Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller
This is the first book in a series set around a tween/teen group of girls in New York City. The main character is Ananka Fishbein, a schoolgirl and only child who goes to a private school in the city. One day, looking out her window early in the morning she sees a sinkhole developing in the park across the street and spots a girl her own age there. She rushes out and ventures into the hole, discovering a room underground and a clue that leads her to a hidden trapdoor that leads to a much lower set of rooms that seems to be part of an underground town.
She soon spots the same girl in her class at school, despite never noticing her before, and thus begins her friendship with the unusual Kiki Strike.
She gets drawn into a controversy between Kiki and another girl in her school, as well as into a group of girls from around the city who form a squad that explores the underground city using their combination of skills to learn about this hidden world, deal with others who learn of it, and find out Kiki's own secrets.
I liked the independent spirits of the various girls in the squad, and how their friendship changed and grew over time. Ananka developed leadership skills during the course of the novel, and learned to recognize her own skills and their value. It was an interesting mystery as well, with a few twists and turns in the plot.
An enjoyable read that would offer appeal to older children and teens.
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