THE REHEARSAL CLUB

New York City’s Rehearsal Club is the setting for a tale spanning 70 years.

In the present day, 12-year-old white-presenting Paloma Gallagher is new to the city, moving with her librarian parents from Arizona to be near her half sister, Naomi, an aspiring actor and resident of the boardinghouse. Pal is an impulsive jokester, often shy in new situations and longing for a tighter relationship with 19-year-old Naomi. Her voice volleys between bravado and fear as she has grand ideas with often disastrous outcomes. Along the way she finds a quirky and diverse set of friends and co-conspirators and develops some insights into her own feelings. Amid the third-person narration focusing on Pal, readers will find strategic and informative chapters narrated by Olive, a resident of the club in 1954, whose roommate Posy’s larger-than-life personality becomes the focal point of the drama in both eras (both women are white). When Pal finds intriguing hidden material connected to Posy, it leads her and her friends to follow clues to solve mysteries within mysteries with twists and turns galore—and even confront a threat to the club itself. Readers who pay close attention to small details will enjoy the reveals. Theatrical New York City appears as an important character in the work; the authors’ descriptions of its sights, sounds, and people add much to the tale. Readers will cheer for Pal and sigh with relief at the satisfying outcomes.

Inventive, humorous, and delightful.