What Happened on Fox Street

Gr 3-7-Thoughtful 11-year-old Mo Wren loves the house on Fox Street that she shares with her father and younger sister, the "Wild Child." Everyone in this blue-collar neighborhood in Cleveland, OH, looks out for one another; there is a lush Green Kingdom of woods and trees at the end of the street; and her best friend, Mercedes, comes from Cincinnati to spend each summer with her grandmother, Da, who lives across the way. The street also holds all of Mo's memories of her deceased mother. When life takes some unanticipated turns, however, the world as Mo knows it is threatened. A shady developer offers her father a lucrative deal on the house, giving hope to his dreams of moving away from the painful past and owning a family-friendly sports bar. Mercedes seems different also now with more luxuries than she and her mother could ever have afforded before her mother's new marriage, causing her to notice the shabbiness of Fox Street. Because of Da's failing health, the family plans to take her to Cincinnati to live with them and Mo worries that she will never get to see Mercedes again. Throw in a spooky old lady next door who asks Mo to deliver mysterious gifts to Mercedes and you've got an eventful summer. Springstubb creates a richly human and believable story of the conflicts of growing up and a well-paced, interesting plot with plenty of surprises that readers should find pleasurable and satisfying.