The Alley

The Alley is a beautiful little oasis in the heart of Brooklyn, where life runs along as smoothly for shy ten-year-old Connie as the little train, the last of the elevateds, on nearby Myrtle Avenue. But one day there is a startling intrusion into the peaceable life of the Alley—the astonishing burglary of Connie's house! Then it is that Connie and her best friend, captivating Billy Maloon, decide to do a little sleuthing on their own to round up clues about the burglars.

Using the Alley as her canvas, Eleanor Estes, winner of the Newbery Medal for Ginger Pye, portrays a group of unforgettable people, among them Katy, the creator of "Katy's laws" that keep the Alley in order; Nanny, Connie's grand- mother from South Carolina who is an ardent baseball fan; and the "bullet-head man" who makes occasional ominous appearances outside the Alley gates.

Distinguished by the delightful imagination, charming originality, and irresistible humor that mark all of Eleanor Estes' books, The Alley is a joy to read and to remember.

—from the dust jacket