Life in her new neighborhood isn't going to be easy for Croatian immigrant Lucy Vakovik. Her mother has saved enough to buy them an onlyhouse: a single detached home. But to Lucy's friends, her mother says, My sometime English is broking."
What's a kid to do? Lucy's got a fight ahead of her and important choices to make. But she knows she's not a stereotype like some people think - she's Lucy and that's a good place to start.
"Thoughtful and impressive . . . strong, believable child characters."
— Regina Sun
"Toten's first novel is crisp and realistic. The author expresses her protagonist's emotions and captures the nuances of life in Toronto perfectly... Young readers will enjoy the misadventures and the way that Lucy learns to fit in without compromising her values."
— School Library Journal
"Told in a breezy and often humorous, first person style, it is easy to identify with Lucy's struggles to adapt and make friends at her new school. Lucy, her mama, and her friends are very believable characters and it is easy to care about how they resolve some of their problems."
— Canadian Children's Literature
Finalist, IODE Violet Downey Award, 1996
Canadian Library Association Honour Book, 1996
Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Award
Nominee, Red Cedar, 1997
Nominee, Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award, 1998
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