Giving to the Poor

Gr 5–8—In his second book in the series, Abrahams takes readers on a thrilling and, at times, intense ride. Seventh-grade do-gooder Robbie Sherwood and her fellow outlaws, Silas, a homeschooled keeper of obscure knowledge; Ashanti, a fellow private-school attendee and tough girl; and Tut Tut, a Haitian immigrant who has been sold out by his low-life uncle to the INS and is being housed in a juvenile internment facility, get caught up in the fight against Sheldon Gunn, a gentrifying millionaire (a familiar villain to New York readers) attempting to build a Brooklyn high-rise that will not only block the light for what seems like most of the borough, but just happens to sit atop an ancient Native American burial ground. Personal dramas intersect with the larger action; Robbie's mother loses her job as a high-powered lawyer, Ashanti discovers that her father is having an affair, and Silas's predominantly AWOL father is killed in the struggle to reveal the historical remains beneath Gunn's construction site, but the kids manage to take the emotional hits in, at times, not quite believable stride. The exciting climax, in which the good guys mostly emerge unharmed and the bad guys are literally buried in their own greed, is entirely satisfying and will leave readers eager for the next installment. Fans of Kirsten Miller's "Kiki Strike" books (Bloomsbury), Scott Mebus's "Gods of Manhattan" series (Dutton), and Trenton Lee Stewart's The Mysterious Benedict Society (Little, Brown, 2007) take note!—Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City