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.

I've only been to New York a few times but I'm always impressed with the people and the mood. What makes this story particularly wonderful is how The Umbrella House is based on a real house and shows the amazing sense of community and belonging in the neighborhood.
The young protagonist is also wonderful and we get to see her resilience and intelligence as she learns about her home and works to save it. Her relationship with her friend Scout shows how conflicted they could be about leaving their home, even for great opportunity.
Thanks to NetGalley, I got to listen to the audiobook. The narrator portrayed the young girl brilliantly.