Keys to the City

April 1, 2017
School is out for the summer, but instead of languid days by the pool, 12-year-old Chinese adoptee Lindy Mackay must complete an unusual assignment. "Follow your heart to discover your abilities and talents," prescribes her middle school principal. Lindy is wracked with anxiety. On top of her project, her family is opening a bed-and-breakfast in their new Manhattan brownstone. Her mom and dad, who are both white, disagree on how to attract customers, and with each week that passes, tensions rise, worrying Lindy. Luckily, the frustrations of schoolwork and family business are relieved by the arrival of a neighbor's grandson, Tyler (who is white), and his dog. Together Lindy and Tyler visit different spots in the city to help Lindy discover her true passion. Schroeder captures the angst of preteens and young teens who are feeling the pressure to figure out who they are. Lindy's fears of failure are palpable and exhume familiar insecurities. The insertions of her writing (stories and poems) add further texture to her story. The rare hiccups in the text arise when narrator Lindy encounters characters of color, who are too often described only as dark-skinned. "Dark" is too loose and relative to stand alone, especially considering that Lindy's race is important and another character is clearly described as Asian. Despite this fumbling of ethnicity, Lindy's journey comforts those in search of themselves. Sweet and familiar Lindy makes this story hard to resist. (Fiction. 9-12)

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May 1, 2017

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. VERDICT Recommended for libraries in need of light, quick reads with happy, neatly tied-up endings.-Mary Kuehner, Arapahoe Library District, CO

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