(4) 4-6 In 1941, eleven-year-old Gusta is sent to live with her grandmother, who runs an orphan home in Maine. As the story unfolds, she gets in trouble for protesting at the local mill, writing about the true meaning of patriotism, forming an orphans' band, and more. Gusta also finds the missing (magic) "Wish" her mother told her about and uncovers a family secret. While overstuffed, the novel is heartfelt and thought-provoking.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Simona Ciraolo. "Mother of the Movies," filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché pioneered the creation of fictional films with sound. In this fast-paced biography, Rockliff's storytelling mimics the adventure-filled movies her subject loved; silent-film title cards (cleverly based on Guy-Blaché film titles) divide the narrative. Ciraolo's action-packed dry-media illustrations feature unexpected coloring and surprising perspectives. A "Director's Cut" offers further information and a film list. Bib.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(4) 4-6 Based on Demos's nonfiction adult book, The Unredeemed Captive, this fictionalized version focuses on real-life Massachusetts Puritan seven-year-old Eunice. Kidnapped in a 1704 French and Indian raid and taken to Canada, she's renamed Gannenstenhawi, adjusts to her new life, and eventually marries a Mohawk man. Despite being occasionally awkward in the transition to fiction, the text is well researched and fast paced. Bib.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Multilingual best friends Annie, Lillemor, and Lilianne decide to enter the school talent show as a singing group. But Annie tests their friendship when she insists on making all the decisions ("because this whole thing was my idea"). Dunklee's realistic story about bossiness, compromise, and teamwork features a mix of simple narration and speech bubbles set against Smith's expressive, brightly colored digital art.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Based on a True Story series. Illustrated by Clint Hansen. These historical fiction stories introduce middle-grade readers to the experiences of real children. Written under one pseudonym by different authors, the novels, accompanied by black-and-white drawings and archival images and photos, are accessible if not riveting entrées into their subjects' lives. (Jemison's use of savage, true to the times, would have benefited from some contextualizing.) Each entry includes an author's note separating fact from fiction. Clem and Jemison contain glossaries. Review covers these Based on a True Story titles: John Lincoln Clem, Mary Jemison, Nettie & Nellie Crook, and Sybil Ludington.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) 4-6 Although Jewish Gustave and his parents (Black Radishes) have escaped Nazi-occupied France, their new life in America is challenging. Gustave's story unfolds in believable moments as he makes the uncomfortable transition to American schooling and befriends the vivacious September Rose, a "Negro" girl who, like Gustave, experiences discrimination. This is powerful historical fiction that will send readers back to the first volume.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith. Annie and Lillemor, who's from Sweden, are best friends who have a lot in common. But when new girl Lilianne, who seems to have even more in common with Lillemor, arrives from France, Annie feels left out. Text and speech bubbles tell this relatable story about normal friendship woes. The playful and friendly digitally colorized pencil illustrations bring the girls' activities to life.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Paul Meisel. Richie tries to act welcoming to French classmate Sophie during Mind Your Manners Week, but minor misunderstandings become more and more confusing due to English and French idioms. The silly, small-stakes story, illustrated with Meisel's light pencil sketches, should be manageable for independent chapter-book readers, who may learn a few new expressions along the way.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Scribner Illustrated Classics series. Illustrated by N. C. Wyeth. These handsome editions of two classic stories (Rawlings won a Pulitzer for The Yearling) are beautifully reissued with Wyeth's striking color plates. The heavy volumes may be best appreciated by collectors and fans of Wyeth's painterly illustrations. Review covers these Scribner Illustrated Classics titles: The Last of the Mohicans and The Yearling.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 After their mother's death, Rowan and Nina discover a hotel that serves as a portal to other places and times. When Nina disappears, Rowan and two friends search for her in the middle of the French Revolution, where they are nearly beheaded. Despite some desultory plotting, the novel is enjoyable and is among the few fantasies featuring African-American protagonists.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 In 1759, British soldiers raid the Abenaki community of St. Francis, burning the village to the ground, shooting fourteen-year-old Saxso, and abducting his mother and sisters. The pitch-perfect narrator embarks on a dangerous journey to save his missing family members in this well-crafted novel of the French and Indian Wars. An author's note places events within their historical perspective.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Coming to America series. Each book in this series includes quotations, maps, timelines, recipes, craft instructions, and brief facts about famous Americans of the pertinent ancestry. Each book is organized into six chapters ("Life in the Old Country," "Arriving in America"), but there is variety among the books. Archival and modern photos illustrate the text. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Coming to America titles: Russian Immigrants, Jewish Immigrants, French Immigrants, Greek Immigrants, and Polish Immigrants.]

Reviewer: M. Jean Greenlaw

(3) YA In 1704, the Mohawk attacked the Puritan settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts, taking eleven-year-old Mercy Carter and over one hundred other settlers captive--forcing them to trudge three hundred miles to Canada. Cooney constructs a suspenseful story for Mercy, who must decide whether to remember her former life and family or to "set them down" and embrace her new life as a Mohawk.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(4) YA Mary Draper Ingles's capture by the Shawnee, her dramatic escape, and her arduous journey homeward across eight hundred miles of wilderness are described in this carefully researched biography. Though the beginning of Furbee's account is somewhat slow, her narrative voice builds in strength, ultimately capturing the drama of this incredible tale. Archival drawings and maps illustrate the book. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Mary R. Holt

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by W. T. Mars. This is a handsome reissue of a superior work of historical fiction. Speare's novel is based on an actual narrative written by a woman taken captive by Abenaki Indians in 1754.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1957