In the Night, on Lanvale Street — Jane Leslie Conly

I'm afraid, but I can't call Mom or Dad, 'cause Jerry might wake up. If I try to tell Shannon, she puts a pillow over her head, 'cause she doesn't like to talk about Mr. Healy. She says remembering him makes her sad.
"Charlie," he whispers.
I'm afraid. In the dark night, I feel like I'm at sea, in that little boat Mr. Healy used to talk about. That's why I'm writing this down. If you're listening, I hope you'll listen close. I'm not making any of it up.
He whispers in my ear, "Watch out."

A new novel from a Newbery Honor author

Summer has just begun, and thirteen-year-old Charlie and her younger brother, Jerry, anticipate spending the lazy days roaming their working-class Baltimore neighborhood. That is, until Jim Chalmers, a strange man who used to live nearby, enlists their help in solving the murder of their neighbor Mr. Healy.

As Charlie learns more about Mr. Healy's death, she struggles to protect her innocent younger brother from the realities of gangs and drugs, and to help him make that difficult transition from childhood to adolescence.