(3) 4-6 Wolfe & Lamb Mystery series. Animal-loving Kat moves with her veterinarian mum to England's Jurassic Coast and starts a pet-sitting business. When a parrot owner (and her first paying client) vanishes, Kat teams up with Harper, a new American friend with two broken legs, to solve the case. The Jurassic Coast setting provides an interesting backdrop to this colorful mystery, and Kat and Harper make a humorous (and capable) detective duo.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(4) 4-6 The future of Sawubona Game Reserve is at stake in Martine's fourth and final story. This time her adventure includes saving wild elephants while fighting people trying to take over Namibia's water supply. Though Martine continues to be a compelling protagonist, the final explanation of her gift, hinted at throughout the series, is something of a letdown.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Martine (The White Giraffe, Dolphin Song) travels to Zimbabwe, where she becomes involved in fighting both treasure hunters and a shady safari organizer in order to help save a mysterious leopard. Magic, healers, animal telepathy, and more make for exciting adventures, albeit with rather predictable and convenient resolutions.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Marooned with some classmates during an oceanographic trip off Mozambique, Martine (The White Giraffe) practices survival skills and uses her magical gifts to communicate with and heal a pod of dolphins. She and laconic friend Ben also stop unscrupulous men who are harming the dolphins with sonar. Though overwritten, the story still delivers moments of genuine tension.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by David Dean. After her parents' deaths in a fire, Martine leaves England for her grandmother's South African game reserve, where she befriends a near-mythical white giraffe and discovers her own powers as a healer. Martine's courage is then tested when poachers capture the giraffe. Despite a naive and facile plot, the author's love of the African landscape comes through in glowing descriptions.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam