(3) 4-6 When evil Archduke Arnulf sets out to marry, then murder, twelve-year-old Angela Gabriela von Schwanenberg, the spunky young countess concocts first a death-ruse, and then a perilous journey to Peter the Hermit to foil him. Hans, a grave robber's apprentice, aids her and discovers his own secret past along the way. Stock adventures and stereotyped characters are refreshed and stylized in this vivid and compelling work.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Kronos Chronicles series. Evil Prince Rodolfo of Bohemia turned Petra Kronos's father into a monstrous Gray Man in The Celestial Globe, so Petra sets out with her friend Tomik to force the Prince's scientist to invent a cure. Her love interest Neel, now King of the Romany, brings his army to her aid. Picturesque settings, well-plotted action, and steampunk aesthetics keep this darkly magical tale in motion.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 When we meet them in 1934, Eddie is five, Tom ten. Over the next ten years the brothers develop friendships, discover family secrets, and ponder the causes of European conflict and their own community's virulent prejudice. Tom's enlistment also unveils the nature of war. Narrated by Eddie, the book's seventy-six vignettes--beautifully phrased and vividly revealing of character--create an authentic window into the past.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011

(4) YA Sarah (sidekick in Immortal and Betrayal) here takes center stage. Sarah, Evie, and Helen must rely on their friendship--and their powers of elemental magic--to fight a coven obsessed with immortality. Sarah's Gypsy heritage (embodied in ancestress Maria) helps guide her. A new protagonist with a fresh perspective, plus dangers specific to Sarah's earth magic, somewhat enliven this formulaic entry.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 Kronos Chronicles series. Desperate to rescue her father from cruel Prince Rodolfo, headstrong Petra Kronos (The Cabinet of Wonders) is herself held prisoner as the ward of English spymaster and magician John Dee. Before he'll release her, she must solve the murder of a man rumored to possess the mysterious Celestial Globe. Strong characterizations and a lively action-adventure plot propel this Elizabethan fantasy-mystery.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA In eighteenth-century Vienna, fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria discovers that her murdered father, a violinist in Franz Joseph Haydn's orchestra, was also a spy investigating the persecution of Hungarian gypsies. As she moves between the court of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy and the gypsy camps, the strong-willed Theresa tells her own story. The details of this historical novel, part mystery, part romance, are intriguing.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) YA Freedom Smith (Fight Game) is a loner, not accustomed to trusting or relying on anyone else. But then he's recruited by Phoenix, a secret organization that investigates the supernatural. Assigned to unravel the mystery behind occult kidnappings, Freedom must learn about teamwork and self-control. Though some characters are stock, Freedom's adventures are thrilling.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) YA Gypsy teens Emilia and Luka are on a quest to rescue their relatives who have been unjustly imprisoned and sentenced to death. In order to save them, they must recover five magical charms, facing great peril along the way. Set in England during Cromwell's rule, this fast-paced novel manages to be rich in historical details without being overwhelmed by them.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(3) YA A well-wrought plot and strong historic details propel this tale of Romany adventure in Cromwell’s England. Desperate to rescue their family from prison, thirteen-year-old cousins Emilia and Luka traverse Britain, elude pursuers, and become entangled in a Royalist plot, all while gathering traditional charms and procuring aid from other Rom. The setting is well realized, and the protagonists are clever and courageous.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) YA Gardner (I, Coriander) evokes pre-revolutionary Paris's growing frenzy. Yann is a young itinerant magician; Sido, a young heiress. Both capture the unwanted attention of powerful Count Kalliovski. Omniscient narration brings in a Parisian theater owner and a dwarf magician, among others. Vivid historical re-creation intersperses with sometimes breathless adventure and prophetic Romany magic in this tale of loyalty and courage.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(2) 4-6 Kronos Chronicles series. Petra Kronos's father has magical abilities to construct creatures out of tin and to make a wondrous weather-controlling clock. When the prince of Bohemia blinds Kronos, cutting out his eyes and magicking them for his own use, Petra resolves to steal them back from the prince's Cabinet of Wonders. Rutkoski's bucolic old-world atmosphere keeps her workmanlike plotting feeling fresh and fortuitous.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2009

(2) YA Chrissie, fifteen, is a fish out of water in LA until she meets Gypsy/witch Yvonne, gullible and vulnerable Karen, and Jimmy, the boy Karen loves but who loves Yvonne. Chapters alternate among these four well-differentiated voices, each trying to carve out a sense of self. Easton's elegant, fluid writing; believable teenage emotions; and strong characterizations make the book stand out.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(3) YA Drawing its emotional power from a rocky but sporadically tender father-son relationship, Sedgwick's folkloric thriller tells the story of steadfast Peter; his drunk, haunted father Tomas; and the winter epidemic of undead "hostages" that overtakes their small village. The spareness of setting, character, and threat heightens the dreamlike atmosphere, and chill-seekers will not be disappointed.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA An American Irish Traveler, sixteen-year-old Bridget is tired of her family's grifting: she wants to stay in one place, go to school, and stop scamming people. This well-paced first novel features a likable protagonist, but supporting characters and the context of Traveler life never rise above the stereotypical.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(4) 4-6 Holocaust in History series. These books deal with Holocaust victims and survivors. Altman gives a vivid image of some of the atrocities committed by Hitler's henchmen against Jews, Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals, and other groups. Each book, illustrated with archival photos, presents events in an accessible, sequential format but is often too abbreviated for the complex topics. Chapter notes, maps, reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Holocaust in History titles: The Forgotten Victims of the Holocaust, The Jewish Victims of the Holocaust, and Resisters and Rescuers--Standing Up against the Holocaust.]

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 1-3 Unicorn's Secret series. Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. With the fifth and sixth books, the fantasy series finally hits its stride; Heart's quest to rescue her unicorn friends and find her family takes a few interesting turns, and she makes a friend of a former enemy. Accompanied by a few black-and-white sketches, the short chapter books raise questions that will encourage readers to continue with the series. Reading like a novel divided into smaller segments, the books don't stand alone. [Review covers these Unicorn's Secret titles: The Sunset Gates and True Heart.]

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(2) 4-6 Newly titled, this is a welcome reissue of The Diddakoi. Kizzy, a half-Gypsy child who has lived her whole life in a caravan with her great-grandmother, is sent to foster care when Gran dies. While the story has a traditional happy ending, Godden is unsparing in her portrayal of intolerance in an English village and her depiction of the casual cruelty of children.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: December, 1972

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Larson. Mystical strains and magical powers imbue some tales in this collection; others feature those foolish, kindly, greedy, or clever folk familiar from tales around the world. Each of the stories begins with introductory comments setting the stage, sometimes indicating the country of origin. The easy flow of the narrative, along with strains of humor and irony and the matter-of-fact acceptance of magic, will catch the ear of storytellers. Bib.

Reviewer: Margaret A. Bush | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2000

(2) 4-6 A comic opera of a tale, set in a traditional storybook village where most folks are well meaning, where the one real villain is the overweening Chief Councilor Sharpnack, and where the local outcast--the girl Rizka--is a trickster hero, whose mischief benefits the meek and needy even more than herself. Scenes of broad slapstick effervesce with mind-tickling repartee in this book that is vintage Alexander: lively, satirical, and with a core of pure gold.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1999

(3) 4-6 A quiet but warm-hearted sequel to Ruthie's Gift stars Ruthie's fourth-grader friends, identical twins Hallie and Mallie. Mallie, who'd "have given a thousand dollars in gold not to be a twin," struggles by fits and starts to create an identity for herself separate from Hallie. Set in the Midwest during WWI, this story about the tribulations of twinhood is really the story of any siblings, anywhere, who look for recognition and independence within their families.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute