(2) K-3 In Flight School, Penguin left the South Pole to chase his dream of flying. Here, Penguin misses his old pals and heads home, eager to introduce his colony to the joys of flying. Their reluctance grounds Penguin's enthusiasm until he realizes that he must be true to himself, even if it means being different from his friends. Judge's upbeat pencil and watercolor illustrations are as energetic as her main character.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) 4-6 Six months ago, evil interdimensional aliens called the Old Ones kidnapped Nikola's father (A Problematic Paradox). Now Nikola has settled into her new life at the Plaskington International Laboratory School of Scientific Research and Technological Advancement, alongside parahuman classmates and fellow uber-intelligent humans. Sappingfield balances the heavy stuff with plenty of humor, dishing up inventive sci-fi fare with a whopping side of silliness

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) K-3 The titular half-shark, half-dog pet (Shark Dog!) is back and making his child's ordinary school nature trip way more interesting. While his curiosity may get the better of him, Shark Dog's got a nose for helping: he rescues a distressed bear cub and shows lost class members their way home. Adamson's pencil and watercolor illustrations help ground this quirky animal hero.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(3) 1-3 Magic School Bus Rides Again series. Keesha is applying to astronaut camp, so a trip into space on the Magic School Bus to fix a satellite sounds perfect. Disaster strikes, though, when Keesha tries to take a selfie for her application and accidentally bumps the satellite out of orbit. The latest episode in the rebooted series offers early-chapter-book readers humorous adventure with a good dose of STEM education. Glos.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson

(2) 4-6 A series of eerie mishaps on a school field trip strands sixth grader Ollie and her classmates near a Vermont farm exactly like the one in Ollie's book about a sinister "smiling man" and his army of terrifying, once-human scarecrows. Only two other students believe her insistence that they're in danger. This supernatural thriller is a page-turner; Ollie's journey through grief over her mother's death and into friendship makes it memorable.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(4) K-3 Rodale Kids Curious Readers: Dealing with Feelings series. Illustrated by Hilli Kushnir. A girl is thrilled to ride a roller coaster, visit the petting zoo, etc., on her field trip to the fair. Everything is happy-making until the charity bake sale, where her peanut allergy prevents her from partaking. No matter: she can still enjoy the satisfaction of giving. The easy-reader story, with its "Dealing with Feelings" message and somewhat static digitally-colored pencil illustrations, is reassuring if a little bland.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) 4-6 Tally, whose classmates are tired of her superior-seeming attempts to help others, navigates awkward seventh-grade dynamics on a class trip to Washington, DC. Signs of a classmate's eating disorder force her to consider interfering despite others' annoyance. Dee nails the voice and characterization of preteens trying to find their place in the social order. Eating disorder resources are appended.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) YA After being kicked out of ballet school for not meeting expectations, thirteen-year-old British girl Mouse reluctantly attends a ski trip in the French Alps. With a cute boy named Jack, new friends, a French pop star, and a trio of mean girls, the trip is more eventful than Mouse ever imagined. Mouse's and Jack's alternating perspectives capture the heady excitement of tween crushes, and the side characters are entertaining and authentic.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) 4-6 Unicorn Rescue Society series. Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Created by Jesse Casey, Adam Gidwitz, and Chris Smith. This collaboratively created series--told through the two newest members of a worldwide society of misfits dedicated to saving mythical creatures--is witty, fast-paced, hilarious, and great fun. Starring upper-elementary-age New Jersey kids Elliot and Uchenna, each book focuses on a different creature in need of protection. Abundant black-and-white drawings spotlight the zany characters and add to the laughs. Review covers these Unicorn Rescue Society titles: The Basque Dragon, The Creature of the Pines, and Sasquatch and the Muckleshoot.

Reviewer: Pam Yosca

(3) 4-6 Survivor Diaries series. When twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are caught in an avalanche on a skiing trip in Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains, Ashley's quick-thinking and instinctual decision-making help them survive. On a sixth-grade geocaching field trip in New Mexico, former best friends Jen and Martin must rely on each other when they're separated from their class during a dust storm. These well-paced and easy-to-read wilderness stories integrate real survival techniques; region-specific tips are also appended. Review covers these Survivor Diaries titles: Avalanche! and Dust Storm!.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. On a school trip to the natural history museum, Kimmy, who loves science and dinosaurs, is silenced when her male classmate scoffs, "Girls aren't scientists." With support from teacher Mr. Tiffin and plenty of inspiring evidence to the contrary, Kimmy finds her voice. In Karas's friendly gouache and pencil illustrations, the class wanders grand halls and awe-inspiring fossil displays as the drama unfolds.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Clairvoyant twins Caitlyn and Cassie haven't returned to San Antonio since they moved away, but now their class is headed there on a field trip. The sisters' visions make them uneasy as they sense danger ahead, even if they can't see exactly what the future portends. Plenty of twists and turns will surprise tween readers in this satisfying if slightly overwrought series finale.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 1-3 Stepping Stone: Isadora Moon series. While on a field trip to the ballet, Isadora loses her magical stuffed bunny. Her search brings Isadora face-to-face with her idol, Tatiana Tutu--who happens to need an understudy for the show. Pink-accented grayscale illustrations play up the humorous contrast between half-fairy, half-vampire Isadora's wacky family and her human school friends, and they communicate Isadora's total comfort in being her one-of-a-kind self.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(2) YA Rivers's unsettling second-person-perspective novel immerses readers in the experience of sixteen-year-old protagonist Elyse, flying home from a school trip in Paris when the plane terrifyingly crashes into a mountain. The rest of the story has an increasingly disorienting, dreamlike feel as Elyse and the only other survivor, her longtime crush Josh, recover in Wyoming. As Elyse less-than-lucidly wrestling with grief and her sanity, readers will ruminate on loss, fate, and death.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Sualzo. When a new boy keeps to himself and doesn't speak, a girl classmate tries to reach out. Nothing works until, on a science museum field trip, she encounters an interactive exhibit with telephones that allow listeners to hear fish sending messages. The girl suddenly understands: the boy feels like a fish in an aquarium. Sualzo's scratchy illustrations are a clearly intelligible platform from which to consider Vecchini's more abstruse story for mid-to-upper primary grades.

Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 1-3 Best friends Hammy and Gerbee (hamster and gerbil, respectively) break from their class during a science museum visit to create mischief involving toilet paper, mummy role-playing, and slapstick humor. The entertaining characters are rendered via thick, relaxed lines in this graphic novel. Nine short, fast-paced sections will engage new readers; easy-to-follow sequences, simple speech-bubble dialogue, uncomplicated wordplay, and visual punch lines should draw in reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(4) K-3 Asian Hall of Fame series. Illustrated by Juan Calle. Ethan and Emma follow their noses to a restaurant serving noodle soup. Then, red panda Dao, "guide to the many fabulous creations from Asia," takes them on a rather hokey tour of ramen's history, popularity, manufacture, and transformation into the instant variety. Calle's matte candy colors with grainy lines create a slick but energetic anime-esque style. Romanized Japanese words appear throughout the text. Glos.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 4-6 You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries series. Illustrated by Marcos Calo. Readers get to co-construct each story and help solve thin mysteries in this interactive spinoff of Brezenoff's Field Trip Mysteries. Sixth-grade detectives Sam, Egg, Gum, and Cat investigate a missing rare fruit from a botanical garden (Fruit) and stolen electronic tickets from a carnival (Caper). Each case offers twelve possible endings for readers to pursue. Full-bleed color illustrations bring important scenes to life. Glos. Review covers these You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries titles: The Carnival Caper and The Disappearing Fruit.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(4) 4-6 You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries series. Illustrated by Marcos Calo. Readers get to co-construct each story and help solve thin mysteries in this interactive spinoff of Brezenoff's Field Trip Mysteries. Sixth-grade detectives Sam, Egg, Gum, and Cat investigate a missing rare fruit from a botanical garden (Fruit) and stolen electronic tickets from a carnival (Caper). Each case offers twelve possible endings for readers to pursue. Full-bleed color illustrations bring important scenes to life. Glos. Review covers these You Choose Stories: Field Trip Mysteries titles: The Carnival Caper and The Disappearing Fruit.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) 4-6 In this third series entry, almost-thirteen-year-old Princess Olivia is dealing with many dramas, including a first crush, a know-it-all cousin, becoming an aunt, and a class trip chaperoned by uber-opinionated Grandmère. This quick read lightly touches on real-world problems (e.g., refugees, dictators) but also includes plenty of tween concerns (crushes, gossip, parties). The entertaining book includes journal-like prose, text messages, lists, and black-and-white illustrations.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes