(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Lydia Corry. The framing structure for this collection of princess stories is elaborate. When an enchantress is invited to be the godmother to a princess, she realizes that she doesn't know what qualities a true princess should embody, so she sends her magic mirror on a quest, across the world and across centuries, to observe princesses and come up with a definition of princess-ly excellence. As the enchantress loses and finds the mirror, we move from one folktale-inflected setting to another--medieval Europe, North Africa, Scotland, the Amazon--all reminiscent of the old-fashioned tradition of "fairy tales from many lands," there as here unsourced. The eight stories feature heroic princesses who are physically brave, rebellious, cheeky, intellectually curious, empathetic, and attuned to the natural world. They save their communities from attack, they rescue those in peril, they stand up for themselves, they speak truth to power. They find satisfaction, acceptance, and love. The writing is jaunty, and the lushly illustrated and decorated pages are full of movement, detail, and character. The point here is obviously an antidote to the glitter-and-big-hair trope of the pop-culture princess, but the illustrator does throw a sop to princess enthusiasts with her generous use of pink.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(3) YA Farrant faithfully--but creatively--retells Austen's Pride & Prejudice from the youngest Bennet sister's point of view. This time, Lydia is wise to Wickham's faults, only marrying him after a failed affair with a count in Brighton. Her droll diary presents a relatable heroine obsessed with fashion, dancing, and enjoying life, yet who isn't as shallow or self-absorbed as Austen's character.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) YA Though the title and barbed-wire-wrapped rose on the cover suggest an emphasis on romance, the World War II setting of Arianne and Luc's love story informs most of the plot. The story feels slow at first but picks up quickly when the backlash against Luc's resistance activities leads to a village massacre. The final scenes are compelling but not for the fainthearted.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 British middle-schooler Blue Gadsby and her siblings live in a world of unrelenting domestic mishap. Behind the foreground rumpus is the shadow story, revealed through flashbacks, of the death three years earlier of Blue's twin sister, Iris. Two new arrivals, Zoran (their overwhelmed babysitter) and Joss (a new boy at school), become the catalysts for the Gadsbys to finally confront their sorrow.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013