Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize

April 1, 2021

Gr 9 Up-Lucy Clark, a 16-year-old junior in boarding school in Texas, is mourning the loss of the grandmother who raised her, as her parents' globe-trotting life has prevented Lucy from ever living with them. Alone and bereft, she becomes best friends with Dyna, but when the girls are involved in an altercation with some bullies, Lucy is suspended from school and sent to New York City to live with a cousin and work for an elderly woman named Edith. Lucy is immediately swept up in a mystery as Edith believes someone is trying to kill her. An eccentric group of suspects is revealed, and, in an implausible twist, Dyna joins Lucy in New York and the girls piece together the clues of who is trying to kill Edith. This story feels more like a cozy mystery for adults that was modified to fit a YA audience. The theme of creating a family of choice versus a family of origin is certainly worthwhile, but the trope of absentee parents in YA novels is taken to an extreme here. While the whimsical tone and the multigenerational connections are a plus, the mystery is far-fetched. Little description of Lucy and Dyna's appearances is given in the narrative. VERDICT This mystery might take some hand-selling by librarians but would be a good fit for teens who feel misunderstood and yearn to be heard.-Nancy McKay, Byron P.L., IL

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2021
Lucy's determined to learn who's out to get her employer--whether anyone takes her seriously or not. Sixteen-year-old Lucy Clark attends the Willa Thornton Academy in Texas, where she landed at age 12 after her paternal grandmother passed. Nana had raised her, since her parents travel for work and never stay put for long. Nana's death hollowed Lucy out, and only her best friend, Dyna, offered any respite. But then an incident results in Dyna's removal from school and Lucy's suspension. Lucy is sent on an internship to take care of an elderly woman with dementia in New York. At first she's upset, but once there, she changes her tune: Jack Zuo, a 19-year-old neighbor, shares her interest in plants, and Edith Fox, her wealthy employer, turns out to be quick-witted and becomes a fast friend. There's just one problem: Edith believes someone is trying to murder her. Jack and his policeman father don't buy it, but Lucy does. Soon, suspicious incidents pile up, each more sinister than the last, and as Lucy races to help Edith, she unwittingly becomes more aware and accepting of her own emotions. Lucy's adventure is lush with opulent gardens, big-city charm, and charismatic characters. Her path to finding both a new home and self-image is hard-won and enchanting. Lucy and Edith are White and Jewish; Dyna has some Jewish and Salvadoran heritage, and Jack is implied Chinese/White. A beguiling, cozy mystery worth sinking into. (Mystery. 14-18)

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April 19, 2021
Rabb (Cures for Heartbreak) pens a metropolitan adventure centering white, Jewish 16-year-old Lucy Clark, who has spent the past four years in an Austin, Tex., boarding school—ever since her beloved Nana, who raised her, died from a stroke, and Lucy’s neglectful, constantly traveling parents enrolled her. Now, suspended “after the Incident” and sent to New York City for an internship, Lucy’s official job is assisting eccentric, elderly, “stylish without trying” Edith Fox, also white and Jewish. Initially, Lucy is apprehensive, but she soon falls under the city’s spell, simultaneously charmed by Edith’s vitality, history, and passion for gardening. There’s just one problem: Edith claims that someone is trying to murder her, and Lucy must follow the clues and crack the case before it’s too late. Lucy’s snarky narration moves the plot along, as does the compelling cast, including her Jewish-Salvadorean best friend Dyna; her half-Chinese, half-white New York City neighbor Jack Zuo, 19; and Edith herself. Lucy’s concurrent journey toward seeking love and belonging after Nana’s passing and Dyna’s departure from school proves rewarding in this engaging narrative about accepting oneself and defending one’s choices. Ages 14–up.

May 1, 2021
Grades 8-11 After the capital-I Incident earns 16-year-old Lucy Clark a long-term suspension from Thornton, her Texas boarding school, she's sent to New York City for the character-building experience of working as the personal assistant to a sickly woman. For Lucy, who hates Thornton, this is no punishment, nor is Edith Fox the frail old lady she expected. Edith is sharp, beautiful, and rich--and convinced someone is trying to kill her. It's Lucy's job to help figure out who it is and to keep Edith safe. Rabb initially lays the quirkiness on a bit thick, but once the story shifts to New York, a more natural idiosyncratic charm develops that essentially pairs Chuck Charles (Pushing Daisies) with Miss Marple. Gardening and flowers play a big role in the plot that unfolds, which complements Lucy's journey of self-discovery and makes for unexpectedly fun reading. Colorful characters, humorous situations, twists, red herrings, poison, family secrets--it's all there, but this mystery will particularly speak to your old souls (e.g., PBS watchers, Agatha Christie readers) and plant lovers.

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