Sunnyside Plaza by Scott Simon - OPTIONAL

Sunnyside Plaza by Scott Simon, 208 pages. Little, Brown and Company, 2020. $17.

Language: PG (1 swear 0 'f') - several instances of "butts"; Mature Content: G; Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: ADULT - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: LOW

18yo Sally lives in a group home, Sunnyside Plaza for developmentally disabled adults. She also works in the kitchen there. When a 2nd resident dies unexpectedly and a third suffers a stroke, the police look into it, asking Sally and the others to let them know if they notice anything unusual. But the residents are used to not being listened to, so will their investigation be taken seriously?

Although this is published by Little Brown Books for Young Readers, with the exception of Sally being 18, I didn't see much YA about it, nor do I think my middle school students would be interested. It's an easy read and short - probably too short for adults. It think the audience for this book is NPR fans of Scott Simon. I was underwhelmed with the story, thought the characters felt stereotypical - the funny names of the policeman (London Bridges) and his girlfriend felt contrived to appeal to a young audience. All in all, I was disappointed, not likely to purchase.

Lisa Morey