NONFICTION

SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner; William Morrow, 320 pages ($29.99)

Their 2005 book “Freakonomics” sold more than 4 million copies, and economist Steven D. Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner follow the same model the second time around, crunching numbers about mundane topics to reveal interesting conclusions. That’s how we get answers to questions we never thought to ask.

It turns out, for example, that prostitutes tend to make more money when they have pimps. Muslim women who observe the one-month fast of Ramadan early in their pregnancy are more likely to have children with certain cognitive disabilities. Some people who are rushed to emergency rooms might have been better off if they just stayed home.

The real point is to make the science of economics a little more fun.

Topics are often random and mashed together in a series of tangentially related vignettes. But the writing is deft and seamless enough to keep “SuperFreakonomics” entertaining.

For most readers, the book will be a series of interesting facts that will provide plenty of water-cooler fodder but not much else. The deeper message is for politicians and other decision- makers.

—Associated Press

CHILDREN’S

The Squirrel’s Birthday and Other Parties by Toon Tellegen, translated by Martin Cleaver, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg; Boxer Books, 147 pages ($12.95)

These unusual and enchanting stories from a popular author in the Netherlands explore the mysterious, confusing aspects of life—of memory, dreams, expectations—through the experience of a squirrel, ant, whale and other creatures of the woodland and water. They do not condescend to children, but speak to anyone who loves stories. In the charming title story, squirrel invites all the creatures to his birthday with letters on beech bark and then sets to work making cakes for each guest: “a grass cake for the hippo, a small red cake for the mosquito and a dry cake for the dromedary.” For the shark and squid, “he baked heavy salt cakes and lowered them on a chain into the river.” Loveliest of all was “a cake made only of water for the dragonfly. It was a strange, gleaming cake and he put it to one side under the twigs of the rosebush.” The guests come, they eat, they dance, and when it’s over, squirrel feels strange, almost let down.

In “A Speck of Dust,” grasshopper finds what he needs at the bumblebee’s shop, which specializes in selling things “hardly anyone ever needed.” In “The Costume Party,” squirrel keeps getting sent home for a new costume. “A Little Black Box” is for the storage of special occasions.

Ahlberg’s delicate illustrations are perfect. A companion book, “Letters to Anyone and Everyone,” is to be published in January.

—Jean Westmoore

AUDIO BOOKS

Undone by Karin Slaughter, read by Natalie Ross; Brilliance Audio. Unabridged, 14 CDs, 16 hours, 12 minutes, ($38.99); In print: Delacorte Press, 448 pages ($26)

Mixing characters from two different series delivers a rich, complex plot that allows Karin Slaughter to explore new avenues of her creations. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents Will Trent and Faith Mitchell are caught up in a case in which a young woman named Anna who escaped from a torture chamber is hit by a car. What the woman had undergone was horrific, but Will finds evidence that other women also had been held underground.

As Will and Faith try to track down victims and a ruthless killer, the two agents cross paths with Sara Linton, a doctor who is now working in the hospital where Anna has been taken. A former coroner in her hometown, Sara is able to give the agents insight into the torture the woman experienced.

Slaughter’s sharp plotting, her delicate way of exposing her characters’ personalities and her unflinching treatment of violence are paramount in “Undone.” Uniting her three main characters into one story also proves the author’s mettle. Trent and Faith are making a third most-welcome appearance. Using Sara as a minor character elevates the plot and perfectly follows the tragedy that ended 2007’s “Beyond Reach.”

Reader Natalie Ross delivers the nuances of “Undone” and illustrates the personality of each character.

—McClatchy Newspapers