Leila is not a big fan of holidays. In her humble eleven-year-old opinion, parties and celebrations are a colossal waste of time. Having to endure fake chit-chatty conversations. Eating rich, icky food you would never choose the rest of the time. And her favorite activity – reading alone in her bedroom – is not an option. Her mother thinks she’s going to grow out of this awkward stage, as she puts it, when she thinks no one is listening but Art, yet Leila knows better. This is who she is. Furthermore, she likes herself this way.
Adjusting her glasses, she returns to her latest ghastly adventure, Death in Shallow Water. She knows full well that her mother will send Bessie up to get her anytime now to join the others for the pre-Christmas neighborhood gathering at the house beside theirs, t
