The pacing was off for me - there were some boring stretches in the new neighborhood and then all of a sudden all this gang activity. There wasn't enough character development for me and I felt like the characters made decisions that didn't make a lot of sense. I couldn't buy that Livvy's parents would let a bunch of people live in their empty houses - that has to be a liability. ( )

A realistic, engaging story with some nice touches of humor. Good portrait of a family and community coping with economic hardship and the many problems that accompany it. ( )