Meet Me on Mercer Street

March 15, 2024
Grades 3-6 Vivat's latest tells a story of a changing neighborhood and the stirrings of gentrification through the eyes of middle-schooler Kacie. Kacie has been shielded from the unpleasant changes around her by her parents and other adults in the neighborhood, but when her best friend, Nisha, moves away without a trace, she decides to get to the bottom of the goings on and discovers a businessman purchased her friend's family's market and has his eye on the community garden next. Through her art and by making connections with the people around her, Kacie discovers the heart of the neighborhood she calls home and gets to take part in the effort to save the community garden. This journal-style graphic novel tells a touching story with cartoon drawings and highlights the importance of family and community. With a rising cost of living and an uncertain future for many small communities, this timely story is likely to resonate with lots of middle-grade readers, who will take away the message that, when everyone does their small part, they can make big things happen.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2024
What's happening on Mercer Street? Rising sixth grader Kacie Sitthiwat knows that a great artist must be observant. But she must not have been paying close enough attention, because she's bewildered when her best friend, Nisha, disappears over the summer. Determined to figure out what's going on, Kacie notices other changes on Mercer Street: Nisha's family's shop, Khanna's Grocery & Deli, has been replaced by a corporate chain store. Kacie's parents, who run a laundry and dry-cleaning business, seem distracted. And she's heard rumors that someone's trying to get rid of the community garden. After Kacie accepts that Nisha's family has moved, she befriends the new boy living in Nisha's old apartment and begins to realize that she still has an opportunity to shape what happens in her neighborhood--and that her artistic talents might be the key. Vivat handles a tough topic with lightness, almost to a fault--at times, Kacie's dogged commitment to detective work obscures the emotional impact of the upheaval that she and her neighborhood are experiencing. Notably, the word gentrification isn't used; still, the author draws an effective picture that will be recognizable to children who have encountered similar situations. Relying on both prose and comics, Vivat fills Kacie's world with textured, diverse neighbors, and the engaging cartoon artwork and gentle yet honest writing result in an authentic and accessible read. Names imply that Kacie and Nisha are, respectively, of Thai and South Asian heritage. An appealing story of neighborhood change. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 7-10)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024

Gr 3-6-Kacie has lived on Mercer Street most of her life with her best friend Nisha. But when the local family-run corner store suddenly shutters and Nisha is no longer in school, Kacie has to work through her feelings and accept the change all around her. The first fourth of the book unfolds a bit like a mystery, with Kacie trying to investigate what happened since absolutely no one wants to share any details. The answer will be obvious to readers and perhaps drags on for too long, but these observations are often followed up with details from her past-either about her neighborhood or her friendship with Nisha-that show how special they are to Kacie. A subplot about a developer changing the quaint neighborhood feels like an outdated subject that the target audience may not identify with. The illustrations definitely make the piece; the cartoonish images of the various neighbors and buildings are as delightful as they are plentiful. VERDICT A solid addition.-Peter Blenski

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