Margy Misunderstood

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Readers in Grades 4 to 7 first encountered 12-year-old Edith Marguerite
“Margy” Stratton in Margy, which ended in February 1932 with her
leaving her widowed, but recently remarried, father to move from
Manitoba to the small southern Ontario town of Bancroft to live with her
spinster maternal aunts, Alice and Edith. Picking up Margy’s life in
December of the same year, Margy Misunderstood records the events of the
next nine months. Mr. Warren, Margy’s teacher, has explained that
“marguerite” is also another word for daisy, a tough and sturdy
flower, and Margy must call upon these qualities when a series of
coincidences suggests she has stolen the money her classmates have
contributed to the community’s Christmas Cheer Fund. While Margy’s
guilt cannot be proven, she is shunned by her schoolmates and enters her
“Lonely Time.” Stumbling upon the real thief’s identity, Margy
faces a dilemma: revealing his identity will establish her innocence,
but the penalty for ratting on a fellow student will be continued
ostracism. Ultimately, Margy not only is vindicated but also emerges as
a heroine.

Very strong in characterization, Margy Misunderstood also offers
readers a vivid picture of everyday life during the Great Depression, as
Smith unobtrusively incorporates numerous social and domestic details,
such as church concerts, community picnics, fall fairs, Chautauquas, and
the annual rite of “stovepipe cleaning day,” the prerequisite to
“Spring Housecleaning.” Readers who have enjoyed Bernice Hunter’s
Booky series should be directed to Margy’s continuing adventures.
Recommended.