The Giant Rat of Sumatra: or Pirates Galore
by Sid Fleischman, John Hendrix (Illustrator)

3.5 out of 5 stars
A pirate ship rescues a boy from a shipwreck, and he becomes their new cabin boy. Nicknamed “Shipwreck”, he has a tenuous loyalty to the pirates, because they saved his life, but he is looking for an opportunity to leave them and make his way home on a trade ship. The pirate captain announces his intention to give up piracy and take up ranching just outside of San Diego, but the Mexicans are at war with America and the political climate is very unstable. Shipwreck has to rely on the captain for safety from bandits and the town militia, and the captain entrusts his greatest treasure to Shipwreck.

The Pinchers and the Diamond Heist
by Anders Sparring, Per Gustavsson (Illustrator), Julia Marshall (Translator)

4 out of 5 stars

The Pincher family are all thieves and liars. They love to steal and cheat, except for Theo who gets a stomachache if he tries to tell a lie or do anything dishonest. It doesn’t help that their next-door neighbor is a policeman! When Mr. and Mrs. Pincher leave Theo and his sister at home for the evening, Theo worries that they might be planning to steal the famous diamond on exhibit at the museum. His sister drags Theo along to visit their grandmother in jail, and they stage a prison escape and go looking for the diamond themselves.

Crimson Twill: Witch in the Country
by Kallie George, Birgitta Sif (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

4 out of 5 stars

Crimson is different from other witches. She doesn’t want to wear a pointy hat; she wants a hat with a bow. She doesn’t like black dresses; she wants a dress with pretty polka dots. When Crimson invites her city friends to visit her country home, she has a whole list of activities for them to do together. But everything seems to wrong, and Crimson is worried that her friends will have a terrible time!

King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian
by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

A young Moroccan stableboy named Agba is charged to take care of a new foal. The foal’s mother has died, and Agba feeds the foal with camel’s milk. He names the foal Sham. When Sham is grown, the Sultan sends him and Agba to France. Sham is to be a princely gift for the French king, but when they arrive, Sham is half-starved and worn from the journey, so he is sent to be a common cart horse. Eventually Sham is bought by a new owner and taken to England with Agba sticking closely to his side. They make some new friends, and find new enemies. Agba has many troubles, but he is determined to stay with Sham and care for his favorite horse as if they were brothers.