The Umbrella House is a charming and original story centered around a colorful apartment building adorned with umbrellas. At the heart of the tale is Roxy, a spirited middle schooler with a big heart and an even bigger mission: to rally her community and save their beloved home from a looming real estate takeover. Colleen Nelson beautifully captures the themes of friendship, activism, and the power of community in this delightful middle-grade read.
Megan Gage, as the narrator, does a fantastic job bringing Roxy to life—capturing her determination, warmth, and youthful energy in a way that makes the story even more engaging and heartfelt.

** Thank you NetGalley, The Audio Agency, and Colleen Nelson for a digital auto book of “The Umbrella House”.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-audio version of this title in exchange for my review.

This is a wonderful middle grades books. This one tackles the topics of gentrification while also exploring common themes of changing friendships, tough life choices and determination. IF this book had been available when my kids were in this age range, I would have bought it without a second though. IT's a great story and kept me interested as well as weaving together topics that don't get discussed in kids books often.

4 stars - 100% recommend to families with younger kids.

Such a sweet and thoughtful book. Roxy and Scout are spunky kids who are trying to save their home. It's a wonderful insight into the harm gentrification can cause and how everyone can fight back, young or old, if we all stand together. It's encouraging, thoughtful and well written. The narration is also very well done and Megan Gage does a great job bringing the characters to life.

This was a really lovely story about sticking together and standing for what's right.

The topic itself could seem a bit boring at first for children/teens but it was written in an interesting way and explained everything in a not too difficult way. It's also about friendship and family bonds. The story was easy to follow and had the perfect length. It neither felt too short or too long. It also had a cozy vibe to it.

The narrator also did an amazing job in voicing the story. Megan Gage brought not only the story to life but also gave all of the characters their own moment.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pajama Press for this Audio-Arc.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Pajama Press in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Umbrella House is a story about friendship, community, activism, and so much more. Roxy and Scout are best friends who grew up in The Umbrella House in the East Village of NYC. The Umbrella House has quite the past and represents the hard-working tenants from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. The neighborhood is being bought up by developers and Roxy, Scout, and the other tenants of The Umbrella House rally together to save their home.

This book provides a great introduction into the pros and cons of gentrification. It also stands as a great example of ways to get involved in your community regardless of your age.

Colleen Nelson did a great job of painting a picture of the things that make NYC unique. A peek into a busy city, with unique housing situations and co-ops, and showcasing a potpourri of individuals both young and old. There is mystery as they hunt to figure out who is the Midnight Muralist.

The coolest part of the book for me was finding out that The Umbrella House is an actual place in NYC. This would be a great book to inspire students and readers to pick a topic they are passionate about and finding a way to share that passion with the community.

Love loved this one! Great perspectives on gentrification, friendship and people not always being what you expect them to be -- this is a lovely read (listen -- the narrator does a great job capturing the young voice) and I will add to my classroom library and recommend.

The Umbrella House is a beautifully written middle-grade novel about 2 kids trying to save their apartment home. I loved the themes of friendship & empathy along with community working together.

Roxie and Scout are a content-creating team. With Roxie using her research and reporting skills and Scout holding the camera and doing the editing, they're almost sure they can't lose the upcoming Veracity kids' video competition. But in the meantime, they learn that their apartment building, Umbrella House, is being targeted by developers who are trying to abolish its rights as a co-op for former squatters. The two kids hope that their news stories and some local art movements will be enough to save their community, but it looks less hopeful when Scout announces that he's thinking of going away to a photography camp all summer.

This book has a lot of moving parts, but it worked together to create something pretty compelling. Personally, I might have taken out Scout's arc, but it adds a certain balance to the book and helps create multiple points of tension as Roxie tries to figure out whether she's good enough at reporting. There's a lot of history tucked into this short book, and it was fun to think about the many artists of various sorts who have made a difference by sharing truth in an aesthetic way. I admit I was looking for something a little more magical after I saw the cover art on this book, but I'm not disappointed, and that art really is beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Read this week and it was a wonderful for 3rd-7th graders. The story follows Roxy and Scout as they along with her neighbors and Roxy’s grandmother try and save their building from being bought. There was a little mystery as Roxy tries to find out the identity of the Midnight Muralist. As a teacher I think this would be a good book to discuss how a community can be changed by gentrification as well as how a community can come together for their neighborhood.

You should read this book if...you are looking for a heartwarming story that explains gentrification in a way children can understand!

Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary Fiction
POV: First Person
Setting: East Village, New York City, New York

Synopsis: Middle-schooler and Youtuber Roxy Markowski dreams of being able to tell powerful stories like her idol at Veracity News, Evelyn Pauls. to tell the truth fearlessly and powerfully, just like her idols at Veracity News. When Veracity News announces a Young Voices video contest, she and her best friend, Scout decide to enter, but first they need a worthy story. One comes unexpectedly when the only home she’s ever known, Umbrella House, is threatened by a real-estate mogul. This gives her a chance to not only make a name for herself in the competition, but also to try to save the place she loves by showcasing the art, love, and beauty of the people who inhabit Umbrella house. Will she be able to bring awareness to her dilemma and save her home? And could the key to achieving this be found in the identity Midnight Muralist, an artist who became famous years before Roxy was ever born?

My Review: This story is not only inspiring and educational, it’s also fun to read! Gentrification can be a difficult subject for children and teenagers to understand, and this story did a phenomenal job of explaining and demonstrating it in a way that makes sense. Roxy is a relatable character to a lot of young people. She has ambition, but she also has her own personal history and problems she has to work through.

The representation in this book was really nice to see as well. It’s so important for kids (and adults) to see families like theirs represented in various forms of media. Many people have been raised by their grandmothers, like Roxy. A lot of people have two moms like her best friend, Scout. That representation made me love this story even more.

I listened to the audiobook for this story, and I really liked it. The narrator read at a natural pace and did a great job with inflection and giving each character their own voice. I absolutely recommend this one for someone who wants something to listen to with their kids on a roadtrip or wants an impactful but lighthearted read for themselves.

This audiobook was narrated beautifully. It had its readers in mind in the creation of voices for all the characters and other audio features to bring the book to life.

I consumed this book in one listening. Colleen Nelson always writes incredible young adult books that talk about big issues in a way that kids can understand. As I was listening, I kept thinking about all the curricular expectations that would be met by using this book as a mentor text within my classroom.

The Umbrella house comes to life through its history and characters. It’s proof of how important spoken word is to history. Together, young and old come to work as one to fight against gentrification. By supporting and giving youth the freedom to learn and voice their opinions, they are able to solve unknown mysteries which may help in saving their building and those around them.

I look forward to sharing this book with others!

This is a heartwarming, modern day retelling of David and Goliath. This is a fun fast read that does a great job showing our youth their voice does matter. That they can make a difference. I also loved the epilogue where the author discusses that this story was based off of a real place and getting to learn about what umbrella houses were. I also love the art themes discussed. I also must commend the narrator for doing such an amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life. I highly recommend this read to everyone, no matter your age. This is truly a great, moving story.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ALC of this book

(My review will be me looking at this from the perspective of the children I know and how they would like a story like this, for I know this kind of book is not for someone of my age - even though I do enjoy reading middle grade)

Listening to the audiobook was a fun time with the narrators doing a really good job, and this story is one full of Hope and standing up for what u think is right as well as showing how important community is and how it's not just people it's a form of family.

The hope and love we see are nicely done and is a great message for children 😊

This is a book I will be telling my friend about for her children.

Based on an actual building, The Umbrella House is a symbol for the resilience and can-do attitude of New Yorkers. A lot happens in this book, but the way it unfolds initially is pretty anticlimactic. Roxie and her best friend Scout are interested in winning a contest by creating a documentary about Umbrella House, an abandoned building that was renovated and claimed by squatters who are now the residents. Roxie seeks to learn more about her father through his sketchbook, but uncovers the fact that her grandmother was the "midnight muralist" creating graffiti murals in the neighborhood.

Soon her familiar summer plans get shaken up by the fact that her best friend Scout may be leaving for a photography camp, and her grandmother's building is in jeopardy because of the way it was acquired. Suddenly the documentary becomes an important way to portray the history, diversity, and eclectic nature of Umbrella House as they fight in court against gentrification.

There are a lot of unique topics and the children get the chance to be advocates and fight for something they believe in. I don't know that the tweens and teens in rural Illinois would find a lot to relate to in this book, but it would be a good window to look at life as a city kid.

What a sweet book.

This is what I’m looking for in an audiobook! Megan Gage’s wonderful voice brought the characters to life that Colleen Nelson so descriptively created.

There are some important topics in this book that are touched on in an age-appropriate matter — economic hardship, gentrification, jealousy, losing gracefully & what makes a safe secret.

I cannot wait to read this with my older kids!

I loved this book. The characters felt real and I loved that they were fighting for something real. I know the outcome was not the same for many neighborhoods and apartment buildings, but I love the happy ending in this one.

Very uplifting, suspenseful, fun junior high read. Ruby and her friend Scout try to save their home, Umbrella House, from being bought and destroyed by a real estate mogul. Ruby combines trying to save her home with a video competition that will bring her closer to her lifelong dream of being a news reporter. In addition to attending city council meetings, interviewing and making videos of the residents of Umbrella House, Ruby and Scout are trying to locate the mysterious Midnight Muralist. The artist who, long ago, painted murals on the outside of other buildings in the area and whose murals are saving those buildings from destruction.

The Umbrella House was a perfect Grade 6-8 novel/audiobook. I think that middle schoolers would enjoy the production of the audiobook in the classroom or not. The novel deals with the social justice issue of gentrification. There are many issues that could be explored, debated and challenged by those reading/listening to this novel. I loved the strong bonds between the FMC and her grandmother and best friend it really added depth to the story.

Thank you Net Galley, Colleen Nelson and The Audio Legacy for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
The Umbrella House is now available.

I was able to get an advanced copy of the audiobook. The narrator read this perfectly! A cute story about two kids learning about the history of the building they grew up in and the gentrification going on around them.

Thank you so much to Pajama Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC (advanced reader copy) of this book. The following review is my honest opinion.

In this middle grade fiction novel, we follow Roxy from New York City. She finds out about a ‘Young Voices Video Competiton’, which she is determined to win with the help of her best friend Scout. While he is carrying a secret, Roxy is trying to find out who the Midnight Muralist is and how to stop the residents of umbrella house from being victims of gentrification.

First of all, I loved the found family and tight-knit community aspect in this book. Almost all characters seemed to have some sort of depth to them. Roxy often shows introspective thinking, which I prefer to emotionally underdeveloped main characters. I also liked how the author includes difficult topics such as gentrification. This could serve as a good educational point and leaves room for discussion.

The narrator did a very good job of depicting the main character. It was a very pleasant experience listening to this audiobook.