Smart, fun tales for the 8-to-12-year-olds run the gamut of fascinating subjects. These books explore an art burglary, a magical river, a time-travel tale to meet a grandmother, and a gentle anti-gang adventure.

"Under the Egg" by Laura Marx Fitzgerald; Dial; 256 pages; $16.99.

Author Fitzgerald drew upon her art history studies at Harvard and Cambridge to create this charming read, which melds in lots of wit, smarts and history.

Thirteen-year-old Theodora Tenpenny is devastated when she spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather's painting, but intrigued when she realizes maybe it's a masterpiece hidden underneath. The plucky young heroine enlists friends and newcomers to help her solve the clues while discovering a side to Manhattan, and her grandfather, that she never knew.

Holocaust secrets, forged paintings and lots of mystery and awe make "Under the Egg" a very smart and ingenious tale.

"The Riverman" by Aaron Starmer; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 320 pages; $15.99.

When trustworthy 14-year-old Alistair Cleary meets Fiona Loomis, he's perplexed by her stories of a magical world where "the Riverman" steals the souls of children. Intrigued, however, Alistair obliges to write her biography as she wishes; and it's a doozy, for sure. Alistair starts to believe in Fiona's stories and even witnesses some of what she tells.

Penned beautifully and gripping, making it hard to put down, "The Riverman" reads like an instant classic, with lots of mystery, intrigue, imagination and, above all, friendship. Starmer is indeed, like the characters in his tale, a storyteller extraordinaire.

"Summer on the Moon" by Adrian Fogelin; Peachtree Publishers; 256 pages; $7.95.

Any tale that tries to smartly steer kids away from the perils of gang and street life is a step in the right direction.

"Summer on the Moon" stars Socko and his best friend Damien who find themselves on the wrong side of the local gang leader. But then Socko's mom moves them to a new half-built housing development, called Moon Ridge Estates (thus the book's title), and he finds himself skating through new nearly empty territory.

A Junior Library Guild selection and winner of the International Reading Association's Social Justice Literature Award, Fogelin's well-written tale nudges kids in the right direction, as well as provides solid entertainment for reluctant readers.

"Seven Stories Up" by Laurel Snyder; Random House Books for Young Readers; 240 pages; $16.99.

Like Judy Blume, Snyder writes tales centering on personable characters relatable to young female readers. Here, Annie Jaffin meets her curmudgeonly grandmother as an old lady but also travels back in time to 1937 to experience her in a whole new way. Snyder has a knack for melding reality and magic, and does a fantastic job whisking kids back in time to think about the puzzles of the past, family mysteries and how cool it really would be to meet a beloved grownup as a kid. "Space Rocks!" by Tom O'Donnell; Razorbill; 336 pages; $16.99.

Comedy writer and cartoonist O'Donnell turns his attentions to the typical outer-space comic-tale audience — boys ages 8 to 12.

In this otherworldly comedy, life on planet Gelo is fine until the "hair-headed humans" arrive, invading the peaceful asteroid with loud drill machines and lots of greed.

Eventually, the junior humans and five-eyed Chorkle become pals and teach each other how to ride rocket bikes and giant usk-lizards.

To be promoted at Comic-Con, "Space Rocks!" is, as the cover says, "more fun than a deep-fried cave slug!"

To find out more about Lee Littlewood and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.