Spellbound (Books of Elsewhere #2)

The second volume of the Books of Elsewhere series continues the story of eleven year old Olive and the spooky old house she lives in.  In this adventure, Harvey (weird boy-next-door) suggests to Olive that she should start looking for the grimoire (the book of spells) owned by the witches who built the creepy old house.  This sends Olive on a modestly scary adventure to find the missing book.  Written by Jacqueline West, with illustrations by Poly Bernatene, the series will be fun reading for upper elementary kids.

Loon Baby

A baby loon and his mother are looking for supper in the middle of a lake in the great north woods.  Mama loon dives and is gone a very long time.  So long in fact, that baby loon is sure she isn't coming back.  Lonely, wet, and lost, he cries the loneliest cry -- when suddenly, Mama loon is back  -- and she has supper!  This simple picture book is a first book for author Molly Beth Griffin.  The watercolor and ink illustrations by Anne Hunter add to the admosphere of the story.

Emmy and the Rats in the Belfry

The adventures of Emmy Addison continue in this newest installment by Lynne Jonell.  The plot is more complicated here, and the book a little longer, but it's a fun summertime read.  Jane Barmy and Cheswick Vole (changed into rats in the last book) are back, and are plotting revenge.  They steal Professor Capybara's secret formula for restoring their human size, send Emmy on a trip to Schenectady to visit two elderly great aunts, and Sissy has a chance to find her long lost ratmom.  It's a busy plot (you probably should have read Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat and Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls first to avoid feeling confused), but fans of the first books will enjoy this quirky, entertaining tale. The flip-book art by Jonathan Bean continues here, and adds to the fun also.