(3) 4-6 Lobster Chronicles series. Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong. When Norris accidentally destroys his teacher's cactus, he hatches an elaborate scheme to displace the blame. Meanwhile, his father's high auction bid for a giant lobster highlights the wealthy family's outsider status in the community. The narrative is critical of Norris's snobbery while still projecting compassion for his isolation, striking a complex but kid-accessible balance to all the hijinks. Small pencil illustrations open each chapter.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Lobster Chronicles series. Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong. Earnest Ferguson, determined to help his grandfather find a legacy to leave behind, is the focal perspective for this third overlapping tale of how the trapping of a giant lobster affects a small fishing community. Kerrin weaves community memory, intergenerational bonding, and tension between old ways and new into a thoughtful plot, but the leisurely pace and extreme subtlety will limit the book's appeal.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) 4-6 Lobster Chronicles series. Illustrated by Shelagh Armstrong. Budding marine biologist Graeme's lobsterman father catches a huge, record-breaking lobster. In order to get at that crustacean, crafty cannery scion Norris exploits Graeme's desire to raise funds to visit the Big Fish Aquarium. There's also a classroom mystery, and the plot is a bit muddled. The maritime North Atlantic setting is vivid in this first entry in a planned trilogy.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin