(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. The Mona Lisa wasn't the world's most famous painting when it disappeared from the Louvre in 1911. Day starts his narrative at the point of the theft, then jumps forward and backward, tracing Leonardo da Vinci's career, what (little) is known about the painting's subject, how the Mona Lisa became a pop culture icon, and its whereabouts today. In between the story's many diversions (e.g., early forensic science, the media's role in hyping the theft), readers also follow the path of the painting away from the museum and into the pages of history, which Day delivers with a dose of whimsy as he describes a case that had more than its share of ridiculous moments. The book combines age-appropriate true crime with art history and historiography. The nonlinear structure may take some getting used to, but it serves the book's goal of drawing parallels between elements of the theft and the Mona Lisa's current place in our culture. Helquist's cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations do an excellent job of matching the narrative voice and bringing the book's dramatic moments to life. A lengthy source list is appended.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This picture-book biography paints the Spanish surrealist artist as an imaginative, quirky person right from the start. As a child, he dreams of being a king and wears his king costume to school, puzzling others, but "Salvador was just being himself." This refrain repeats throughout the book with slight variations, each time with the words displayed on an appropriately flamboyant banner. His complicated personality and role in the adult art world are challenging to convey to children, but Guglielmo makes a good attempt at highlighting some of Dalí's odder moments ("He gave a speech inside a deep-sea diving suit") in an objective way. Helquist's oil paintings incorporate reproductions of famous pieces of art, which are all named at the back, and he includes a variety of skin tones in the other adults depicted (usually with disapproving expressions on their faces). He also shows many of Dalí's more amusing-to-children inventions, such as a lobster phone or a hat in the shape of a shoe. An author's note gives more information on Dalí's life, and the selected bibliography includes other children's books about the artist for readers whose interest has been piqued.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Nadya (Nadya Skylung and the Cloudship Rescue) is back, along with her diverse crewmates on the cloudship Orion. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this sequel, in which Nadya navigates life as a new amputee and takes on a gang of kidnappers led by the mysterious Silvermask. However, an overabundance of secondary characters makes for an occasionally confusing read.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This look at young Les Paul, the father of the solid-body electric guitar, capably explains the mechanics behind the boy's inventions--arguably a little too capably, as short shrift is given to interiority, although the retro-flavored oil paintings tease out the human element. This book is best suited for readers (including adults) who are already besotted with the rock guitar sound. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. When pirates capture the adults of the cloudship Orion, it's up to plucky Nadya (who tends to the cloud garden that powers the ship) and her fellow orphan crew-members to rescue them. Helquist's dreamy black-and-white illustrations further bring Seymour's well-built world-in-the-clouds to life. The airy fantasy leaves some plot threads dangling--including one involving a civilization-destroying shadow--suggesting a sequel will follow.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Theirs certainly was a great rivalry, and Bildner does a credible job of defining its arc and the two competitors' respective strengths. The book assumes a basic knowledge of tennis and its terms, and it indulges a narrative voice that can be distracting ("Martina had this lefty serve that was wicked, wicked"). Acrylic and oil illustrations are both characterful and energetic. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In 1892 Saint Petersburg, Irina's father is chief custodian for the Mariinsky Theatre, tasked with solving the theater's mouse problem before the Nutcracker's Christmastime debut. Meanwhile, under the stage, the Mariinsky mouse corps de ballet members, including plucky Esmeralda, are rehearsing their own Nutcracker. Irina's and Esmeralda's story lines are individually engaging, and their overlapping moments are warmhearted. Copious illustrations enhance both worlds.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In this conclusion to a steampunk trilogy set in alternate–1870s America, Archie wrestles with his past as the diverse League of Seven finds its two remaining members to fight the monstrous Mangleborn. Fans will find the same high-octane action as in the previous installments, along with the same humor, much of it courtesy of talking raygun Señor X. Pencil drawings open each chapter.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In this heartwarming standalone story featuring characters from the Doll People novels, antique Victorian doll Annabelle is upset when the humans make changes to Christmas traditions she's cherished. However, after an exciting (and dangerous) Christmas Eve adventure with her modern doll friend, Tiffany--portrayed dramatically in the detailed illustrations--Annabelle concedes, "I had the perfect Christmas after all."

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(3) PS Illustrated by Brett Helquist. A bear is hungry for something--"I know it starts with the letter B..."--and searches the woods. When it spots a boy, readers will fear the worst. The book's gotcha moment (it's the boy's berries that the bear wants) is expertly played in both Reed's alliterative text and in Helquist's paintings, which contain just the right blend of humor and menace.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This second installment in the intricately plotted steampunk series set in an alternate–1870s America opens with Archie dangling twenty-thousand feet in the air on a search for a mysterious lantern, and the action only rises from there. Fans of The League of Seven should be interested in the dark new revelations about Archie's and Hachi's pasts. Helquist's pencil drawings open each chapter.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Only ever asked about the seasons, an irritated groundhog leaves for vacation in a huff. Finding that no one else can do Groundhog's job, the mayor delivers a passionate plea on network TV. Convinced to return home, Groundhog is gratified by all the non-weather-related appreciation he's shown. Expressive, humorous illustrations help fill out the one-note joke.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) 4-6 Vengekeep Prophecies series. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. When mage sentinels carry off Jaxter Grimjinx's little sister Aubrin to be their new augur, the family's quest to get her back leads to the opening elements of a prophecy in which Jaxter will save the Five Provinces from a deadly scourge but die doing so. The twisted but coherent puzzle plot unfolds swiftly, speeded along by irreverent Grimjinx humor.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. After Manglespawn (monsters that were imprisoned underground) infiltrate the Septemberist Society's headquarters and brainwash Archie's parents, Archie attempts to save them and learns secrets about his origins in the process. Set in an alternate-1875 America where Native Americans and "Yankees" live in peace and harmony but Thomas Edison and "lectricity" are frightening entities, this steampunk trilogy-opener promises action while it challenges readers to rethink history.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. In their fourth book, the doll families are packed in a box and mistakenly put on a boat to England. Fans will be intrigued by a personality switcheroo: adventure-loving Tiffany Funcraft becomes terrified when three dolls fall out of a hole in the box and disappear; cautious Annabelle Doll leads the search. Black-and-white illustrations by new series illustrator Helquist are amusing and abundant.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Jack assembles a fort out of household items without asking permission. One by one, his family members reclaim their possessions, taking down the fort. Luckily Grandma is willing to share, helping Jack see a more effective approach to building. The cumulative "House That Jack Built" rhymes are peppy, and Helquist's homey oil paintings in muted tones capture the action of imaginative play.

Reviewer: Shara Hardeson

(3) 4-6 Vengekeep Prophecies series. Illustrated by Brett Helquist. When the Shadowhands--elite thieves--go missing, failed thief but not-bad plant-specialist Jaxter (The Vengekeep Prophecies) and his childhood rival Maloch set out to uncover the thieves' target (magic relics from the royal vaults) and run up against the anti-magic tribe, the Sarosans. A wryly humorous voice and some gratifyingly unexpected plot reversals mark this worthy sequel.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Twins Ruby and Simon, twelve, were inseparable, but recently Simon has become withdrawn and moody. A mysterious stranger informs Ruby that Simon is a Storm Maker, part of a very small group that has "the ability to influence the weather," and the siblings must cope with Simon's nascent power. Global warming references add a topical element; Helquist's occasional black-and-white drawings convey the story's magic.

Reviewer: Ariel D. Rosen

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This volume, with text abridged and adapted (though not dumbed down) for middle-grade readers, benefits from its inclusion of Helquist's black-and-white illustrations showing the French swashbucklers in action.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. Helquist's new illustrations for Schwartz's classic collections of ghost stories inhabit an altogether more benign universe than the nightmarish Stephen Gammell originals. These editions are handsome and accessible, ceding the stories themselves pride of place; now young readers have a choice of how scared they want to be--just a little, or a whole lot. Review covers these titles: More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 1985