Lilly's Good Deed

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“You would have to be an angel to like Theresa Green,” says Lilly
Pond. Unfortunately, Lilly is no angel. She is just an average kid who
likes to skip rope, ride her bike, or play dolls with her friends.
Theresa Green is an annoying little girl who always seems to be breaking
things or knocking people over and calling it an accident. It was bad
enough when Lilly only saw Theresa at school, but now “Trees Are
Green” has actually moved onto Lilly’s street and their parents keep
forcing them to play together.

“Working together” is the theme of this humorous novel. The plot is
initially a bit confusing because six major and minor characters are
introduced in the first three paragraphs, but once the introductions
have been made, the narrative takes off smoothly. Lilly is refreshingly
real, no candy-coated heroine, just a nice kid who doesn’t like her
world crowded by an attention-starved newcomer. This First Novel would
be a fine choice for junior readers moving on to chapter books.
Recommended.