News From Me, Lucy McGee by Mary Amato - ADVISABLE

News From Me, Lucy McGee by Mary Amato, illustrated by Jessica Meserve, 125 pages. Holiday House, 2018. $16. 

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

When a coveted friend invites Lucy to skip the school songwriting club and join her craft club, Lucy jumps at the opportunity. Lucy is quickly disappointed when this friend uses her to clean and fix up her shed and even serve treats to other girls. And yet, it takes a lot of coaching for Lucy to realize that she is not being treated well. 

I immediately thought of several girls stuck in this subtle cycle of manipulation that could use this book. This book jumps right into the conflict that occurs when one friend uses another and isolates them from other friends. The enjoyment level of this book was pretty low because this conflict took over the entire book, starting at page one. 

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher