SOLVED. Youth Fantasy. A kid who likes clouds, takes and develops photos, lives in NY in a building with a strange landlord. [s]

[Rachael]

The landlord has a secret- he uses floors in his building for housing animals. Single mother with a young boy. The boy likes talking and developing pictures of clouds.
I read this book in middle school, probably about 2008?

[Rainbowheart]

The Beastly Arms

[Kris]

Rachael, is still looking for this book.

"Youth Fantasy: Boy who lives in the city in strange apartment with animals, likes to photograph clouds

There is a boy who lives in the city in an apartment building. He likes to take pictures of cloud shapes and develop them. The apartment he lives in is run by an old man, and there’s a mystery about the apartment. The boy discovers that there are different floors in the apartment that contain animals! Like environments on each floor for the animals to live. The boy has a single mother, they are poor so that is why they are staying at the strange apartment. I think the apartment also is wedged between two new buildings and the tenants of the other buildings complain about weird smells.
The old man also lives in the building.

I read this book in middle school (2005-2008) and most likely read it for Battle of the Books."

[Rainbowheart]

It's definitely The Beastly Arms.

[Rachael]

Thank you, that’s the book! I apologize for posting twice, I thought it had not gone through. Thank you for helping me find this book!

[Rainbowheart]

No prob, glad to have helped out!

[Kris]

No worries. Glad you found your book, Rachael.