(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Brave Kids series. Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger. Hazelle, who has been living in a New York City orphanage, suddenly finds herself on a train to Texas to be placed with a family. Based on a real-life orphan-train rider, this fictional account typifies the experiences of many orphans at the turn of the century. Gentle black-and-white illustrations and a thorough afterword enhance the book. Reading list.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid series. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. In Trail, orphan Davey and two adult friends fearlessly cross the Chilkoot Trail by sled; in Adventure, they continue on, sailing their handcrafted boat to gold-fever-mad Dawson, where Davey searches for his uncle. These books are marred by clichés but capably relate the agonies and thrills of Davey's journey. Farnsworth's black-and-white illustrations capture the 1897 setting. Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid titles: Adventure in Gold Town and The Long Trail.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid series. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. In Trail, orphan Davey and two adult friends fearlessly cross the Chilkoot Trail by sled; in Adventure, they continue on, sailing their handcrafted boat to gold-fever-mad Dawson, where Davey searches for his uncle. These books are marred by clichés but capably relate the agonies and thrills of Davey's journey. Farnsworth's black-and-white illustrations capture the 1897 setting. Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid titles: Adventure in Gold Town and The Long Trail.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Klondike Kid series. Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth. Eleven-year-old Davey, caught up in the 1897 Klondike gold rush and hoping to find Uncle Walt, his only living relative, stows away on an Alaska-bound ship in the Seattle harbor. Appealing black-and-white drawings place the story in its historical setting. This well-paced chapter book will appeal to historical fiction buffs and whet their appetites for further adventures in the proposed trilogy.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Adventures of Hector Fuller series. Illustrated by Pamela Levy. These books make a welcome addition to the world of chapter books, introducing Hector the wumblebug. With a pleasing Wind-in-the-Willows flavor, these two stories take Hector on simple but well-plotted adventures. The books have distinct characters, story patterns, and humor. A full-page illustration accompanies each chapter. Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: The Adventures of Hector Fuller titles: Hector Finds a Fortune and Hector Springs Loose.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: The Adventures of Hector Fuller series. Illustrated by Pamela Levy. These books make a welcome addition to the world of chapter books, introducing Hector the wumblebug. With a pleasing Wind-in-the-Willows flavor, these two stories take Hector on simple but well-plotted adventures. The books have distinct characters, story patterns, and humor. A full-page illustration accompanies each chapter. Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: The Adventures of Hector Fuller titles: Hector Finds a Fortune and Hector Springs Loose.

Reviewer: Becky Levine

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Brave Kids series. Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger. Based on the experiences of a real twelve-year-old drummer boy in the Union Army, this is a fictionalized account of Robert's service during the Civil War. Robert runs away from home to volunteer for duty, ends up capturing a Confederate soldier, and much later is invited to the White House to meet President Lincoln. The black-and-white drawings add to the tale's drama. An author's note provides historical details. Reading list.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Prairie Skies series. Illustrated by Patrick Faricy. Nine-year-old Charlie's decision to help a runaway slave increases the danger that his pioneer family, first introduced in Pioneer Summer and Cabin in the Snow, faces in the Kansas Territory, where abolitionists and proslavery factions are wrangling for control. Well paced, the story contains just enough factual information to establish the historical background without overwhelming the narrative.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein & Mordicai Gerstein. In Too Many, part of Fletcher's Elvis costume for an act in a pet talent show is missing, as is a fellow dog/contestant. Fletcher, the sleuthing basset hound, works to figure out who's behind the sabotage. In Ghoul, Fletcher, on a ski vacation with his owners, uncovers the truth behind mysterious messages appearing in the snow. The humorous, slight stories are fast paced, and the characters are likable. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery titles: The Cool Ghoul Mystery and The Mystery of Too Many Elvises.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When preparations for a masked ball to celebrate the opening of a new park are sabotaged (masks made by kids for their pets are chewed up, a fire is set, the electricity is shut off), it's up to sleuthing basset hound Fletcher to solve the mystery. Levy's simple story, though a bit thin, is fast paced and humorous with a distinct cast of likable characters and illustrated with black-and-white pictures.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein & Mordicai Gerstein. In Too Many, part of Fletcher's Elvis costume for an act in a pet talent show is missing, as is a fellow dog/contestant. Fletcher, the sleuthing basset hound, works to figure out who's behind the sabotage. In Ghoul, Fletcher, on a ski vacation with his owners, uncovers the truth behind mysterious messages appearing in the snow. The humorous, slight stories are fast paced, and the characters are likable. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: A Fletcher Mystery titles: The Cool Ghoul Mystery and The Mystery of Too Many Elvises.]

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(2) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Susan Keeter. This easy chapter book features three friends and a seemingly invulnerable villain: the eponymous Tippy Lemmey, new dog in town and terror of the neighborhood. The 1951 small-town-Tennessee setting is evoked naturally through the action, which is constant. This is a terrific read-aloud, but why bother? Get Tippy Lemmey into one kid's hands and it will be a pass-it-on hit.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2003

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Third-Grade Detectives series. Illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca. In these two installments, the members of Mr. Merlin's class use their logic skills, their ability to crack a code, and the help of a police lab to solve a pair of mysteries. One case involves food poisoning; the other a run-over bicycle. The characters are minimally developed and the mysteries themselves not especially interesting, but readers will enjoy trying to solve the mysteries and learning a new code. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: Third-Grade Detectives titles: The Case of the Dirty Clue and The Secret of the Green Skin.]

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Third-Grade Detectives series. Illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca. In these two installments, the members of Mr. Merlin's class use their logic skills, their ability to crack a code, and the help of a police lab to solve a pair of mysteries. One case involves food poisoning; the other a run-over bicycle. The characters are minimally developed and the mysteries themselves not especially interesting, but readers will enjoy trying to solve the mysteries and learning a new code. [Review covers these Ready-for-Chapters: Third-Grade Detectives titles: The Case of the Dirty Clue and The Secret of the Green Skin.]

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Brave Kids series. Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger. This story is based on an episode in the real Cora's memoirs about growing up on the Iowa prairie at the turn of the nineteenth century. While on their way to make a house call, Cora and her doctor father encounter a fast-spreading prairie fire and survive thanks to their courage and ingenuity. The accessible text is accompanied by soft black-and-white drawings. Bib.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Prairie Skies series. Illustrated by Patrick Faricy. When Charlie's family moves from Massachusetts to the territory of Kansas in 1855, not only does he have to adjust to the transition, but he also comes face to face with issues related to slavery. His family's abolitionist views are a primary reason for the move. This short chapter book explores intense topics in an accessible manner, and readers will empathize with the eight-year-old's reactions to the changes in his life.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters: Prairie Skies series. Illustrated by Patrick Faricy. When his father stays behind to help defend the town from pro-slavery rabble-rousers, nine-year-old Charlie gets the supplies home safely, fetches help when his mother goes into labor, and prepares the homestead for a coming blizzard. The easy-to-read chapter book contains likable characters and plenty of excitement, but the emphasis on the clashes between the free-soilers and their pro-slavery neighbors bogs the story down.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When the class rabbit disappears, Fletcher--a basset hound brought for show-and-tell--gets blamed. It's up to him and his flea sidekick, Jasper, to solve the mystery. Though the plot gets off to a slow start and the secondary characters are somewhat indistinct, this simple story succeeds when Fletcher shares his observations on human/animal relationships. Scratchy black-and-white drawings illustrate the text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(4) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein. When Principal Leonard reads Gwen's story "The Mystery on the Roof," about aliens who cause humans to sneeze, he starts to sneeze, and Gwen is suspected of foul play. It's up to an affable sleuthing hound named Fletcher to solve the case. Though a bit aimless, Levy's story is humorous and fast paced. Scratchy black-and-white drawings illustrate the text.

Reviewer: Mark Adam

(3) 1-3 Ready-for-Chapters series. Illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Boy inventor Archie Featherspoon is transported by twister to Trigger Toe--a town plagued by Buster and the Bully Boys. Deputized against his will, Archie is forced to deal with the gang and eventually scares them away using special rockets he invented for his ma's birthday. Ogren's story is fast paced, action packed, and full of snappy dialogue. Davis's comic illustrations add humor.

Reviewer: Mark Adam