Lucky Me, Lucy McGee

March 1, 2020
Lucy McGee and her ukulele-strumming classmates are thrilled that performers Ben & Bree are coming to town for a one-night concert. For Lucy, it seems like a godsend; she can't find her ukulele anywhere, and the professionals will be giving one away at the concert. If she can go, and if she wins, she'll never have to tell her parents she's lost hers. But her dreams land with a loud thud when her father says the tickets are too expensive. Among the members of the Songwriting Club, only Scarlett has parents who will buy tickets, and they get an extra for one of her friends. Scarlett seems perfectly willing to sell that one to the highest bidder--whichever of her friends can fawn the most enthusiastically over her. Meanwhile, at home, Lucy's younger brother, Leo, has turned "turtle," becoming sad and withdrawn. The ukulele is finally found only after Lucy spills the lost-ukulele beans to her dad, who then cleverly connects the dots right back to guilty Leo. In a funny, believable way, neatly sketched Lucy and her pals perfectly capture children at that moment when they are full of dreams and schemes but sadly short of power. Scarlett's willful conniving is particularly humorous. Appearing on most pages, Meserve's captivating illustrations depict Lucy (and her family) and Scarlett as white and their classmates as diverse. This sweet, empathetically savvy tale is sure to appeal to those transitioning to chapter books. (Fiction. 6-9)

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Starred review from May 1, 2020

Gr 2-4-This third series installment describes how Lucy, a whimsical young girl, misplaces her ukulele and uses inventive ways to recover her instrument and win a songwriting contest. Lucy, an elementary student in a songwriting club at her school, realizes her ukulele is missing and panics. Instead of letting her parents know that it's lost, she looks in various places at home, even calling a pizza store hoping to locate it before the club meeting. While at school with her friends she finds out a music group she likes, Ben & Bree, is holding a contest to give away free tickets to some of their fans. Lucy and her friends come up with creative ways to win tickets. When they do not win, Lucy's family invites everyone from the songwriting club along with their teachers to go to Lucy's home and have their own concert. This story depicts children in a pleasantly silly setting where Lucy and her friends make up various songs to align with their mood and what is happening in the story. Charming drawings are done in pen and pencil. VERDICT Children will enjoy the many humorous adventures of Lucy and her friends as they create songs and fun from anything. A great addition to public and school libraries.-Annmarie Braithwaite, New York Public Library

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