(3) 4-6 Wonder Woman created by William Moulton Marston. Diana, Amazon warrior princess of Themyscira, rescues a World War I pilot who has crashed near her hidden island; she feels she has found her calling when he tells her of the turmoil in the outside world. This easy-to-read novelization is a faithful scene-by-scene adaptation of the 2017 movie and includes eight full-color pages of film stills.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 A collection of ten short stories that explore the various meanings of hero (and, occasionally, villain). Written by well-known children's authors, including Jack Gantos and Pam Muñoz Ryan, the volume offers historical fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, a comic (by Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third), and more. Another strong and not-exclusively-for-guys addition to the Guys Read series.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Star Wars series. Illustrated by Annie Wu. Fourteen-year-old Mattis joins the Resistance to become a hero fighting the First Order. But first he and his troublemaking fellow recruits will have to become a team. This decent if uneventful new series set in the Star Wars universe focuses on establishing characters rather than on actual adventures, though a climactic encounter with monstrous rancors and a cliffhanger ending nicely set up the next installment.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 With their spaceship low on fuel, Rocket and Groot make an emergency landing on Planet Happyhappyfunfun. They encounter self-driving minivans, killer trucks, and a bookmobile; and they are tasked with finding President Dina the Wonder Lizard's missing daughter. This second absurdist-silly Guardians of the Galaxy romp, told almost entirely in dialogue and heavily illustrated with wacky cartoons, successfully tones down the franchise characters for a younger audience.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gina Perry. A string of creatures each brags about its identity ("What's not to like about being a unicorn?") until a problem arises (the unicorn gets a table stuck on her horn, a robot rusts, etc.). Turns out, they're all issues to be sorted out by...Dad. Readers will enjoy this clever twist as cartoony illustrations reveal a backyard where a father oversees the menagerie (of children) at play.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 1-3 The Society of Cat Aptitude has revoked troublemaking Kitty's cat license, and she must take a test to get it back. After hours of preparation, she's ready...but the proctor is a chicken who's part of a plot to control the world. With its skewering of standardized testing, the absurdist (and occasionally informational, with facts interspersed) graphic narrative is one of the long-running series' stronger episodes.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by David Roberts. In this sequel to The Bolds, the family of hyenas successfully impersonating humans in London finds itself overrun with animal guests who want to learn the hyenas' secrets. High jinks ensue as the Bolds groom the animals for their new lives. Packed with jokes throughout (also collected at the end for easy access), the antics are matched with illustrations that augment the story's humor.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 1-3 Spy Next Door series. In Mutant, boring third grader Dexter Drabner dreams of being a skateboarding spy like Toby Falcon; when his rat-flatulence-collecting science teacher accidentally turns a pet into a mutant monster, Dex's dreams come true. Curse finds the newly minted skateboarding spy-hero facing a mummy's ancient curse. This new series is chock-full of cartoons and slapstick situations reminiscent of Captain Underpants but with less successful humor. Review covers these titles: The Spy Next Door: The Curse of the Mummy's Tummy and The Spy Next Door: Mutant Rat Attack!

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 1-3 Spy Next Door series. In Mutant, boring third grader Dexter Drabner dreams of being a skateboarding spy like Toby Falcon; when his rat-flatulence-collecting science teacher accidentally turns a pet into a mutant monster, Dex's dreams come true. Curse finds the newly minted skateboarding spy-hero facing a mummy's ancient curse. This new series is chock-full of cartoons and slapstick situations reminiscent of Captain Underpants but with less successful humor. Review covers these titles: The Spy Next Door: The Curse of the Mummy's Tummy and The Spy Next Door: Mutant Rat Attack!

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories series. Illustrated by Xavier Bonet. These hi-lo books each contain six very short stories featuring commonplace situations with twist endings. Some narratives suggest the supernatural, others veer sharply into gross-out horror. The texts are choppy but accessible; some entries end too abruptly. Each book includes one introductory black-and-white illustration and concludes with notes on the stories' origins, discussion questions, and writing prompts. Glos. Review covers these Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories titles: The Girl in the Graveyard and Other Scary Tales and Shadow Shoes and Other Scary Tales.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories series. Illustrated by Xavier Bonet. These hi-lo books each contain six very short stories featuring commonplace situations with twist endings. Some narratives suggest the supernatural, others veer sharply into gross-out horror. The texts are choppy but accessible; some entries end too abruptly. Each book includes one introductory black-and-white illustration and concludes with notes on the stories' origins, discussion questions, and writing prompts. Glos. Review covers these Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories titles: The Girl in the Graveyard and Other Scary Tales and Shadow Shoes and Other Scary Tales.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) YA Kicked out of college in Anchorage after one semester, eighteen-year-old Eddie takes a year-long job with a newspaper in isolated rural Alaska to prove he's "ready to be a college student again"; instead, Eddie begins smuggling marijuana. Eddie can be an obnoxious horn-dog and is a pretty unlikable protagonist overall, but vivid setting details give readers a sense of the wide-open lonesomeness of the tundra.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 1-3 Super Fly series. Tired of feeling ignored, Super Fly's devoted sidekick, Fantastic Flea, decides to team up with their nemesis, Crazy Cockroach in the series' third entry (Flea). Next, Crazy Cockroach brainwashes an army of insects in hopes of defeating Super Fly for good (Army). There is a measured tedium to these accessible good-versus-evil chapter books with amusing cartoony spot art of the bug-eyed heroes. Review covers these Super Fly titles: Rise of the Evil Army! and Super Fly vs. Furious Flea!

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Despite coming from a long line of famous supervillains, twelve-year-old Victor is "not the good kind of bad kid. [He's] the bad kind of good kid." To avoid total familial shame, Victor's parents apprentice him to a (disgraced) supervillain called The Smear. Told with a mix of text and comic strips, this new series blends humor with sly cynicism toward the superhero genre.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Jonathan is sent to the Slabhenge Reformatory School for Troubled Boys--island-bound, with the feel of a nineteenth-century penal colony--for a crime he won't discuss. When a freak accident leaves all the adults dead, the boys turn their prison into a paradise until nature intervenes. A dash of Gothic atmosphere mixes with echoes of Holes and Lord of the Flies for a gripping read.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) 4-6 FunJungle series. In this follow-up to Big Game, FunJungle Wild Animal Park is abuzz about a new panda--until the truck arrives minus the animal and its escort. As usual, Teddy ends up in the thick of the investigation. Well-researched and cinematically paced, this mystery-romp is only more enjoyable for the improbability that a thirteen-year-old is repeatedly smarter than the adults involved.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 4-6 Gus's friend Cassie tries out for--and earns a spot on--the middle school boys' basketball team. Gus says he's all good with it, but hidden prejudices nag at him. Meanwhile, Gus himself experiences prejudice due to his Dominican heritage. Vivid game-time action scenes will keep readers hooked, even if the characters tend to be overly chatty off-court.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) PS Illustrated by Sara Acton. Bunny wakes up early, eager to do things with Daddy--bike, play ball, fly a kite--but all Daddy does is sleep. Exasperated, Bunny shouts for Daddy to wake up and is finally rewarded with a cuddle and storytime in bed. Loose, expressive watercolors and spare, simple dialogue capture both Bunny's exuberance and the warmth of father-child quiet time.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(3) YA Biracial sixteen-year-old Isaac takes the rap when a car heist goes wrong. He'll be out of juvie in thirty days if he sticks to his story, and he's determined to help his younger sister get away from their alcoholic mom. With strong, emotional storytelling, McLaughlin realistically portrays juvenile delinquency and how hard it can be to break the cycle.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) YA Eighth grader Jack Sprigley's "worst fears had come true": puberty hasn't happened yet, and "he was still stranded on Pubeless Island." Watching his friends maturing and starting to date, Jack decides to fake his puberty--on a reality-TV show? The cringe-worthy topic is handled with a light, humorous touch, but the story loses focus toward the end.

Reviewer: David Elzey