Alice-Miranda in New York by Jacqueline Harvey

Random House, 2012. ISBN: 9781742751146.
Highly recommended for ages 8 and above. Alice-Miranda accompanies her parents to New York City where they are to complete the final stages in renovating the family owned department store in readiness for its unveiling. Here, she is enrolled at Mrs. Kimmel's School for Girls. With her infectious personality and outgoing nature, she quickly makes a new group of school friends. Unfortunately, she also meets up with a girl from her previous school who holds a grudge against Alice-Miranda. As she visits new locations and indulges in different experiences, her friendship group continues to grow. When the store renovations fail to go smoothly, her parents seem to be somewhat distracted and constantly busy. Alice-Miranda steps in to help unravel the various mysteries which are uncovered along the way, assisting other characters in the process.
Alice-Miranda truly is one of the most likeable characters in contemporary children's literature. She is a great judge of character, generally accepting of everyone with whom she comes in contact. In addition, she is obliging, helpful, independent, resilient and eager to try new experiences. Somehow, despite her social standing, she sees the good in others no matter what their background, and cannot comprehend the agendas which others may bring with them into various situations. Despite the female protagonist, this series is an utter delight to read and this title could well be used as a class novel
Jo Schenkel