The Ballad of West Tenth Street — Marjorie Kernan

Once upon a time in Manhattan . . .

. . . there stood a pair of fine old brick townhouses on West Tenth Street. One had a blue door with a tarnished brass knocker in the shape of a dolphin. The other was empty. Behind the blue door lived Sadie, the widow of a famous British rocker who died of an overdose, and two of her children, Hamish and Deen.

The children manage to muddle along as best they can with a loving but distracted mother. But their whole world changes when the house next door gets a new owner--a mysterious Southerner who quickly endears himself to his new neighbors, taking them--and their friends--under his protective wing. In doing so, he transforms everything.

Magical, lively, lovely, and unique, The Ballad of West Tenth Street is a contemporary urban fairy tale that delightfully reimagines real life.