A Good Neighborhood

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler   due out in February 2020 - I read a galley  279 pages

Over the course of one summer, two families' lives intersect with devastating results. Told through the viewpoints of several characters, this story explores class, race, and love in a powerful story that will have you turning the pages (and ignoring everything else around you).

Valerie is automatically suspicious of her new neighbors, people who bought an enormous house built on the remains of a teardown and at expense of the removal of many of the large, beautiful trees that their neighborhood is known for. However, her son Xavier, seems to think these new people are friendly enough. Xavier has a good head on his shoulders, and as a serious student with a full scholarship to college awaiting him in the Fall, he's not going to get into trouble. Julia, the new neighbor, thinks Valerie seems a little prickly, but nice enough. And her older daughter, Juniper, has started to make friends with Xavier, who seems like a good kid.  What could go wrong?  You know the answer: plenty.

What you might not expect is just how wrong things can go. At first, these two families seem fine, with their relationship going pretty well, despite their differences. However, as Xavier and Juniper start to spend more time together, cracks start to widen between the adults. When Valerie realizes her prized oak tree is dying, as a result of her neighbors' ruinous construction, she wants them to pay a price. What she doesn't realize is that this will start all of them down a path from which there is no return.

I know I'm making this story sound ominous, but reading this was like watching a car accident happen. You don't want to know, but you cannot tear your eyes away. You think it's going to be bad, and then something takes a turn and it goes so much more wrong that you thought it would. That was what this book was like. I found it difficult to put down and in fact read much of it in one sitting, letting out an occasional gasp when something was happening.  It's a very provocative story, with realistically written, memorable characters, and once I finished it, I had a hard time getting the story out of my mind.  Great book.

The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island

The Family FletcherTakes Rock Island by Dana Alison Levy, 259 pages

This is the sequel to “The Misadventures Of The Family Fletcher”.  Sam, Jax, Eli, Frig and their two dads have been coming to Rock Island every summer since they’ve been a family.  Nothing on the island ever changes, which is one of the reasons they like it.  But this year there are a few changes.  One very big change that the family hates is that the lighthouse is closed to the public.  Someone was hurt and now it’s closed pending inspection.  No one is sure what will happen but they can’t bear the thought of it being torn down.  One change that ends up being not so bad is some other kids that are staying nearby this year.  Valerie and Alex seem a little strange at first but may end up being not so bad.  Then there’s a weird artist running around the island.  He might not be too awful but he seems to be up to something.  And there’s an ice cream truck on the island!  At least that’s one change that’s good.  This was a great sequel.  I recommend these books to any school age kid who likes realistic fiction.

Cody And The Mysteries Of The Universe

CodyAnd The Mysteries Of The Universe by Tricia Springstubb, 137 pages

"Cody's best friend, Spencer, and his parents are moving in with his grandmother right around the corner, and Cody can't wait. For one thing, Cody needs Spencer to help solve the mystery of the never-seen Mr. Meen, who lives on the other side of the porch with a skull-and-crossbones sign in the window and an extermination truck out front. How's Cody to know that a yellow jacket would sting her, making her scream "Ow! Ow!" just as they start spying? Or that the ominous window sign would change overnight to "Welcome home," only deepening the mystery? In this second adventure, Spencer's new-school jitters, an unexpected bonding with a teacher over Mozart, and turf-claiming kids next door with a reason for acting out are all part of Cody's experiences as summer shifts into a new year at school."  I like Cody, despite the fact that these books are saccharine sweet.  These books work well for second grade who are transitioning to chapter books.

All Together Now

All Together Now by Gill Hornby
328 Pages

"The small town of Bridgeford is in crisis. Downtown is deserted, businesses are closing, and the idea of civic pride seems old-fashioned to residents rushing through the streets to get somewhere else. Bridgeford seems to have lost its heart. But there is one thing that just might unite the community--music. The local choir, a group generally either ignored or mocked by most of Bridgeford's inhabitants, is preparing for an important contest, and to win it they need new members, and a whole new sound. Enlisting (some may say drafting) singers, who include a mother suffering from empty-nest syndrome, a middle-aged man who has just lost his job and his family, and a nineteen-year-old waitress who dreams of reality-TV stardom, the choir regulars must find--and make--harmony with neighbors they've been happy not to know for years. Can they all learn to work together, save the choir, and maybe even save their town in the process?"

A cute novel that I enjoyed.  It did fall down a couple of times on developing the relationships between the singers but I liked the ending.

Saving Baby Doe

Saving Baby Doe by Dannette Vigilante, 230 pages

Lionel and his best friend, Anisa, find a baby abandoned on a construction site.  They save her life but it seems like everyone is mad at them.  First, they think the baby is Anisa’s and that Lionel is the father.  Then, Anisa’s mom blames Lionel and doesn’t want them to hang out together anymore.  And Lionel’s mom gives him “THE SEX TALK” and doesn’t want him to leave the apartment building.  Lionel is determined that the baby they found grows up knowing that someone loves her.  He doesn’t want her to go to a foster home.  He wants to keep her, even if he has to kidnap her to make it happen.  He’s even willing to go into business with a local dealer to make money to be able to afford to take care of the baby.  This is a pretty good coming of age story with a surprise ending that a lot of kids would enjoy.

Saving Baby Doe

Saving Baby Doe by Danette Vigilante    230 pages

Best friends and neighbors Lionel Perez and Anisa Torres are running an errand when they are derailed by an empty construction site. Lionel wants to see the big machinery up close. It’s a good thing, too. When they hear the cries of what they think is a hurt animal, they find an abandoned newborn baby girl in the Porta-Potti.

The 13-year olds aren’t sure exactly what to do, but they know the baby needs help PDQ. Together, they take the baby to a hospital where the two fall under suspicion that the baby is theirs. Once their mother’s arrive, Anisa’s mother forces her to undergo a physical examination to prove that the baby is not hers.

Lionel isn’t cleared right away, and everyone has suspicions. The baby opens up a deep, old wound for Lionel, who was abandoned by his father.  As the older of the three children, Lionel felt the most pain. Unable to stand for the baby to go into foster care, Lionel hatches a plan to kidnap the child. 

To fund his plan, Lionel gets mixed up with a group of drug-dealing teenagers, slightly older than he.

Vigilante creates strong and interesting characters. The mixed-races Brooklyn neighborhood lends authenticity to urban youth. They grow up long before they should.

 The story is well-crafted but stereotypical. A happy ending is surely guaranteed. I give this novel 3 out of 5 stars.