In 1953, young Octobia May lives with her aunt Shuma who runs a boardinghouse, and she's convinced that Mr. Davenport, far from being the reliable boarder and war hero he appears to be, is actually a vampire. Her friend Jonah's mother thinks she's been allowed to get above her place as a young Black (the word of the time would be "colored") girl, and she has far too good of an imagination. But Octobia May already died once and she's come back strong, determined to make her way in the world.

I particularly like the narrator of the audiobook, Bahni Turpin, who does a fabulous job with a variety of characters, from young Octobia to an Irish cop. The story itself is sometimes episodic but also has this mystery of Mr. Davenport threaded throughout, which made it include an awful lot and became hard for me to follow on audio. There are details I picked up on early as an adult that wouldn't have been so obvious to a young reader, such as "passing." Other times, I recognize I would've liked it better reading it as a child - the ending is completely over the top and I couldn't quite shut off my analytical brain and just enjoy the adventure. ( )

e-audio (hoopla, 6+ hours) Children's middlegrade historical fiction - action-packed mystery/adventure with spunky 10/11 y.o Black protagonist, set in 1950s.

this was recommended by the Novelist service for fans of Harriet the Spy and it does not disappoint. ( )

Good audiobook, likeable and bold main character, a bit weird on the story side. The mystery kind of flip flopped around, but this could be a good fit for someone who wants a decisive (though occasionally mistaken) heroine. ( )

Natasha read it and loved it and passed it on to me. And I'm glad she did. It took me a little while to get used to Octobia's voice: her sentences are often short, and given her fantastic imagination it can sometimes be a challenge to figure out what she's saying. But those are smallish quibbles about a fantastic book. Octobia is living in her aunt's boarding house where she is allowed rather more freedom than her own parents are willing to give her after a catastrophic heart problem. She is immersed in Nancy Drew and the aftermath of WWII, and caught up in the struggles for rights for colored people and women. On top of that, she's trying to solve the mystery of the man upstairs who doesn't sleep at night and may be a vampire.

The entire cast is struggling against stereotypes and discrimination of various kinds, and most are also dealing with the traumas suffered during the war. There is a lot going on here, but the reader doesn't have to take it all on board: the book works well as a conventional sort of intrepid child story, in which villains are unmasked.

Highly recommended to both the middle school audience and to older readers who will enjoy the realistic portrayal of the 50s.

Library copy. ( )

Octobia May is a 10-year old black girl living in post World War ll Pittsburg. She lives with her Aunt Shuma in a boarding house full of a variety of boarders. From the beginning she is convinced that Mr. Davenport, one of the most recent, very mysterious boarders, is a vampire. She cannot help spying on him and opening up the can of secret worms he is hiding.

Octobia May reminds me much of Bud, Not Buddy, with his imaginative adventures and his quest to discover his true identity. This is a story of much more than the mystery Octobia May uncovers; it is also the story of self-discovery. Octobia May never falters in her own belief of herself, and she helps others along the way realize that who she is is just who she is meant to be. ( )