Lucy Lancaster Has a Secret

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.