The Umbrella House

May 15, 2023
Twelve-year-old best friends Ruby Markowski and Scout Chang-Poulin host a YouTube channel called EaVill Kids, where they share stories about goings-on around the East Village. Seeking a local-interest story that will get them noticed by Veracity News, a website running a young voices journalism contest, they start reporting on neighborhood gentrification, namely the shuttering of small businesses. When a development company curries favor with city councilmembers to exploit a legal loophole, Umbrella House—the tweens’ co-op building—becomes vulnerable to purchase. Ruby and Scout soon join forces with other Umbrella House residents and East Village locals to save their home. Taking inspiration from the real-life Umbrella House in Manhattan, which was claimed by unhoused individuals in 1988 and designated as a co-op in 2010, this story blends present-day drama and nostalgia for grittier times. Nelson (The Undercover Book List), who, according to an end note, lived in the venerable building in the early 2000s, sketches the events in approachable, page-turning prose. With its gumshoe kids and a grassroots heart reminiscent of Seedfolks, Nelson’s novel both commends activists’ can-do spirit and emphasizes the heights to which one can go when backed by unwavering communal support. Ages 8–12.

March 1, 2023
Grades 4-7 Ruby Markowski lives with her grandmother, Selena, in Umbrella House, the same New York City apartment building where Ruby's best friend, Scout, lives. Squatters, including Selena, moved into the once-derelict building decades ago, restored it, and won the right to stay. Seventh graders Ruby and Scout are working on a video documentary about their East Village neighborhood, known for its quirky stores and celebrated graffiti murals. Although residents love their apartments, developers are replacing vintage buildings with modern ones, making the neighborhood unwelcoming and unaffordable for longtime residents. Tensions rise when Umbrella House is threatened. How can Ruby, Scout, and their neighbors protect their homes and their close-knit community? Ruby's first-person narrative explores her worries about the battle against gentrification, a relevant theme for kids in many cities, as well as her shifting friendship with Scout. Nelson, who has lived in New York, creates a cast of interesting characters with Umbrella House (a real place with a colorful history) and its neighborhood as the setting. A well-paced story with a satisfying conclusion.

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May 1, 2023
Seventh graders Roxy Markowski and Scout Chang-Poulin are longtime best friends. They live in Umbrella House, a real co-op in New York City's East Village. In 1988, the then-abandoned building was occupied by squatters who restored it, after which the city government legalized the situation. Several decades later, this realistic, contemporary novel, narrated by Roxy, tells another story. A developer is buying up properties and needs the city council's permission to acquire the building. Long-term inhabitants of the East Village, which is known for its artists, musicians, and activists, see this as unwanted gentrification. Roxy lives with her paternal grandmother, a flea market dealer. Scout has two moms, a lawyer and an art gallery owner. The kids join with neighbors to save their building: bookstore owner Miguel, artist Ortiz, and musician Lenny. Roxy, with her research, writing, and acting skills, and Scout, with his photography, video, and editing abilities, have their own YouTube channel where they share stories about the East Village. Now they enter a contest--the prize is working with a professional reporter to produce a documentary--and their video entry focuses on the fight for their building. Blending fact, fiction, social issues, and friendship, this novel ably highlights young people's strengths. Names are the only clues to ethnic diversity. Art versus mammon: An uplifting account of creative kids working to preserve a city landmark. (map, photo, author's note, sources) (Fiction. 9-13)

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