Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...
It might surprise some people to know that Fred Astaire was never expected to be much of an entertainer or a dancer. His family focused on his older sister Adele as the "natural born dancer". Fred went along when they took Adele to New York for dancing school. He also took lessons at the school and quite enjoyed them. The teacher wanted to put the siblings in a show. He dressed them as bride and groom and they tap-danced on wooden wedding cakes. The act was a huge hit and they began their career on the Vaudeville circuit. The children traveled extensively throughout the country with their act. The going wasn't always easy. Fred was a stickler for perfection and Adele was rather lazy. Eventually Adele married and Fred was free to choose exactly what he wanted . . . to make his way in Hollywood! While not an in-depth biography, Footwork gives us a glimpse into the path Fred Astaire forged to make such a big name for himself in entertainment history.
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