(4) 4-6 Lewis Dearborn is a loser until his great-grandfather's deathbed mandate--"Libertalia. You!"--transforms his sad existence into a pirate fantasy. His family moves into Great-Granddad's historic mansion, where he has unexpected roommates: seven dead pirates seeking a pirate haven called Libertalia. With lots of aye!s and sword-swishing, the pirates encourage Lewis to be bold and fierce. A charmingly funny, if too-neatly resolved, romp.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 In 1899 North Carolina, catlike girl Serafina lives in the glamorous Biltmore Estate, unbeknownst to anyone except her maintenance-man father. That changes when she witnesses a fantastical assault from her basement hideaway: a man absorbs a screaming girl into his cloak. To save her, Serafina comes out of hiding and discovers her own strange heritage. Steady suspense mostly compensates for an unwieldy plot.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Hal and her pregnant older sister, Marthe, live on the margins. Their farm is failing, and Marthe's husband is still missing from the war. A pestilence of "Twisted Things"--otherworldly creatures that scorch one's flesh--forces Hal to turn to others for help. The plot is slow, but fresh world-building sustains it. A stark yet lyrical fantasy.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Steven Henry. It's raining on the day of the annual Witch Parade. Dismayed, young witch Delia chants a spell to change the rainwater to cats and dogs, then hats and clogs, then bats and frogs, but nothing quite works. Eventually, the coven just deals with the rain. Henry's cartoonish style and speech bubbles successfully match the text's humor and liveliness.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Walter Prairie dies unexpectedly and becomes a guardian agent--kind of like a guardian angel but less angelic (and less interesting)--for Charlie Dewdle, a budding ghost-hunter. Unfortunately, Charlie has made himself a target for all the dark omens in the area by possessing the highly dangerous Summoner's Handbook. Despite a predictable good-versus-evil plot, the humorous adventure is good fun.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Frankenstein meets Coraline in this creepy tale. Kymera, reborn of animal parts and a human brain, knows nothing except that she loves her father, who has built her for a mysterious, disturbing purpose. Though Kymera's guileless narration ensures that readers always suspect more than she does, Connolly's technique effectively builds a sense of dread, as does her skillful interweaving of fairy-tale elements.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 The problems Anna faces as the new girl in school become significantly more complicated when she starts receiving texts from a ghost. Instead of worrying about where to sit at lunch, now Anna must contend with a dead (and needy) social misfit, troublesome cliques, and her mom's new job as a "corpse cosmetologist." This intentionally silly ghost story is entertaining if overly cutesy.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) 1-3 Wannabe princess Lavender is mistaken for a real princess by the evil-but-incompetent kidnapper Mordmont. It's up to her fearless sister Eliza and reluctant goat Gertrude to rescue her. The droll debut brims with madcap jokes à la Monty Python: there are puns galore, unnecessary footnotes, and apologies for characters taking naps in the middle of chapters. Childlike pencil illustrations complement the silliness.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 In this modern fairy tale, alternating chapters focus on Luna, a girl, and Perdy, an abandoned sprite. Before Perdy lost her twin, the swamp was a sparkling river. Now, the sprite's resentment poisons the water. Luna's sister takes an unlucky swallow, and Luna seeks Perdy to reverse the malady. Atmospheric descriptions slow down any drama, but this sweet story has the requisite happy ending.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Young, wild Tamrin runs away from Canterstock College in this third book. As a wizard's apprentice, she has learned to harness her power in secret, but now she must escape to find her twin and discover her true identity. The cluttered cast of supporting characters, as well as multiple viewpoints, obscure her story, but Tamrin's quest for self-identity is strong and often moving.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Josie Portillo. Almost-eleven newly orphaned Anastasia McCrumpet has been adopted--that is, kidnapped--by her bloodsucking aunts, Prim and Prude. With help from two shadowboys, a librarian, and a baron, she plots her escape. Influences of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket are unmistakable. Scatalogical humor is well-tempered by the melodramatic Victorian narration ("Dear Reader," etc.). Whimsical illustrations and a Victorian "Etiquette Manual" are included.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by James K. Hindle. Josie and her brother Fox get spooked when a dusty Polaroid camera starts doing more than taking pictures: without explanation (or film), the ghostlike figure of an elderly man appears in every shot, then manifests itself as a specter. Hindle's cartoonish illustrations seem bland, but thoroughly creepy motifs make for a good scare, and Josie's wry observations and sensitive voice keep it real.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2015

(3) 4-6 Darkmouth series. Illustrated by James de la Rue. Twelve-year-old Finn is the last Legend Hunter. For centuries, his family has protected Darkmouth's (ungrateful) citizens from "Legends": minotaurs, manticores, and the like. The problem? He's not living up to his father's--Hugo the Great's--expectations. Convincing characters (especially Finn, a reluctant hero with a soft spot for mythical creatures), expert pacing, and sharp wit make this a new fantasy series worth following.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Dark Gravity Sequence series. A new ice age has struck, forcing scientists to find alternative energy sources, fast. When her mother, geologist Dr. Perry, disappears on an expedition, Eleanor suspects foul play and travels undercover to the Arctic to save her. Occasionally the text's tone slips from sci-fi to science class, but overall Kirby's story is smart, exhilarating, and timely.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) K-3 When Ernest D. and his dog discover that the pond behind his ordinary house has no bottom, they decide to explore its unchartered depths. Surfacing on the other side, they find a fantasyland. The premise isn't new, but Kuefler's soft color palette, with its muted hues and small bursts of red, is visually pleasing.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) YA Joyeaux Charmand is a Hunter: someone with supernatural abilities who destroys Kraken, vampires, and other monsters that have threatened human existence since the Diseray (i.e., magical apocalypse). Now, she's summoned to stylish Apex City, where she will hunt on-camera alongside Hunter celebrities. This dystopic YA novel is a bit of a mishmash of familiar tropes, including some romance, but insatiable genre fans won't mind.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(3) 4-6 Horses of the Dawn series. Cursed as "Lame Boy," Tijo faces exile when his caretaker dies. But soon he meets Hold On, a blind horse who is similarly alone and in need of community. Together, they set out to protect the filly Estrella and her herd from the villainous conquistador, El Miedo, before he captures and enslaves them. Lyrical writing and sympathetic characters abound in this second book.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Mabel Jones series. Illustrated by Ross Collins. Mabel picks her nose, eats it, and consequently finds herself a prisoner among pirates who like a good pun; unless she helps them find the X, she'll never get home to London. Absurdity prevails in this whimsical voyage light on substance and rife with bad spelling, which seems to be the point. Varying typefaces and Collins's playful line illustrations amplify the zaniness.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Last Dragon Charmer series. Charming, confident Prince Caden has waited years to slay a dragon. But when the opportunity arrives, he finds himself woefully unprepared...for the foster-care system in the decidedly un-magical strange land of Asheville, North Carolina, where he's now trapped. Caden's conspicuous inability to fit into his surroundings makes for good laughs, but his strained relationship with companions Tito and Brynne feels forced.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 For her thirteenth "nameday," Princess Juniper asks for a kingdom to rule; she receives a "very small country" and recruits children from home to populate it. All goes fairly well, until her subjects learn their families are in danger--a secret that, when revealed, results in mutiny. At times the book's lightheartedness rings false, but its kid-centric kingdom has appeal.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto