Lucy at Sea

Gr 4–6—Lucy's story began in The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons (HarperCollins, 2012), when she was newly orphaned. The pluck (and a bit of magic) that she demonstrated allowed her to escape from her callous, potentially lethal, uncle. That same grit, and a great deal more magic, help Lucy now as she sets out to find a relative who has researched the curse that ails her family-the same one that caused the death of her parents. Lucy and a motley crew set sail from Maine and travel to Australia in seach of her long-lost aunt. Magic figures prominently throughout the entire voyage, not only propelling the ship along at a fantastic speed, conveniently saving the characters from several disasters, but also allowing Lucy to find clues (through a very special deck of playing cards) to locate her aunt. Sailing on a 19th-century ship is effectively described using nautical terms. An adept sailor herself, Lucy interacts regularly with everyone onboard. The international crew spouts accents that are almost clichés (a native of the Caribbean reveals that "…back on my island, me, I be da shaman. I feels dings of the spirit world…" while an Italian warns of an iceberg, saying, "Bergy-bit, this-a big…Ice-a-berg….") The characterization is a bit thin but the tale unwinds at breakneck speed to a generally satisfying ending that leads in to the next installment.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library