(4) 4-6 Ryan's brother, Tanner, convinces him to go on a kayaking and camping trip. After Tanner is injured, Ryan gets caught in a fight for survival that will take every ounce of resourcefulness he can muster--not easy for a boy who spends most of his time playing video games. Once this slow-to-begin novel gets going, readers will keep turning pages.

Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear

(4) YA After meeting online through a poetry board, Rob and Sara exchange e-mail, fall in love, and reveal many personal details about their lives. The story isn't always believable, but both main characters are appealing, and readers will likely stick around to the end.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lynne Cravath. In a weekend full of trauma and misunderstanding, Dan meets his new stepfamily when his father gets remarried. Petersen's breezy, exaggerated style brings out the humor and absurdity in even the most difficult moments of blending a family.This is a short, cheery novel for readers just graduating from Suzy Kline's classroom dramas. The first-person narrative is illustrated with black-and-white drawings.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Meredith Johnson. When Jennifer learns that classmate Sara has a brain tumor, she vows to be nicer to her "worst friend," only to discover that the acerbic Sara needs her taunts and teasing far more than her sympathy. Realistically humorous illustrations accompany a story notable both for its dead-on middle-grade dialogue as well as for its unsentimental look at a serious subject.

Reviewer: Jackie C. Horne