Saturday Morning Cartoons- Meet Me On Mercer Street

Vivat, Booki. Meet Me On Mercer Street

April 2, 2024 by Scholastic Press

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
 

Soon-to-be sixth grader Kacie Sitthiwat lives in the city on Mercer Street, where her parents work very hard at their business, Smiley's Cleaners. Kacie is very fond of drawing, and spends a lot of her time chronicling her life in a series of notebook sketches. In an uncharacteristic move, she was sent away "on vacation", living with relatives for the summer, and so has not been in touch with her best friend, Nisha Khanna, whose father has a grocery store down the street. When she returns home, she finds that the grocery store is shut down for renovations, and she still hasn't heard from Nisha. She knows that her friend was upset before Kacie left, and looks around the neighborhood to find her. Before long, she realizes that a new boy who has been skateboarding around (and getting in some trouble) is now living in the Khanna's apartment. She and Danny explore the street, checking out the community garden, talking to the "bench grandpas", and having paletas at the local shop, but still can't figure out what has happened to Nisha. Kacie's parents seem stressed, but tell her it's nothing to worry about, but Kacie can tell that things are changing in her neighborhood. The Khanna's shop reopens... but as a $mart store, where Kacie is definitely not welcomed. There is talk of shutting down the community garden, and there are men in suits wandering around the area, which is never a good sign. When Kacie runs into her parents as they are coming out of the bank, she finally learns that things are very hard. Rents are going up, stores are closing, and even Smiley's might be in danger. Kacie uses her artistic abilities to try to help her family's business as well as to help another local artist cover up some graffiti. She also writes a letter to Nisha, having asked the local mail carrier for help in finding her friend. As the neighborhood pulls together, will Kacie be able to come to terms with the changes in her world? 

Strengths: Vivat's Frazzled (2016) series is very popular with my students, and Mercer Street looks like the pages will be in full color! Since I don't like the smell of that much ink (or the cost!), I wish it were in black and white, but my students would much prefer color. This is a highly illustrated novel, like Pichon's Tom Gates, and the illustration style is very appealing. Mercer Street definitely comes alive in the illustrations. I liked that she was able to go out on her own and explore, along with Danny. This will be a popular choice with both elementary and middle grade readers, so I will definitely buy a copy. 
Weaknesses: Change is hard for middle grade readers, but also inevitable. I wish there were  more books about dealing positively with change rather than railing against it. Also, I think it's time to stop comparing books to Harriet the Spy (1964), which is older than I am, and not all that applicable in this case. (The publisher describes this book as "Harriet the Spy meets Front Desk".) It also seemed unlikely that Kacie would have no idea where her friend went,  but it makes for a bit of mystery. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like reading about fighting gentrification and have enjoyed Giles' Take Back the Block, Watson's This Side of Home, Dilloway's Five Things About Ava Andrews, Nelson's Umbrella House, Negron's Underdog City, Broaddus' Unfadeable, or Cartaya's The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora.