I picked this up off of a recommendation made for a young boy in The Borrower (coupla books down). I've always enjoyed young adult books as they're usually entertaining and quick; this was no exception.
The story was almost written in shorthand. A young girl is dumped on her grandma by her flighty mother. She makes a new friend despite her guarded and abrasive attitude, starts a wildly imaginative secret game with a few friends, and is inconvenienced by the "play inside" rule instituted due to a child murder in the neighborhood. These are big plotlines dealt with by way of a mention, exactly the way a child would deal with this type of stuff. Each event is absorbed and life gets going again.
Because I'm also in the middle of a book that is brimming with just WAY TOO MUCH description, this was refreshing. I agree with The Borrower's narrator: this is a perfect book for 10-12 year olds. And it wasn't too bad for a woman in her 40s either.
B
