Thursday, November 16, 2023

The Umbrella House by Colleen Nelson - ADVISABLE

The Umbrella House by Colleen Nelson, 218 pages. Pajama Press, 2023. $19

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

12yo Roxy and her best friend Scout are eager to enter their YouTube channel EaVillKids, where they report their East Village neighborhood happenings, in a contest to win a documentary made of an idea they submit. Life is all too real for Roxy, who is raised by her grandmother in Umbrella House, a reclaimed tenement building.  Developers have their beloved building in their sites and the local Council may side with the developers. Roxy wishes that the Midnight  Muralist, who was big in the East Village in the 1980’s could come to save the day this time, too.

Roxy’s enthusiasm is fun to experience and she has moments of stretching and growing, especially with her relationship with her best friend. A good way to inspire young people to see that they can influence their world. Umbrella House is a real place in NYC’s East Village and the tenants acquired the building just as described - though Roxy and the Midnight Muralist are not real people. I missed any reference to ethnicities within the book.

Cindy Mitchell, Library Teacher, MLS


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