(4) 4-6 When the Tinker family travels to Blackford House to fix its elaborate clock, they discover a mystery involving alchemy, animal statues that come to life, and the fast-encroaching Shadow Woods. Delightfully creepy at first, the story is weighed down as its theme of love overcoming fear grows heavy-handed, and the arrival of a handsome stranger at the conclusion feels tacked on for the sole purpose of setting up a sequel.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(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

(3) YA After seventeen-year-old alchemist Mirabelle unintentionally helps assassinate King Louis XIV, she renounces the uprising led by her mother's Shadow Society to brew curatives for the impoverished masses in secret. Meanwhile, Josse, the king's bastard son, must flee to the sewers of Paris to protect his beloved younger sisters and decidedly not-beloved half-brother, the crown prince. An exciting debut novel packed with poison, rebellion, action, and romance.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) PS In this companion to Hug, Tall, and others, young chimpanzee Bobo would rather play in the jungle than go to bed--at least until "Dark" turns out to be scary. Like the previous books, Play features comics-style panels with limited speech-bubble text and expressive pen-and-ink illustrations. Bobo has pleasantly grown as a character, with an expanding vocabulary and a desire for independent exploration before snuggling up with Mommy: "Bedtime."

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 When Plum's dad won't let her have a pet, she pretends he's her pet, despite his continual protests. Many of Plum's antics (e.g., trying to paper-train Schnitzel, a.k.a. Dad) are LOL-humorous, and the pencil and ink illustrations feature eye-catching color accents and entertaining background details of dogs who resemble their humans. Satisfyingly, Plum eventually learns that, like human dads, pet dads respond best to being loved.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Nikki Dyson. When a mysterious creature with "super-duper, ship-shape-sharp teeth" starts biting everyone's bottoms, Frog and friends seek out King Lion's help. Don't look here for animal accuracy--Zebra lives in the jungle and Lion prefers mangoes to meat--but a peppy rhyming refrain, silly sound effects ("EE-EE-EEEK!"), and much talk of bottoms will keep readers laughing. Digital illustrations create a lush, colorful jungle world.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(4) K-3 In the follow-up to Don't Blink!, a girl and her animal friends once more break the fourth wall, this time asking readers how they found such a "super-secret book." The cartoony digital illustrations grow repetitive, with many sequential spreads featuring the animals clumped together in the exact same way. Regardless, fans of the predecessor should enjoy this sequel's interactive, meta silliness.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) YA In a magical, Italy-inspired setting, the Capo takes over Vinalia and poisons Teodora di Sangro's powerful father. Teo hatches a plan: with the help of a genderfluid strega named Cielo, Teo will shape-shift into a boy, impersonate her brother, travel to the Capo's Palazza, and find the antidote. Told in rich metaphorical language, this high fantasy offers a compelling interrogation of gender, power, and familial duty.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) PS Kangaroo and Koala both enjoy blowing bubbles, but Koala is too shy to talk to Kangaroo or climb out of her tree. However, when some of their bubbles stick together to form a bubble monster, Koala musters the courage to help her new friend. Delicate watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations depict the rosy-cheeked animal tykes' sweet friend-courtship and keep even the bubble monster looking more cute than scary.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 Louis the lemur has a sleepwalking problem. His animal apartment-building neighbors follow along to keep him safe, but after Louis almost walks off a cliff, they come up with a more creative solution. The friends' continued love and support for Louis (even after he sleepwalks on their food and through their clean laundry) is heartwarming without being didactic. Pastel-colored illustrations prominently feature Louis's silly snoozing-antics.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Alex Willmore. When Dee and friends set out to find their missing librarian, they discover a bear in Ms. Merryweather's place! The pencil and digital-media illustrations burst with humorous details, such as 101 Recipes for Honey on the liBEARian's desk. The final twist--the bear has snuck out of a Goldilocks book along with another surprise character--will keep readers entertained through the last page.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by Zoe Si. Fact-loving loner Wolfie and her creative, quirky neighbor, Fly, embark on their second imaginary adventure--this time, playing a concert and escaping a mob of their fans. Packed with silly story details (such as an uncle who retired from the toaster factory to paint pictures...of toasters), this lighthearted sequel to Wolfie & Fly is lots of fun. Black-and-white ink and watercolor illustrations showcase the characters' personalities.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) K-3 When Possum and his babies lose their home in a storm, a chipmunk, muskrat, wasp, and oriole work together to build them a new one. Fine-lined watercolor and ink illustrations bring the animals' river habitat to life. This third book featuring Possum (Possum's Harvest Moon; Possum and the Peeper) offers a comforting tale of community support.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) 4-6 In the thirteenth Wimpy Kid installment, Greg suffers through a snowy winter. Smaller escapades featuring pizza-box snowshoes and hiding from the mysterious Goat Man lead up to the grand finale: an all-out snow battle between the Upper Surry Street and Lower Surry Street kids. As usual, the abundant middle-school humor is amplified by Kinney's stick-figure cartoons.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(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 Sarah Walsh. Lyrics to the 1986 ballad performed by Cindy Lauper come to life with appropriately colorful illustrations portraying a diverse cast of children and adults. Rainbows and same-sex embraces convey LGBTQ pride, fitting with the song's history in the gay rights movement. However, true fans looking to sing along may be annoyed by an extra line inserted into the first chorus and one removed from the second.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh

(3) YA In a brutal ancient Nordic–esque world, seventeen-year-old warrior Eelyn's brother is dead. Or so she thinks, until she finds him on the battlefield fighting for their clan's sworn enemies. Despite a somewhat formulaic plot--in which the two rival clans confront a common enemy and realize they are more alike than they are different--the visceral battles and touching family love make for an engaging historical fantasy.

Reviewer: Rachel Marsh