Zodiac Pets

Giroux revisits the dilapidated Massachusetts town of his previous novel, Ring on Deli, for this charming if meandering romp. Wild boars still roam Pennacook, and frequent flooding has turned the town’s roads into canals. Middle schooler Wendy Zhou is walking her dog when she discovers a rundown building hidden in the woods. As one of the children who staff the local newspaper, the Pennacook Beat, she asks frequently inebriated editor Graham Brundt, an adult, if she can look into the mystery. Meanwhile, the townspeople are divided over what to do about the flooding, with some supporting an unnamed entity’s proposal to plop a geodesic dome over the town, while others,­ led by Selectman Archie Simmons­, call for the town to weigh its options and bring them to a vote. After a suspicious accident puts Archie in a coma, the rest of the board puts the town up for sale. Giroux intercuts the present-day action with chapters set in 2032, in which Wendy, now a college student, interviews a now sober Graham and draws connections between the previous events. Though the time jumps are gratuitous, Giroux keenly portrays a young girl’s growing awareness of the corruption and hubris of adults. This comic novel has surprising depth. (Self-published)