August 16, 2021
It’s 1987 in Venice, Calif., and 10-year-old Beatrice “Bug” Contreras, who is of Salvadoran descent, is certain that her summer has been ruined when her older brother Dannysuddenly insists on being called Daniel and needs space from Bug and their beach-going routine. Stuck at home with their downstairs landlady and their upstairs neighbor Phillip’s nephew Frankie, a white 11-year-old visiting from Ohio, Bug is at first reluctant to befriend the newcomer. But the mystery of the Midnight Marauder, a serial killer at large in their community, draws them together as they create a map to root out the murderer. Their focus shifts, however, when Phillip is physically attacked and the details of the incident don’t add up. During a summer of change and big realizations, Bug learns vital and sometimes painful lessons about the power of embracing her true self and meeting people where they are. Forman (We Are Inevitable) tenderly depicts a girl whose understanding—of identity, sexuality, and prejudice—is rapidly expanding, and whose chosen family provides a safe, loving space in which to navigate her experiences and learn to show up as an ally. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret.
Starred review from February 1, 2022
Gr 4-7-It's the start of the summer of 1989 and 10-year-old Bug feels like life is unfair. Her older brother Danny is pulling away and says he needs space, leaving her with nobody to take her to the nearby beach in Venice, CA. When their upstairs neighbor Philip's nephew, Frankie, arrives from Ohio, it doesn't seem that there might be any connection between the two, but when a serial killer, called the Midnight Marauder, catches their interest, it's the beginning of a summer of adventure, an unusual friendship, and Bug learning more than she could have ever imagined about life. She discovers that family doesn't always have to be limited to blood relatives and that some people can be good and mean at the same time. The scene where Bug learns that Frankie is transgender is both funny and poignant, words that sum up many events in the book. Bug is refreshingly innocent and open-minded, wearing her heart on her sleeve, but she realizes there are times when keeping her thoughts to herself is the wisest course. The audio is read by Stockard Channing. VERDICT An excellent look at life and coming of age in the late 1980s and a solid choice for school and public library collections.-John R. Clark
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