Lucy in Between

Callender, Sarah. Lucy in Between
August 18, 2026 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus 

Lucy Bains lives in San Francisco with her mother and older brother Henry. Her father left the family years ago, and is a professor and research fellow in Peru. Henry is a talented violinist who has had many opportunities to shine, and even has a Stradivari violin at his disposal thanks to a generous patron. He’s struggling, however, and not finding much joy in playing or in anything else. This doesn’t stop his mother from pressuring him, although she does insist that he sees a therapist. Lucy is in charge of making sure he goes to his appointments. She has her own interests, as she competes in talent shows as a mime, and talks to her best friend, Charles, who is studying remotely from London while he and his mother tend to his dying grandmother. The family lives a more privileged lifestyle thanks to money and a house left to them by Great Aunt Lorraine, but money can’t buy happiness. Things become dire after Henry wrecks the family’s Mercedes roadster and damages his hand badly. Things spiral, and after a tragedy occurs (mentioned in the book’s description), the mother takes a leave of absence and takes Lucy to Peru to stay with her father. Lucy had wanted to reconnect with her father, and was angry that her mother had not facilitated this, but finds that both her mother and her father are busy with other things, and Lucy feels alone and bereft. She gets some support from Ernesto, a friend of her father’s who runs a bookstore and instrument repair shop, and talks to him about her life as she helps him organize the books. Ernesto also introduces her to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. Lucy’s emotions eventually bring things to a boiling point, after which she and her mother try to heal a bit before returning to San Francisco.
Strengths: Lucy’s lifestyle in San Francisco is interesting, and I liked that she and her friend Charles had some difficulties, not because of the distance, but because Charles was interested in another girl, and Lucy was surprised that she was jealous. I can’t say that I’ve seen another middle grade novel about someone interested in miming as a career path. The look at life in Peru was tantalizing, and Ernesto and his bookstore are tremendously appealing.
Weaknesses: There are so many books about processing grief, and while adults seem very excited about these books and vigorously defend them as something tweens want to read, I haven’t seen that at all. I take personal offense at how grieving parents are portrayed as so unable to cope that they take drastic measures like leaving the country, and don’t support their surviving children. This seems unrealistic; most people have to keep going to work, and make sure their children get the support they need. Other teachers and librarians will disagree with this point of view.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who appreciated Mather’s Where Was Goodbye?, Morrison’s Coming Up Short, or Bishop’s Things You Can't Say. I will pass on purchase.