Book Review: The Queen of Ocean Parkway by Sarvenaz Tash
The Details
Media Type: Audiobook
Title: The Queen of Ocean Parkway
Author(s): Sarvenaz Tash
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages/Length: 240 pages, Hardcover
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Source: NetGalley
Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
An 11-year-old podcaster-turned-sleuth teams up with the new kid in the building to find their missing neighbor! A captivating adventure perfect for fans of When You Reach Me and Only Murders in the Building.
Eleven-year-old Roya is the superintendent’s kid in her regal Brooklyn apartment building, so she knows pretty much everything there is to know about its residents. An aspiring reporter, she even hosts a secret podcast about the lives of the building’s tenants. It’s a good distraction from the problems in her own life.
But when Katya Petrov, one of her favorite tenants, goes missing, Roya discovers an eerie connection to Grandmother’s Predictions, an antique fortune-telling machine at Coney Island. “Grandmother” has been linked to multiple disappearances in the Petrov family over the last century. Now, with the help of a new friend who’s just moved in, it’s up to Roya to make her own headlines as she searches for Katya and attempts to break the Petrov curse once and for all.
The Review
The Queen of Ocean Parkway made its way onto my reading list because of the gorgeous cover, and wow am I glad that it did. What a sweet, smart and honestly fun middle grade mystery! We meet Roya, the daughter of the superintendent of the apartment they live in. Her life is full of interesting interactions with neighbors, responsibilities, and a hobby podcast that she’s very invested in. See, Roya solves any mystery that comes her way in her building. Who stole a package? Don’t worry, Roya’s on the case! When Roya overhears some of her neighbors discussing a family curse, she’s immediately intrigued. What she uncovers is a much deeper mystery than she ever expected.
Honestly I absolutely loved all the characters in this story. I really connected with Roya, as the eldest sibling of my family. Watching her take on chores, emotional burdens, and just basically sometimes have to raise herself really hit home. However, I loved that Tash also showed what a good mother Roya had. Always giving her just enough freedom to learn independence, but taking care to keep her safe as well. The plot deals with ill parents, complicated family relationships, and even food aversion in ways that are perfect for middle grade readers. I see a lot to love here.
As for the storyline itself, the time traveling mystery aspect of this book was a ton of fun. The reader finds out that when a Petrov daughter visits a specific fortune machine on a certain date, they get an influx of cash into their account. However, they also disappear. Sounds intriguing, no? Oh, you would be right! What follows is a romp back and forth in time, as Roya and her companions do their best to figure out what happened to Katya, and whether they can get her to come back. The skips in time were done so well, and the little details about each time jump made all the difference.
Long story short, I really enjoyed this read! I’d give it a solid 4-star rating as the older reader that I am now, but younger me would have probably danced for joy over this story. It’s nice to give that version of me something to savor. I hope that there’s more coming!
