The Harlem Charade
Author: Natasha Tarpley
Pages: 297
ISBN: 1536681474
Recommended for ages 10-16
Harlem is a beautiful community with people from all backgrounds. Jin spends most of her time either at school or helping her grandparents in their bodega. Alex spends her time helping people in the neighborhood to make up for the fact that her wealthy parents seem to ignore those less fortunate. Elvin has spent the last few days scared and living on the streets after his grandfather's mysterious attack left him homeless.
Big changes are in the works for the Harlem community and not everyone is excited about them. A politican is trying to push a theme park, Harlem World, on the community and it results in some historical sites in Harlem closing. When a painting from a lost famous artist is found, it starts a series of events that lead Jin, Alex and Elvin on a harrowing adventure to find the rest of her paintings. These paintings could be the key to save Harlem! Jin finds the adventure she has been craving, Alex finds a way to help her community, and Elvin gets the learn about his grandfather's past. Will they find them in time to save Harlem?
I listened to the audio version of this book and loved the narration. This book is on the 2018-2019 Texas Bluebonnet Reading List (for elementary students) and while I enjoyed the book, I think it would have been more successful on the Texas Lonestar Reading list (for middle school students). I thought the plot was good and the setting of Harlem was beautiful. I loved hearing about all the art and history of Harlem. However, I don't think the story is something that will hold the attention of an 8 or 9 year old.
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