Another "identify this title from my youth" question

Post date: 2026-08-06 04:45:10

Late 80s/early 90s YA book: swan boats, name changes

"Swan boat" in yesterday's NYTimes Connection puzzle triggered some memory of a book. Here's the deets

--I read it as a tween/young teen so 1995 would be the latest it would have been published, although I think it was earlier than that.
--I would describe it as a "young adult" book but I think the defintion of young adult has really changed in the last generation. Same vibe as, like, Anastasia Krupnik, Great Gilly Hopkins, Bridge to Terebithia.
--It definitely took place in a big, east coast US city. I am pretty sure it was Boston but looking up books that take place in Boston has not been fruitful. The city is a major part of the story, with characters traveling around it, naming specific neighborhoods and places, etc
--The main character is a teenage girl who has an unusual, old fashioned name and at the beginning of the story, she decides to start telling people her name is something else. This is a sort of inciting incident that ends up causing her to change her behavior, take more risks, that kind of thing.
--At the end of the book there is some plot point where she has to steal a swan boat (this is why I'm pretty sure it's in Boston). I can't remember why or if she's successful.
--The tone is light/comic but gets serious at times.

Things I'm less sure about
--She has a significantly younger than her brother (3 or 4) who is extremely verbal and precocious. I might be conflating this with the Anastatia Krupnik books. I think the brother also starts using a different name as well.
--The girl befriends a homeless woman who turns out to be somewhat famous like an old jazz singer or the heiress to a fortune.

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