Stoop Sale Treasure (Hand-Me-Down Magic #1)

Haydu, Corey Ann. Stoop Sale Treasure (Hand-Me-Down Magic #1)
January 7th 2020 by Katherine Tegen Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Alma has moved to Chicago from a small town on a lake. She is now near her extended family, living in a building with her abuelita's second hand shop on the first floor and relatives in all of the apartments. She's glad to see her cousin Del and loves the neighborhood, but still misses home. After a neighborhood stoop sale where Del gets a pair of sparkly earrings, she thinks that they are bringing her magical good luck. Feeling left out of the talk of magic and other inside references, Alma feels left out, and ends up taking her cousin's earrings and putting them on a stone lion. She quickly regrets her decision, but when she goes to retrieve them, the earrings are gone. Del feels that her luck is as well. Alma confesses, and the two search for the earrings, finally uncovering them.
Strengths: I love books with a strong sense of place, and in this case, a Chicago neighborhood with a vibrant culture almost made me want to live in a city. Second hand shops are also great, and the strong extended family will appeal to both children who have a lot of cousins and to those who wish they had some. The sadness Alma feels is realistic, and stealing the earrings is one of those things that elementary age children sometimes do-- it feels like a good idea at the time, but they know better and soon regret their actions.
Weaknesses: I was hoping this would be move like Ruth Chew's Everyday Magic series, but there's no actual magic.
What I really think: This was a charming book, but falls into the beginning chapter book range. I bought a lot of those last year, and don't have that many readers who need them this year. I would definitely purchase for elementary school, but need more YA this year.