Robbie Forester and the Outlaws of Sherwood St.

Gr 6–8—Seventh-grader Robbie (Robyn) lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with her novelist father, lawyer mom, and endearing mutt, Pendleton. When she accidentally acquires a homeless woman's charm bracelet, she discovers it's a catalyst for magical powers that engage only when justice is being denied. She and three friends—Ashanti, aloof rival on Robbie's private-school basketball team; Tut-Tut, a stutter-afflicted Haitian immigrant from her old public school; and Silas, a homeschooled programmer/hacker—use their unique capabilities to uncover and thwart an evil real estate developer pushing small businesses and social services out of the borough. While Robbie, her parents, and Ashanti are fully realized characters, others are stereotypes. Abrahams's strength lies in creating honest human interactions—Robbie's with her parents; her parents with each other; Tut-Tut, Aisha, and Robbie together—and the story weakens when attention shifts to the bracelet's magic and James-Bond-style plots and escapes. Robbie's well-drawn, nuanced relationship with her father fades as the narrative fills with (albeit exciting and sharply detailed) computer hacking, arson, and yacht trespassing at midnight. The powers are fun—Robbie's eyes shoot lasers and she can perform super-feats; Ashanti can float in midair—though Tut-Tut's power, to speak eloquently, is the most interesting, and the least utilized. The story takes on weighty social issues: private vs. public schooling, harsh immigrant experiences, and the dark side of gentrification. There's enough variety here to appeal to a wide range of readers, many of whom will want to follow the intrepid heroine into an inevitable sequel.—Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA