Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret

November 1, 2024
Meet Lucy Lancaster, best friend of series superstar Heidi Heckelbeck. Though Heidi appears in this book, along with the girls' other BFF, Bruce Bickerson, Lucy takes center stage. After Mrs. Welli assigns Bryce Beltran to be Lucy's science class partner, Bryce isn't pleased--both girls wanted to work with their own friends--and all but slams her desk into Lucy's. Lucy wishes she could have a more polite and compliant partner like Heidi or Bruce. Suddenly she begins hiccupping, and Bryce instantly becomes sweetly agreeable. This is wonderful...isn't it? More strange things occur; Lucy's perplexed. Then she hiccups again and inadvertently finds herself sowing classroom chaos. Ms. Egli, the alert town librarian who's visiting the class, notices, gives Lucy a golden library card with access to the Magical Library, and helps her to understand her powers. Like Heidi (though neither girl is yet aware of the other's gift), Lucy is a witch! Engaging characters, a well-crafted setting, and quick pacing perfectly suit the target audience; Lucy promises to be a popular series star herself. Burris' many illustrations portray Lucy with black curls, brown skin, and star-festooned glasses. Bryce and Ms. Egli are brown-skinned; most other figures are light-skinned. This series spinoff still brings the magic.(Early chapter book. 5-9)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2024

Gr 1-4-Lucy Lancaster looks and acts like an average second grader. She is smart, a good friend, and an expert at Super Flag Tag. Lucy also has a very special secret that she discovers accidentally. When she learns that students will be teaming up to watch a caterpillar transform into a butterfly, Lucy wants to be paired with best friend Heidi. Instead, she is partnered with Bryce Beltran, and the two girls are not happy. When Bryce says Tony is a boring name for a caterpillar, Lucy gets upset and starts to hiccup. Suddenly, Bryce thinks it's a great name for a handsome caterpillar. Strange events continue to happen throughout the day, each one after a case of the hiccups. Could something magical be happening to Lucy? Like the "Heidi Hecklebeck" books, this series opener is perfect for early and reluctant readers. The format is a great intro to chapter books: vocabulary is simple but includes some challenging words, the fun stories are interesting, and the chapters are an ideal length to hold attention. The illustrations are full of animation and expression. This is a good read-aloud, even for youngsters to read to their adults. VERDICT Early readers will be looking forward to reading Lucy's next adventure.-Barbara Spiri

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2024
Grades 1-3 Second grade is business as usual for Lucy Lancaster until "a big, loud hiccup" and tingly toes signal the awakening of the Brewster Elementary student's magical powers. Lucy's paired with contrarian classmate Bryce for a science project, though she'd much rather work with besties Heidi or Bruce. After a series of school day incidents when Lucy's wishes suddenly come true, librarian Ms. Egli clues Lucy in: magic has chosen Lucy, and a golden library card grants Lucy access to the Magical Library, where she can learn about her new ""witch magic." Lucy's sweet perspective on controlling what you can (like your first spell) and rolling with the rest lends a gentle social-emotional learning lesson to this series starter. Short chapters, a large font size with generous spacing and margins, simple vocabulary, and black-and-white cartoon artwork on every spread all suit new readers, and fans of the Heidi Heckelbeck series will particularly relish kindhearted Lucy's story line. Books are magic, and Lucy's hiccups surely won't spell trouble for long!

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.