Elvis & Olive

Natalie Wallis, the protagonist of this accomplished first novel, is leading a very buttoned-down life with her prim parents when, on the first day of vacation between fourth and fifth grade, she is accosted by the kid who has recently moved into the neighborhood eyesore. Annie isn’t wearing a shirt, and what she’s desperate to show Natalie is a dead baby bird. While repulsed, Natalie allows herself to be guided by her voracious reading: “Sometimes in fairy tales, being nice to the strangest, rudest creature turns it into a beautiful princess or handsome prince.” She’s also secretly thrilled by Annie’s chutzpah—Annie lights candles in her hideout under the porch, tells obvious and outrageous lies, and spies on people. Overcoming her initial reluctance, Natalie joins Annie (“I propose that spies wear shirts,” Natalie says) and the two adopt code names, Elvis and Olive, to snoop on the neighbors, with predictably disastrous results. Beneath Annie’s moxie lies a huge wound that Natalie inadvertently discovers and that strains the girls’ friendship to the breaking point. The last-minute emergence of a neighbor who comes to Annie’s aid doesn’t feel fully integrated, but readers will likely focus on the way it allows Annie to strengthen her bond with Natalie and the better future in sight for both girls. Ages 9-12. (Apr.)