(3) 4-6 Savvy: DIY Day Spa series. Andrus, previously lifestyle editor for American Girl magazine, teaches middle graders and tweens how to create a "spa experience at home." From chocolate mousse face masks and coconut lip balm (Gloss) to cuticle balms and gingerbread foot scrub (Lotions), the do-it-yourself (and all-natural!) grooming recipes are easily accomplished and perfectly pitched for readers looking to do some personal pampering. Reading list. Review covers these Savvy: DIY Day Spa titles: Gloss, Floss, and Wash and Lotions, Potions, and Polish.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 Savvy: DIY Day Spa series. Andrus, previously lifestyle editor for American Girl magazine, teaches middle graders and tweens how to create a "spa experience at home." From chocolate mousse face masks and coconut lip balm (Gloss) to cuticle balms and gingerbread foot scrub (Lotions), the do-it-yourself (and all-natural!) grooming recipes are easily accomplished and perfectly pitched for readers looking to do some personal pampering. Reading list. Review covers these Savvy: DIY Day Spa titles: Gloss, Floss, and Wash and Lotions, Potions, and Polish.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Having learned they may be "the mythical Cahr Awen"--a duo prophesied to heal magic in the Witchlands--Threadsisters Safi and Iseult (Threadwitch) are desperate to stop a looming war. But with a powerful Windwitch after the throne and a Bloodwitch on their trails, they may never reunite. Intricate world-building and multiple points of view should help readers through this dense fantasy's draggier parts.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Lea Saldana is a member of one of Loverno's nine elite Families, powerful mob-like clans of assassins hired to do the work of Safraella, the goddess of death (and rebirth). When Lea's secret boyfriend's Family--the rival Da Vias--kills her entire Family, she seeks revenge. The in-depth, rich fantasy world is more assuredly built than the book's characters and plot.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Jae is a member of the Closest, a race of desert people enslaved under a curse of obedience to the Highest. When drought threatens and Jae uncovers the magic that can salvage the Well, she must decide whether to help the realm and stay in bondage or hope for freedom in death. With an inventive world and premise, Jae's story is captivating.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(2) YA At a jazz camp of "mostly dudes," bass player Wes and his drummer best friend Corey meet Ash, who has her own unique musical style and refuses to play with the condescending guys. Frustrated, she leaves--and Wes and Corey go with her. What follows is both a classic road-trip novel and an inventive teen adventure that subtly addresses race, family, and socioeconomics.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(3) 4-6 Media Genius series. A wide scope of material about making, recording, and performing one's own music is divided up into five chapters that include instructions, success stories, pro tips, quizzes, and safety warnings for the young musician. The page design is a tad crowded, but this appropriately detailed overview of the music biz could motivate the musically inclined to pursue their passions. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 Media Genius series. A wide scope of information about creating, producing, and sharing one's own podcast is divided up into five chapters that include helpful instructions, success stories, pro tips, podcast recommendations, and safety warnings for the young producer. The page design is a tad crowded, but this appropriately detailed overview will be helpful for both beginners and readers with some podcasting experience. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Age of Legends Trilogy series. Moria, the Keeper, and the man who betrayed her combine forces to save the kingdom; Moria's twin Ashyn, the Seeker, finds herself with a mysterious group determined to use her magic to raise dragons. Frightening creatures and evil spirits help build tension in the concluding volume of a trilogy focused on feminine wisdom and strength.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) PS This oversize book (approximately thirteen by eighteen inches) gives readers nothing beyond what's expected from the title. In no particular order, each page features a cartoony, stylized animal illustration accompanied by its name in a stylish font. While mostly a purposeless showcase of neat retro-style art, the huge format and simple design may make the book an enjoyable floor-read.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 A bookbinder for her father's bookshop, Sophie dreams of leaving the almost-all-white Bustleburgh, where her dark skin makes her stick out and her love of stories is considered dangerous. When a blindfolded boy (Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes) and his cat-horse-hybrid companion appear, Sophie gets her wish. With a Lemony Snicket–like narrator and a smart, independent heroine, this is an enchanting companion tale.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Stranje House series. In 1814 England, Tess (A School for Unusual Girls) is one of the young ladies with "highly specialized talents" training to be a spy at Stranje House. Having been betrayed by one of their own, Tess must use her prophetic visions to save both Stranje House and the man she loves from Napoleon's invasion. Romance, magical talents, and intrigue move this second Regency-era fantasy along.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA After opening with some backstory about a witch from the 1500s, this 1962-set novel centers on Cora and Mimi--last of the Guerdon line. Mimi is acting weird, two mysterious women are following them, and the family house is undeniably cursed. With its lush, moody English landscape and elaborate history, this companion to Long Lankin is equally ambitious and frightening.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Cold Whispers series. Illustrated by Kristin Kest. This not-too-creepy series for reluctant readers concerns evil vampires at camp, a cursed home, a zombie-infested cemetery, and a trip in time to ancient Egypt. The stories are mildly entertaining; the illustrators' styles vary in quality, but all tend toward a generic comic-book look featuring the white male protagonists with their diverse groups of friends. "What Do You Think?" questions are appended. There are four other spring 2016 books in this series. Glos. Review covers these Cold Whispers titles: The Horror in the Cave, Curse of the Haunted House, Beware the Pharaoh's Tomb!, and Night of the Gravediggers.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race across Europe and against time to solve a murder; in doing so, they uncover an ancient biblical secret. Like the 2003 worldwide adult bestseller, this teen edition--while debatably unnecessary--is fast paced and entertaining but with moderately less sex and swearing. Photo inserts highlighting real places and art that the novel mentions have been added.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Anthony Owsley. Hokey narrative caricatures of Galileo, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein join fictional physicist Dr. Dazz in presenting twenty-five physics experiments (some requiring an "adult sidekick") in seven themed chapters (e.g., "Take That, Gravity!"). Accompanied by cartoony illustrations, the experiments use mostly everyday items, and a "Science Behind the Stunt" explanation follows each; additional asides address tangential physical science topics. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 Cousins Maxine and William are spending the summer of 1929 with their odd grandfather in New Jersey. After a mysterious telegram, Colonel Battersea brings the children with him to collect an important package in NYC. When he disappears, the cousins team up with the courier, Turkish girl Nura. In a rich historical landscape, the captivating adventure involves ancient relics, Arabian and Turkish lore, and a deadly organization.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 1-3 Haunted Library series. Illustrated by Aurore Damant. Ghosts Kaz and Little John and their human friend, Claire, solve another mystery together. Their most recent case about a ghost in a tree house may very well lead to solving another puzzle: where is Kaz and Little John's mother? The accessible text and approachable characters, shown in cartoony black-and-white illustrations, are the chapter book's draws.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 Thyme's little brother, Val, is accepted into a drug trial designed to cure his rare form of cancer. But the trial is in New York, and eleven-year-old Thyme's whole life--including best friend Shani and beloved Grandma Kay--is in San Diego. Growing pains, a family in crisis, and one child's immense fear of loss are compassionately and honestly depicted in Conklin's debut novel.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Jill wakes up in a hospital with no memory. She learns that a car accident during her post-graduation trip to Italy is to blame for her injuries; that her best friend, Simone, is dead; and that she's being accused of Simone's murder. Flat characters and relatively little action aside, the whodunit tension of this psychological mystery is engaging enough to keep pages turning.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano