My Life in Pink and Green, Lisa Greenwald

My Life in Pink and Green

Author: Lisa Greenwald



Official Summary:

Twelve-year-old Lucy Desberg is a natural problem solver. After the local homecoming queen shows up at her family's struggling drugstore with a beauty disaster that Lucy helps to fix, Lucy has a long line of makeover customers for every school dance and bat mitzvah. But all the makeup tips in the world won't help save the pharmacy. If only she could find a way to make the pharmacy the center of town again—a place where people want to spend time, like in the old days. Lucy dreams up a solution that could resuscitate the family business and help the environment, too. But will Lucy's family stop fighting long enough to listen to a seventh-grader?

What the Pros say:

PW: “Greenwald makes a bright debut with this timely story.”
Kirkus: “This refreshing novel successfully delivers an authentic and endearing portrait of the not-quite-teen experience.”


What I Say:

My Life in Pink and Green is an immediately endearing story. The Old Mill Pharmacy, the business that Lucy’s family revolves around, is in danger of going out of business, and Lucy will stop at nothing to save it. Lucy is strong, smart, and resourceful, and her spunk and green solutions will appeal to readers young and old.

The Old Mill Pharmacy sounds like the perfect place to hang out, and Lucy is determined to revive the aging establishment’s popularity in her town before it’s too late. While her activist mother is busy trying to save the world and her more down to earth grandmother is trying to get Mom to see reason, Lucy uses her skills, friendships, and initially reluctant membership in the Earth Club to fight for the pharmacy she loves.

The relationships depicted by Greenwald are strong and believable; Lucy’s mother and grandmother are loving but somewhat condescending towards Lucy’s attempts at business innovation, while Lucy’s best friend and older sister are helpful comrades in her plans.

The novel manages to entertainingly combine makeup, environmentalism, and first crushes to tell the sweet story of Lucy, her friends, and her family. This one’s definitely a younger read, but was endlessly cute and enjoyable.

Intrigued?

You're not alone! Amazon only has one copy left.

Check out Lisa Greenwald’s (very well designed) website. She’s a debut author, and a member of the Class of 2k9, a very cool group of authors with YA books coming out in ’09. You can also find Lisa blogging on the collaborative children’s writer’s blog Longstockings.

More?
Catch Lisa chatting with shelfelf, or check out her interview with Katie over at Katie's Bookshelf.