Tornado is short and heartwarming. While a family huddles in their farm’s storm shelter, they beg their uncle to retell the story from his (and their father’s) childhood about a dog named Tornado. In Edgar Allan’s Official Crime Investigation Notebook, when one of the class pets is stolen, Edgar decides to take the case. Soon it’s a race between him and a copycat rival to solve the mystery. The story includes pages from Edgar Allen’s titular notebook, including interviews and speculations. At the same time, we get in on some of his homework assignments, so there’s an interesting smattering of poetry and creative writing folded in. The Ice Garden is a mostly contemporary tale with a portal fantasy twist. Jess can’t be outside during the day because she’s allergic to the sun. No school. No playgrounds. No friends. But while at the hospital for her usual checkup, she “meets” a boy in a coma. And while sneaking out of the house one night, she finds a gap in a hedge that leads into a twilight world where everything is made of ice.
C. J. Milbrandt 