Captain Lucy and Lieutenant Bob

Fourteen-year-old Lucy Gordon is no ordinary girl. Growing up on Governor's Island in the shadow of World War I, she has traded dollhouses for military drills and tea parties for the rhythms of army life. When her cousin Marian arrives, the two girls must navigate the complicated terrain of family, friendship, and finding their place in a world upended by war. Lucy is spirited, stubborn, and determined to prove herself in a world that keeps insisting she stay small. Havard captures something rare: the interior life of a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, watching history unfold from the margins of a military base. The novel explores what it means to grow up when the adults around you are grappling with questions of duty, sacrifice, and courage. For Lucy and Marian, the war is both backdrop and catalyst, forcing them to confront what friendship really means and what they owe to the people they love. It is a quiet book with deep currents, more interested in the small moments of girlhood than in grand battles. This is a novel for readers who loved Anne of Green Gables and want more stories about spirited girls finding their way. It offers a window into a fascinating historical moment, told through eyes that are young, sharp, and unforgettable.