(2) K-3 Illustrated by Galia Bernstein. "A dastardly dragon named Dreadful" threatens Hanukkah, but never fear: eight knights (a casually diverse company) are ready to "fix things with some deeds of awesome kindness and stupendous bravery." And so they do: Sir Alex carves a dreidel to replace a scorched one, Sir Margaret picks apples for applesauce with her presumably fireproof lance, and Sir Rugelach and Sir Isabella roam the countryside in search of...what turns out to be a not-so-dreadful dragon. (Fire-breathing, after all, can be a useful skill around a menorah.) The faux-medieval silliness is complemented with old-timey illustrations and heavily adorned initial caps on a parchment-white background. Back matter briefly explains the traditions of Hanukkah.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) 4-6 In this sequel to The Mad Wolf's Daughter, girl warrior Drest tries to help her new friend Emerick regain the castle stolen from him. She embarks on a quest for allies but finds she's been named a "wolf's head" with a bounty on her life. The medieval-Scottish setting is well drawn, and Drest's efforts to be true to herself are convincing.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(2) 4-6 In this humorous, action-packed, comics/novel hybrid set in the Middle Ages, troubadour's apprentice Max longs to become a knight--but girls aren't allowed to. Then Max discovers she's prophesied to save the kingdom. With help from new friends (who dub themselves "the Midknights"), she sets off on a hero's journey. Peirce's accessible, enlightening narrative flows seamlessly between regular text and speech bubbles in the black-and-white comic panels.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) PS A wall (i.e., the book's gutter) separates a knight from an ogre and his jungle-animal companions. Readers' ability to see both sides of the wall simultaneously provides the humor as floodwaters (filled with voracious sea creatures) rise on the oblivious hero, who's eventually rescued by the ogre. Lightly toned watercolor illustrations with plenty of white space keep things upbeat, emphasizing the dramatic and comic possibilities of a pair of eyes.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Liana Hee. Princess Brianna Bright loves ballet and fencing, but she isn't very good at either--until thieves steal jewels from the castle, and Brianna combines ballet moves with fencing to save the day. Calvert cleverly points out similarities between ballet and fencing in this tale of girl power. Hee's digital illustrations are slick and twee but capture the strength and grace of Brianna's movements. Glos.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) K-3 Dad's amusing thought bubbles reveal his dread of daughter Alice's abundant ideas for their snowbound day ahead. Once Alice decides they'll make a book, the engaging story-within-a-story features King Alice and her "royal brave knights" on adventures that resemble the biracial family's activities: mealtimes, princess tea, unicorn party, and more. Cordell's loose-lined mixed-media illustrations capture the imagination, mayhem, and love in this family.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Stevie Lewis. A prince must choose a bride, but all the women he meets lack...something. He realizes what's missing when a knight in shining armor saves him from a dragon. The simplistic story works as a valentine to same-sex love, but several verses stumble over themselves to complete a rhyme; the glossy illustrations conjure classic Disney movie stills.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) 1-3 Princess Pulverizer series. Illustrated by Ben Balistreri. Princess Serena (a.k.a. "Princess Pulverizer") wants to be a knight, but her father says she first must complete a Quest of Kindness and perform eight good deeds to prove she's worthy of Knight School. Accompanied by a "lily-livered knight-in-training" and a "gassy, not-at-all-scary dragon," the princess embarks on punny adventures that turn the typical damsel-in-distress story on its head. Includes expressive, animated black-and-white art. Review covers these Princess Pulverizer titles: Bad Moooove!, Grilled Cheese and Dragons and Worse, Worser, Wurst.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 1-3 Princess Pulverizer series. Illustrated by Ben Balistreri. Princess Serena (a.k.a. "Princess Pulverizer") wants to be a knight, but her father says she first must complete a Quest of Kindness and perform eight good deeds to prove she's worthy of Knight School. Accompanied by a "lily-livered knight-in-training" and a "gassy, not-at-all-scary dragon," the princess embarks on punny adventures that turn the typical damsel-in-distress story on its head. Includes expressive, animated black-and-white art. Review covers these Princess Pulverizer titles: Bad Moooove!, Grilled Cheese and Dragons and Worse, Worser, Wurst.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 1-3 Princess Pulverizer series. Illustrated by Ben Balistreri. Princess Serena (a.k.a. "Princess Pulverizer") wants to be a knight, but her father says she first must complete a Quest of Kindness and perform eight good deeds to prove she's worthy of Knight School. Accompanied by a "lily-livered knight-in-training" and a "gassy, not-at-all-scary dragon," the princess embarks on punny adventures that turn the typical damsel-in-distress story on its head. Includes expressive, animated black-and-white art. Review covers these Princess Pulverizer titles: Bad Moooove!, Grilled Cheese and Dragons and Worse, Worser, Wurst.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 Mice of the Round Table series. In this third entry, Calib, a mouse of Camelot aspiring toward knighthood, and his human friend, Galahad, are lured into Morgan's underwater lair. There they build allies and discover magical secrets. In a bittersweet ending, the magic of the famous sword, grail, and mirror all come together--but Camelot falls; Arthur and Galahad depart for Avalon; and Calib, rewardingly, is left to help lead the new era.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(2) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Drest sees her father and brothers captured from their camp on a Scottish headland in the feudal thirteenth century and travels with wounded knight Emerick to exchange him for one of her brothers, secretly planning to rescue her whole family. Magras emphasizes action sequences and emotional conflicts. She dodges a predictable outcome and lands on a satisfying conclusion that will gratify those rooting for idealism.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(3) 4-6 New knights Eleanor and Odo (Have Sword, Will Travel) and their sassy talking-sword sidekicks join forces with a blind former king and his bodyguard to save the heir to the crown, whose grandmother is trying to usurp the throne. This second adventure's plot--wolves are fought, new lands visited, and a dragon awakened--is simple yet still diverting and should appeal to fantasy fans.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Boya Sun. This graphic novel promotes STEAM and tinkering while gently criticizing disposable culture. The candy-colored, anime-inspired land of Chasma revolves around toys, and all but neon knights gain power when they "catalyze" or merge with playthings. Bullied neon knight Beryl overcomes her shortcomings through her inventive abilities, which the powerful oxygen knight Coro soon discovers. The story compellingly explores friendship and jealousy amid appealing world-building.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin

(2) 1-3 After Sir Erec lies about slaying forty dragons to King Arthur, Merlin, and fellow Knights of the Round Table, he's sent into the past to face off against angry dinosaurs. Playing fast and loose with anachronisms, Phelan crafts a lighthearted romp with an engaging cast of characters. Pen-and-ink illustrations and intermittent comic-style sequential art bring swordplay to the forefront and keep the tone light enough for the book's young audience.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jenn Harney. With only one week before the king names a new knight, Sir Simpleton graciously agrees to teach young hopeful Sam everything he knows. But his words don't always match his actions--when Sir Simpleton advises Sam to defeat a dragon to prove his bravery, for example, Sir Simpleton's shown fighting a cow. This comedic interplay between the digital pictures and text bolsters an otherwise uneventful plot.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Benji Davies. Baby dragon Dram crash-lands while trying to find his first "nibblesome knight." Young "lad" James (disrobed of armor) thinks he's rescuing an injured duck. "'Oh duckie!' cried James as Dram struggled to roar. / 'What a strange sort of quack. Why, your throat must be sore!'" In this tale of mistaken identity leading to friendship, Davies's charmingly detailed pictures let readers in on the truth before the bouncy rhymes do.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) YA Illustrated by Andrea Offermann. This graphic-novel retelling of a twelfth-century epic poem about young knight-errant Sir Yvain's marriage to widow Lady Laudine puts as much emphasis on Laudine's sorrow as on Yvain's adventures. It's a tempestuous counter-story that challenges perceived notions of love by examining women's roles in relationships and society. Anderson's spare narration is set against Offermann's muted tones, detailed panels, sweeping spreads, and turbulent motifs.

Reviewer: Roxanne Hsu Feldman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(4) 4-6 LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS: Knights Academy series. Illustrated by Alessandro Valdrighi. When shy orphan Fletcher arrives at the Knights' Academy, he accidentally unleashes a dormant "Forbidden Power." Fletcher and his enthusiastic friend Izzy must reclaim the Forbidden Power to defeat the undead Baron von Bludgeonous. With black-and-white illustrations, this standard-issue school story is ideal for fans of LEGO toys, though it contains an incongruous mix of medieval trappings, magic, and sci-fi gadgetry.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) YA While visiting Nottingham for an archery competition, contemporary teen Ellie mysteriously stumbles into medieval England. Misunderstood and pursued by the sheriff's men, Ellie disguises herself as a boy and inadvertently initiates the legend of Robin Hood. Connolly's female-centered reimagining is entertaining; a clever concluding twist also enables a satisfying resolution to Ellie's familial and romantic troubles.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac