This opener to the Enchanted Sisters series introduces readers to the Sparkles: Summer, Winter, Spring, and Autumn. The magical sisters change the seasons for the humans of the Outerworld during the quarterly Sparkle Ceremony. When Mother Nature decides to throw a party for her most beloved adviser, she asks Autumn, the most cautious of the Sparkles, to safeguard the present, a beautiful blanket, until the celebration. During a game of Sparkle Dare, Autumn, acting out of character, calls up a windstorm that carries the blanket away, where it is picked up by Twister, one of a villainous foursome of foul weather. Desperate to recover the blanket before the party, Autumn and her sisters chase Twister and his brothers across the Sparkledoms and, working together, make it on time to the party with the blanket. The none-too-subtle lessons about cooperation and impulsivity are cheerfully served up by authors Allen and Stanford in this speedy adventure. Goofy cartoon illustrations that showcase the diverse cast of characters complement this sweet, sparkly story.

These series-openers star Autumn and Winter, two of the four seasonal Sparkle Sisters. In Secret Gift, Autumn loses a special gift bestowed by Mother Nature, and she must get it back. Flurry Adventure finds Winter at odds with her best friend Flurry, a polar bear. Illustrated with occasional black-and-white cartoons, these frothy, fast-moving adventures are all glitter and little substance.

Gr 1-3 Autumn and her wide-eyed Sparkle sistersSpring, Summer, and Winterlive in Mother Nature's realm. They are responsible for the magical turn of the seasons for the Outworlders, or humans, who have no idea the Sparkles exist. When not keeping nature in balance, the sisters play in their enchanted world, often crossing paths with Bluster Tempest and the Weeds, wild boys who love chaos and causing trouble for the sisters. This new series, created by The Jim Henson Company and aimed at newly independent chapter book readers, launches with Autumn's Secret Gift ,in which Autumn's responsible temperament is put to the test when she loses a special gift given to her by Mother Nature. Working together, the girls must retrieve Autumn's gift quickly. Readers of Daisy Meadow's "Rainbow Magic" books will love this fast-paced adventure intermingled with devoted animals, transporting rainbows, and black-and-white illustrations. The sisters are diverse in skin color, interests, and magical abilities, and while the story seems predictable, the many circumstances in which the girls find themselves are bound to appeal to readers who wish for a little magic in their own lives.— Paula Huddy, The Blake School-Highcroft Campus, Wayzata, MN