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Overview
Lucy van Loon knows she’s a good girl. So why is she always sitting in the Time Out chair? After all, she had a very good reason for dumping Jacinta’s unicorn pencils all over the floor. And she only threw a tantrum because her aunt from Holland called her a bad girl and a greedy liar, which was UTTERLY untrue.
But what if Lucy is bad? Her grumpy aunt certainly seems to think so. Now Lucy has to figure out how to prove she really is Lucy the Good. But how?
In this gently humorous story, Marianne Musgrove takes a look at one child's temper and how she begins to get it under control.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
As she did in The Worry Tree, Musgrove introduces a sympathetic heroine with whom many readers will identify. Lucy wants to be good, but her impetuousness and quick temper make that difficult for her. When the book opens, the Australian second grader is sitting in the time out chair at school. "I must not throw a temper tantrum in class," she writes, while thinking, "nless absolutely necessary." The dichotomy between what Lucy says and thinks adds ample humor to this heartfelt novel. She's not afraid to speak her mind, though: when her father suggests that she practice counting to 10 before losing her temper, Lucy responds, "What for?... I already know how to count." The pressure to be good intensifies when Lucy's visiting aunt from Holland tells her that the Dutch Santa Claus's sidekick stuffs naughty kids in a sack and sends them to Spain. This encourages Lucy to "figure out this good and bad business before it was too late," and she takes steps to control her anger. With humor of their own, Orsini's b&w spot illustrations portray Lucy's behavior--bad and good. Ages 7–10. (Oct.)Children's Literature -
Behaving in the classroom is not one of Lucy's strong points, as shown in the opening chapter of this book when Lucy finds herself in the Time Out chair after dumping a classmate's unicorn pencils on the floor. But does that make Lucy a bad person? She has good qualities and it is up to her to make the most of them in this comical yet thoughtful book about a youngster who sometimes gets into trouble when she tries too hard. Lucy has good friends, caring parents, a tolerable little brother and the ability to do well in school. But sometimes it feels to her that everything is working against her. When her aunt from Denmark comes to visit, Lucy, her brother, and dad head to the airport. While there, Lucy's dad takes her brother to the bathroom, Lucy scampers aboard the luggage carrier for a fun ride only to be discovered by the aunt whose first impression of Lucy is not a good one. Small "run-ins" with the aunt continue and Lucy's aunt tells her a tale about scary Zwarte Piet who will not give bad children Christmas presents but will instead take them away to Spain in a black sack. Lucy takes the tale very seriously and her episodes of borderline behavior continue until Lucy is sure she is bad and will be whisked away to Spain. In an effort to find the truth, Lucy takes herself to the creek to see if she will float or sink since she knows bad eggs sink and she thinks this may also happen to children. The quick thinking of her friend Paolo saves Lucy and the aunt and Lucy learn a good lesson about how Lucy is really good and how she can continue to be good. The "play" between characters is well developed and dialogue keeps the plot moving at a good pace. Children can identify with many school and home incidents as they learn that it is okay to not be perfect. This tale is a tightly woven story that will keep kids laughing and learning at the same time. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan AtteburySchool Library Journal
Gr 2–4—Seven-year-old Lucy van Loon lives in Australia with her parents and brother, and she is pretty sure she's a good girl. Every now and then, something unexpected will happen, though, and Lucy is unable to control her temper. When Tante Bep comes from Holland for an extended visit, she is concerned about the lack of discipline in the household, and Lucy boils over with rage. She becomes nervous when her great aunt tells her about Sinterklaas (the Dutch Santa Claus) and his friend Zwarte Piet, who spirits bad children away to Spain forever. She panics about all of the misunderstandings she has been caught up in and decides to be only "Lucy the Good." When Lucy's dad finds her in the creek, testing to see if she will float like a bad egg or sink like a good one, all of the child's troubles come tumbling out. A tender story for readers who have a hard time controlling their emotions, this easy chapter book hints at ways for kids to manage their feelings, and the satisfactory conclusion will be reassuring. Orsini's artwork complements the well-paced story and gives visual representation to some of the Dutch items.—Alison Donnelly, Collinsville Memorial Public Library, ILKirkus Reviews
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)