The Girl Is Trouble
Gr 7-10-This sequel to The Girl Is Murder (Roaring Brook, 2011) finds Iris Anderson, a New York City teen circa 1942, both willing and unwilling to investigate her mother's death. It helps that her father and uncle work as private investigators, because from them she has learned things like how to pick locks. But when a safe left open accidentally reveals photographs of her mother that tell a different story from what the newspapers reported, Iris must confront truths and lies in her own Jewish family. She is plausibly misled by immature impressions of adults, which slow the plot down somewhat but are not distracting. Iris and Pearl build and test their friendship as other kids at their elite private school question their bond because Pearl is unpopular. Iris also gets close to an Italian working-class boy and school misfit, who may or may not become a love interest. These teens spy on one another, adding a layer of interest that draws readers in to more serious issues, such as anti-Semitism. The historical setting gives Iris's probing a certain edge; readers want to know what happened to her mom, but they'll need to understand the bigger picture of how Germans and Americans perceived one another leading up to and during the World War II. Pop is appealing as both a respectful father and grieving husband, but will he stay alive long enough to be there for his daughter? This absorbing novel works on three levels-as the story of the relationship between a daughter and parent, as a drama among teen peers, and as historical fiction.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City,  NYα(c) Copyright 2011.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.