In M.T. Anderson’s “Elf Dog & Owl Head,” a scrappy hound scampers out of a magical world and into our own. By Lev Grossman When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site ...

Elf Dog & Owl Head by M.T. Anderson, illustrated by Junyi Wu; Candlewick Press, 240 pages ($18.99) Ages 8 to 12. A boy tired of his squabbling sisters and the isolation of a worldwide pandemic ...