(2) K-3 The diminutive hero from Denise's Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl returns in this sequel, which introduces a new character, wannabe knight Early Bird. The tiny, big-eyed creature keeps Knight Owl, now captain of the castle's night watch, awake with her incessant chatter. After several days of interrupted sleep, he finally snaps: "PLEASE GO AWAY!" But when she doesn't return by nightfall, worried Owl heads out into the cold, dark forest to look for her. Peril ensues in the form of a pack of menacing wolves, and who should arrive (accompanied by many knights) to rescue him but Early Bird -- wearing a metal cup as a helmet and brandishing a wooden spoon. All ends happily with the two friends sharing pancakes: breakfast for Knight Owl, dinner for Early Bird. As in the first book, the art varies from personality-rich vignettes to dramatic, atmospheric double-page spreads, with a palette of warm golds for the cozy indoor scenes and smoky grays and blues at night. The text uses repetition effectively ("Early Bird kept herself busy in one way...or another"); a veritable barrage of different font sizes and styles conveys Early Bird's overly enthusiastic prattle; and frequent use of onomatopoeia (particularly the "awoooooooooo" of the wolves) encourages listener participation. An appealing picture book, tailor-made for storyhour.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(1) YA This spirited, intelligent mashup of Arthuriana puts Morgan Le Fay -- now Ancient Crone, cheerfully saggy-bosomed and thin-haired -- and her granddaughter, Young Hag, at the center of a fresh new story. At her ceremonial naming with her mother and grandmother, Young Hag learns from Ancient Crone that the ways between Faerie and the human world have been severed and that it is their task to return the broken sword Excalibur to Avalon to mend that rupture. As they traverse the wild countryside, Young Hag learns through Taliesin the bard and Ancient Crone just how King Arthur, Merlin, magic, and the land ended up in this predicament. When Ancient Crone disappears and Young Hag's recently met traveling companion, Tom, is magically ensnared, Young Hag is on her own, piecing together stories, "fragments, questions, faces, threads all gathering, and me at the heart" -- to bring all to a new beginning. Greenberg's drawing style is comic but has a skillfully naive, seemingly unpracticed quality that enhances the protagonist's poignant, youthful courage. Epic tragedy and grave betrayals are conveyed with a light touch, while Young Hag's arduous personal growth and development have a heartwarming gravitas. "It takes a whole life to come of age," says Ancient Crone -- robust words of wisdom for any reader. Greenberg's play with her sources -- medieval Arthuriana, Edmund Spenser's Britomart (here wonderfully queer and pink-haired), Christina Rosetti's "Goblin Market" -- has satisfying imaginative and critical depth.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2024

(2) 4-6 Princess Ash, feeling alone at court and conspicuous with her cane and braces, makes the daring move of taking Splinter as her squire -- Splinter, who isn't a boy, but "not a girl, either" (referred to with she/her pronouns in the story), and who feels most like herself wearing her brother's armor. The course of study required of squires isn't easy, particularly because Ash's older brother Lucen, the crown prince, makes it his mission to drive Splinter away. Meanwhile, Ash is asked by her mother, the queen, to spy on one of the noble families to try to discover who among them is working against the crown. Due to Lucen's interference, Splinter is absent when Ash is abducted by the conspirators, and Splinter and a guilt-stricken Lucen set out together to rescue her. The action takes many breathtaking turns, from Ash's attempts to escape from her captors to Splinter and Lucen facing peril while working out their fraught relationship, culminating in a gratifying reveal at the climax. Greater geopolitical forces swirling around the characters raise the stakes, and the close relationship between Ash and Splinter, Lucen's efforts to remake himself into a person worthy of knighthood, and Splinter's determination to never be anyone but herself make this homage to Tamora Pierce's Tortall series fully worthy of readers' admiration and delight.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) YA Illustrated by Chris Riddell. Crossley-Holland (the Arthur Trilogy, including The Seeing Stone, rev. 11/01) presents a retelling of several Arthurian stories and parts of Thomas Malory's sweeping Morte d'Arthur. He has shaped his work "to tell one story illustrating each stage of Arthur's dream and the idea behind it... Each tale springs from a strong moral sense of what's right, what's wrong, and how we're all part of it." Readers will find the arc of Arthur's childhood, his dream of the Round Table and its shattered fallout, and his death at his son's hand. Crossley-Holland doesn't shy away from tales that are difficult, perhaps even off-putting to our current sensibilities (the story of Erec and Enide springs to mind) or from the strange, stark Christian images--such as the Holy Grail and the Fisher King--of the knights' quests. The volume is all the more challenging and thought-provoking for it. His attentiveness to the natural world and his clear, jewel-like language are counterpointed by Riddell's abundant illustrations, which rather than idealizing scenes offer vague, untidy landscapes and dwell on the blood, horror, and grotesquerie of men wounding one another. While Riddell's depicted women tend toward the willowy, his knights, with their stubble, unkempt hair, and mobile facial features, have a spotty, irregular realism that brings them into our world of imperfections.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(3) K-3 Young Owl has what seems like an impossible dream for a wee bird: to be a real knight. But when knights start mysteriously disappearing, Owl is accepted into knight school and graduates with honors. Assigned to patrol the castle walls at night (“Night Knight Watch”), he meets a dragon, who threatens to eat him. But Owl outsmarts the dragon (by offering him pizza to eat instead of his own scrawny self, “all feathers and fluff”); and, bonding over everything they have in common (e.g., they both hatched from eggs), the two become friends. The heartwarming story is accompanied by art that varies from intimate and humorous to sweeping and atmospheric. One double-page spread, in a palette of dark blues and grays, depicts a nervous Owl peeping over a parapet as a huge shadow is projected onto the castle wall; another, all golds and bronzes, shows Owl in a crowd scene, dwarfed by a host of (human) knights. Entertaining, kid-pleasing wordplay (involving the homonyms who and whooo) adds to the book’s charm.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(2) 4-6 In this fantasy novel set "years after the regretful demise of Camelot," twelve-year-old Ellie is a witch but dreams of becoming a fairy godmother. All her plans go out the window, however, when she is enlisted to become one of the Knights of the Round Table. At the Montagne des ­Chévaliers she undergoes a series of dangerous tests that will, perhaps, lead her to a noble destiny protecting the Twenty-Five and a Half Realms. Caedmon has also been drafted, though he is far more surprised than Ellie because, until recently, he had no idea magic even existed. Caedmon is from the only nonmagical realm (from Wisconsin, to be exact). Depressed and reeling from his best friend's death, Caedmon learns that unless he becomes a knight and re-forges the broken pieces of ­Excalibur, his family will be in grave peril. Ellie, Caedmon, and their friends must overcome their fears and doubts as they proceed through knighthood trials and battle unforetold dangers, learning to trust one another along the way. Debut author Rogers combines elements from beloved fairy tales and legends, blending recognizable patterns with humor and excitement to produce something charming and new. Ellie's burgeoning witchcraft, which weighs heavily on her mind, lends the story some philosophical depth, and Caedmon's depression is portrayed with skill and sympathy. Readers will hope for a sequel, and there seem to be plenty more adventures awaiting our intrepid protagonists.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 1-3 A gentle but fiercely loyal ladybug knight is joined by his faithful herald (a roly-poly bug who gets a little nervous sometimes but loves to loudly tell anyone who'll listen how great his friends are) and his steed/squire (a snail with a surprisingly spacious shell and a love of adventure) in Geisel Award–winning (for Fox at Night) and Caldecott honoree (for Mel Fell, rev. 3/21) Tabor's first two installments of a graphic-novel series for the early-reader set. These small-scale quests are packed with referential jokes and friendly banter as the trio heeds the call of creatures facing trouble, including themselves. It takes teamwork and problem-solving, for example, to stop a hungry chickadee from eating them for dinner. Sometimes it's good deeds that save the day, but sometimes the only solution to a big problem is an exceptionally delicious lemon cake. And you never know when the tale might be briefly interrupted (chapters titled "Interlude") by, for example, a poem celebrating Sir Ladybug in the style of William Carlos Williams. The neat and precise illustrations reflect the warm, understatedly funny tone of the stories, with soft colors and simply but expressively drawn creatures. Tabor's celebration of friendship will have readers joining Pell the Roly-Poly Herald in loudly singing Sir Ladybug's praises. Review covers these titles: Sir Ladybug and Sir Ladybug and the Queen Bee.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 1-3 A gentle but fiercely loyal ladybug knight is joined by his faithful herald (a roly-poly bug who gets a little nervous sometimes but loves to loudly tell anyone who'll listen how great his friends are) and his steed/squire (a snail with a surprisingly spacious shell and a love of adventure) in Geisel Award–winning (for Fox at Night) and Caldecott honoree (for Mel Fell, rev. 3/21) Tabor's first two installments of a graphic-novel series for the early-reader set. These small-scale quests are packed with referential jokes and friendly banter as the trio heeds the call of creatures facing trouble, including themselves. It takes teamwork and problem-solving, for example, to stop a hungry chickadee from eating them for dinner. Sometimes it's good deeds that save the day, but sometimes the only solution to a big problem is an exceptionally delicious lemon cake. And you never know when the tale might be briefly interrupted (chapters titled "Interlude") by, for example, a poem celebrating Sir Ladybug in the style of William Carlos Williams. The neat and precise illustrations reflect the warm, understatedly funny tone of the stories, with soft colors and simply but expressively drawn creatures. Tabor's celebration of friendship will have readers joining Pell the Roly-Poly Herald in loudly singing Sir Ladybug's praises. Review covers these titles: Sir Ladybug and Sir Ladybug and the Queen Bee.

Reviewer: Laura Koenig | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(3) K-3 Kasha tells an encouraging story about being brave and conquering anxiety in service of being true to oneself. "The king and queen hoped their child would be a proper princess," but princessing isn't for Small Knight ("...not that being a princess is bad..."). Taking "Proper Princess Lessons" distresses the young adventurer, though, and their parents are cluelessly dismissive: "One day a brave knight will save you!" Use of nonbinary they/them pronouns for Small Knight adds another layer of meaning to the narrative. The emotionally charged illustrations effectively depict Small Knight's worries about parental disappointment as a creature-shaped mass of angry sharp lines. In the end, a wise dragon provides the key: "What you should do is look inside yourself."

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(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

(2) 4-6 This Max & the Midknights (rev. 1/19) sequel finds Max enrolled at KSB (Knight School of Byjovia), Millie learning magic from wizard Mumblin, Simon apprenticed at Kevyn's dad's stable, and Kevyn writing books. His debut, "The Tale of Max & the Midknights" (sound familiar?), leads the friends to their next mission: after Millie casts a spell to produce duplicates of the book, they discover that one of the copies is actually a bodkin, a.k.a. an almost identical evil copy/twin of the original. Bodkins can be people, too, and those living in the shadow world of Knot are planning an invasion of Byjovia. It's up to the ­Midknights--including new character Sedgewick (one of Max's classmates)--to save the kingdom, again. In Peirce's latest comics-novel hybrid, humor abounds throughout the interplay of text, speech-bubble dialogue, and black-and-white illustrations (e.g., upon seeing an ominous-looking face form from the book bodkin's pages, Uncle Budrick quips, "And people wonder why I'm a reluctant reader"). But Peirce also adds emotional depth to Max's struggle with a very relatable anxiety: she wrestles with doubts about her skills ("What if I'm a lousy knight?"). An intriguing final twist for Max promises that fans of this mock-chivalric series will again be "seeing double" in a future installment.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

(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