Maple Street Author:Nan Hayden Agle This is the story of one short Baltimore street, just a block long, and of the middle class black families who live along it, especially the Gages. — Some people said Maple Street was going downhill, but nine year old Margaret Gage refused to believe it. Oh, those two messy vacant lots at the corner were an eyesore, and owners who didn't care wer... more »e breaking up some of the row houses into apartments. But there were many good things, too, like the friendly white marble steps and the little peach tree growing on one of the lots.
Then the Coles, a poor white family from West Virginia, moved in next door. That afternoon Margaret met their daughter, Ellie May, but afterward she wished she hadn't. And that night all the trouble started.
Maple Street is the people who live on it, and Nan Agle creates a memorable roster of characters, young and old, from Feemster Murdock, a boy full of mischief --and imagination, to Percy Weldon, night watchman, who longs only for peace and quiet outside his windows.
At the center are the two girls, Margaret and Ellie May. They don't become best friends but they do at least gain a better understanding of each other. Or empathy, as Margaret's father would say.« less