Book Review: Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan

Book: Evie Brooks is Marooned in Manhattan (Evie Brooks book #1) by Sheila Agnew

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

New York City. Evie Brooks has seen it on the TV, but she never imagined herself living there. But when her mother dies, Evie finds herself leaving her home in Dublin and moving to Manhattan to visit with her American uncle for the summer. Never having owned a pet more substantial than a goldfish, twelve-year-old Evie is intrigued by Uncle Scott’s veterinary practice, and before long is working as an assistant in the clinic. Soon she finds herself immersed in dogs galore, parrots, reptiles, and an assortment of other creatures and their eccentric owners. And she loves it. Manhattan would be just about perfect if it weren’t for Uncle Scott’s lawyer girlfriend, who has plans for him that do not involve Evie. Before the summer is over, Evie has an important decision to make: stay in New York and confront the problem of Scott’s girlfriend or return to Ireland to live with her godmother.


Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Evie Books is Marooned in Manhattan is a wonderful story that follows 12 years old Evangeline "Evie" Brooks as she found herself in another country, well at least temporarily (which is how she saw it) following the death of her mother. Her Uncle Scott who is American (and also Evie's legal guardian) made her a wager, if she came to New York City and stayed for the summer, she could go back to Ireland if she still wanted to in September and stay with her godmother Janet. Evie thought it was too good to be true but she eventually took her uncle up on the offer.

Her uncle is a veterinarian and it wasn't long before Evie was helping out at his office. She also assisted another doctor that worked there, Joanna. She spent a lot of time with her uncle's adorable and affectionate dog Ben.

Being in America was still an adjustment for her but she was starting to make new friends. She met an older boy Finn (who I believe she has a little crush on), he came to her rescue after she tried to stop three older kids from torturing a little turtle. Later on, she met Kylie and Greg who were both the same age as her. Kylie is the daughter of Joanna's best friend Rachel and Greg is Finn's younger brother.

Everything seemed to be working out well for Evie even if she was reluctant to admit it. She was really enjoying being in the city and spending time with her uncle and her friends Kylie and Greg. However, there was one little storm cloud that wouldn't go away, it was her uncle's girlfriend Leela. Scott seemed totally unaware that Leela regarded Evie as a nuisance. She hoped Evie would return back to Ireland at the end of the summer. And she had ever intention of making sure that happened.

This was very well written and it made me laugh but it also made me cry. I love when a story can bring out such emotion. It's a touching story with Evie trying to deal with her grief but at the same time trying her best not to. I love seeing the liveliness of the city through Evie's eyes. She couldn't help comparing her life in Dublin to her time in New York. There were a lot of fun moments with Evie and her friends but surprisingly there was a daring escape scene written in that added quite a bit of suspense to the story.

What I like is that this story didn't skip over the sad moments, the story dealt with loss in many forms such as the death of Evie's mom, death of a pet, etc.. I think sometimes it may be hard for kids to communicate their feelings about death. This story doesn't try to tell or show kids the "appropriate" way react to it. Especially since there is no right or wrong way to deal with it, I like that Evie came to terms with her feelings in her own time.

This story shows Evie's life transitioning as she tries to decide if she will be going back to Ireland or taking the chance for a new experience living in New York with her uncle. This ends with a cliffhanger although it had nothing to do with her decision. Someone showed up who may either add to her new found joy or ruin it. I guess I will have to read the second book to see what will happen next.