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 eccentric widow of a famous British rocker who died of an overdose, and two of her children, Hamish and Deen. The third and eldest is the princess in the tower of this story; she is confined to a mental institution upstate.
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 southern gentleman with a staff with nearly magical powers moves into the house next door and befriends them. A noble homeless man with a cat, a remarkable housekeeper with a son who joins the two children next door in adventures, and a series of urban ogres and witches round out the cast.
Life is not easy, but the children, especially, are resourceful. The book is a modern-day fairy tale set in Greenwich Village, where the author creates a vivid portrayal of the characters. Kernan even provides the requisite happy ending, though one a bit chipped around the edges. This was a very entertaining and mostly lighthearted story that will keep you reading.
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