MARY MARGARET MARY CHRISTMAS
by Christine Kole MacLean and illustrated by Vicky Lowe
In this fourth entry in the series, Mary Margaret prepares for Christmas at home and at school, focusing on presents to give and receive and on her upcoming family outing to see the Lipizzaner horse show. As Mary Margaret’s parents tell her, “Character is the ticket,” and this nine-year-old is quite a character. In addition to intelligence, she has an abundance of ideas and interests, and she likes to be the center of attention, often leading to issues with her teacher, family and peers. The plot revolves around Mary Margaret’s detective work to discover who tried to frame her for a theft in the classroom and her mother’s gentle prodding to forgive the girl who caused the trouble. Mary Margaret tells her story in a first-person, present-tense voice that adds immediacy to the narrative as readers watch her impish behavior develop. Her ongoing interior monologue illustrates her struggles with her family, with her own impulsive behavior and with the sometimes unfair actions of others. It all adds up to an entertaining if sometimes frenetic read. (Fiction. 9-11)