THE EVERYDAY ADVENTURES OF FERNSNICKLE HOOVES

A tween lives with her grandmother in an over-55 community in Depner’s middle-grade series starter.

Ten-year-old Fernsnickle Hooves does her best to keep herself hidden in the strict retirement community where she lives with her grandmother, Rose. Fernsnickle has lived with Rose since she was a baby; her parents left her there when they had nowhere to live; their experience of homelessness, Fernsnickle explains, was the perfect cover for their day jobs as CIA agents. She keeps out of sight of the neighbors, who are known for enforcing the community’s rules, which don’t allow anyone younger than 55 to live there. Rose smuggles her to school each day in a bike trailer, using their dog as cover. When sightless Mr. Huckleberry moves into a nearby unit, Fernsnickle assumes that she won’t have to hide from him, but when Mr. Huckleberry drops off an invitation for her and her grandmother to have dinner with him, it’s clear that he knows that Rose has a housemate. After considering their options, they venture out and discover that Mr. Huckleberry is also harboring an underage resident: his grandson. A friendship between the two families develops, and Rose and Mr. Huckleberry collaborate to keep their grandchildren from community leaders’ notice. But tragedy strikes when the four take a vacation to the Grand Canyon, and Fernsnickle has to rely on Rose’s contingency plans. The book’s premise is an engaging one, and Fernsnickle and Rose have an affectionate but not overly sentimental relationship. Some of the girl’s all-caps linguistic habits (“NOBODY, SNOWBODY, FOEBODY”; “SUPER, DUPER, ASTALAPOOPER”) may wear on the reader over the course of the book. However, her blend of innocence and independence is compelling. At times, Depner’s approach is notably thoughtful, as when Fernsnickle describes how her parents and others deal with being houseless. That said, the book often stretches the bounds of plausibility, particularly regarding Rose’s fate, in ways that young readers may accept but others may find grating. The conclusion makes it clear that there are more adventures in Fernsnickle’s future.

An often engaging but unevenly executed story of a girl in hiding.