What Happened on Fox Street

Gr 4—7—Mo Wren, 11, loves her home on Fox Street where she lives with her father and younger sister, Dottie. It's a run-down neighborhood, but everyone knows everyone else and there's a real feeling of community. This summer Mo is watching her sister, looking for a fox she believes has a den near the neighborhood, and spending time with her friend Mercedes. She must also deal with changes that seem to be on the way. A shady developer has targeted Fox Street and is trying to get the residents to sell, threatening the use of "eminent domain." Mo stands firm for the home she loves—the home that holds memories of her deceased mother. It's an eventful summer with friendships lost and found, secrets revealed, and family ties strengthened. The book (Balzer + Bray, 2010) by Tricia Springstubb is read with humor and sympathy by Jeannie Stith who creates unique voices for the characters. This is a nice treatment of a moving, slice-of-life tale that also gently teaches that you can draw strength from the past while moving with courage into the future.—Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA