Northwood

July 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 Cecilia Undergarment has an unusual name and an even more unusual home, which is shaped like a giant bunch of balloons. After she angers her neighbor by rescuing his dog, he uses a bulldozer to attack her home, and the attic unbelievably takes flight. She flies over the town and settles in Northwood Forest, where the black trees are dense and the black lions are ferocious. No one has ever escaped the forest, but once Cecilia meets its inhabitants, she is determined to free them from King Harry, who seems much more vile than he claims. And if there is one thing Cecilia can do, it's make a plan. This stand-alone novel contains just the right combination of witty dialogue and daring action, plus an unlikely heroine, that will keep readers coming back. The ending is satisfying, so readers will not be left frustrated by a wide-open plot. Readers who like the tone of Maryrose Wood's The Unseen Guest (2012) but want a little more closure will love Northwood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
When young Cecilia Undergarment's balloon-inspired attic actually takes flight, she and her household land in a forest surrounded by hungry lions. As Cecilia tries to get everyone home, she joins with others who have wandered into the forest and been trapped there by a greedy king. Flat characterization and tedious dialogue slow the pace, and the stiff black-and-white drawings lack movement.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)