|
Lucy Buick was found as an infant in the back seat of a 1969 Buick Skylark Convertible won by her Uncle Rocco in a poker game. From this less than auspicious beginning, Lucy is swept into a household of five aging Italian aunts and three domineering uncles, where she is pampered and protected to the point of suffocation. Always wishing for a different sort of life, she is encouraged by her favorite Aunt Rhodi not to give up. Rhodi, a dreamer and visionary, assures Lucy that "a sign will present itself. A path will be cleared." And she's right.
When a fire mysteriously engulfs the family business and everyone thinks Lucy is inside, she heeds Rhodi's words and flees town, hops a train and heads West to look for the life she has always imagined. The train deposits her in Gardinia, Iowa, where she enounters a quirky cast of warm and outrageous characters. But the past is not so easy to leave behind and when her old life threatens to catch up with her, Lucy must put all other advice behind her, trust her own instincts and remember that wanting to get lost is often the best means of finding your way.
Honors
Starred Review-Booklist
Reviews
"Sweet and light as a feather but with the substantial charm of music on a summer's day." -Kirkus Reviews
"Murphy successfully creates a world of chipper, matter-of-fact magic realism."
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
|
