(4) 4-6 Survivors: The Gathering Darkness series. This third book in the Survivors spinoff series finds Storm and her Wild Pack still navigating tensions and a possible traitor amongst them. As always, the many personalities and backstories can be convoluted, but Hunter devotees will lap up the drama as the popular canine adventure saga continues.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Survivors: The Gathering Darkness series. In this fourth book in the Survivors spinoff series, former Fierce Dog Storm has finally earned respect in the Wild Pack and the trust of her Packmates, but that grows tenuous as a traitor continues to threaten the canines' harmony. As always, the many personalities and backstories are convoluted, but Hunter devotees will lap up the drama as the popular canine adventure saga continues.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Suspenseful and fraught with danger, the third-person narration alternates between orphaned Maximo (circus elephant handler in training) and equilibrist Jodi. When their circus train wrecks in rural Kansas, both children face challenges: Jodi's fear of heights since her mother's crippling accident, and Max's inexperience with animals. Details of circus life are incorporated throughout; unfortunately, this formulaic historical-fiction series lacks contextual back matter.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Survivors: The Gathering Darkness series. The Wild Pack is in crisis: Storm, a former Fierce Dog, is sure that a traitor is responsible for Whisper's death, but beta leader Lucky is ready to launch a revenge attack on neighboring foxes for the deed. Newbies may have trouble tracking the many players and backstories, but Hunter devotees will appreciate how the dogs' saga deepens in this Survivors spinoff series.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. With their father injured, a broken wagon axle, and limited resources, Will and his sister must travel alone through perilous Death Valley to search for help to save their stranded family. Like other historical Survivors installments, the book is formulaic, but Duey and Bale provide a tense, gritty portrayal of the 1849 westward journeys on which small mistakes could be fatal.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Lucky is not the only dog having prophetic dreams in this sixth installment of the series: Blade, the leader of the Fierce Dogs, has also had dream warnings of an upcoming Big Growl more devastating than the last. The number of characters is overwhelming, but devoted fans will enjoy the dramatic and inviting story.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Survivors: The Gathering Darkness series. Storm and Arrow, former Fierce Dogs, are the newest members of the Wild Pack. Storm (who killed cruel Fierce Dog leader Blade) has been accepted by the others, but Arrow is being shut out, and prejudices and fears threaten to destabilize the pack. Though tracking the many personalities will challenge newbies, this is a winsome, adventurous installment of the popular series.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Cousins Maggie and Haydn become close while surviving extreme cold, snowslides, and starvation in an 1886 Colorado blizzard. The fast-moving (if formulaic) historical narrative alternates between hardworking country girl Maggie and spoiled, citified Haydn; practical Maggie is more endearing than whiny Haydn, but the survival story remains compelling. Many Rocky Mountain flora, fauna, and locations are mentioned, lending authenticity to the setting.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Bread delivery boy Brendan and an unhappily betrothed girl from Chinatown, Dai Yue, make for unlikely companions as their paths cross during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Duey and Bale's incorporation of interesting cultural and historical details work to offset the formulaic structure of this series in which strangers must work together to survive crisis.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Duey and Bale tackle the retelling of two historical tragedies--the sinking of the Titanic and the Great Chicago Fire--each through the alternating perspectives of a boy and a girl. Period references supplement formulaic plot lines, in which two strangers fight for survival together; each personal and immediate-feeling story handles death in a peripheral but meaningful way. Review cover these Survivors titles: Fire and Titanic.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Duey and Bale tackle the retelling of two historical tragedies--the sinking of the Titanic and the Great Chicago Fire--each through the alternating perspectives of a boy and a girl. Period references supplement formulaic plot lines, in which two strangers fight for survival together; each personal and immediate-feeling story handles death in a peripheral but meaningful way. Review cover these Survivors titles: Fire and Titanic.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Lucky questions Alpha's leadership as their Pack tries to stay safe from the Fierce Dogs, and he eventually leads a mission---against Alpha's wishes--to rescue Fiery from humans whose animal-testing practices shed new light on the condition of the devastated post–Big Growl city. Lucky's fascination with how dogs get their adult names brings focus to the (overabundant) Pack members' backstories.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Lucky--a former Lone Dog--suffers from visions of an upcoming battle known as the Storm of Dogs and worries about his new pack's health as winter approaches, food remains scarce, and the dogs finds themselves at the edge of the Endless Lake. Lucky is a sympathetic protagonist, but it's challenging to keep track of all the characters. Intense action moves the plot swiftly along.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. "No Pack will ever make the mistake of trusting you again." This third book in the canine series (The Empty City; A Hidden Enemy) continues the adventures of former Lone Dog, Lucky, who finds Pack rules confining, but the post–Big Growl (earthquake) world too dangerous to navigate alone. The character count is unwieldy, but a sympathetic protagonist and lots of action will please fans.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Leashed Dog Bella convinces Lucky to spy on the Wild Pack. Despite the Pack's brutal ways, Lucky forms attachments within it, and further questions his loyalty to the Leashed Dogs when he learns Bella has hidden motives. The large number of characters is hard to keep track of, but former Lone Dog Lucky is a sympathetic character and his dilemma adds suspense.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. After a Big Growl (likely an earthquake), Lucky, a Lone Dog, and a rag-tag pack of Leashed Dogs find themselves navigating the perils of a near-humanless world. As the formerly pampered survivors learn to become self-reliant in the wild, Lucky comes to see the value in companionship. Too many characters make things confusing, but action-packed suspense makes for a promising start to this new series.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(4) 4-6 Disaster Survivors series. Each volume relates the events of a specific natural disaster. Two-page sections describe what happened or what caused the event as well as the personal stories of those who lived through it; the journalistic style heightens tension, but the text is limited in details. Tips are provided on what to do during and after each type of disaster. Maps and photographs supplement the texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Disaster Survivors titles: Mangled by a Hurricane!, Slammed by a Tsunami!, Hammered by a Heat Wave!, Blitzed by a Blizzard!, Devastated by a Volcano!, Struck by Lightning!, Leveled by an Earthquake!, and Erased by a Tornado!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Disaster Survivors series. Each volume relates the events of a specific natural disaster. Two-page sections describe what happened or what caused the event as well as the personal stories of those who lived through it; the journalistic style heightens tension, but the text is limited in details. Tips are provided on what to do during and after each type of disaster. Maps and photographs supplement the texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Disaster Survivors titles: Mangled by a Hurricane!, Slammed by a Tsunami!, Hammered by a Heat Wave!, Blitzed by a Blizzard!, Devastated by a Volcano!, Struck by Lightning!, Leveled by an Earthquake!, and Erased by a Tornado!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Disaster Survivors series. Each volume relates the events of a specific natural disaster. Two-page sections describe what happened or what caused the event as well as the personal stories of those who lived through it; the journalistic style heightens tension, but the text is limited in details. Tips are provided on what to do during and after each type of disaster. Maps and photographs supplement the texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Disaster Survivors titles: Mangled by a Hurricane!, Slammed by a Tsunami!, Hammered by a Heat Wave!, Blitzed by a Blizzard!, Devastated by a Volcano!, Struck by Lightning!, Leveled by an Earthquake!, and Erased by a Tornado!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Disaster Survivors series. Each volume relates the events of a specific natural disaster. Two-page sections describe what happened or what caused the event as well as the personal stories of those who lived through it; the journalistic style heightens tension, but the text is limited in details. Tips are provided on what to do during and after each type of disaster. Maps and photographs supplement the texts. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Disaster Survivors titles: Mangled by a Hurricane!, Slammed by a Tsunami!, Hammered by a Heat Wave!, Blitzed by a Blizzard!, Devastated by a Volcano!, Struck by Lightning!, Leveled by an Earthquake!, and Erased by a Tornado!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo