by Christina M. Pagès
She discovers freedom, magic, and an extraordinary friendship, her first ever, with a surprise visitor, 9-year-old Will, who, bewitched by her wild eyes, long black hair and strange speech, brings her live chickens to give her eggs, food daily, and a recorder to imitate the wood’s sounds. Lucy feels safe and at home for the first time, sleeping inside “grandpa tree’s hollow trunk, and playing woodland music during the day that puts a spell on all who hear it. Lucy’s greatest fear is that she will be found.
But the police do eventually capture her and take her to an orphanage run by strict nuns where the bullying and fascination for toys and television seem strange to Lucy who sees this man-made world as another prison, cut off from outdoor miracles. She eventually manages to escape back to the woods where she and Will, inside grandpa tree, experience magical guidance on how to continue their journey. Book 2 will be: Lucy and the Forest School of Wonder.