Melissa Across the Fence

Set in New York in the early 1900s, Melissa Across the Fence begins with an enchanting description of the grand house next door. “In the rear, a lawn ran right back to the fence, broken only by a narrow gravel walk, and with a stone fountain directly in the middle. In the spring and summer, water bubbled up in the fountain basin in jets of flying spray . . . But there was one strange thing about the house that puzzled Melissa: nobody ever seemed to live in it.” However, that soon changes when the shut-up house becomes occupied and Melissa sees a mysterious, pale-looking boy always looking out his window. Who is he? Why does he never come outside? Melissa finds out by writing a message on her chalkboard and holding it up outside the boy’s window. A sweet story of friendship ensues, sprinkled with gentle adventure.

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)