series of occult murders into the grit and gaiety of 1920s New York. Bray switches perspectives among a variety of characters, including her wisecracking, likable heroine Evie, a diviner with a special connection to the spirit world. All signs point to intriguing complications and more malevolent spirits on the rise in succeeding books.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) 4-6 Translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. In this final book in the quartet, Alek (formerly Doup) embarks on a journey with plenty of intrigue, including a shipwreck, a murder, and an exotic girl who survives the wreck. Even fans will have trouble keeping the expanding "family" straight, but it hardly matters when the imagery is so precise and eloquent that each line of text reads like poetry.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(2) PS Catalanotto creates an intrepid caped crusader for whom no question is too daunting or trivial to ask. Question Boy bests one everyday hero after another with question after question. Parents will identify with the plight of Garbage Man, Police Woman, Mechanic Man, etc. The scenarios build to an absurdist height until, finally, QB meets a worthy opponent who has all the answers and then some.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) K-3 A leaf tempts a girl outdoors, away from her many electronic screens. Outdoors, the grayness of inside gives way to abundant color and energetic black lines. Cordell then turns the contrast way up, with the girl's hearty "Hello, world!" and her horseback ride that becomes a parade of animals. Sure, it's message-y, but the message comes with whimsical cartoon art and a keen sense of humor.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012

(2) PS Illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Having faithfully brought Zog remedies for his ailments at dragon school, a girl finally reveals that she's a princess just as Zog fears he's about to fail year four's capture-a-princess test. Bouncing smoothly along, the rhyming text shows how the friendship between Zog and Princess Pearl comes to benefit them both. The illustrations feature a multicolored, endearingly homely cast of cartoon dragons.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012

(2) K-3 Once again Grey's action-figure hero and his sidekick Scrubbing Brush inhabit the fanciful world-within-a-world of creative play, this time heading to the beach--for a manly day of scuba diving, picnic security duty, and...makeovers? Grey takes obvious delight in poking fun at Traction Man's machismo by dressing him in a pink sarong and plunking him into a party with some Beach-Time Brenda dolls.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2012