The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

Ages 8-12

The Penderwick sisters — Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty — have a problem. Now that their mother has been dead for four years, their aunt is pushing their father to start dating again.

That’s the last thing the girls want. They’re quite happy having their dad, a college botany professor, all to themselves. If he gets serious about someone, it might lead to them getting a stepmother — and they’re much too independent for that! Something must be done to derail this idea . . . but what?

You might skip through the pages to see if the girls succeed with their plan. After you finish, go back and read the first book in this heartwarming series: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy.

Jeanne Birdsall didn’t start writing books until she was 41. Judging from these two (the first Penderwick novel won a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature), she’s on a roll. We think you’ll agree that Book 3 can’t get here soon enough.

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Donavan’s Double Trouble by Monalisa DeGross

For ages 7-10

For a fourth-grader, Donavan has some fairly big problems weighing on his mind.

For one thing, he’s struggling with math. He tries, but he just doesn’t get it. Worse, his little sister, Nikki, is a whiz with numbers. He doesn’t mind it too much when Nikki helps him with his math homework, but what if the guys found out?

Then there’s the problem of Uncle Vic. He was Donavan’s hero, a talented high school and college basketball player. But now that his life has been upended by a severe war injury, Uncle Vic seems different, and Donavan isn’t sure how to act around him.

At school, everyone is busy planning April’s Heritage Month activities. Donavan’s family wants Vic to go and show his wood carvings. But Donavan is afraid that his uncle will feel out of place and be pestered with stupid questions about his disability. So Donavan tries to make sure his uncle won’t be invited to Heritage Month, while Vic sets about trying to help Donavan with math.

Can these problems possibly result in a happy ending? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Author Monalisa DeGross lives in Baltimore and has two children — Donavan and Nikki.

If you enjoy this book, try Donavan’s Word Jar, her first children’s book.