Keys to the City

Gr 3–6—Twelve-year-old Lindy is given a summer assignment: figure out what she's passionate about. When the middle school principal tells the seventh graders that over the summer they are to explore different pursuits, Lindy is nervous. Her best friends are pretty sure about where their talents lie, but Lindy has no idea. When a neighbor offers to take Lindy, along with her grandson, to New York City, she is excited and anxious. Chapters are bookended by Lindy's writing—journal entries, poems of all kinds, and stories—giving readers a hint about her eventual discovery. A side plot involves parental stress surrounding the family's new bed-and-breakfast, which adds to Lindy's worries. Lindy is adopted from China, which creates a bit of tension about not knowing her birth parents and their talents, though this isn't explored in any depth. Readers who enjoy a strong sense of place will appreciate Lindy's hometown and the descriptions of her trip to New York, including subway rides and Broadway. The writing is accessible; Lindy's concerns feel real, and readers may be inspired by the protagonist's poems and stories.