As most people know, Santa Clause generates an annual list of children who have been sufficiently nice to warrant a Christmas present (and, of course, a complementary list of children who have been too naughty to deserve a present). Last December, while checking his list twice, Santa discovered that the status of four children — Amy, Bobby, Charlie, and Donna — remained in doubt. He decided to talk to the four of them in order to rank them from nicest to naughtiest. In his conversations, the children made the following claims:
Amy said, "I am nicer than Charlie."
Bobby said, "I am naughtier than Donna."
Charlie said, "I am neither the nicest nor the naughtiest of the four of us."
Donna said something as well, but Santa couldn't hear her over the noise of eight hungry and overworked reindeer.
As was, perhaps, to have been expected, the two nicer children both told the truth and the two naughtier children both lied. Can you order the children from nicest to naughtiest?
Try your best before looking at the solution to this year’s IMACS Holiday Logic Puzzle.