(1) 4-6 Illustrated by David Litchfield. In this richly imagined woodland adventure, a grieving rabbit family--Mama, Cress, and baby Kip (with stuffed carrot "Rotty" always in tow)--must leave their comfortable warren to start over without their lost Papa. Their new life gets off to an inauspicious start. Mama loses the map to Mr. Owl's tree, the "Broken Arms," home of their tiny new basement flat; and they must avoid hungry foxes and a snake disturbingly (and hilariously) known as the "Final Drainpipe." Everyone the rabbits encounter--from the outlandishly selfish skunk, Lady Agatha Cabbage, who wears a surly chinchilla around her neck, to the mix of residents in and around the Broken Arms--is well drawn, making for a memorable cast of creatures who sometimes quarrel but always look out for any neighbor in need. Dark and shimmery full-color digital illustrations build on the text's singular atmosphere. While the moon waxes and wanes, Cress launches herself into precarious predicaments in every chapter as she cycles through waves of grief, irritability, kindness, loneliness, and bravery. As Mama observes: "But, my darling Cress, the moon will grow back. It comes and goes. Just like sorrow." The rabbits settle into the rhythm of their imperfect but warm new community as the narrative deftly coaxes readers to a place of empathy for each character, including those who initially seemed forbidding or unlikable. With its brisk plot, witty details, and thought-provoking concepts, this gloriously illustrated chapter book makes an ideal read-alone or family read-aloud.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) YA An imprisoned man tells his story, Scheherazade-like, in letters to the tsar. He begins with Elena, a young girl in the impoverished Russian countryside, who meets privileged Ekaterina. Their lives collide and intertwine. Maguire savors every inch of his elaborate narrative, introducing tropes from Russian folktales and giving his characters plenty of play, especially the hardboiled Baba Yaga, who seems to exist outside of time.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2014

(3) 4-6 Inspired by Andersen's "The Little Match Girl," Maguire originally penned this story for National Public Radio. He reimagines the match girl's fate as intertwined with that of a poor boy who wishes for a better future. The brief text effectively balances sorrow and hope. The compact volume's clean design includes crosshatched illustrations by Maguire set against green backgrounds.

Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot

(2) 4-6 In a story set in the 1960s, Alice, a hearing-impaired girl, lives in a Catholic orphanage. After a fire, her mentor, Sister Vincent de Paul, is injured and taken away. Searching for the nun, Alice discovers her own twin sister, who was adopted long ago. Alice, along with the nuns who are her true family, will be hard to forget.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc. | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1994

(2) 4-6 Stranded during a hurricane, Dinah, Zeke, and their baby sister have only impractical cousin Gage for guidance. He's useless at fixing generators but a good storyteller. Gage spins them a yarn about an orphan fairy who falls in with a tooth fairy. Maguire's consciousness of his literary predecessors is amusing, and his prose is sharp.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2007

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. In the final book about the students of Miss Earth's small-town-Vermont classroom, aliens from the planet Fixipuddle visit again and a Siberian snow spider pursues one of the kids--all this (and more) during Miss Earth's wedding. Cameos from characters (mostly villains) of the previous books feel tangential, but Maguire is otherwise sure-handed with his impressively outrageous plot.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Chris L. Demarest. These breezy parodies of fairy tales cast a bratty chimp called "So What" in the role of Snow White, substitute Hamster and Gerbil for Hansel and Gretel, and turn the three pigs into three penguins. Incorporating contemporary dialogue and pop culture references that sometimes fall flat, the eight sporadically funny stories are illustrated with energetic black-and-white cartoons.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. As Miss Earth's class prepares to celebrate April Fool's Day, their beloved teacher mysteriously disappears. The solution to the mystery is bizarre, but readers have come to expect a melding of the everyday and the outlandish in this satirical series distinguished by idiosyncratic characters and laugh-out-loud dialogue.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. The two clubs in Miss Earth's classroom, the Tattletales and the Copycats, compete in a school egg hunt for charity. Unbeknownst to the children, three of the eggs have been genetically mutated as part of a scientific experiment; they later hatch fire-breathing chicks. Maguire handles his large cast of characters with aplomb in a satiric romp filled with laugh-out-loud humor.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(2) 4-6 This reissue draws on the Russian fairy tales about Baba Yaga, the Firebird, and Vasilissa the Beautiful. When the Blood Prince, a ferocious wolf, terrorizes the countryside, the obscure little village of Miersk tries to come up with a plan to save its inhabitants and their homes. Maguire creates an entire village of crotchety, endearing characters in this highly original novel.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: October, 1983

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. The fourth book about the children in Miss Earth's class in small town Vermont is as over-the-top as the earlier ones. Valentine's Day is approaching, and Fawn inadvertently brings four ancient Greek cupids to class where they cause romantic trouble for the hapless teacher and her pupils. With its broad humor and outrageous story, this is for readers who appreciate satire and the absurd.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Andrew Glass. In this parody of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," complete with "E-I-E-I-oh" refrain, Crabby Cratchitt goes after her incessantly clucking hen, hoping to earn a meal for her efforts. The book's ending reveals Crabby's soft side, but thanks to the silly, resourceful rhymes, readers will understand well before then that the hen isn't in real danger from Crabby. The illustrations, while crudely cartoony, complement the action-packed text.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 When three students interview an elderly man for a school project, he decides to write them a long letter about his life in his small village in France after its occupation by German troops--and about the secret friendship he and his brother had with a German soldier. At once poignant, thoughtful, and laced with humor, the book offers readers an unusual perspective on history.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 1999

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Elaine Clayton. The countdown continues for Miss Earth and her students, who previously appeared in Seven Spiders Spinning and Six Haunted Hairdos. When Mayor Grass (garbed as Santa) disappears, teachers and students band together to find him. Their search leads to a crew of misguided aliens who have mistaken the mayor for Santa Claws--a maniacal dictator. Maguire's writing is fast paced, playful, and full of wit.

Reviewer: Mark Adam