Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize: A Bank Street Best Book – A Whimsical YA Mystery in Manhattan

Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize: A Bank Street Best Book – A Whimsical YA Mystery in Manhattan

“A delightfully offbeat mystery that is also about the mystery of becoming yourself.” —Rebecca Stead,  New York Times  bestselling author In this witty and whimsical story by award-winning author Margo Rabb, a sixteen-year-old girl is suspended from boarding school and sent to New York City, where she must take care of an unconventional woman entangled in a mystery. Lucy Clark has had it. After being bullied one too many times, Lucy retaliates. But when the fallout is far worse than she meant it to be, she gets sent to Manhattan to serve as a full-time companion to the eccentric Edith Fox. Edith is glamorous and mysterious—nothing like Lucy expected. Though Edith’s world of hidden gardens and afternoon teas is beguiling, there’s one other thing about her that makes her unlike anyone Lucy has ever met...she thinks someone is trying to kill her. And it’s up to Lucy to find out who it is.  * A Bank Street Best Book of the Year * “A full-on delight: funny, gripping, warm-hearted, and beautifully written—it made me cheer. Read it!” —Madeline Miller, award-winning author of  Circe "There's magic in this novel's quirky, sweet world. I want to live in its gardens and cheer Lucy on while she finds her heart’s loves!" —Kristin Cashore,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Graceling "Tender and fierce, witty and wise, this is a tale of the route we take when we grow up and into the love we deserve." —Judy Blundell, National Book Award-winning author of  What I Saw and How I Lied 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 "There's magic in this novel's quirky, sweet world. I want to live in its gardens and cheer Lucy on while she finds her heart’s loves!" - Kristin Cashore, New York Times bestselling author of Graceling and Jane, Unlimited "Margo Rabb takes the elements of storybook and fable and twines them through a crackling murder mystery. Tender and fierce, witty and wise, this is a tale of the route we take when we grow up and into the love we deserve."  - Judy Blundell, National Book Award-winning author of What I Saw and How I Lied “A delightfully offbeat mystery that is also about the mystery of becoming yourself.” - Rebecca Stead, New York Times bestselling author “A full-on delight: funny, gripping, warm-hearted, and beautifully written—it made me cheer. Read it!” - Madeline Miller, award-winning author of Circe “Lucy’s adventure is lush with opulent gardens, big-city charm, and charismatic characters. A beguiling, cozy mystery worth sinking into.” - Kirkus Reviews “[An] engaging narrative about accepting oneself and defending one’s choices.” - Publishers Weekly “Colorful characters, humorous situations, twists, red herrings, poison, family secrets—it’s all there, but this mystery will particularly speak to your old souls and plant lovers.” - Booklist “A good fit for teens who feel misunderstood and yearn to be heard.” - School Library Journal Margo Rabb is the author of the novels Kissing in America and Cures for Heartbreak ; both received four starred reviews and were named to multiple best-of-the-year lists. Her essays and short stories have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Seventeen  and have been broadcast on NPR. She received the grand prize in the Zoetrope short story contest, first prize in the Atlantic fiction contest, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Award. Margo grew up in Queens, NY, and currently lives near Philadelphia with her family. Visit her online at www.margorabb.com.