The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains

K-Gr 2—In this unlikely tale, two Alex Addlestons, one a boy and the other a girl, meet in kindergarten and instantly become best friends, doing everything together. They collect frogs and trade Captain Moonbeam message rings, making up a code that means "Best friends, no matter what." The following summer Alex (the boy) goes to visit his grandma in Chicago, and when he returns, his friend is gone, leaving a note taped to her door explaining that her family has moved to Africa. However, the part of her note that has her new address has blown away, so he spends the next few years honoring his vow to be her best friend by whispering to her and making her presents. In the meantime, she is in Kenya, where she catches a fever and dreams about drinking cool lemonade with her friend. When they are 12, they meet again near their old homes, and endpaper illustrations reveal that they get married and have two children of their own. The text is a bit overwrought for young readers: "She learned to make a soccer ball dance like the memory of a boy her mind could never quite touch." Watercolor and ink illustrations provide lots to look at, with many pages set up like snapshots against a textured ground. Alex and Alex are appealing and expressive, conveying through their faraway looks the thoughts each has of the other. Still, children might just end up wondering why Alex (the girl) never wrote to her best friend, no matter what.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library