Between the Notes

When 16-year-old Ivy Emerson and her family are forced to move to the %E2%80%9Cpoor%E2%80%9D side of town after the bank forecloses on their home, Ivy%E2%80%99s charmed life is replaced by one in which her family is crammed into a shoebox-sized house, she has no money to go out with her friends, and her mother shops for groceries at a food bank. Debut author Roat uses the intensity of major life changes to force Ivy to reevaluate everything she believes about herself, her friends, and her family. Ivy%E2%80%99s understandable bitterness and shame eventually give way to discoveries about what is%E2%80%94and isn%E2%80%99t%E2%80%94important in life, especially in the case of her neighbor Lennie, who has a reputation as her school%E2%80%99s %E2%80%9Cmost notorious druggie,%E2%80%9D but turns out to be kind and generous. As Ivy tries to choose between Lennie and a boy who represents a connection to her former life, the novel%E2%80%99s romantic and economic stakes feel too transparently tied to an overarching message about looking beyond appearances and material wealth. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. (June)