Superhero. Surprise. Ending.

The Neighbors
Written & Illustrated by Einat Tsarfati
Age Level: 3-7 Years
Published January 8, 2019

Get ready for an awesome plot twist.

Each time my son pulls this book from the shelf, I prepare myself for multiple readings. It has the absolute best surprise ending that genuinely delights my son every time, even though he knows it’s coming.

We meet our narrator, a redheaded girl with a fabulous imagination, walking home from school. Her opening words are simple, but hint at the spectacularly illustrated adventure ahead:

“I live in a building that is seven stories high.
Every floor has a slightly different door.”

As we ascend to her apartment, she stops on each floor to share her fantasy about her neighbors’ intriguing lives behind closed doors. My kids and I spend ages exploring the vividly colored, lavishly detailed illustrations of each scene. There’s a family of thieves living among stolen treasure, a pirate living underwater with his mermaid love, and acrobats perfecting their circus act, to name a few.

Finally, we reach the seventh floor and enter her home, taking in the regular furnishings and her traditional parents. Only to discover that, unbeknownst to our narrator, their life isn’t so ordinary after all.