One alley summer

Gr 3--7--Ylvisaker tells the story of word enthusiast Phoebe (Phee), 11, the summer before middle school. Phee and Henny have been friends since they can remember and spend their summers outside playing in the alley behind their houses. This summer is a little different, though. They are too old to play with the little kids but too young to hang out with the big kids, which is all Phee wants to do. Then spunky new girl Mercy moves in next door, and Phee sees an opportunity to try new things. She is just trying to find her place in her world and is making new friends while realizing the importance of not leaving behind Henny. Told from Phoebe's point of view, this novel-in-verse is an enjoyable coming-of-age story perfect for middle school shelves. Discovering oneself, making room for old and new friends, and realizing that just because you know someone doesn't mean you know what they're going through are themes that will resonate with many readers. Discovering Ylvisaker's creative expression of the action taking place on the page makes the novel doubly enjoyable. VERDICT A highly recommended realistic fiction title that deftly explores classic tween themes of summer, friendship, and coming of age.--Beth Brentlinger

A novel in verse about the months before a city girl starts middle school. It's the summer before Phoebe, 11, enters Southside Middle. Everyone says they'll "eat her alive" when she gets there. On Phee's street there's an alley where the neighborhood kids hang out--and a house with a "killer dog" named Bull. She thinks some of the kids are too babyish, while others have in turn outgrown her. With palpable angst, Phee wrestles hard with wanting to break free of the alley and see more of the world, yet she fears the unknown. When cool and prickly Mercy arrives to visit her dad, Phee's eager to befriend her, excited about the chance to try out her skateboard, and she turns away from lifelong buddy Henny. The poetry skips across the page: Phee is a deeply relatable wordsmith, thinking in rhythms that capture the patterns of hopscotch and skipping rope, and expressing raw, conflicting emotions. Words flow across the page, punctuated by repetition, movement, empty space, and run-on words. The poems transform the alley into a character, showing both its smallness and the new experiences it offers as Phee journals about it in her treetop hideaway. The voices of the characters, brief though they may be, jump off the page with clarity as Ylvisaker captures the alchemy of ordinary youthful times filled with friends and fears. The characters have minimal physical descriptions; the cover art depicts Phee and Mercy as white. Transporting. (Verse fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.