Have you ever wondered if your house was magic? At times such as when you desperately need a place to hide and those shadowy corners and hiding spots seem to appear out of nowhere? For Lucy P. Simmons this is true, and she's still learning how to use it.
The Voyage Of Lucy P. Simmons
By Barbara Mariconda
Katherine Tegen Books
October 2012
This book is about a young girl named Lucille Prudence Simmons and her sailor family. When the story first opens Lucy is treated with a surprise trip on the sea on their family's little sloop. While out a fog surrounds the boat and Lucy's father loses sight of the house. Despite his wife's urges to go back towards the shore immediately, he continues because he's heard someone crying out for help farther out. After this trip out, Lucy soon finds herself under the care of her greedy Uncle Victor and his wife. They are supposed to care for her until her Aunt Prudence can come be her permanent guardian. She suspects that he may be trying to take her family's estate and money. When she does some snooping, she thinks her home may be magic. Lucy struggles with living with her uncle and finding out what exactly could have happened that day on the water. Sirens? Magic? She's not sure. Lucy begins her journey to find her aunt and answers.
I enjoyed this story but have one complaint: The ending. I don't feel as if the main problem or conflict of the story was resolved at the end of the book. This leads me to believe that there may be a sequel but I don't know for sure. I would recommend the book for fans of the Magic Treehouse Series that have perhaps gotten just a bit older, so I would guess advanced fifth grade readers and older. I recommend it to Magic Treehouse fans because of the magic/adventure/tween protagonist elements. The only thing that parents may worry about is the fact that some of the characters grow up in a messed up home and run away to escape their drunk and abusive father.
