LUCY THE GOOD

Lucy is her own worst enemy. When she’s frustrated, her anger erupts in gigantic shrieks. She wakes up every day fully intending to be good, only to find herself in trouble again. Some of Lucy’s problems arise from misunderstandings, but she’s often hampered by her temper and lack of common sense. The stakes get higher when grouchy Tante Bep visits from Holland and threatens Lucy with the legend of Black Piet, who will take her away if she doesn’t behave. Throughout her many misadventures Lucy struggles to determine whether she’s a good person, which she would like to believe, or the bad person others seem to perceive. She even devises an experiment based on the theory that good eggs sink and bad eggs float that lands her in real danger. With a little help and a lot of thought Lucy adopts some techniques for defusing her tantrums. She's not Ramona Quimby, but Lucy tackles a tough issue with determination. Lucy's Dutch-Australian family is thoroughly modern (Dad's in charge of the cleaning) and provides loving, if exasperated, support for Lucy. (Dutch glossary, recipe, anger-management writing prompt) (Fiction. 7-10)