In Colleen Nelson’s latest middle grade novel, readers follow aspiring journalist Ruby Markowski and her best friend, Scout Chang-Poulin, as they fight against gentrification in their beloved New York City neighbourhood.

Since the death of her father at a very young age, Ruby has been raised by her paternal grandmother Selena in an East Village apartment building called the Umbrella House: a legendary artists’ haven and former “squat,” named for the umbrellas adorning its fire escapes. When news breaks that Gotham Development Corporation is poised to tear down the iconic Umbrella House and put an end to its affordable housing, Ruby and Scout decide to enter a Young Voices video contest, hosted by Ruby’s hero, current affairs reporter Evelyn Pauls, to draw attention to this calamity.

With only three weeks to create and broadcast a winning video powerful and poignant enough to stop the city council’s vote to destroy Umbrella House, the odds seem stacked against the seventh graders. Fortunately, the best friends have an established following on their “EaVillKids” YouTube channel that peers into their unique East Village lives. As Ruby and Scout dive into research and preparation for their video, Ruby unearths some unexpected and potentially life-altering news involving a famous street artist and activist named the Midnight Muralist who may have a connection to her family.

Along with Ruby and Scout’s Young Voices contest and the Midnight Muralist’s mysterious identity, there are also story threads that touch upon new challenges to Scout and Ruby’s friendship, changes to their summer plans, and a backstory involving Ruby’s father. Though there are perhaps too many secondary plots vying for attention, Nelson is still able to maintain a well-focused story, buoyed by its memorable characters. With a delightful blend of themes about justice and the importance of art, The Umbrella House reads like a cozy concoction of Karina Yan Glaser’s The Vanderbeekers series and Tanya Lloyd Kyi’s Me and Banksy. There is also a comforting current of hope that gently but resolutely runs through the novel. Even when plans go awry or things seem to turn grim, readers cannot help but feel a flutter of possibility that David can indeed (and should) take on Goliath.

A contemporary story based on the real-life Umbrella House in New York City, Nelson offers readers a strongly written and beautifully heartening novel, rich with a wide cast of appealing characters.