(1) 4-6 Oppressed orphans, a boarding school, a 1920s setting, a determined heroine, and an exuberant mystery plot -- we think we've seen it all before, but this entertaining romp has some surprises in store. The orphan school, far from being grim, is a utopian institution specializing in delicious food and a jolly and useful curriculum including safe-cracking, knot-tying, automotive repair, and the use of explosives. The whole enterprise is a secret front for training junior crime-fighters and spies, and the plot involves such disparate exploits as solving a mystery of stolen jewels, rescuing a kidnapped librarian, and capturing a monster. The text is jokey, dotted with inventive names and German translation exercises worthy of Edward Gorey ("there is a small fire inside your accordion"). The stunning realistic pencil illustrations play it mostly straight, though with the addition of steampunk-esque airships. Beautifully composed and precise, they celebrate light, shadow, and texture and provide a scaffolding of gravitas to the whole enterprise, while encouraging the reader to slow down and savor a vignette of a friendly pet rat or a double-page spread of a grand cityscape shining with rain. This Australian import is a pleasure on many fronts.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2025

(3) 4-6 After eleven-year-old Stella proved herself an intractable child in Withering-by-Sea, her three ghastly aunts send her to Wormwood Mire, the moldering family estate. There, Stella, who has the power of invisibility, makes friends with her eccentric cousins Strideforth and Hortense, and uncovers the tragic story of her past. Full of foreboding and mystery, this is a satisfying sequel, complete with atmospheric green-hued mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Stella and her three ghastly aunts reside in a hotel in Withering-by-Sea. Stella witnesses a murder, makes friends, and confronts questions about her identity as she tries to elude a malevolent magician and his bumbling henchmen. Atmospheric, suspenseful, and jammed with colorful characters, this gothic novel will leave readers impatient for a sequel. Half-tone illustrations enhance the story.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(4) K-3 "How does the fridge work?" "What lives down the drain?" Oliver's curiosity wearies his mother, and his sulky hurt ("Do you hear me, Mom? I'm going down the drain...and I might not come back") rings true. His ensuing fantasy trip down the bathtub drain, inventively documented with mixed-media art, channels his imagination nicely, but overall it's a fairly tame diversion.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Jack Jones discovers he's the heir to a pirate curse when pirates take over the bodies of his neighbors and family. It's up to Jack, Jack's friend Rachel, and a talking parrot to defeat the pirates. The story itself drags, but readers will be entertained by Jack's logical approach to his often-humorous problems.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister