(4) 4-6 Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series. Illustrated by Adam Stower. Ben, Jill, and Robert continue their efforts to save their school from demolition by unsavory corporate forces. Clements deftly weaves setting and plot, but copious series re-capping drags the pacing down, and references to historical battles are almost too subtle. Stower festoons his pen-and-ink drawings with splashes of green, mixing modern characters with an old-fashioned mystery look.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) 4-6 Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series. Illustrated by Adam Stower. This third volume in the series advances the mystery hidden within the old Oakes School; adds a third, unexpected keeper to Ben and Jill's partnership; further develops the kids' personal story lines; and continues their plot to stop greedy developers from turning the valuable seaside parcel into an amusement park. Stower's retro-looking spot illustrations enhance the fast-moving installment.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(3) 4-6 Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series. Illustrated by Adam Stower. In this sequel to We the Children, Ben and his suddenly reluctant friend Jill carry on the fight to keep their seaside school from being torn down for an amusement park. With a former keeper's help, they outwit the developer's creepy spy and manage to decipher some of the original school founder’s clues. The engaging mystery continues to speed along toward, presumably, a third installment.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) 4-6 Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School series. Illustrated by Adam Stower. Clements's coastal New England–set mystery series starts with the school custodian pressing a mysterious coin on sixth grader Ben, then dying. This leads Ben to investigate the plan to tear down his old school. Very much a series entry, the book ends before any of the clues have been followed. It's light stuff, but there's a lot of child appeal.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2010