A NEW ARRIVAL

The Sprout Street neighborhood is shaken up by the arrival of a new resident.

Mili, short for Mililani, has just moved from Hawaii to Sprout Street. Mili is excited to move into the long-vacant apartment 2B and is eager to meet her new neighbors, but there are a few bumps to her transition. Violet is a little nervous because Mili might be more of an artist than she is. Emma wants to be Mili’s friend but realizes that Mili enjoys “me time.” Henry is worried when the neighborhood needs to decide whether to change the color of their building or not, and he finds himself on the other side of the color argument from Mili. And so it goes until all the neighbors realize that they can be themselves and be friendly with Mili at the same time. In the final chapter, Mili has some second thoughts about moving to the wintry climate. She indulges in a little self-pity but comes around when her friends have a New Year’s party, Hawaii-style. The six illustrated chapters are at just the right level for new readers looking for a little bit of a challenge. Alter is beginning to flesh out her animal characters in this second installation, so readers of the first book will enjoy finding out how they change and develop.

Good friends and familiar situations will make readers feel at home in this second volume of the series.