(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. Lazy, wired-in Parker is less than thrilled to be spending summer vacation with Great-uncle Philbert and Great-aunt Mattie on their farm with no electronics in sight. But, predictably, he eventually finds himself warmed and refreshed by their down-home lifestyle, with its Scrabble-playing, wood-splitting, and fishing. Though the story's message is too apparent, readers, like Parker, may be won over.

Reviewer: Susan Halperin

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Giselle Potter. Nerdy Quentin the Third is all good manners, which pleases his family, his aunts, and his teacher. Not so Quentin Fenton Herter Three, who acts out all the time. The rollicking verses capture both boys' temperaments: the angelic boy and his devilish double. Potter's signature figures bring the doppelgänger duo to life. The story comes to rousing life when we learn that each boy longs for just a bit of the other's defining quality.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2002

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith. When Simon's despotic fifth-grade teacher quits midyear, her replacement is, to Simon's dismay, none other than his beloved but eccentric great-aunt. Aunt Mattie defies convention, but she knows what she's doing, and soon the "worst class in the school" is winning math bees and science fairs. MacDonald keeps the pace lively and her prose crisp. Good fun for elementary-school readers.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001