Set in 1931-32 Chambersburg, NJ, a suburb of Trenton, the third person narration stays close to 10-year-old Lucy who doesn’t like to be called Lucille.

Her brain can’t seem to stop her from doing the wrong thing, especially in Miss Gillingham’s fifth grade class. There are frequent detentions and her teacher believes impulsive Lucy might have Hyperkinetic Syndrome (now known as ADHD).

If that weren’t enough, the Great Depression has made life even more difficult. Lucy’s dad is out of work, Mom is running an illegal numbers game, and living with three brothers can be a real pain. Baby boy Johnny sleeps in the same room as Lucy in their cramped half house. The oldest brother has dropped out of high school and is working at a hot dog cart, while the second oldest is using whatever money he can get to play craps in the alley.

After serving one of her school detentions, Lucy takes a short cut to reach home quicker. That’s what you see on the cover. It’s the fenced in campus of a school for the deaf. Private property. She meets Florence, a deaf girl about her same age. They become friends even though Florence can only communicate via written words or sign language. Lucy begins to learn sign language and would like to buy a dictionary that would explain each gesture even more. The cost would be $7.92, far more than Lucy can afford.

Lucy has to lie frequently to parents and her regular group of friends as to what she is up to every day. That’s why her fingers are crossed. It’s not only trespassing in her time spent with Florence but trying to stay out of trouble while finding a way to buy that book.

The third person narration stays close to Lucy. Broken friendships, challenges in communicating, and understanding differences make this tale one that will enlighten readers. ADHD today is often misunderstood, but it was even more so almost 100 years ago. NOT LUCILLE is a great, unique addition to the middle grade shelves.

BOOK BIRTHDAY: June 24, 2025 PAGES: 256

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: NOT LUCILLE by Mike Steele

1. You understand the Great Depression at a much deeper level as you experience it along with Lucy and family.
2. The time Lucy spends with Florence provide many heartwarming moments as they learn about each other and being friends.
3. You just know that these two will eventually be discovered, and when it does happen the result of how their voices are finally understood and heard was a favorite scene.
4. Lucy often shares her problems to her baby brother despite his babbling from the nearby crib. She calls him the creature, but their relationship takes on a subtle change that had me smiling by book’s end.
5. Not to be missed is the AFTERWORD: A BIT OF HISTORY that takes a deeper look at the historical topics covered in the story.

About the Author
Mike Steele is an elementary school librarian
and children’s playwright with eight plays
published and licensed for production. Not
Lucille is his debut middle-grade novel. In his
spare time, he likes to attend musicals, create
mixed-media artwork, and win prizes from claw
machines. He lives at the Jersey Shore with his
tabby cats, Karen and Sox. If you spot him in
the wild, he usually has a bubble tea in one of
his hands.
www.mikesteeleonline.com
@msteelewrites

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