August 2023

How well do you really know your neighbors? You will be thinking about that as you read about the affluent Alton Road neighborhood where THE BLOCK PARTY is set. When the book opens, it’s the day in May when the annual summer block party happens. Yes, people are gathering for fun, but immediately tensions start riding high. And then, just as a shot is fired and things start to get out of control, author Jamie Day shifts the action to a year earlier on Alton Road.

And poof! Whatever happened that day of the block party is well into the future. Whew! But then we start to see where these tensions may have come from. As we move from one scenario to the next as the seasons progress, there will be lots of intrigue and drama among both the adults and the younger folks. By the time readers are through a year, they will note many people who could have been the recipient of that fired shot. Few are safe, most have reasons to have fired that shot, and not all have alibis.

The story is told through the eyes of a mother, Alex, and her daughter, Lettie. Their different points of view work so well. It’s a brisk summer read, and we will understand how you might be observing your neighbors a bit more closely as you finish reading it.