All the Greys on Greene Street

Gr 6-8--Olympia is a 12-year-old living in New York with her artist parents when her father suddenly leaves their family for France. After her father leaves, her mother spirals into a deep depression and never leaves her bed. Upon his departure, her father leaves her a secret note, and Olympia, with her friends Richard and Alex, must solve the mystery of why her father has disappeared so suddenly, and who is he running from--and running to. This book covers tough topics such as depression, a parent leaving the family for unknown reasons, the complexities of adult relationships, and more. The aspect of the art mystery gives the story a lighter tone to complement the dark happenings in Olympia's personal life and family. VERDICT A strong selection for any middle school child whose parent may have left, and a great way to spark a difficult discussion between parents and children.--Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

It's spring 1981, and Ollie, 12, is trying her best to keep her sculptor mother's latest depressive episode a secret. Her mom hasn't gotten out of bed since a week after Ollie's art restorer father fled mysteriously to France in the middle of the night, leaving behind a cryptic note for Ollie alone. The cautious girl declines to share either piece of information with the sympathetic grown-ups in her life, including her father's business partner, the dependable Apollo, who teaches her about mixing pigments--and with whom her father quarreled about an enigmatic wooden statue before he left. Ollie herself is an observant and talented sketch artist, and her creative sensibility shines through in Murphy's spot illustrations and the lovely first-person narrative (a building is said to be "wearing its own fire escape like the hard jewelry on the girls outside the bars on St. Mark's Place"). Tucker skillfully balances themes of mental illness, friendship, and creativity under tough circumstances in her memorable debut. The vibrant, eccentric characters are authentic, the early-1980s SoHo setting is clearly wrought (rich with descriptive details such as fad diets and artist-in-residence lofts), and the Konigsburg-tinged art mystery satisfies. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group. (June)