Sidekicks, Dan Santat
The second great book I’ve read this year with the same title! This one is a graphic novel where a superhero’s pets spring into action to save him, mostly because they want to spend more time together. It is super adorbs, especially the hamster, Fluffy. His little superhero outfit!!!! Loved it. Five stars.

Garden people: the Photographs of Valerie Finnis by Ursula Buchan with Anna Pavord and Brent Elliott.
Got this because it was mentioned on the Yarnstorm blog. A very entertaining assortment of garden-based UK eccentrics from the 1970s. Two stars.

Rat Island: Predators in Paradise and the World’s Greatest Wildlife Rescue, William Stolzenburg
Based on the fairly recent research indicating that massive species die-off on Pacific islands was not due to the arrival of people but to the arrival of rats (several kinds from several places), the book looks at invasive species that easily outcompete (mostly by eating them) the birds and insects on islands that previously had no mammals. Then at the attempts to remove those terribly effective mammals without hurting other parts of the food chain. A bit of a slog at times, but interesting stuff, especially on ecological niches. Three stars

All mostly by Gail Simone
Secret Six: Six Degrees of Devastation
Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter
Secret Six: Unhinged
Secret Six: Depths
Secret Six: Danse Macabre
Secret Six: Cat’s in the Cradle
Secret Six: The Reptile Brain
Like Penn Jillette said about eating fire, the question is not how they do it, but why. The most interesting baddies have good reasons to do what they do, and these guys got some reasons. Real characters with real development through the series, plus believable dialogue and interaction. I think I need to start following Simone’s work. I have a few complaints that don’t have anything to do with the story: some of the artists are better than others and the bad ones make it hard to recognize the heroes from story to story (and sometimes from panel to panel), the multi-magazine format of the DC stories means that sometimes things happen to characters in works not collected here, and I noticed a few word balloons pointing at the wrong person. But I will be telling my pals to read these and eagerly awaiting the next volume. Four stars.