Maddie in Trouble

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.

Reality is “HUGE.” That’s what Maddie discovers when she’s
caught shoplifting at the local mall. She tried to steal a T-shirt to
prove that she was brave enough to remain leader of her gang after some
tough kid named Patrick announced that he wanted to take over. But,
instead of getting away with the shirt and being a hero, Maddie is
apprehended by a security guard while all the customers watch. The
manager says he will call the police, and warns her that they will take
her away in handcuffs and that she will have a criminal record forever.
Maddie can feel her bones turning to water; she thinks she is about to
cry. Maddie knows she is a good kid, but she also knows that she did try
and steal the T-shirt. Is this what leadership is all about?

This is the seventh instalment in the Maddie series by award-winning
author, Louise Leblanc. As in all the other books, Maddie’s world is
populated by offbeat relatives, comical school chums, cranky teachers,
and her annoying little brother, Julian the Genius. Every Maddie story
has a moral lining, and Leblanc is very good at getting her message
across while making readers laugh. Comical black-and-white line drawings
complement the text perfectly. Highly recommended.