ELLA JOSEPHINE

In this brisk follow-up to The Apartment House on Poppy Hill (2023), a young girl aspires to be a good neighbor.

Nine-year-old Ella Josephine Norwood, who lives with her two moms in a pink apartment building, discovers a hidden, empty room on the premises. Earlier, neighbor Cleo had wistfully confided that she’d like to open a record shop. Ella—whose own ambition is to be the building’s “Resident in Charge”—decides to convene and preside over a tenants’ meeting so everyone can choose how to use the space. With her moms’ assistance, invitations go out; neighbors attend. Everyone contributes ideas about how to use the room. No one agrees on what’s best, but after considering all suggestions, Ella determines that the ideas reflect the emptiness in the tenants’ own lives. But together, they all reach compromises and find solutions to make everyone happy. (This, from a 9-year-old without a psychology degree.) All comes to a satisfying and festive ending, and everyone agrees Ella will always be Resident in Charge. Young readers will delight in Ella’s portrayal: She’s a smart, feisty, competent child with an adult sensibility who’s accustomed to putting things right. Cheery black-and-white illustrations throughout depict residents who are diverse in terms of age and race; Ella and her moms are pale-skinned.

Fans of this community-minded series will gladly return for another visit.